Klarinet Archive - Posting 000808.txt from 1999/09

From: "Michael Whight" <michael@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] Orchestras & the free market (Philharmonia)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 05:21:13 -0400

----- Original Message -----
From: <KlarBoy@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Orchestras & the free market (Philharmonia)

> Greetings,
> I have eagerly read the many posting concerning the Philharmonia's
terrible
> work conditions and who is responsible for them. This month I saw a BBC
> production made on the Philharmonia. It is currently airing on the
American
> cable station "Ovation." It is a documentary that follows the lives of
these
> London musicians, showing the ensemble in rehearsal and in performance
with
> conductors such a James Levine and Christoph von Dohnanyi. The
documentary
> also explores personal traumas such as performance injuries, and
alcoholism
> which seems to be a terrible problem with several of London's finest
> ensembles. The show spends considerable time with the orchestra's
principal
> clarinetist (who is a member of this list apparently) discussing his work
> load with the orchestra which is considerably greater than that of his
> American colleagues. He is also featured in an excerpt performance of
> Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin.

Sorry that you are seeing me in rather sorry circumstances there. Things
have improved.
>
> The Philharmonia plays 600 services while the average American workload is
> around 352 services (calculated by an 8 service week for 52 weeks less an
> eight week vacation) These are of course ballpark figures, but I do have
an
> ICSOM scales and wages book here. The question is why do these Londoners
> make so little for so much. The answer is, competition and the free
market.
> This orchestra is in the most competitive city (for symphonic classical
> music) in the world. There are simply too many musicians and orchestras.

With respect this is a little simplistic. The TOTAL funding for the FOUR
London orchestras from government comes to £3.4 million a year. This is far
less than the Berlin Phil alone (£8m) or many American orchestras in major
centres. The fact is that if the British government supported the arts
effectively, allowed the lottery money to reach the orchestras or altered
the tax regime so that companies could get relief on donations, London could
have 4 orchestras for the price of one . Each orchestra in London plays to
average 85% houses so there is demand. In addition the musicians would get a
decent lifestyle, standards would improve further and programming would be
complimentary rather than competitive. The orchestras are under constant
threat of their meagre grant being cut so they compete for the big names and
of course fees go up.

Lorin Maazel £57,000 per concert in Europe, £80,000 in Japan
Rank and file per concert £90

> The Chicago Symphony would not be making the money they do if they didn't
> have a monopoly on their city's symphonic musical scene. This holds true
for
> all of America's great orchestras. They face little to no local
competition.
> London's orchestras seem to be having a war of attrition. This can only
get
> worse before it gets better. The only ones who benefit from this is the
> city's concert goers. These orchestras need to book highly respected
> conductors and soloists to attract their audiences. These soloists and
> conductors (along with their agents) are receiving between $30k and $60K
per
> concert. It's these artists who keep the pay for the average musician
low.
> Since the Phiharmonia is self run, they are the ones paying these people.

Artists are not booked to attract audiences. EVERY concert makes a loss
whether it is sold out or not. Artists are booked to attract funding. This
is as true of subscription concerts as it is of recordings. The Philharmonia
will record with a dentist on the box ( yes it's been done) if it gets a fat
management fee to pay for the Levines etc in the concert season.
>
> What is the solution? Consolidate some of these orchestras, perhaps.

How do you think consolidating the Philadelphia orchestra with the Chicago
would work out stylistically?

Stop
> the conservatories from pumping out more musicians?

It's happening.

Tell James Levine you
aren't going to pay him $100,000 for a weeks worth of work?

And lose your funding?

Perhaps these
> free market Brits should learn that doing things like the Yanks might
help.

Open to any relevent suggestion here.
> It's just ironic that the American model is one of monopoly, while the
rest
> of our country waves the flag of free enterprise and capitalism, in these
> economic HIGH TIMES

We could talk about US protectionism in it's home market here but maybe I
wouldn't make too many friends:>)
>
> --Mario Estrada
> Florida West Coast Symphony
> Sarasota
>
>
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