A New Approach to Thematic Programming

I've been enjoying a biography of the French composer Alberic Magnard, who flourished at a time when enmity between France and Germany was high, and felt not only by the people but by artists as well. Romain Rolland, the writer, music lover, pacifist, popularizer of Indian mysticism, and Stalin-boosting communist--and also acquaintance of Magnard--had a brilliant suggestion for dealing with nationalism on concert programs. In speaking out against a decision at the 1905 Strasbourg festival to schedule a small piece of Charpentier before a concert performance of the last scene of Meistersinger--in effect marginalizing the French composition--he wrote: "If one wants to have a joust between German and French music, let it be on equal terms: oppose Berlioz to Wagner, Debussy to Strauss, and Dukas or Magnard to Mahler." (quoted in: Perret, Simon-Pierre and Harry Halbreich: Alberic Magnard. Paris: Fayard, 2001, p. 259)

I like the idea of dueling pieces on concert programs. It might be more instructive than some of the anemic thematic programming that is so fashionable these days.