Klarinet Archive - Posting 000245.txt from 2010/10

From: "Clinton F. Nieweg" <proofferr@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Clarinetist Ricardo Morales to NYP?
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:41:20 -0400

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20101019_Questions_in_wake_of_a_tryo
ut.html
Questions in wake of a tryout
By Peter Dobrin Inquirer Classical Music Critic Oct. 19 2010
It's doubtful that any sentient Philadelphia Orchestra listener of the last
seven years hasn't marveled at principal clarinetist Ricardo Morales - his
nimble Ravel, cushiony arpeggios in a Mozart symphony, or his beguiling
ability to float a Rachmaninoff melody over the ensemble without edging
above a whisper.

Classical music doesn't have an MVP, but it's clear that Morales, raised
from the pit of the Metropolitan Opera by Wolfgang Sawallisch, is the best
thing to happen to the orchestra in years.
And so the idea of losing him hurts. His open tryout for the New York
Philharmonic in concert last week produced what everyone expected - a job
offer.

The fact that the courtship was covered in incremental detail by the New
York Times no doubt strengthens Morales' bargaining position. Will he
negotiate a contract in New York, or parlay his Avery Fisher Hall triumph
into a better deal in Philadelphia?
As of late Monday, the matter had not been settled, and a Philharmonic
spokesman said a conclusion was not expected before the New York ensemble
leaves on tour Thursday.

Morales is a rare talent. But his exit wouldn't be devastating. Not by
itself. Orchestral music is a buyers' market, and astonishing players can be
found. The conventional wisdom was that no one could hold a candle to one of
Morales' predecessors, Burt Hara, and conventional wisdom proved wrong.
It would also be a mistake to think that the only orchestra to lose great
talent is the one in financial jeopardy. Musicians are people, and while
it's tidy to think of this as a sport won by the team offering the best
deal, musicians, like the rest of us, often take new jobs for reasons that
have nothing to do with the job itself.

They prefer one city to another, or perhaps are recently divorced and want
to be close to children relocating with the ex-spouse.
Morales did not respond to an e-mail inquiry, and the orchestra declined to
address the issue.

But that doesn't mean there aren't salient questions to ask now, whether or
not Morales leaves. How they are answered has everything to do with whether
this orchestra continues to operate at its high artistic level, or begins a
drift to second-tier status.
The most urgent worry is whether this is the thin end of the wedge. With
threatened cuts in salary, size of ensemble, and duration of season, is this
the beginning of an exodus? When organizations contract, after all, it tends
to be the best players who find other jobs - because they can.

Will the orchestra be able to retain Morales if he is open to being
retained, and, alternately, do they have the means and the will to replace
him with comparable talent if he leaves?
Lurking in the background is the hypocrisy that has long run through
orchestral personnel decisions.
Both players and management have held that talent is the sole criterion for
determining who gets into the Philadelphia Orchestra. The process is
"squeaky clean," in the words of one former orchestra leader.

There can be no prejudice or favoritism, they argue, since auditions happen
behind screens.
Except when they don't.

Morales auditioned not only without a screen, but in public, when he played
concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Philadelphia Orchestra principal
bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa also exposed his identity for all to see when he
recently auditioned (unsuccessfully) for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in
concert, and the Philadelphia followed the same path in its previous search
for a concertmaster.

When orchestral musicians feign perplexity on the question of why orchestras
aren't more diverse - but we use audition screens! - the disingenuousness is
insulting.

But the orchestra regularly asks us to accept an equally ludicrous
proposition: that when auditions draw hundreds of aspirants, the most
qualified musician just happens to be related to someone already in the
organization. Morales has two relatives in the orchestra: his wife, second
violinist Amy Oshiro-Morales, who joined in 2008, and sister-in-law Dara
Morales, who came aboard in 2007.
More than a dozen members of the orchestra are related to each other - not
counting several more who were, until recent retirements or resignations,
entangled in one way or another.
On balance, has the hiring of spouses, partners, children, and in-laws been
justified by first landing their stupendously talented relatives?

It's subjective. But once you engage in this practice, you lose moral
authority, and you certainly can't maintain that music is the sole criterion
for hiring. Moral authority is something that an institution should be able
to claim at a time when the orchestra's artistic integrity hangs in the
balance.

As contract talks come to a head, perhaps by this spring, don't be surprised
to hear management and musicians each vying to speak for the good of the
orchestra. The slogans can already be heard at the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, where a damaging strike is under way: Musicians stake out a role
as guardians of world-class quality, while management argues for lowered
operating costs, because quality is irrelevant if the orchestra goes out of
business.
Players no more or less than management bear responsibility for the outcome,
and interestingly, Morales himself is an embodiment of the issues.

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