Klarinet Archive - Posting 000097.txt from 2007/03

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] New York Times review of the VPO in NY city.
Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:02:03 -0500

Headline: Viennese Boys' Club, In for the Weekend

[First part of the review is glorious with respect to the playing
of the orchestra. When speaking about the Bruckner 7th, Bernard
Holland wrote, "The Vienna strings seems to activate the
floorboards they were sitting on, creating an added instrument."
He goes on to say, ... "The Vienna served the (Schubert 5th
symphony) with full violin sections -- 12 firsts and 12 seconds.
The effect was luxurious, although one music professional asked
me at intermission, 'Why don't they play together?' Well, I think
they do execute together, but with a resonance so active that it
blurs by the time it reaches the audience.'"]

And to the point at hand: "My eyes (of less than eagle quality)
spotted six women playing in Saturday's concert. Lack of women in
the VPO has generated a ruckus from this country's
gender-equality lobby and public-relations consternation for an
independent orchestra that counts on happy United States
audiences for a lot of its prestige and bottom line. The printed
player roster followed most feminine sounding names with
asterisks explaining that these were members of the Vienna State
Opera Orchestra ... but 'do not yet belong to the association of
the VPO,' a bit of coy Viennese dialect oozing with the
implication 'and never will.'

"As someone who spent a number of years in that city, let me
suggest that the Viennese, despite having the same number of arms
and legs, are not like you and me. History, traditions, values,
social thinking, politics, and ethical distinctions -- all are
different. I think the orchestra's embrace of an all male sound
is wrong, but we Americans may get ahead of ourselves by assuming
that our idea of righteousness is the gold standard for the rest
of the world.

"I am also unaware that Austrian womanhood has sent out a call
for help to the United States. If it has, or is going to, then by
all means concerned Americans should rush to the front lines and
do battle."

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

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