About this episode
<p>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 <i>wealth of nations</i>. (Part two of <a href="https://freakonomics.com/david-langs-the-wealth-of-nations/" rel="noopener noreferrer">a series</a>.)</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>SOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://davidlangmusic.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Lang</a>, composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.</li> <li><a href="https://www.nyphil.org/about-us/artists/matias-tarnopolsky/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Matías Tarnopolsky</a>, president and C.E.O. of the New York Philharmonic.</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>RESOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-20/gustavo-dudamel-s-the-wealth-of-nations-melds-opera-and-economics" rel="noopener noreferrer">Finally, an Opera About Economics</a>," by Stacey Vanek Smith <i>(Bloomberg,</i> 2026).</li> <li><a href="https://davidlangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-little-match-girl-passion" rel="noopener noreferrer">"The Little Match Girl Passion</a>," by David Lang <i>(</i>2023<i>).</i></li> <li><a href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.207956/page/n3/mode/2up" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>The Wealth of Nations</i></a><i>, </i>by Adam Smith (1776).</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>EXTRAS:</strong> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://freakonomics.com/david-langs-the-wealth-of-nations/" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Lang’s <i>the wealth of nations</i></a><i>,</i>" series by <i>Freakonomics Radio </i>(2026).</li> <li>"<a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/in-search-of-the-real-adam-smith/" rel="noopener noreferrer">In Search of the Real Adam Smith</a>," series by <i>Freakonomics Radio </i>(2022).</li> </ul></li> </ul><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>