‘The Magic Flute’
Spano: There’s a paradoxical beauty to “The Magic Flute.” Tremendously weighty, idealistic concepts are set in this sometimes farcical, sometimes sublime fairy tale. It’s the most marvelous combination.
Despite it not being Mozart’s last opera, it’s as much his last will and testament as the “Requiem.” There it is, this shimmering, fairy-tale jewel, full of these riches. It can be appreciated on so many levels — buffoonery to transcendence to religious contemplation. Tough times
Guerrero and Spano have both confronted severe challenges alongside their ensembles. The Nashville Symphony last year narrowly avoided foreclosure on the concert hall it opened in 2006, and its finances remain unsteady. The Atlanta Symphony also faces a financial squeeze, and its belt-tightening contributed to a labor dispute that delayed this season’s opening by two months.
Guerrero: These are our cities. They have become our hometowns.
We see the role of the music director as very hands-on — not only the actual conducting, but leading the organization and being a visible part of the community. You don’t know how many Rotary clubs I’ve talked to.
Spano: We have so many universities in Atlanta. Those mean a lot to us. That’s another way for us to connect. Then there are the important people you need to know.
Guerrero: Lots of lunches. Drinks. The way I see it, who better than the music director to lay out your vision for the orchestra? There’s nothing better than to have the music director say, ‘This is what I expect. This is what I want for the orchestra. This is why we need you to support it.’ When you do that, When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Feb. 4, 7, 14; 2 p.m. Feb. 1 people feel a connection.
Spano: The cultural life in this country is in an interesting place. The way we have grown accustomed to having our cultural life funded has changed. We historically had philanthropists who wrote the checks, who no longer exist. Generationally, we’ve had a shift. If you look at the new wealth and how they spend their money, they tend to invest in other causes than culture. And we don’t generally have public funding.
The question we ultimately have to fix is, how are we funding this? And that’s in conjunction with the question, what do we want? Do we still want an $26 TICKETS ON JAN. 30,
JAN. 31, FEB. 1, FEB. 3 ALLEYTHEATRE.ORG/TICKETS 713.220.5700 orchestra that gives four concerts a week all year? We’re wrestling with transformative change, and it’s uncomfortable.
Guerrero: I guess I’m fortunate in that, whenever I go out into Nashville and remind people how important music is, they go, “Duh! Of course it is. This is Music City.” How does the symphony position itself? In a town that has music going on 24 hours a day, the symphony provides something nobody else can. We have everything from Gustav Mahler to Kenny Rogers.
Many people in the country music business, for example, support the orchestra. One of our most famous, biggest supporters is Amy Grant, and she has rallied some of her friends.
Taylor Swift last year gave us $100,000. She lives two blocks from the concert hall. She sees the symphony as an investment in her community, and we’re grateful for that. And I got to be the cool dad, because I’m the guy who introduced my daughters to Taylor Swift. steven.brown@chron.com twitter.com/SBrownChron