674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?

May 8, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Composer's Post-Premiere Depression

David Lang's new oratorio Wealth of Nations, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for America's 250th birthday, had just completed four sold-out performances at Lincoln Center. The reviews were glowing. Audience members in the lobby described the piece as "profoundly human." Stacey Vanek Smith of Bloomberg wrote that Lang had shown economics "can in fact be profoundly human." But when Steven Dubner caught up with Lang about a week after the final performance, the composer described a familiar feeling: "There's always this post-experience depression. And the bigger the piece and the bigger the triumph, the deeper the hole."

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What you'll learn

1 (04:09) **Post-Premiere Depression and the Composer's Internal Checklist** - David Lang describes the emotional letdown after a major premiere and reveals his low-bar definition of success (avoiding public humiliation).
2 (08:33) **The Intellectual Arc of the Piece** - Lang reflects on the shape of the argument he constructed, from grand orchestral opening to intimate personal reflections.
3 (09:54) **The Miracle of Community in Performance** - Dubner marvels at how written instructions become a living performance, and Lang explains rehearsal as community-building.
4 (11:28) **The Composer's Strategic Positivity** - Dubner questions whether Lang's constant "beautiful" during rehearsals was genuine or strategic.
5 (14:20) **Biting the Hand That Feeds? The Economics of Patronage** - Dubner asks whether Lang's piece, which criticizes wealth, feels awkward given its expensive production relies on wealthy donors.
6 (17:03) **Matthias Tarnopolski on Commissioning "Wealth of Nations"** - The Philharmonic's CEO explains how the piece was conceived for America's 250th birthday and why he trusted the artists.
7 (19:31) **The Philharmonic's Patrons and the Mirror to Society** - Tarnopolski addresses whether wealthy donors were offended by the piece's critique of concentrated wealth.

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Show Notes

Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of wealth of nations. (Part two of a series.)

SOURCES:
- David Lang, composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.
- Matías Tarnopolsky, president and C.E.O. of the New York Philharmonic.

RESOURCES:
- "Finally, an Opera About Economics," by Stacey Vanek Smith (Bloomberg, 2026).
- "The Little Match Girl Passion," by David Lang (2023).
- The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776).

EXTRAS:
- "David Lang’s the wealth of nations," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
- "In Search of the Real Adam Smith," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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