Kunst meets Michael Becker
“We are the concert hall for everyone”
As artistic director, Michael Becker has since 2007 provided the Tonhalle Düsseldorf with a profile that is unique in Germany. VIVID editor Rainer Kunst spoke with the musician and journalist about concert hall business in times of the pandemic, the art of simple communication and a rather loyal international audience.
Unfortunately, we had to postpone our last appointment because of your Covid-19 infection. How did you cope with that and how do you feel today?
Well, I was in bed with this typical flu. And then there was the famous tenth day, when in many people Covid-19 suddenly triggers pneumonia. I was lucky in that I could still breathe on my own. But the oxygen level was no longer sufficient. I then received medical treatment and felt a little better every day. I hold the University Hospital in Düsseldorf and its staff in high regard, they were really great. Afterwards, I had these typical side effects for quite a while, this extreme tiredness, and I lost five kilos in a relatively short time. However, now I'm doing well again, I can concentrate and work normally again.
“the coronavirus pandemic has also shown how much creativity there is in each and every one of us.”
How does the Tonhalle get through the pandemic? And what does that do to an orchestra?
We have a very, very big advantage in this situation, because we have our own orchestra, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. Who very quickly said: We absolutely want to play again. And then we started. First, we recorded some of the individual musicians and then edited them together so that something could be produced: "Peter and the Wolf". That turned out pretty well. Then we played in smaller groups. That's possible if we keep to certain minimum distances, which vary a bit
according to instrument. Theoretically, in these pandemic times, you can then put up to 50 people on stage and play a larger symphony - and that's what we do. However, we also realised that simply filming it all is relatively quickly uninteresting. So, we translated the whole thing into a digital language and developed completely new formats. In this respect, I would say that the coronavirus pandemic has also shown how much creativity there is in each and every one of us.
The fact that you are particularly creative is also shown by your very broad programme: with "Tonhalle 0-100" you were the first concert hall in Germany to establish a music programme for every age group, especially for children and young people. Why is that so important in your opinion?
We can see this particularly well with children because they develop so incredibly quickly. For example, a four-year-old has completely different needs than a five-year-old and even more so than an eight-year-old. We have had a huge response to our new target-group-specific formats, so obviously such an offer was really lacking. And because we have our own orchestra, we can implement such new projects quickly. The symphony orchestra members all have children of their own and are very happy to be involved. And if I didn't have children myself, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. That makes it very formative.
As artistic director, you are not in the background, but also like to act as a presenter. Why do you think communication with the audience is so important?
During my studies I often thought: Why do they talk so "scripted" on the radio? And why do they write so pompously in the newspapers? It's all always an attempt to stand out. I, on the other hand, wanted to be able to communicate as simply as possible. My mother in particular provided a perfect example for me showing how to communicate even complex things as simply as possible. I think this attitude is incredibly important: we are the concert hall for everyone and want to reach everybody, on equal footing.
Since August 2018, you have also been the managing director of the newly founded Tonhalle Düsseldorf gGmbH. Why did you choose this business model?
There are several good reasons. One is, for example, that our personnel structure could not be represented well via the typical official structures before, for example with collective agreements. Another reason is that we are no longer confronted with requesting a huge number of approvals beforehand for every job that is needed in such an artistic enterprise. And we simply wanted to be able to invest the money that comes in back into the venue. It's more fun when you suddenly have a much broader view of the whole financial business and also take responsibility for it.
And then you run into the pandemic shortly after founding this gGmbH...
The first season 2018/2019 and also the beginning of the second season went so well that we were able to save up enough reserves to cushion the blow from Covid-19 so far on our own. We were very lucky. It's also because the Tonhalle is truly loved. Our audience donated over 250,000 euros during the pandemic so that we could keep the programme going digitally. That's amazing.
Where do you get your inspiration for new programme ideas?
I think a lot of the inspiration actually comes from conversations with people who are not too close to my subject matter. I have many friends who do something completely different and whom I admire for it. And they also come up with crazy ideas that I check for feasibility. I think our audience senses that we perhaps think more like consumers than other concert halls. And of course, a lot of inspiration comes from our team here. Each and every one of them is a personality who has also grown up with music and has an attitude towards it.
What do you particularly like about the location Düsseldorf?
There are a few points. Certainly, the manageable size of the city with a high degree of internationality at the same time. This internationality also means that many people here go to the concert hall rather than the theatre because they simply don't speak or understand German. And I like that the Rhinelanders are very pleasure-seeking. That means that if you present something new, they will give it a go. And if it was any good, it stands a chance.
“I'm actually always working towards not needing to wish for anything.”
What are your big wishes for the future?
My father once said: I wish I would live long enough to see what you children have become. I think that is also a point that is very important to me. I would like to see how my children in all their diversity have arrived somewhere. Musically, I would very much like things to continue as they did in the last five years, when so many great things have been created here. When I really think about it: I'm actually always working towards not needing to wish for anything. •
Tonhalle Düsseldorf
Ehrenhof 1, 40479 Düsseldorf
www.tonhalle.de
about Michael Becker
• Since 2007: Artistic Director of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra and the Tonhalle (since 2018 also Managing Director of Tonhalle Düsseldorf gGmbH)
• 1994 to 2006: Director of the Niedersächsische Musiktage
• Musical experience: Studied viola with Jürgen Kussmaul in Düsseldorf, former member of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the European Community Youth Orchestra and the orchestra of the Städtische Bühnen Krefeld/Mönchengladbach
• Journalistic experience: Studied at the Institute for Journalism and Communication Research in Hanover, worked for newspapers such as the Hannoversche Allgemeine and radio stations such as MDR and NDR
• Comes from a family of musicians: Father was president of the Hanover Academy of Music, mother was a music teacher in primary schools; one of his two brothers is a pianist and professor at the Hanover Academy of Music. Michael Becker lives with his wife, the pianist Sara Koch, and their four children in Düsseldorf.
Interview Tom Corrinth
Pictures Frank Beer