DOS Orchestra #37 - 20 April, 1995

News from the world of professional orchestras.
Copyright 1995, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians

Topics

Bavarian Staatsoper: Mehta to be Music Director

Zubin Mehta has been appointed general music director of the Bavarian Staatsoper, company officials announced on April 19.

Mehta, former music director of the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is also music director of the Israel Philharmonic. His appointment for a five-year term with the company will begin in 1998.

Company officials also announced that intendant Peter Jonas and chief conductor Peter Schneider will remain with the company.

Boston Symphony: Musicians Start Newsletter

The musicians of the Boston Symphony have begun publishing a newsletter. The publication, "Counterpoint," will be distributed to board members, management, and the musicians. According to the editorial in the first issue, the newsletter will provide "a forum for alternative points of view, in particular to the 'happy family' image so skillfully promulgated by the public relations department" of the orchestra.

The BSO newsletter is the latest in a series of newsletters published by orchestra musicians. Prominent examples of the genre include the "Bugle," produced by the musicians of the Hawaii Symphony, and "Upbeat," the newsletter of the Houston Symphony musicians. Such newsletters serve both as media for internal communications and for outreach into the community.

Other topics covered in the inaugural issue include problems with scheduling the orchestra's last Japan tour and the musicians' decidedly negative take on the possibility of renovations to Symphony Hall.

Chicago Symphony: Boulez Named Principal Guest

from the management of the Chicago Symphony, March 30:

Music Director Daniel Barenboim announced today that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has named Pierre Boulez its Principal Guest Conductor. He is only the third person to be named to this position in the Orchestra's 104-year history.

"For me, this is a great honor," said Mr. Boulez. "This appointment formalizes what I have long considered a close and exceptional relationship, both with the Orchestra and with my two colleagues, Daniel Barenboim and Sir Georg Solti. Now, I am part of this team and that bond becomes even stronger. As I celebrate my 70th birthday here this week, I must say this is certainly the best birthday present the Chicago Symphony could ever give me. "

Expressing his pleasure with the appointment Mr. Barenboim commented, "Pierre Boulez is a musician to be greatly admired for his integrity, directness, sincerity, and infallible musical ear. His ability to inspire performers and audiences attests to the breadth of his musical commitment. Pierre Boulez is a unique musician -- neither a conducting composer nor a composing conductor but equally individual in both capacities. This appointment marks a very important step in preserving the high level of music making which the Chicago Symphony is known for, and I am delighted to have him as part of the Orchestra's musical leadership."

In assuming this title, Mr. Boulez joins Mr. Barenboim and Music Director Laureate Sir Georg Solti as part of an extraordinary musical alliance forged between the Chicago Symphony and this distinguished trio of conductors. These three men have been colleagues and friends for decades. Sir Georg issued the following statement from London; "I am delighted and welcome today's announcement. My friendship with Pierre Boulez goes back over thirty years and I wish him a long and happy tenure with our wonderful Orchestra."

As Principal Guest Conductor, Mr. Boulez will continue to champion the music of our time, and to survey the classics of the twentieth century. As in recent years, Mr. Boulez and the Orchestra will record on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Next season they are scheduled to record Mahler's Symphony No. 9 and music by Varese.

The Chicago Symphony's tour to Japan in May will include three concert performances in Tokyo at the first Pierre Boulez Festival, organized to honor the composer during his 70th birthday year. Mr. Boulez will be on the podium to lead the Chicago Symphony for one of these Festival concerts, and will be joined by Mr. Barenboim for a performance of Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1.

The Chicago Symphony's relationship with Mr. Boulez began in 1969. During that first visit, Mr. Boulez gave the American premiere of his own work, Livre pour cordes, and appeared in tandem with Daniel Barenboim, who was also making his Chicago Symphony debut in Orchestra Hall, in performances of Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1. Eighteen years passed before Mr. Boulez returned to the Orchestra Hall podium. On that occasion, in October 1987, he led the Chicago Symphony in his own music, and that of Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Debussy during his two weeks of subscription concerts. Since 1991 he has maintained a regular month-long residency in Chicago. During the last four years, four recordings with the Orchestra have been released, including two Grammy-award winning discs of Bartok's music -- Canzata profana coupled with The Wooden Prince, and the Concerto for Orchestra paired with the Four Orchestral Pieces, Op. 12. The latter was named the 1994 Classical Record of the Year just last month. Several releases are forthcoming.

The Chicago Symphony has had only two other principal guest conductors in its 104-year history. Carlo Maria Giulini held the title from 1969 until 1972. Ten years later, in 1982, Claudio Abbado was named to the post for a three year tenure.

Detroit Symphony: They Returned

The Detroit Symphony has announced its return to its longtime summer home at Meadow Brook this season for three days of concerts.

DSO music director will conduct the orchestra on July 21 in an all-Beethoven program and will conduct an all-Russian program the following night. DSO assistant conductor Lan Shui will conduct a children's concert on July 22 and a concert of film music, accompanied by a laser light show, on July 23.

The Detroit Symphony performed at Meadow Brook from 1964 to 1992. The orchestra's summer season fell victim to a downsizing of the orchestra's season in a 1993 contract renegotiation.

Kennedy Center: Clinton Names Advisory Committee

from ArtsWire News, April 11, 1994:

President Clinton announced last week his intent to appoint the following individuals to the Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Judith Aronson of Missouri, Chairman and Commissioner of the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis; A. Arthur Davis of Iowa, senior shareholder in the law firm of Davis, Hockenberg, Wine, Brown, Koehn & Shors; Sandra Stillman Gartner of Vermont, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' and Actors' Equity Association; June S. Hamra of Missouri, vice president for Marketing at Wendy's of Missouri, Inc.; James H. Newberry, Jr. of Kentucky, founding partner and former chairman of Newberry, Hargrove & Rambicure, P.S.C.; Neal K. Okabayashi of Hawaii, vice president and counsel in the legal department of First Hawaiian Bank; Sally R. Peltz of Wisconsin, Special Assistant to the President of the Medical College of Wisconsin; Edna Louise Saffy of Florida, Professor of Speech and Oral Communication at Florida Community College at Jacksonville South Campus; Bettylu K. Saltzman of Illinois, North American vice president of the New Israel Fund; and Carol T. Toussaint of Wisconsin, Senior Associate with Hayes Briscoe Associates and owner of the Vantage Pointlecture subscription series.

The Kennedy Center's Advisory Committee on the Arts is charged with advising and consulting with the Board of Trustees and making recommendations regarding cultural programing at the Center. In addition, committee members assist in the Center's capital campaign and act as liaisons to performance groups and performing arts centers throughout the nation. The staff and budget for the Advisory Committee are determined and allocated by the management of the Kennedy Center.

Los Angeles Philharmonic: New Concertmaster

Martin Chalifour, associate concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, has been named principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic beginning in September 1995. The announcement was made by music director Esa-Pekka Salonen on April 12.

Chalifour, a native of Montreal, is a graduate of the Montreal Conservatory and the Curtis Institute. Prior to joining the Cleveland Orchestra, he was associate concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony. He served as acting concertmaster of that orchestra after then-concertmaster William Preucil left to join the Cleveland Quartet. He has served as acting concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra since the death of former concertmaster Daniel Majeske in November 1994, an appointment that will end on April 20, when Preucil will join the Cleveland Orchestra as its new concertmaster.

Milwaukee Symphony: Major Gift for Hall Renovation

The Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, home venue of the Milwaukee Symphony, has received an anonymous pledge of $3 million for its capital campaign for hall renovation, PAC officials announced on April 6.

The gift increases the total amount raised by the campaign to $9.3 million. The campaign's goal is $12.7 million. The campaign was begun to pay for interior renovations and building expansion. Milwaukee County, which owns the PAC, is paying $9.2 million to reclad the structure after the original marble cladding was discovered to be falling off the building.

Phase One of the renovations, including an expansion of the facility's dressing rooms, the addition of numerous restrooms, and a new loading dock, was completed in December 1994. Phase Two will consist of a new all-glass entrance and expansion of the lobby, while future phases will include renovation of the interior of Uihlein Hall, the major performance venue at the PAC, and improvements to Uihlein Hall's problematic acoustics.

National Endowment: Senate Votes Rescissions

from the American Arts Alliance, April 7,1995:

After days of protracted debate, the Senate last night unanimously approved a $16 billion rescission package that cuts this year's (FY 95) spending. (The Senate bill is slightly smaller than the $17.4 billion House version passed in March.) The House and Senate rescission packages will proceed to a conference committee where legislators will reconcile the differences between the two bills. The conference is expected to meet formally when Congress returns from its spring recess at the end of April. However, staffers will be meeting over recess to iron out differences. The President has said he would sign the Senate version of the bill. Many programs suffered budget cuts, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Goals 2000, telecommunications, and crime prevention programs:

NEA/NEH: As reported earlier, the Senate approved a $5 million reduction for both the NEA and NEH. Under the Senate provision, the NEA would lose $1 million from its budget for administration and $4 million from unobligated program funds. While the House bill targets individual artist fellowships, the Senate left it up to the discretion of the NEA to determine how best to distribute the $4 million program funds reduction.

Pittsburgh Symphony: New Music Director

Mariss Jansons, music director of the Oslo Philharmonic, has been appointed music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony beginning in 1997, orchestra officials announced on April 10. Jansons, 52, will replace departing music director Lorin Maazel.

As music director, Jansons will conduct at least 11 weeks of each of the three seasons covered by his contract, and will also conduct the orchestra on tours.

Jansons told the Pittsburgh ~Post-Gazette~ that "I have great admiration and respect for the great Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, its board and its management. This is one of the finest orchestras in the world. Having worked with them in the past, [I know] there is an electricity, a chemistry that one seldom experiences. Not only do we share an artistic vision, but a practical one as well. We want to bring the magic of the PSO to as many people as possible, locally, nationally, and internationally. This will be a powerful partnership."

Jansons also told the paper that the musicians were the orchestra's greatest strength. "The musicians are not merely playing the notes, but rather what is behind the notes. They're willing to do whatever is necessary to play wonderful music," he said.

Donald Moritz, president and CEO of the orchestra and chair of the music director search committee, said that Jansons embodied "everything our search committee was looking for... not only is he the person most artistically qualified, but he possesses star quality."

In addition to his Oslo post, Jansons is associate principal conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic. He will continue as music director in Oslo, but has said that he will scale back his relationship with the other orchestras.

Jansons, a native of Latvia, has had an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics since 1986, and recordings on that label with the PSO are under discussion.

The announcement of Janson's appointment comes less than 10 months after Lorin Maazel's surprise announcement in June of 1994 that he would not renew his contract after it expires in August 1996, one of the fastest music director searches in the recent history of American orchestras. The ~Post-Gazette~ reported that Jansons was the unanimous choice of the 14-member search committee as early as December.

Royal Opera House: General Director to Resign

~The Guardian~ newspaper reported on April 14 that Jeremy Isaacs, the general director of the Royal Opera House (London), will resign in 1997. He told the newspaper that "it was agreed a year ago between the board and myself that I will go in the summer of 1997 when the house closes" for a two-year, 190-million pound renovation.

Isaacs, the former head of a major British commercial television station, will work on a documentary project for Turner Productions, a company run by Ted Turner, ~The Guardian~ reported.

Santa Fe Opera: Comings and Goings

The Santa Fe Opera has announced the appointment of Richard Gaddes as associate general director and the resignation of executive director Nigel Redden.

Gaddes, whose appointment is effective June 1, comes to Santa Fe from Opera Theater of St. Louis, which he helped found in 1976. Prior to his position in St. Louis, he was artistic administrator of Santa Fe Opera.

Before coming to Santa Fe in 1992, Redden was general manager of the Spoleto Festival until losing a battle with founder Gian Carlo Menotti over the festival's artistic direction. He had also been with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the National Endowment for the Arts. In October 1994, Redden was appointed by Lincoln Center to a consultancy to assist with programming and production for the Center's proposed new summer festival.

No reason was given by Santa Fe Opera for Redden's resignation, which is effective the day before Gaddes' arrival, although Gaddes denied that his arrival and Redden's departure were related.

Sarajevo Philharmonic: Bosnian Easter Overture

The Sarajevo Philharmonic performed its traditional Easter concert in the besieged city's Roman Catholic cathedral on April 16. Sniping and shelling deterred many from attending the concert, which was performed to the accompaniment of machine-gun fire which could be heard inside the cathedral. Two French UN soldiers and a Sarajevo civilian were killed by sniper fire in the city over the weekend, while a 12-year old girl was wounded, according to local news sources.

Toledo Symphony: Endowment Gift

As part of a ceremony confirming Chrysler Corporation's plans to invest $109 million in its Toledo (OH) Jeep Assembly Plant for the production of the next generation of Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler vehicles, plant manager Jerry Huber presented a check for $250,000 from the Chrysler Corporation Fund to the Toledo Symphony Orchestra to fund a Chrysler Chair in support of the orchestra's endowment drive. The company also donated smaller amounts to several other Toledo organizations. The gifts were described by the company as a demonstration of its "continued commitment to the Toledo area."

Toronto Symphony: The King is Dead, Long Live the King

from the management of the Toronto Symphony, April 11:

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra today announced the appointment of Stanley J. Shortt as Managing Director, replacing Max Tapper.

Mr. Shortt is a native of Toronto and joins the TSO from the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada, where he has been executive director since September 1994. He has been president of the Association of Canadian Orchestras for the last three years. During his business career, he has held senior executive positions with Southam Inc., Hudson's Bay Company and T. Eaton Co. Ltd. Over the years, he has been associated as a volunteer with many charitable, community and business organizations. He is an amateur musician and plays the violin with the East York Orchestra.

"We are very fortunate to find on short notice an able successor for Max from within the TSO team," said Robert Martin, chairman of the TSO board of directors. "Stan is very familiar with the Canadian music community and the TSO. He joined the TSO board in 1975; is currently a member of its Advisory Council; and has chaired many committees of the executive. In addition to his background in music and the not-for-profit sector, Stan has been a successful business executive in general management, marketing and personnel. Stan has the right background to manage the TSO's transition to a more stable financial environment," said Mr. Martin.

"I am honored to join the management team of the TSO, which is simply Canada's best orchestra," said Mr. Shortt. "My overriding goal is to work with everybody - music director Jukka-Pekka Saraste, musicians, subscribers, volunteers, financial supporters and staff - to build on this excellence by taking advantage of a number of exciting opportunities that are now before us."

Mr. Tapper joined the TSO as managing director in February 1992, and will resign on April 30. "There is no right time to leave," Mr. Tapper said. "However, with the new and exciting music direction, the orchestra is playing better than ever and I depart with a feeling of accomplishment. We have experienced a significant increase in attendance this year, and we have been successful in bringing back many subscribers and corporate sponsors. The orchestra is beginning a new cycle and it's a good time for me to depart."

"Max told me very recently that he wished to be relieved of his responsibilities after three years of dedicated effort, in order to pursue another career direction," said Mr. Martin. "Max leaves the TSO community having helped guide the orchestra through a very difficult and challenging period, including playing a key role in the successful search for the TSO's new music director, Jukka-Pekka Saraste." (end of management statement)

Tapper's departure comes after several very difficult years for the Toronto Symphony. In 1992, the TSO musicians agreed to a reduction of their season from 50 weeks to 42 weeks, with a one-year freeze on their weekly income at $1,150 per week ($ Can). The agreement reached at that time called for recovery in both weeks and wages over the three-year term of the agreement. However, in May 1994, the TSO's musicians agreed to renegotiate the agreement. The original terms of the agreement called for a 1994-95 season of 44 weeks at a base weekly scale of $1,220 ($ Can), which would almost have restored the base annual salary to the point it was before the 1992 negotiations. As modified, the agreement provided for 42 weeks at $1,167, for a loss in annual income of over $4,500 per musician from the original amount provided by the contract.

Tapper was not universally popular with the musicians. One member of the orchestra reported that, on the day his departure was announced, musicians were warming up onstage to the strains of "Happy Days are Here Again" and "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead."

Wichita Falls Symphony: Guest Artist Doesn't Cross Line

Michael Martin Murphy's performance with the Wichita Falls (TX) Symphony on April 8 was canceled on account of the orchestra being on the American Federation of Musicians' International Unfair List, although Murphy did perform with his band at Memorial Auditorium in Wichita Falls on April 8 in a self-produced venture. Tickets for the orchestra's concert were exchanged at the concert for admission to the event.

Murphy, a well-known country music artist, is a member of the AFM and would have been subject to sanctions by the union had he performed with the orchestra while it was on the unfair list. WFSO board president Gail Natale told the Wichita Falls ~Times-Record~ that Murphy had suggested the new event as a way of "fulfilling his commitment to the community," and claimed that the cancellation of the orchestra's concert had "little or no" impact on the orchestra's financial picture.

The musicians of the Wichita Falls Symphony have been on strike since March 11 over management's refusal to recognize the Dallas-Fort Worth Musicians Association, Local 721-47 AFM, as the sole bargaining agent for the musicians. Management claims that Texas labor law prohibits them from recognizing the union as the sole bargaining agent for the musicians. Other issues appear to be in play, however; the ~Dallas-Ft. Worth Musician~, the newsletter of the Dallas-Fort Worth Musicians Association, quotes union president Ray Hair as claiming that the orchestra's board planned to use the dispute with the union as a way to get rid of the orchestra's music director, Ted Plute, a plan that Hair claims was spoiled when Plute, a member of the AFM, offered to cross the musicians' picket line to conduct an orchestra of non-union replacement musicians. "Ted Plute surprised them when he said he would work behind the picket line," said Hair. "The anti-Plute forces were provoking a dispute with the union, hoping for a strike to rid themselves of Plute, thinking he wouldn't cross a picket line. When they realized they were going to get Plute conducting their scab orchestra anyway, they paid him off," Hair concluded.

According to confidential orchestra financial records obtained by the union, the orchestra bought out Plute's contract for $10,000. This is approximately the same amount that the union claims the orchestra has saved by its unilateral reductions in musician compensation, including pay cuts, reductions in mileage allowances and travel-time salary, and the elimination of meal allowances. "They scratched $10,000 off the backs of our musicians, but they didn't blink an eye paying off Ted Plute," said Hair.

In a highly unusual move, management proceeded with the concert on March 11 without the orchestra's musicians, using replacement non-union musicians and a guest conductor. One of the concertgoers told a picketing musician "we should've machine-gunned all you guys down years ago," while another patron responded to a leaflet proferred by a picketing musician with an offer of a knee to the groin.

Deaths

Annie Fisher, a Hungarian pianist who played with some of the greatest conductors of the century, died in Budapest on April 10 at the age of 80.

Fisher won the Liszt Competition in 1933. Her career included performances with Fritz Busch, Otto Klemperer, and George Szell, as well as many recitals in the U.S., including five in Boston's Symphony Hall, the last of which was in 1990. She was perhaps best-known for her Mozart interpretations. Richard Dyer of the Boston ~Globe~ wrote that "she may have been the greatest Mozart pianist of all because her Mozart enjoyed a full, deeply human emotional life - she played it like music and not like 'Mozart.'"
Copyright 1995, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians

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