Seoul musicians voice nervous support for sackable maestro
mainFor much of the past week, musicians of the Seoul Pilharmonic Orchestra have been wondering how to respond to the cancellation of the US tour and the media vilification launched against their music director, Myung Whun Chung, by their ousted CEO.
Some players urged their colleagues to keep their heads down and say nothing. But bolder spirits have prevailed and this morning the orchestra issued a declaration of support for Chung (who has been out of the country while this was going on), citing the huge advances they have made under his leadership on the world stage, on DG recordings and at the BBC Proms.
The statement may be too little, too late.
We hear the city council is looking for a new conductor.
Declaration here (in Korean).
“Declaration here (in Korean).”
Oh, right.
Unfortunately, google translate won’t make this declaration intelligible. We’ll have to wait for some reliable translation.
This orchestra is going to fall into the abyss with a new conductor. They will lose all the progress they have gained. It is just too soon…
South korea has the highest suicide rate and lowest birthrate of all OECD countries.
The top two orchestras suffer police raids, media attacks, and imminent mass firings.
No surprise.
To have an idea of what they are up against, here is an example of the kind of media coverage they are getting over there:
http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/news/view.jsp?req_newsidx=175482
Does this mean that true music lovers and those who are able to recognize greatness are blind?