674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
with David Lang
8 May 202627 min read1h 17m
TL;DR
David Lang's new oratorio "Wealth of Nations" translates Adam Smith's economic philosophy into music, revealing the human cost of markets that modern capitalism tries to hide. Lang himself experienced profound post-premiere depression despite critical success, illustrating how even artists who create meaning struggle with the emotional void left after their work's immediate consumption ends.
Key Moments
David Lang
“Last week, I was a superstar, this week I'm nothing.”
Lang describes the emotional crash after the successful premiere performances ended, revealing the psychological toll of creating and releasing a major artistic work
“It does seem like an absolute miracle that a person like you could sit in your studio in Soho for a bunch of years and write dots on the paper. And then one afternoon in March of 2026, you know, 48 vocalists and then a whole bunch of musicians and a couple soloists get together and they turn this two-dimensional thing into not even three, like six.”
Dubner reflects on the stunning transformation from Lang's solitary composition to a fully realized orchestral performance with dozens of musicians
“I really think that that's what you heard during the rehearsal was you heard what's good in people. Everyone has their individual part... And so the process of rehearsal is them learning how to be a community that comes together to build this thing.”
Lang explains how the collaborative rehearsal process demonstrates human cooperation and the building of community, mirroring Smith's vision of economic interdependence
“Things are not what they seem. Every word and act matters. There is a human dimension and a human cost to everything we do, and we need to wake up to that.”
The Philharmonic's CEO summarizes the core message of Lang's piece when asked to distill its central theme
“We try not to pay attention to the life of the people who sell us things or the life of the people that we sell to. We think that everything is frictionless. We're trying to live more and more in a world where we never meet the people who take care of us. We never meet the people that we employ.”
Lang articulates the central critique in his piece: modern economies abstract away the human relationships that Smith emphasized, allowing us to ignore the human cost of transactions
David Lang is an acclaimed composer who recently debuted a modern orchestral piece called "Wealth of Nations" at the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. The work sets passages from Adam Smith's 250-year-old economic treatise to music across 18 movements, featuring vocal soloists and a full orchestra. Lang is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer raised in a moderately religious Jewish household in Los Angeles who maintains an intermittent spiritual practice that deeply influences his artistic work.
Takeaways
1
Modern economies hide the invisible hands supporting us Lang identifies a core problem: we've built systems designed to never meet the people who take care of us or whom we employ. The "invisible hand" metaphor that justified market abstractions now obscures the human networks that sustain every transaction, making it easier to ignore consequences of our economic choices.
2
Adam Smith's vision includes human empathy, not just markets Lang's composition reveals a neglected dimension of Smith's "Wealth of Nations": Smith believed economics has a profound human dimension and that we feel better when we help others. Modern capitalism has stripped away this moral framework, reducing economics to abstract systems while ignoring the concrete lives affected by financial transactions.
3
Artistic success creates immediate psychological collapse Lang experienced severe post-premiere depression despite universally positive reviews and sold-out performances. The bigger the artistic triumph, the deeper the emotional hole afterward. This suggests that creative work provides meaning during the production process, but that meaning evaporates once the audience disperses, leaving creators facing an existential void.
4
Music works where argument fails at emotional level Lang's strategy was to use music to make people *feel* the human dimension of economic systems rather than argue about it intellectually. He deliberately created an emotional experience—moving from grand economic theory to personal need ("I want some bread. I need shelter")—that bypassed rational defenses and made the critique visceral.
5
Religious faith and artistic vision address similar human needs Lang treats his oratorio as quasi-religious—both religion and great art hold up a mirror to society and imagine a better world. Both functions are necessary because we constantly forget what we profess to believe in. The piece functions as a secular sermon reminding people of values they hold but fail to live by.
6
Wealthy patrons embraced critiques of wealth concentration Surprisingly, Philharmonic board members and major donors thanked Lang for his searing indictment of concentrated wealth, rather than objecting. This suggests philanthropists and the wealthy may be more receptive to systemic critique than assumed—particularly when delivered through prestigious institutions and art rather than political rhetoric.
7
Composers instinctively know their work once mastered Lang noted that as a young composer he obsessed over technical details, but as a mature artist he trusts his instincts on pacing and emotional impact without overthinking them. This suggests expertise operates partly below conscious awareness—a composer's decades of experience becomes automatic and intuitive rather than consciously applied.