In a column for latimes.com, critic Mark Swed examines how symphony orchestras across Los Angeles, Boston, and Leipzig are engaging with democratic activism, culminating in an orchestra’s experiment with artificial intelligence to question agency.
The Bottom Line
- Los Angeles chamber orchestra Wild Up has staged interdisciplinary “Democracy Sessions” and community performances throughout October leading up to election day.
- The Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered Tod Machover’s AI-bathed concerto “already and not yet” at Tanglewood, testing whether artificial intelligence can offer artistic agency rather than data collection.
- Amid these civic explorations, Boston Symphony musicians wore red flowers on their opening night to protest management’s failure to renew Music Director Andris Nelsons’ contract.
Activism on Global Stages in Los Angeles and Leipzig
The symphony orchestra takes its name from the Greek symphonía (sounding in agreement) and orkhēstra (a public stage for dance or senatorial seating). Despite originating three centuries ago as a plaything of princes, the orchestra has a long history of political friction. latimes.com reported that Beethoven yanked his dedication to Napoleon from the “Eroica” Symphony in 1804 after the French leader proclaimed himself emperor.
This election season, orchestras worldwide have leaned into democratic themes. In Los Angeles, the egalitarian collective Wild Up organized “Democracy Sessions” through October, featuring interdisciplinary concerts, theatrical events, and environmental presentations. Their civic programming concluded with “Music to Vote By” acoustic sets at the Japanese American National Museum Plaza in Little Tokyo. Conductor Christopher Rountree also led a REDCAT performance of Louis Andriessen’s “De Staat”—a Dutch minimalist piece countering Plato’s fears of music altering state laws—and staged Oliver Leith’s “Garland” at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary with community performers and a live black horse.
Meanwhile, Germany faced its own political shifts following a regional election victory by the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Saxony-Anhalt. Bordering that state, Leipzig’s historic Gewandhaus Orchestra marked the pre-election days with a democracy weekend titled “Reading the Signs.” The program included a performance by the improvising orchestra Stegreif, which “exploded” Beethoven’s “Eroica.”
AI Concerto Premieres at Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra leaned into the political zeitgeist just two weeks before the midterms by premiering Tod Machover’s half-hour orchestral score, “already and not yet.” Commissioned for the 40th anniversary of the MIT Media Lab, the concerto features electronics bathed in artificial intelligence. latimes.com reported that the composition treats AI not as a data-gobbling commercial monitor, but as an interactive tool taught to listen and analyze, providing musicians with fresh ideas.
Conducted by Kent Nagano, the piece moves through three distinct movements. In the tumultuous first movement, “SMASH UP,” the AI has little use as the orchestra confronts chaos. During the ethereal second movement, “WAKE UP,” individual players receive ordinary electronic mimicry from the machine, using it as a creative challenge. By the final movement, “STAND UP,” the AI is tamed, guiding the ensemble into a new sonic wonderland.
Labor Unrest and Management Disconnects
While the music explored collaboration and democracy, backstage tensions revealed an orchestra in active revolt against its own administration. latimes.com reported that many Boston Symphony musicians sported red flowers on their lapels on opening night to protest management’s decision not to renew Music Director Andris Nelsons’ contract when it expires in the summer after a 13-year tenure. Players stated they were broadsided by the announcement that management lacked a shared vision with the conductor.
Nelsons, who also serves as music director for Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra, was notably absent from Tanglewood’s democracy concerts. His contribution to Leipzig's democracy weekend consisted of standard Tchaikovsky and Dvorak programs rather than local civic programming, leaving both institutions facing a complex intersection of administrative friction and public engagement.
