How musicians get fired, or not

I have written an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph this morning discussing the issues raised by the current employment tribunal case in Cardiff, where an oboist at Welsh National Opera is claiming he was ‘victimised’ and ‘bullied’ by the conductor, Carlo Rizzi.

What goes on in an orchestra’s rehearsal room can never be resolved by law and logic, least of all my musical merit. Chemistry, temperature and body language are essential elements in the making and maintenance of a good orchestra. When they fail, something’s got to give and someone’s got to go. The trick is to do it decently. The fault in Wales seems to be that they tried to do it too much by the book.

Once it gets to court, everyone looks stupid. Here’s the latest local BBC report.

And here’s my piece: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8065562/The-maestro-must-never-play-second-fiddle.html

A verdict is expected later today and I’ll report it here.