Prensa

EN «Berlin – Dresden General Music Director Fabio Luisi sees the German orchestra landscape acutely threatened. ‘Orchestras are facing not just a silent crisis, but much worse, a general challenge.’ It is ‘absurd’ to endanger orchestras by downsizing, mergers or closures. ‘Some simple minds even ask why we need orchestras.’ Music in Germany is severely affected by ‘uncultural’ social changes, Luisi said on Monday at the beginning of the first international orchestra conference in Berlin.

It is becoming apparent that the aspired ‘culture for everybody’ will not be feasible as intended. ‘The chasing of ratings by public broadcasters has strongly contributes to this state. Instead of fulfilling their educational mission, they‘re eyeing the mass market, quality and standards are increasingly forgotten’, Luisi stated. This is not the time for ‘lip service’, as no one will openly argue against cultural institutions; instead it is time for action, the General Music Director demanded. ‘The cultural landscape, in Europe as well as in Germany, needs no freelance musicians, but well-paid musicians in permanent positions. It doesn‘t need fewer and smaller, but more and larger orchestras. It doesn‘t need less, but more music.’ »
Sächsische Zeitung, Dresden General Music Director sees German orchestras in danger, 07/04/2008

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Polyphonic’s FIM Live Blog
EN «My overall impression of the 1st FIM Orchestra Conference was similar to that of the musician who, when asked to define 100 conductors at the bottom of the sea, answered ‘a good start.’ One participant pointed about that we’ve had orchestras for over 400 years, but that there’d never been an international conference about orchestras before. While this was not entirely accurate (I had attended one in Salzburg in 2002 as the sole labor representative), it’s certainly true that this was the first such a conference devoted orchestra musicians and their concerns. The most important thing about this conference is that it happened at all.»
Polyphonic’s FIM Live Blog, Final impression, 9/04/2008

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DE «According to John Smith, President of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), orchestras are part of a globalized world. International tours and the various nationalities represented in orchestras make them unique ambassadors of dialogue between cultures.

Gerald Mertens, Managing Director of the German trade union for orchestra musicians (DOV), sees the future of orchestras under a positive light. If orchestras properly address their role in society, if they develop a sustainable model, the requirements for funding will also be fulfilled, and so on. In his opinion, orchestra musicians have a future as long as new orchestras are founded around the world.»
Klassik.com, Bilanz der ersten internationalen Orchesterkonferenz, Orchester sehen eigene Zukunft positiv, 15/04/2008.

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DE «The first International Orchestra Conference took place this month (April 7-9, 2008) in Berlin, with the slogan ‘Musicians of today, Orchestras of tomorrow!’ Whereas orchestras worldwide are having a hard time, the situation in Germany is comparatively secure. (…)

It was not only music who brought together 180 attendees from 40 different countries. It was also shared concerns and problems: how can classical orchestras make a difference at the digital age? How can they attract audiences from the new generations in the long run? And, an important issue for many European orchestras: sustainable public funding.»
klassikinfo.de, Orchester müssen aufmerksam sein, Sven Scherz, 2008.»