SCOOP: Kennedy Center is "in fantastic shape artistically" as National Symphony Orchestra plays rare and expensive shows

THE LOWDOWN:

• Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center is “in fantastic shape artistically,” a longtime member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) told the Washington Reporter.

• He added that recent performances of Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony prove recent predictions of the Center’s demise to be premature.

• The productions are also incredibly costly because both require expanded orchestras. Mahler’s Sixth Symphony famously features multiple horns and a “big-ass hammer.”

• Grenell’s work is finding quick approval among Republicans in Congress. Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), who oversees federal funding for capital repairs and operations and maintenance at the Kennedy Center as Chairman of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, previously told the Reporter that he’s behind Grenell’s efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives within the Kennedy Center.

Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center is “in fantastic shape artistically,” a longtime member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) told the Washington Reporter.

He added that recent performances of Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony prove recent predictions of the Center’s demise to be premature.

In recent weeks, the NSO has put on both rare — and incredibly expensive — shows at the Center. The prestigious cultural center’s showcase of Shostakovich’s Fourth and Mahler’s Sixth Symphonies gave both the artists themselves a sense of pride and the community a splash of culture.

“Most musicians only get one or two shots at pieces like this,” an industry veteran explained to the Reporter. “During my 25 years in full-time orchestras, I’ve done both only twice.”

The productions are also incredibly costly because both require expanded orchestras.

“[Mahler’s Sixth is] rarely played for two main reasons: it’s incredibly hard and very expensive,” the industry veteran said. “We have to hire a lot of extra musicians. There are 8 horns, 6 trumpets, etc.”

The NSO member explained that “the orchestra being able to play these works in back-to-back weeks shows that we and the Kennedy Center more broadly are in fantastic shape artistically.”

“It’s a very different orchestra than when I joined, and it’s sounding better than ever,” the member said. “We have a great music director. He’s signed for several more years.”

Another NSO member added that the decision of the NSO’s conductor, Gianandrea Noseda, to renew his contract — after the Trump/Grenell takeover — shows that the new leadership isn’t an impediment to the arts.

Noseda is “majorly sought after all over the world,” the NSO member explained. “We are so lucky to have him here! And he renewed his contract until 2031!! He believes in us.”

More broadly, the NSO member said, the “NSO, artistically, is at an all-time high right now” and that this “orchestra is on fire and is absolutely playing as well, if not better, than the ‘Big 5’ or 6 [the symphony orchestras in Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston].”

The production of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, attended by the Reporter, was virtually sold out over the weekend — and it received rave reviews from industry experts who were present.

“The National Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 is remarkable due to the work’s immense technical and emotional complexity, requiring a massive ensemble to navigate its intricate orchestration and profound themes of struggle and despair,” Larry O’Connor, a radio host on WMAL and theater industry insider, told the Reporter. “The symphony’s rarity and intense demands make it a bold undertaking, showcasing the NSO’s virtuosity and artistry.”

“Also, they used a big-ass hammer,” O’Connor added, referring to the hammer of fate that was teased as a “surprise” ahead of the show.

There are still serious problems plaguing the Kennedy Center, however. One NSO member told the Reporter that on the symphony side, “the biggest thing holding this orchestra back is unfortunately the acoustic of the concert hall.”

“It was badly renovated sometime in the 90s,” the member said. “Every time we tour, either in Europe or in Carnegie Hall, we sound like one of the world’s greatest orchestras. If we had that here in Washington DC, it would truly be a destination orchestra for musicians all over the world. We could be one of the greats alongside orchestras like Berlin and Vienna!”

Renovations like that could be coming soon, if the Center gets its finances in order. Grenell previously lambasted the Center’s previous leadership for its “criminal” financial mismanagement, criticisms that were echoed to the Reporter by an NSO member.

“We have $0 in the bank and $0 in reserve,” he told the Reporter in March.

"President Trump recently toured the Kennedy Center and saw first-hand how waste, fraud, and abuse has robbed America's premier arts center,” Grenell recently said. “The back of the house and the front of the house have been left in an embarrassing state. I am proud to be a small part of a team where the boss eschews partisan politics in favor of putting American culture, heritage, and excellence first. President Trump believes we deserve to have a national arts center that all Americans can be proud of.”

Grenell’s work is finding quick approval among Republicans in Congress. Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), who oversees federal funding for capital repairs and operations and maintenance at the Kennedy Center as Chairman of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, previously told the Reporter that he’s behind Grenell’s efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives within the Kennedy Center.

"Americans' tax dollars should not support, promote, or fund DEI in any way, shape, or form,” the Idaho Republican told the Reporter. "The divisive DEI agenda has nothing to do with promoting and celebrating the arts, and I applaud President Trump's efforts in combating these initiatives throughout the federal government."

“Outside the shape [Deborah] Rutter left the KC in, we’re flying high,” he said of the Center’s previous president.