Art in Turbulent Times

Recently artsjournal.com shared a lengthy piece by composer and musician Jonathan Blumhofer, on the arts in times of political unrest. Although you will see I disagree with its message, it is a thoughtful and considered piece.

After a discussion of the complex, to say the least, relationship between conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Nazis, he writes:

Furtwängler and his Brahms performance have been on the mind of late as the balance of power has shifted in our nation’s capital and a neo-authoritarian lurch seems imminent. Granted, leaning too heavily into comparisons between past and present can be a risky business. But sometimes the effort can’t be helped.

Now is one of those times. Elon Musk and his tech bros bankrolling last year’s Republican campaign, for instance, had more than a whiff of Gustav Krupp, Fritz von Opel, and other Teutonic industrialists banding together to fund the Nazis’ 1933 seizure of power. The threat that the US government is building, essentially, concentration camps for undocumented immigrants — and prisons in El Salvador holding deported US citizens — is terrifying, as are suggestions from some now in power that court rulings contradicting a President’s executive orders should simply be ignored. With each day bringing new troubles and concerns, how should we proceed? …

What, then, if anything, have the arts got to say to the moment? Is there any right way to fight this repression? Or do such efforts amount to little more than shouting into the void?

He goes on to discuss various works of opera, musical theatre and orchestral works that speak to political themes. His main point is:

[T]his, if I can define such a large subject so succinctly, is the chief object of art: to get one to think, ideally in new, transformative ways. This isn’t, at least in its purest form, politically motivated; rather, it fulfills a human necessity, presenting the voice and perspective of another — sometimes the Other.

To accomplish this, the arts function on multiple levels. They soothe the soul and offend the eye. They enchant, dazzle, frustrate, and provoke — sometimes all at once. But, above all, they aim to engage the critical apparatus while giving voice to the dreams, disappointments, realities, and fantasies of the human experience. …

Both Boston Lyric Opera and White Snake Projects have, in recent years, engaged aggressively with timely concerns. The latter, which styles itself as Boston’s “activist opera company” has carved out a particularly notable position as an incubator of new works. Sometimes goofily and whimsically, but always with vigor and purpose, the troupe has embraced its mission, recently announcing a new season that focuses on the climate crisis.

BLO’s reckonings with questions of identity, appropriation, and gender in the standard canon have met with mixed results. Even so, the company’s willingness to boldly address these issues is admirable. Like WSP, their upcoming March offering contends with environmental concerns, this time via the music of Antonio Vivaldi.

And he concludes:

Knowing this, let us contend with the future bravely. However late the hour and however long the road ahead, the cause of standing for justice, knowledge, and freedom isn’t yet doomed. Along the way, let the arts comfort, inspire, instruct, and help lead. That’s what they’re here for.

It’s a long commentary – I’ve only given brief snippets. But I think you get the idea: arts presenters should approach our political moment head on, and without fear or favour address the pressing concerns of our time.

He mentions only in passing two things I think are of real importance.

First, throughout his election campaign, Donald Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented migrants, and that he would enlist all powers available to him to effect this. He promised he would make tariffs the centerpiece of his international economic relations, as well as his strategy for domestic economic development, as well as a revenue source that would enable substantial cuts to the income tax. He promised that he would pardon the mobs that stormed the Capitol in 2021, calling them “political prisoners.” He continued to express his praise for Putin, his disdain for Ukraine, and that he could bring a quick end to the war although with Ukraine having to make significant concessions. He promised he would upend the Department of Justice and the FBI, and that he would use these agencies to pursue those he saw as political enemies. In September he announced the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency, to be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who would perform a deep audit of all federal government programs. Through October, Musk promised that through DOGE he would seek to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget.

Second, he won the election, not just in the Electoral College but also in the popular vote, over a Kamala Harris who promised more or less to govern to preserve the status quo. Except for dumping Vivek before he even got started, he is doing exactly what he said he would do.

When an arts organization wants to speak to our moment, to whom is it speaking? He cites Fidelio as a great opera for our time, and, well it is a great opera for any time. But what does it do for an opera company to say “we are going to do a production of Fidelio now, because [nudge] you get it?” Or musical theatre of the 1930s? Are orchestras supposed to contend with the challenges of climate change by performing Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”?

Who is this for? The answer is that it is meant for people who do not like Trump at all, who voted the other way and are upset about it. But I am one of those people, I think Trump, Musk, and their enablers are ghastly. But I do not want my local symphony, or theatre company, or art museum, to ask itself “what are works that speak to anti-Trump values?” Such efforts range from the patronizing to the simply cheesy, and in political terms accomplish nothing except for self-congratulation amongst the liberal progressives, who (most of) those in the art world think of as “their people.”

Arts organizations do not need to “respond” to the election of Trump in their programming, any more than they would have needed to respond to the election of Harris. Museums and orchestras have unique roles in our cities in their abilities to provide the public with great art – lots of people can organize political protests about Trump, can hold meetings, can try to persuade people to vote the other way the next time. But only your orchestra has the ability to perform Mahler’s Fourth; nobody else can.

“Let the arts comfort, inspire, instruct, and help lead. That’s what they’re here for.” But they’re not. And, as we have seen only recently, those exact same words can be said by the most despicable political actors.

The arts won’t save you from the political situation you hate.