me in belfast and the bbc

Last night I watched an episode of Imagine about the Berlin Philharmonic on tour in Asia. It was a fascinating look inside an institution made up of highly talented and skilled people who must work together. One woman spoke about how her husband asked her why she bothered practising so much when nobody could actually hear her!

Her husband is both right and wrong - everyone in an orchestra is making a sound, else there would be no noise. In the case of the Berlin Philharmonic, each musician is (in theory at least) playing their instrument extremely proficiently. And yet when you listen to the piece they’re playing together, the individual musician is not often distinguishable.

There’s little individual glory in playing in an orchestra, even one as highly regarded as this one. The film exposed the extent to which these musicians were motivated by being part of an institution with a history, with a tradition of excellence. One of them said that conductors (in this case Simon Rattle) come and go, but the Berlin Philharmonic endures.

This points to a tension between the individual who makes his name and the collaborators who contribute almost anonymously.

In a world world where individualism reigns, reputation is crucial. But it’s more than reputation: it’s renown. People seek to become known for what they do beyond their own circle, because that (hopefully) puts them in a position where they can make money based on their name. Getting press can be as important in many fields as performing well.

But what about where people can make their living being part of something bigger than themselves? Many of the musicians interviewed spoke of having been outsiders throughout their lives and of how important was the sense of belonging they got from being members of the orchestra. The tradition of excellence and the history of the institution itself mattered to them. They were proud of being a part of this group and held themselves to very high standards in what they did.

For people who seek to belong to something bigger than themselves and who are motivated to work hard to contribute to a group endeavour, how can you create the conditions to inspire their loyalty and provide them with the sense of belonging and pride in what they do?

Some of the practices of the Berlin Philharmonic are very interesting in this regard: potential new members get to join on probation and are ultimately voted on by their peers who decide whether or not they get to stay on a permanent basis. The voting process also applies to the conductor - even the big star has to comply with the traditions of the orchestra and submit himself to the judgement of his peers.