Culture, Not Culture Wars – City Journal
Dennis Prager conducted the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra last Wednesday night, and what had threatened to become another dispiriting episode in the culture wars turned instead into an evening of passionate advocacy for high culture and classical music. Santa Monica is one of the most liberal cities in California, so it was not wholly surprising that when the orchestras conductor invited Prager, a conservative talk radio host, to conduct a Haydn symphony for an orchestral fundraiser, a rebellion broke out among some musicians and the citys political class. Two violinists in the ensemble, both UCLA professors, penned a letter suggesting that their fellow musicians boycott the upcoming performance. A concert with Dennis Prager would normalize hatred and bigotry, wrote Professors Andrew Apter and Michael Chwe in their March 27, 2017, letter. A webpage asked readers to urge their friends not to attend the concert, since attending would help normalize bigotry in our community. Local politicians weighed in. Councilman Kevin McKeown warned that the orchestras decision to invite Prager may affect future community support for the Symphony. Mayor Ted Winterer sniffed that he had certainly . . . not encouraged anyone to attend.
Fortunately for the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, the boycott attempt, despite sympathetic coverage in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, was a dud. And the concert was a rousing success that ideally won new converts to classical music and to the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra itself.
On Wednesday evening, no protesters showed up outside or inside Disney Hall, Frank Gehrys famed curvilinear eruption of steel designed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The orchestras affable full-time conductor Guido Lamell polled the house, virtually full, before the music began. How many audience members were Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra attendees? he asked. A good number of people clapped in affirmation, leading Lamell to offer his sympathies for their having made the cross-country trip from Los Angeless Westside to downtown. How many were attending their first classical concert? Another burst of applause. Then came the key demographic question: Are there any fans of Dennis Prager here? The response was thunderous. OK, I get the message, Lamell laughed. I wont keep you away from him for too long.
Lamell opened the program with a lively reading of Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro overture, which he rightly introduced as one of the greatest opera overtures of all time (actually, its only competitor for first place is the Don Giovanni overture). Then he turned over the podium to Prager. Two string players joined the welcome, clapping with their free hand on their knee. Prager told the audience about attending his first classical music concert, which brought him to tears and led to a lifelong love affair with Haydn. The Classical period, he said, represents controlled passion, in contrast with the Romantics, who did not control theirsyet passion will break out in the fourth movement of this Haydn symphony as well, Prager explained. Wonderfully, Prager had chosen a work from the criminally underperformed middle period of Haydns prodigious symphonic output. These so-called Sturm und Drang symphonies contain some of Haydns most pathos-filled, dramatic writing, and the Symphony No. 51 in B-flat major, composed in 1771, was no exception. It opens innocently enough with a brief, quizzical exchange between frisky strings and mournful horns before bursting forth into agonizingly poignant and dark harmonies. Cleverly syncopated passages in the first movement make the rhythm tricky. Major and minor keys interweave, adumbrating Schuberts bittersweet longing.
Prager conducted ably enough, keeping the ensemble together and pacing the fourth movement in accordance with Haydns Allegro marking, unlike the late Christopher Hogwood, who took the movement at a quixotically stately pace. Readingand leading froman orchestral score, one of the most complex architectures of the human mind, is a prodigious challenge. But Prager seemed to have the basics down, undoubtedly helped by the caliber of the musicians themselves. Boycott organizer Michael Chwe reported to the Los Angeles Times afterwards that over a dozen players had stayed away, but such a rate of attrition was normal for this volunteer orchestra, Lamell had earlier said. The absences were not noticeable, and most critically, the woodwind and brass sections contained the full complement of musicians called for in the score. Indeed, not only were the orchestras two hornists in attendance, they were also supplemented by a flugelhorn not even written into the piece. This addition of a higher-register brass instrument presumably served as insurance for the symphonys fiendishly difficult and exposed horn writing, which takes the instrument into its highest (and lowest) registers, sometimes through demanding triplet arpeggiation. The oboes are key in the second movement, floating languorously above a string pulse to create the same time-suspended melodic beauty as Cos fan tuttes dream-like ensembles.
After the symphony concluded, Prager, breathless and patting himself down with a handkerchief, provided a brief demonstration of Haydns genius, in the tradition of Leonard Bernsteins Young Peoples Concerts. He asked the basses and celli to play the agitated G minor section in the rondo finale movement. Then the orchestra played that same passage without the basses and celli. Finally, Prager put the instruments back together again, eliciting delighted applause from the audience, whose ears had been primed to hear the layering of voices.
Prager bantered with the musicians, asking a few when and why they took up their instruments. The principal cellist, Niall Ferguson, said that he started at four because his best friend was already playing the cello. Youre not normal! Prager exclaimed. Not only did you want to play the cello at age four, but your friend did, too. Where are you from? Cleveland, Ferguson answered. That explains it, Prager said. The ribbing went both ways. Prager asked the principal bassist, Jack Cousin, if he felt ignored because conductors dont even look at the basses. Actually, the best conductors do look at us, Cousin said, slyly adding after a pause, and you did as well.
Lamell, who plays violin with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, joined in for the Haydn. Afterward, Prager quizzed him, too, about his early instrumental experience. Lamell rebelled at age eight from his violin lessons, he said, but his parents kept up the pressure. Its hard for a parent to push; I, as a parent, have not been that strong. Im grateful that my own parents did, so, thank you Dad! Memo to parents: give your children music lessons and make them persist. They wont regret it.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Prager returned to the stage at the end of the evening, after Lamell had conducted Beethovens Fifth Symphony. Whether intentionally or not, the concert at that point took on a historical cast, imitating the bizarre potpourri of high and low that characterized nineteenth-century concerts. Beethovens Violin Concerto, for example, was interrupted after its first movement at its Viennese premiere so that the violinist could play one of his own compositionson one string, while holding his violin upside down. Only after this parlor trick concluded did Beethovens new concerto proceed to its second movement. At the Disney Hall encore, Lamell and Prager led the audience in America the Beautifulwith Lamell on musical saw and Prager on accordion.
Lamell and the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestras board are to be congratulated for standing by Prager against the opposition. In the program notes, Lamell offered a thoughtful response to the boycott controversy. Prager loves music with every fiber of his being, the conductor wrote. He is also an outspoken political commentator and some of his views are controversial. However, politics changes constantly, ideas evolve. Music, in contrast, is eternal. I believe Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven will be celebrated forever while the politics of our day will change with the wind.
But Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven will be celebrated only if there is an audience. Audience-building is the biggest challenge facing classical music today. While the supply of astoundingly accomplished musicians keeps expanding, lackluster public demand for classical music threatens this monumental expression of the human soul. The Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra is already performing an invaluable service by playing most of its concerts for free. But if Prager can bring more listeners to classical music, any orchestra should get down on its knees in gratitude. There was no normalization of hatred and bigotry at Disney Hall on Wednesday night, just a celebration of greatness that, one hopes, will be infectious.
Heather Mac Donald is the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor ofCity Journal.
Photo Courtesy of Santa Monica Symphony
Read more here:
Culture, Not Culture Wars - City Journal
- Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Ag Secretary Uses Purse Strings to Press Culture Wars in States - DTN Progressive Farmer - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Lionel Shriver: Trump has ended US culture wars but UK is lagging - The Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- No 10 happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Canada ditches divisive culture wars for focused hyper-nationalism thanks to Donald Trump - Daily Maverick - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Disneys New Snow White Film Fights Culture Wars and Wins - Bloomberg - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity? - The Irish Times - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- 'I thought we were done with the culture wars': Democrats push back on measure clarifying what makes school books 'harmful to minors' - Creative... - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Letter: Culture wars drove me away from the GOP - Bangor Daily News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Beth Ann Rosica: Pennsylvania culture wars to be waged in the courtroom - Broad + Liberty - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- I have a pathological need to be right: Ash Sarkar on culture wars, controversy and Corbyns lost legacy - The Guardian - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Alex Gibney to Exec Produce Doc About College Culture Wars and Freedom of Speech (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Embrace of authoritarianism in US fueled by culture wars more than economy, study finds - The University of Kansas - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Memo to Hollywood: Theres No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars - TheWrap - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Culture wars reach warfighters as area military bases ordered to scrub online content - Fredericksburg Free Press - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics - The Conversation Indonesia - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- How the Right Hijacked the Working Class for Culture Wars - Social Europe - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Culture wars: Trumps takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- A correspondence from the Culture Wars - Carter County Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Hands on Wisconsin: School children are pawns in the culture wars - The Daily News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Is a Trump backlash on its way? Well, eggs are as expensive as ever and you cant eat the culture wars - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - New York Post - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Gaming Is Becoming More Diverse, Opening a New Front in the Culture Wars - New Lines Magazine - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Creed vs. the culture wars: Hunkered down in the Catholic demilitarized zone - America: The Jesuit Review - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Guardian view on class politics: it has faded as culture wars have risen | Editorial - The Guardian - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- US spending suggests that Irish culture wars are indeed imported by the Left - Gript - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - NewsBreak - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Port: Not every issue has to be a part of the culture wars - INFORUM - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Jaguar May Prove to Be the Latest Casualty in Culture Wars - autoevolution - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Is language the key to resolving the WFH v back-to-the-office culture wars? | Emma Beddington - The Guardian - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Sundance: Tame Stories Reflect an Indie World Battered by Economics, Culture Wars - TheWrap - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into Political and Culture Wars - The Seattle Times - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into the Political and Culture Wars - The New York Times - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- March for Life in San Francisco Sparks Clashes and Culture Wars - SFist - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- The worlds most embarrassing inauguration was led by the Culture Wars President - The Independent - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- 'Culture wars' are costing school districts billions of dollars annually - Audacy - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Under The Malign Influence Of Trump, Britains Draining Culture Wars Are About To Get Even More Toxic - British Vogue - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Open spot will set future of this metro-east library board embroiled in culture wars - Yahoo! Voices - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Culture Wars And DJ Mailbox To Open For Maroon 5 Manila Concert - Billboard Philippines - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trade Wars, Culture Wars, and Anti-Immigration: Trumps Big Promises - Kyiv Post - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Decaturish.com - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Georgia Recorder - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The Forgotten Book Genre That Explains a Lot About Todays Culture Wars - Slate - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Simon Schama on the culture wars: There is a faint smell of the 1930s - The Times - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The culture wars are coming for children with special needs Labour must tread carefully - The Guardian - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- AI chip race, antitrust challenges, and culture wars: What lies ahead for Big Tech in 2025 - The Indian Express - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- How to take climate change out of the culture wars - National Catholic Reporter - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Biblical grammar enters the culture wars - The Times of Israel - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Battles over books led the way in culture wars over education - Suncoast News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- David M. Lantigua: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - TribLIVE - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Eggs, coffee, chocolate, and the culture wars: Foodtech in 2024 - AgFunderNews - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- #Woke to anti-woke, its the era of culture wars - The Times of India - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Disney withdraws from culture wars amid bruising encounters with Trump and DeSantis - The Independent - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Disney reportedly backing away from culture wars: Politics is bad for business - Fox8tv - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- The Whole Hog End of Year Special: "Climate change has also been sucked into the culture wars" - hotpress.com - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Culture wars in the Church has innocent victims: The parishioners - Crux Now - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - The Conversation Indonesia - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Reilly Riffs on the Culture Wars - Bacon's Rebellion - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Woodstock: From World War to Culture Wars - New York Almanack - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Class, the Culture Wars, and Contempt for Politics: Why we Lost in 2024 - Daily Kos - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Democrats should abandon government force in culture wars - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Anthony Jeselnik Reclaims Gallows Humour From The Culture Wars On New Special 'Bones And All' - DeadAnt - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Kitchen-table issues, not culture wars, helped Democrats avoid 2024 wipeout - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Child Protection: Hungarys Far-Right Is Grabbing the Initiative in the Culture Wars - Balkan Insight - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Climate change and even tethered bottle caps have got sucked into the culture wars - The Irish Times - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Column | Can our spending habits help explain the culture wars? - The Washington Post - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Lawmakers Are Trying to Take the Culture Wars Out of Defense Budget Negotiations - NOTUS - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Religion-state separation is about to take center stage in the US culture wars - The Times of Israel - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Did Democrats lose on the economy or the culture wars? Three strategists weigh in - KUOW News and Information - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- In Conversation with Culture Wars: New Single It Hurts - Flaunt Magazine - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- No more faggots and Gypsy Creams! How the culture wars came for cookery - The Telegraph - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Trump Will Bring The School Culture Wars To Every State - HuffPost - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- How the mega-rich are throwing their financial heft into culture wars on college campuses - The Telegraph - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What kind of person would drag autistic children into the culture wars? The Kemi Badenoch kind - The Guardian - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- Have hurricanes gotten swept up in the culture wars? - KCRW - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- OUTRAGE: Movies and the Culture Wars, 19871996 - BAM | Brooklyn Academy of Music - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What is Platos Symposium, the classic book drawn into the Gender Queer culture wars? - The Conversation - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- The EV Culture Wars Arent What They Seem - The Atlantic - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- British history is being destroyed before our eyes and it has nothing to do with culture wars over statues - The Guardian - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- 'Culture wars' burning in B.C.s combative election - Vancouver Sun - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]