Classic Life, Peter Hübner, The scaffolding scene of the German musical world, New Horizons in Classical Music

Peter Hübner – The scaffolding scene of the German musical world

Seite 1 2 3

________________________________________________________________________________________________

PETER HÜBNER: In the present time of great individual, social and ecological crises it is important and sensible for all of us to reflect on the natural, say good-bye in our thinking and acting from unnatural habits and respect the laws of nature. This applies in particular to musical life. In this respect, decency must also be newly defined in the practice of classical music under the viewpoint of naturalness.

At the time of Hitler the Nazis were officially the most respected people – under national sovereignty, at the time of Stalin the communists were – under national sovereignty etc., etc..

Thus, it is not the governmental institution, which in art, and, in particular, in music can be seen as the model of all things. And I am glad that in our times of general democratic efforts, I am able to say such a thing without putting myself in danger.

Ever growing movements in people’s consciousness are nowadays trying to rank the power of nature above the power of the state, and to somehow integrate the structure of the state into the structure of nature.

Why should that therefore also not be the right point in time to act accordingly in German musical life, and to officially give nature more authority – by providing the artist with talent.

The present official public musical life regulated by supranational institutions and national financial funds deceives the parents of the musically gifted child in a way that is very dangerous for the person who is gifted: it pretends to be able to support this person’s talent, and to open up channels for him for his later profession. But if this pretence is not stupidity, it is deception – as all governmental training and supportive measures concentrate only on producing the ideal mediocrity or on leading the exceptional back to mediocrity – with governmental sovereignty, with posts and dignity of state.

That is the only purpose of titles in art, official posts, dignitaries: to deceive the general public regarding mediocrity, and to reduce the exceptional to the ordinary or more clearly: to limit it to the common.
In the interest of the true values of music and the future of music, I can only urgently advise the tax-payers and/or those responsible for the state-funds to privatise all public institutions in musical life, i.e. not to finance them any longer, but to expose them to public competition, as this was also done e.g. with the former state-owned companies of the bankrupt GDR.

Something like the “ Treuhandgesellschaft”, a company of trustees, should be established, which handles and privatises the governmental institutions or organisations financed by the state in the same way as it was done with the state-owned companies in the GDR, which had not functioned properly under communist management, and of which the enlightened economic expert knew that they would not function under a western management of state, either.

The same applies for those boards of trustees, committees and advisory boards of German musical life, as long as they are financed by the national budget.

The monthly income of individual members of the board of trustees or the professors, who could earn their money more honestly in a different manner anyway, is of no interest, when we are dealing with the ethical matter and the pure value of music.

I am maybe the only one in German musical life, who can voice his opinion in such a way. And I am by no means proud of that fact, but rather sad that not more like myself have survived, but have become stuck somewhere in governmental measures, and there breathe their last talent and creativity as professors or dignitaries.

Every year the German state squanders billions on the alleged support of music through questionable organisations.

Surely large amounts remain with the music functionaries and some commercial enterprises from the field of music – which, however, seems to me to be the less harmless part of this macabre scenario.

The actual damage is done by these music functionaries with the remaining money in that area, where their incompetent musical measures disable the gifted people and undermine their natural musical creativity.

In a time when in Germany ecological shortcomings are increasingly explored, pointed out, are publicly denounced and removed, where political corruption is revealed, publicly denounced, persecuted and eliminated, the same shortcomings in German musical life should be actively challenged by the real music lovers.”