Staying Awake Together
In time of the crises of the spirit, we are aware of all our need, our need for each other and our need for ourselves.
(Muriel Rukeyser)
Erich Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City”) is based upon an 1892 novel by Georges Rodenbach entitled Bruges-la-Morte. It tells a haunting story of grief, obsession, and the struggle to move on after a loss. When the opera premiered in 1920, Korngold was only 23 years old, but the theme of overcoming the loss of a loved one resonated with audiences of the 1920s, who had just come through the trauma and losses of World War I.
I wonder what resonances audiences will experience now, in 2025? Will the radical shifts in our own current political, economic, and cultural environment, coupled with the specter of ongoing global conflicts – the lens through which we are now peering – affect the way that we experience the opera? Will its themes of grief, obsession, and the struggle to move forward after loss feel familiar and relevant to us now? Die tote Stadt also presents a complex interplay of gender dynamics that goes beyond simplistic stereotypes, reflecting the complexities of early 20th-century Viennese society, challenging conventional gender roles and expectations. I wonder how the opera’s exploration of the tensions between societal expectations and individual desires will speak to our own ongoing discussions about gender fluidity, identity, and the deconstruction of traditional gender norms.
During the three weeks prior to the presentation of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, BSO will have presented all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies consecutively. The reasoning for this programing, and for including Die tote Stadt in the line-up, is to illuminate Beethoven as the source of Romanticism, and Korngold’s opera as a memorializing of its demise: bookends of what historians call the “Long Nineteenth Century” in music.
“The Long Nineteenth Century” stretched from 1789 to 1914, essentially from the beginning of the French Revolution until the outbreak of World War I. This extended timeframe is used by musicologists and historians to better capture the musical developments and transitions that occurred during that era. The notion of the Long Nineteenth Century allows us to grasp the progressions of ideas and societal changes during this extended period, encompassing major shifts in musical styles, composition techniques, and performance practices that characterize what is often called the Romantic Era.
In 2025, amid seismic political shifts, wars, social transformation, and technological revolutions, creative expression has become indispensable to navigating our turbulent world. In moments like these, art transcends mere aesthetics, serving as a vital instrument of social cohesion and a bridge across societal divides. When successful, art translates complex ideas into relatable forms, helping us to process change and imagine new possibilities for our shared future. However, the arts and education sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges with diminished resources and funding cuts exacerbated by the lingering effects of the Covid pandemic. Despite these obstacles, the need for communal artistic experiences has never been more crucial. Gathering in real time, in shared spaces, to undergo collective experiences has become both a challenge and a necessity. As we confront this new reality, joining forces with others, both personally and institutionally, to create and share artistic experiences, is not only an act of cultural preservation, but also a powerful means of societal recovery and renewal.
I am encouraged and inspired by the collaborative spirit and the cooperation between the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Boston Lyric Opera (BLO). Through their groundbreaking collaboration, exemplified by this joint presentation of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt at Symphony Hall, the BSO and BLO are pioneering a transformative era in Boston’s arts landscape. By joining forces, they are setting a powerful example of how cultural institutions can thrive through cooperation rather than competition. This collaborative model strengthens their individual positions and creates new possibilities for artistic expression and audience engagement.
Fueled by mutual respect and admiration for one another, the strategic alliance between the BSO and BLO exemplifies a new paradigm for cultural institutions. Moving beyond mere survival, this collaboration charts a course for mutual growth and deeper community engagement. By embracing shared resources and creative synergies, they are not only strengthening their own positions but also enriching the city’s artistic ecosystem, offering a blueprint for cultural resilience and innovation in challenging times.
By leveraging their combined strengths, sharing resources, and developing creative solutions, the BSO and BLO aim to cultivate new programs, engage hard-to-reach audiences, and strengthen advocacy for the arts. This partnership embodies a spirit of inclusion that resonates with former President Barack Obama’s vision of modern pluralism, fostering mutual learning and growth while expanding networks and increasing artists’ visibility. Ultimately, this collaboration demonstrates how cultural institutions can thrive through cooperation, creating new possibilities for artistic expression and audience engagement, leading to a more robust and resilient arts community in Boston.
As we navigate these tumultuous times, I recognize the dual nature of our collective challenge: we must remain vigilant as individuals and as a society. Personally, I am acutely aware that, both as an individual and as part of a community, my role is to maintain a state of conscious awareness while adjusting to the swiftly moving social, political, and cultural shifts, and all without sacrificing my core humanity.
Social systems, societies, and organizations are made of selves. These selves collaborate in acts of the imagination that emanate from a collective conscience based upon this relational constellation of individuals. What is required from all of us is a deep and imaginative sensitivity to other selves, that allows us to envision what it is like to walk in somebody else’s shoes. This balancing act requires from all of us a delicate blend of resilience and empathy, allowing us to evolve with our changing world while holding fast to the values that define our shared human experience. Our empathy for others is the hallmark of our humanity.
My own development as a theatre and opera director has been shaped significantly by collaboration with others. About fifteen years ago, I made the decision to transition from solely directing plays with my theater ensemble, SITI Company, to us embarking together upon a series of large-scale collaborative projects with exceptional artists from different disciplines. Thus began a sequence of creative adventures, first with the Martha Graham Dance Company, then with Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, then with the visual artist Ann Hamilton, then with the composer Julia Wolfe and her ensemble Bang on a Can, and then with Elizabeth Streb and the STREB Extreme Action company. In each collaborative project, all the artists involved were pushed beyond their comfort zones, blurring the lines between disciplines. For example, actors found themselves navigating intricate choreography, while dancers grappled with delivering nuanced dialogue. The result was a dynamic fusion of talents, where the distinction between actor and dancer became beautifully ambiguous, fostering a rich, multidimensional performance landscape that defied traditional categorization. All these collaborations were challenging and at times stressful, but I am deeply grateful for the engagement and even for the obstacles that they presented. In each process, SITI Company and I were ultimately altered irrevocably, artistically, administratively, and personally, by the chemistry of having joined forces. In each case, it was impossible to be sure about the result, about what we might achieve together, in concert. In the process, I learned that we cannot predict the results until the actual chemistry of engagement happens. It is impossible to completely control where such collaborations will lead, but the commitment to join forces is the conduit to innovation and change.
In art, we seek to communicate, with an emphasis on the root communis which means “in public, common, shared by all.” Through art, we strive to illuminate the threads that bind us together as a society, revealing our common experiences and shared humanity. Art is an instrument of cohesion and translation between individuals as well as between organizations. By weaving together diverse perspectives and individual stories, we create a tapestry that reflects our collective identity. It serves as a universal language, bridging gaps between people from all walks of life and facilitating understanding across cultural and organizational boundaries.
The rapid and often troubling changes in the world present us with challenges and obstacles that necessitate a collective effort to broaden our embrace, break down silos, and rediscover common purpose by drawing upon our diverse talents. We can help one another to stay awake. As a society we are more polarized than ever before, and staying awake feels extremely challenging. The stakes are high, and everyone appears to be far apart, feeling either angry or scared about what is happening, finding refuge in isolation. I believe that shared creative acts between both individuals and institutions are the solution to our current situation. We can stay awake together. We must stay awake together. We cannot afford to be passive, waiting until conditions improve.