New York protest over the orchestra they don’t want you to hear

New York protest over the orchestra they don’t want you to hear

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norman lebrecht

September 28, 2014

We understand the Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer will conduct an extra concert on November 14 in Copenhagen’s Koncerthuset  with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, the one the national broadcaster, DR, is shutting down at the end of the year.

DR, apparently, is refusing to announce this concert. The orchestra will play Mozart’s last two symphonies. Tickets have just gone on sale. If you’re in Copenhagen on November 14, do show solidarity.

In New York, meanwhile, musicians of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra have posted this message:

The MET Orchestra Musicians protest in the strongest terms the decision of DR to abolish The Danish National Chamber Orchestra in the name of “austerity.” For the past 17 years, this exemplary group of musicians, under the leadership of chief conductor Adam Fischer, has crafted a completely unique approach to Viennese classicism, especially in their performances and recordings of Mozart. Without its only full-time chamber orchestra, the Danish cultural firmament would most certainly be much the poorer. The MET Orchestra Musicians stand firmly behind their Danish colleagues.

danish chamber

Comments

  • Violinist says:

    Um, Norman? You might want to edit the title. The implication is that “they” refers to the New Yorkers, who apparently don’t want you to hear an orchestra. ????

  • sdReader says:

    Denmark has only one chamber orchestra? That’s odd, considering the size of the population.

    If the broadcaster DR no longer wants to fund the ensemble, couldn’t money be secured from other sources in the country — such as the government or a group of large Copenhagen corporations — allowing the players to continue their work as the “Danish Chamber Orchestra” or something along those lines?

  • Martin Stanzeleit says:

    What all musicians worldwide should be concerned with: This is not only about one little chamber orchestra in a small country. It’s a protest against short sighted cultural politics. You don’t start a professional orchestra to shut it down a couple of years later. Culturally, financially and personally, it’s nonsense.
    So, if you are in Copenhagen, please go and listen, take your friends, family, whomever, but please go!
    (By the way, I misunderstood the title of this article, too 😉 )

    • Henrik says:

      You are right. This closing of an orchestra in Denmark is a symptom of a worldwide agenda against public life. There is an agenda – the new trade agreement between the EU and the US will be another tombstone – to take over public assets and privatize them. According to these parasites, everything shall be privatized and they don’t want the competition of publicly subsidized and publicly controlled enterprises. It’s the nature of the capitalistic end game without checks and balances. Cultural institutions – by nature publicly subsidized and not profitable, not in the economical sense – are a collateral damage in this world war against public controlled enterprises.
      At the end of this cultural destruction by these cultural Taliban in tuxedos and with Cayman Islands bank accounts, we will have a few ivory towers of art – for the entertainment of the upper 1% – and cultural desert and trivial trash culture all around for the masses. Just look at the US today and you know what’s coming for Europe as well.

  • Nina Pavlovski says:

    So true !! This orchestra who is actually 75 years old, is the only orchestra in Denmark who actually masters not only Mozart and the Viennese style but with ease, grace, vitality and enthusiasm they cooperate with a great deal of this countries rock, jazz, musical and pop circles !! We’re such a damn small country – sometimes its great, sometimes its a disaster !! This is the only highly skilled prof. orchestra who can do this here, has been doing it for years and is much loved also by the non classical audience….
    It is not only shortsighted by democratically elected politicians to keep on demanding severe cuts in expenses from a public service radio company, it is right out stupid – and a in the end it is no less than a threat to our democracy!!
    If economically squeezed the company is forced to take action in order to compete with commercial radio companies, the result is less variety and poor quality.
    The renowned DR Documentary Dept. has already been drastically cut back – now goes the orchestra who has a living and unbroken experience from the times of many famous danish composers and conductors….. what is next is the big question ;o/
    And – many are working to try to undo this decision or find other solutions: protests, signatures, supporting LIVE music day (this monday the 6.th) etc etc – send good vibes please ;o))

  • Nina Pavlovski says:

    My reply was a comment to Martin Stanzeleit ;o))

  • Nina Pavlovski says:

    Maybe I should also mention that this orchestra is the only entirely publically funded chamberorchestra working in Denmark – we of course and thank God have many other ensembles, but they work under the stress of having to make a living by themselves….a fact that might influence on their choice of repertoire…

  • Martin Stanzeleit says:

    “Culture is not a luxury that we can either afford or cut at will, but the spiritual ground that ensures our inner survival.” (Richard v. Weizsäcker)
    Well, I guess from now on DR can spend more money and time moaning the deterioration of society after cutting subsidies for culture!

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