Arts & International Affairs: Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer/Autumn 2018 | Page 18

MUSIC EDUCATION AND THE PRODUCTION OF PRESTIGE
According to Wendland’s report, Söllner’s success is primarily based on his ability to
increase the orchestra’s presentability. In his first years in South Vietnam, Söllner indeed
fulfilled a function that was in line with the primary goals of West German cultural diplomacy:
he helped an allied nation in gaining prestige on the international stage, and in
doing so reaffirmed the association of West Germany with high culture and the European
tradition of art music. When Söllner agreed to return to South Vietnam in 1961, the
West German Foreign Office acknowledged his success by raising his monthly stipend
from 1,500 to 2,000 German Marks (Betz 1961).
In the course of the early 1960s, Söllner became more closely aligned with the South
Vietnamese government, despite the fact that he was still paid by the West German Foreign
Office. In 1961, the South Vietnamese Ministry of Civil Action decided to incorporate
the Saigon Symphony Orchestra and to use it for their propaganda campaigns
throughout South Vietnam (Deutsche Botschaft Saigon 1961:2–3). The orchestra thus
became financially independent from donors as the musicians were now officially employed
by the South Vietnamese state. In 1961, minister Ngô Trọng Hiếu officially asked
the German embassy to extend Söllner’s stay. Although Söllner had already agreed terms
with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, he decided to continue his work in South Vietnam
throughout 1962 (Deutsche Botschaft Saigon 1961:2–4).
The West German Foreign Office thus continued to pay the conductor of the South Vietnamese
national orchestra�a major institution in Diệm’s nation-building campaign. In
addition to performing the canon of mostly German and Austrian classical music, Söllner’s
orchestra now played more pieces by Vietnamese composers of classical music. In
1961, Söllner wrote an official arrangement of the South Vietnamese national anthem,
“Quốc Thiều Việt Nam Cộng Hòa,” which was premiered and recorded in January 1962.
In a letter to the Foreign Office, Söllner claimed that his work had been musically successful.
According to him, his success was not only confirmed by South Vietnamese politicians,
but it was also obvious in the musicians’ improvement. In 1962, Söllner proudly
remarked that the Vietnamese musicians were now rehearsing challenging works such as
Georges Bizet’s Carmen (Söllner 1962a:2–3).
As a result of his success and the continuing requests by the South Vietnamese regime,
the West German Foreign Office once again extended Söllner’s stay in 1962. By 1963,
fehlten anfangs stets mehrere Musikanten, teilweise kamen die Mitglieder des Orchesters je nach
Belieben verspätet zu den Proben. Obwohl zwei amerikanische Dirigenten eine gewiss löbliche
Vorarbeit geleistet hatten, konnte das Orchester doch keinesfalls als einheitlicher Klangkörper
angesprochen werden. Die Musiker spielten zwar brav vom Blatt, aber sie waren nicht daran gewöhnt,
sich nach dem Dirigenten zu richten. [ ... ] Nach zwei Monaten harter Arbeit hatte Herr Söllner
das Orchester völlig in der Hand. Nach drei Monaten war das Niveau des Orchesters in geradezu
erstaunlicher Weise gestiegen. Die fast preußische Disziplin, die Herr Söllner von seinen Schülern
verlangte, aber gleichzeitig mit süddeutschem Charme verband, beeindruckte sehr bald nicht nur die
Mitwirkenden des Orchesters, sondern die ganze Stadt. Das Orchester kann sich jetzt überall sehen
lassen. Es wird sich in den nächsten Monaten zeigen, ob sich dieses Niveau unter der Führung der
tüchtigen hiesigen Dirigenten aufrechterhalten lässt. Dies ist zu bezweifeln.”
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