Damage and chance

Suddenly and unexpectedly, a veil has come down over the arts, as over all of public life, a veil different from the one which, for instance, descended with WW II. Classical music, as a genre and as a practice, survived the onslaught of the war, and as a practice the following destruction by modernism which reduced the genre as a living art form to a marginal and underground phenomenon. After the current attack of the virus, and after a considerable time, the performing practice will be picked-up but surely with big holes in the field. And what about the up till now established new music scene?

With a restoration of the practice of concert life, the question of relevance and meaning will have an unprecedented urgency. But which relevance and meaning? And who is going to decide? The management layer everywhere? The audience - who have a CD collection at home and can extend their experiences through the internet - have long ceased to have any influence upon the creation of new music, since it has been supported by state and institutions, not by audience welcome. It seems that it is the performers who, in the first place, will have the responsibility to lead a recovery of meaning and relevance in performance practice, and will have to follow their instincts of love and responsibility instead of vanity and financial reward. Only in this way, some of the damage can be turned into a challenge and a chance on reform.