Adieu, Maestro

Ingo Metzmacher, the dynamic conductor of Berlin's Deutsches Symphonie Orchester (DSO) will be making his last appearance with the orchestra this June. After a stormy showdown with the orchestra's four shareholders last year, Metzmacher made a surprise announcement of his departure. Even now, a year later,  you can hear the anger and frustration in his voice on the rare occasions on which he speaks publicly about his decision.

photo: copyright, Mathias Bothor

The strong bond between Metzmacher and his orchestra is so palpable in a live performance it can make your skin tingle. The DSO has had great conductors before (Kent Nagano was the last), but Metzmacher, the young orchestra's first German conductor, has done the most to bring novel ideas into the concert hall. He offers fresh, intriguing programming (one season was devoted to a musical exploration of "the German Soul"), and his trademark Casual Concerts are almost always sold out. At Casual Concerts orchestra members perform in jeans and T-Shirts, and Metzmacher often interrupts them to address the audience, mixing musical analysis and historical perspective with flashes of wry humor. All seats go for a flat 15 Euro, giving the audience profile a shake-up.

A year ago, it seemed as though nothing could stop the DSO and Ingo Metzmacher: they were on a roll. What happened next shows how closely -- and sometimes, disastrously --  politics, business and culture are interlinked in Berlin.

The four shareholders, including two public radio stations, the city of Berlin and the federal government, agreed to an additional subsidy of six million Euros from 2010-12 for the ROC (Rundfunkorchester und-chöre), the four-member ensemble to which the DSO is tied. Now, this level of public financial support for music is extraordinary for most parts of the world. Just ask any leading American orchestra.

The conditions attached to the subsidy, however, were unpalatable for Metzmacher. A disproportionate chunk went to the second orchestra in the ensemble, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB), although last year's numbers show that the DSO pulled in twice as many concertgoers and raised twice the amount of revenue. While the RSB was allowed to expand, positions in the DSO (114 requested) were frozen at 103. Just last season, the orchestra lost three prized members to orchestras in Leipzig, Vienna and Munich, which could offer more secure and better paid positions.

The shadow of the Wall falls across the negotiations: in divided Berlin, the DSO was the RIAS Orchestra, (Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor), the leading orchestra in the West. And, yes, you might have guessed -- its arch rival, the RSB, was East Berlin's top orchestra.

The show must go on. DSO will perform with guest conductors till they find the right man for the job, and season ticket-holders will probably remain true in Fall 2010. But Metzmacher's departure will recalibrate the sound of this vibrant, young orchestra, and the competition with Berlin's six other major orchestras will be tougher than ever. Adieu, maestro. You -- and the DSO -- deserved better.

photo: copyright, Mathias Bothor

Ingo Metzmacher's final performance with the DSO in Berlin will be on Monday, June 14, at 20:00, at the Philharmonie, Berlin. The DSO, with Ingo Metzmacher, then launches into its busy summer schedule,  performing in several European cities including London, at the BBC Proms. For more information go to www.dso-berlin.de

A Memorial in our Midst

Berlin commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Holocaust Memorial this past week, honoring initiator Lea Rosh and architect Peter Eisenman, who had flown in from NewYork for the occasion. The Holocaust Memorial is now one of the most visited sites in Berlin: over the past five years, visitors have numbered about two and a half million for the underground museum alone, and at least eight million for Eisenman's Stelenfeld (Field of Steles).

photo: copyright, Mike Wolff

Eisenman's design for the memorial consists of 2711 slabs of grey concrete that become a dynamic labyrinth because of their varying heights, and axes that run both horizontally and vertically. Covering almost 20.000 square meters, the long, narrow passages between the slabs are claustrophobic spaces one moment, and entranceways to a widening vista the next.

The memorial's location -- in the heart of the city, near the former site of Hitler's Chancellery -- was the subject of a long, heated debate. Planners struggled with the question whether it was appropriate to place a holocaust memorial in a central open space without any enclosures, open to the public all 24 hours, and amid the banalities of urban life -- including a stand selling bratwurst on its periphery.

Five years on, even its once harshest critics recognize that the concept has been extraordinarily successful. Eisenman's Stelenfeld is impressive exactly because it is both a memorial to a haunting past and an integral part of Berlin's daily life -- exactly as the architect had envisioned.

photo: copyright, Mike Wolff

Walking through the stone labyrinth can be an emotional experience. This is a somber landscape that prompts reflection, and, deep in the labyrinth, you can suddenly feel alone in the midst of a large city. And yet this is not a museum to a fossilized past, nor is it a graveyard. Just when you feel the concrete slabs closing in on you, a child skips through a gap in the stones or a pedestrian stretches out briefly on one of the the sun-warmed flat surfaces.

In a city of memorials, this is perhaps the one that best reflects the character of Berlin. It is a memorial in our midst. You may find a school class working busily on a project. The person who lays a rose on one of the slabs may be a tourist or a holocaust survivor. There is no denying the depth of memory here, or the quiet dignity of the site. But there is no forced solemnity; people can be themselves. They can pose for a photograph, steal a kiss or risk a leap from stone to stone. Even the bratwurst stand has the right to remain.

'Kulturstadt' with a Heart

On April 26 a remarkable new initiative in Berlin called Kulturloge kicked off. Brainchild of Angela Meyenburg, Kulturloge opens doors to cultural performances for those who cannot afford an evening at the theater, opera or concert hall.


The idea is a simple one. On the one hand, theaters and concert houses often have unsold tickets on performance night. On the other, those tickets represent the answer to a great need felt by Berliners on social welfare or in dire economic straits. Brief excursions into the city's cultural life can help lift them out of their isolation, stimulate their imagination and renew faith in themselves.

The Berlin Pass
Berlin is already very open to the idea of making culture available to all. The Berlin Pass, issued by the Senate, allows social welfare recipients to purchase available tickets for no more than three Euros -- a fantastic opportunity afforded to the weakest economic groups.

Tickets, please
But Kulturloge betters this deal because their members (or "guests") are assured of anonymity when they claim tickets at the box office. Once on the list of Kulturloge members, they receive a telephone call by volunteers when tickets for their preferred cultural events become available. If they confirm that they will attend, Kulturloge arranges everything else. While a Berlin Pass marks the owner as a "charity case," Kulturloge guests can maintain their dignity by simply picking up their reserved ticket at the box office. The others waiting in line -- even the salespersons -- have no clue they are "different."

Everybody Wins
The Grips Theater, Admiralspalast, Literaturhaus Berlin and the current exhibition at the Schloss Charlottenburg are among the 15 cultural partners who have already pledged support as partners. Meyenburg's team is optimistic that the next partner acquisitions will include the Berliner Ensemble, Friedrichstadtpalast and the Deutsche Oper.

photo: Jan Oberländer

Everybody wins, says Meyenburg: the cultural establishments, which run to full houses and win audiences from a broad cross-section of the population; the guests, who regain a sense of dignity and perspective by focusing on creativity rather than on mere survival; the city of Berlin; and, of course, the Kulturloge concept -- which shows every indication of being rapidly replicated in other cities.

Gallery Weekend
As I write, Berlin's Gallery Weekend is on: a three-day art marathon, with 40 galleries and 40 openings between Friday, April 30 and Sunday, May 2.  At least 700 art collectors from around the world are expected, and participating galleries -- some featuring the work of art celebs such as Damien Hirst and Elizabeth Peyton -- pay eye-popping fees of several thousand Euros.


But the Kulturloge, for me, is the bigger story. Because Berlin is not just another world cultural city -- it is the Kulturstadt with a heart.

"Loge" means a box at a theater. The first Kulturloge initiative started last year in Marburg and has got off to a flying start. Hamburg is slated to follow next. More information is at www.kulturloge-berlin.de