The Fundación Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid has appointed Marzena Diakun as artistic director next season.
She succeeds the popular Victor Pablo Perez.
Marzena, 39, is Polish. She has previously worked with French orchestras.
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victor Pablo Perez was not popular with me – or with anyone else who thinks making your orchestra play to cover the groans of tortured bulls in the arena is hardly the mark of a sensitive musician.
The Orchestra and Choir of the Community of Madrid depends of the autonomic institution that gives it its name and, of course, do not play in any bullring but in the National Music Auditorium and Teatro de la Zarzuela.
Miquis: they played in a bullring in 2014 under VPP’s direction. Read here – https://www.hoy.es/culturas/toros/201406/02/orquesta-pondra-musica-faenas-20140602200024.html
Not everybody is against bullfighting and since it is legally allowed in Spain what exactly is your problem? If you don’t like bullfighting then don’t attend it, but don’t impose on others your own credo on an artform which over the years has been recognised as such by artists such as Picasso, Hemingway etc etc. If you think it is torture it is because you are ignorant as to what bullfighting really is about and what it means to those who value it.
To value a conductor’s popularity on this basis is as wildly ridiculous as it is narrowminded and wholly unfair.
Prostitution is also legal in Spain, but you wouldn’t force an orchestra go sit in a brothel and play for people having sex.
VPP as Music Director, was imposing HIS views on bullfighting on every musician in the orchestra who had to play. He was forcing THEM to attend. Most musicians are not fans of bullfighting, many of us strongly oppose it. To oblige an entire orchestra to play for a bullfight is just wrong.
A Music Director cannot force musicians in an orchestra to play in any event. It is the “Gerente” and the politicians behind the Gerente and MD who allow or do not allow for an event to go forward or not. I do not think it is wise to qualify “wrongs” if you don’t know how an orchestra works in Spain.
But what takes the biscuit is to compare prostitution with bullfighting – that shows the very cultural ignorance I originally referred to. As far as I know brothels in Spain do not require music to be an integral part of the services they provide.
Is this the open selection process where they only gave 7 days since they announced it until the deadline? Wondering how did she manage to write her “artistic proposal” in such short time AND in Spanish…
This is not exactly a plum music directorship. It’s not Madrid’s top tier orchestra which explains why VPP precedes her. She has her work cut out for her. Fortunately it’s only a 2 year contract.
Marzena has also worked with orchestras in Germany, Turkey, Spain, Poland, etc.
A Music Director cannot force musicians in an orchestra to play in any event. It is the “Gerente” and the politicians behind the Gerente and MD who allow or do not allow for an event to go forward or not. I do not think it is wise to qualify “wrongs” if you don’t know how an orchestra works in Spain.
But what takes the biscuit is to compare prostitution with bullfighting – that shows the very cultural ignorance I originally referred to. As far as I know brothels in Spain do not require music to be an integral part of the services they provide.
And neither do bullfights. As Music Director VPP had the artistic authority to veto the plan. Instead he chose the playlist. So it sure looks like it was his idea. A Gerente or politician could not have done it without his collaboration. He could have vetoed it. I am not denying that there is art to bullfighting, but it is more accepted by the older generation, people of VPP’s age. Spanish orchs are mostly young & bullfighting is considered brutal and violent by most young people today. It was an honest mistake on VPP’s part – he ran into a generational divide & it was very controversial. His career hasn’t actually suffered but he will be remembered for it.
And yes, the musicians were FORCED. What exactly could they have done if they didn’t want to play? Take the baja? Call in sick because they objected to the violence? I wonder how Seguridad Social would react to that. . .