In Italy, musicians are getting put in cages

In Italy, musicians are getting put in cages

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norman lebrecht

August 05, 2020

This is the Mancinelli Opera House in Orvieto, rehearsals for the Barber of Seville.

The wind players are being boxed into wood and plexiglass cages arranged in an L shape.

The acoustic result, we’re told, is not bad at all, although the remoters instruments struggle to get heard.

The cages are built inexpensively by a local carpenter in Orvieto.

Comments

  • Ezra Pound says:

    didn t it happen to great poet Ezra Pound as well ? .. even in public ..

  • Heini says:

    It looks like every instrument is boxed in. I’d have thought this would be very unpleasant for the player and potentially run the risk of hearing damage, their own sound reflecting straight back into their own ears. The Vienna Phil managed to play Elektra last Saturday in the normal seating. One wonders how this was achieved, were they tested and did they isolate beforehand like the Test match teams?

    • Anon says:

      I’ve heard that Vienna Phil players are tested before every performance. That’s an expensive proposition which most orchs cannot afford.

      I don’t know why everyone is freaking out about these partitions. It allows musicians to keep working and to do so safely. Would you prefer that they just shut down the orchestra?

  • Simon Scott says:

    Bloody stupid

  • Guest says:

    Oppressed, tortured, abused, shamed, put all great talents as low as THEY can! Rase up and speak the truth! Who are THEY? Evryone, who telling what is right and what is wrong to adults and treasured musicians, as well as to feast of the world! War on humans began!

  • Anon! A Moose! says:

    “The cages are built inexpensively by a local carpenter in Orvieto.”

    Don’t worry, Wenger will make one for the US market that will be fully adjustable in 5 dimensions and cost $10,000 each. For some reason it will be easy to find a donor to fund this but musician salaries will still be cut.

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