Alarm as Paris orchestra loses two concertmasters

Svetlin Roussev is leaving the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Paris to join the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva. He was recruited by the new French chief executive, Magali Rousseau. The Swiss have lacked a permanent concertmaster for three years.

This is the second concertmaster that Radio France have lost in a month. We reported earlier that Amaury Coeytaux was leaving the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France to join the Quatuor Modigliani.

These sudden moves may be more than coincidence. There are persistent rumours of imminent cuts in Paris orchestras, starting with the radio ensemble.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: ‘To lose one concertmaster may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.’