Who’s selling British musicians to the Saudis?
NewsPrivate Eye reports that the Manchester Camerata has played two hush-hush concerts in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for various sheikhs and their acolytes. A case of Sheikh, Rattle and Roll, perhaps.
What the Eye doesn’t mention is that the Department of Culture Media and Sport (prop. Nad Hatters) had previously offered this lucrative pair of engagements to a number of London orchestras, who found all sorts of reasons not to accept. Even in these tough times.
UPDATE: A freedom of information request has been put in ot investigate the role of the DCMS and the Association of British Orchestras in these dealings.
Anyone going to Saudi better be careful they don’t end up being given the chop. ENO were right to refuse to go; for them, Ko-Ko’s chopper in the Mikado at the Coli is rather safer.
The Saudis are buying everything: professional golf players, US presidents…
Sometimes it’s a bust, like the “Leonardo Da Vinci” at $500M that is now hidden in some sand dune in shame and no one is willing to admit to having bought it.
But the West will continue to buy our oil from the Saudis so that the Saudis can keep buying us in return.
We are our own whores, as it were.
More than one London orchestra has happily accepted offers of touring there in the last few years, only to have it postponed or cancelled becasue of local COVID restrictions. While they may not ultimately have gone, they haven’t found reasons not to accept; on the contrary!
Hope none of the orchestra are women or gay, otherwise the Saudi might not let them come back home…
These stories always make me laugh. For all the ideological clap-trap you hear so many musicians spout, they always end up going where the money is. Either drop one or the other!
Are you suggesting musos are too desperate, or simply devoid of any moral compass?
If that is a musician’s prerogative, then the touring future of UK orchestras post brexit could include the blood stained sunny uplands of Myanmar, Putin’s Russia, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Byelorussia and Saudi Arabia.
The thing is, Lars, that it’s in the hands of orchestra execs to choose. Some will, some won’t, a choice that separates those with principle from ambitious scumbags.
after ww2 some artists would not
play in
Germany. but they must of had money so they did not have to play there. when you need money
you work anywhere.
Pecunia non olet.
Petrolio non olet.
Artswashing, pure and simple.
This is surprising; the Saudis recently bought the Newcastle United football team. Maybe the same city’s orchestra turned the gig down. If so, good for them.
Wasn’t Private Eye a satirical pamphlet?…
Have you not noticed that as of late life has become satire?
Interesting information.
Do we know whether the female members of the orchestra went, too?
If they didn’t, that might have serious implications for equality, as regards whether or not they were paid during the time that their male colleagues were away coining it in Saudi. Obviously, this depends upon the orchestra’s pay structure…
Nobody seemed to complain when British orchestras went to China. British universities accept Chinese cash. So why is the Saudi regime worse than the CCP? Is there some system of points that determine which regimes are acceptable.
Does Private Eye think Israel is OK to visit? Why is flying to the EU OK? The various EU presidents aren’t elected directly by the European people.
They seem to be suggesting British orchestras boycott Australia when presumably, they might be travelling there on a flight that’s going there anyway. Is flying a greater distance worse than flying to a dictatorship?
Why single out orchestras? A British boxer just fought in Saudia Arabia. A golf tournament is starting there. There is a Grand Prix there. Should that and the Chinese ones be cancelled?
This is a musical blog, so presumably that is why NL thought the matter to be worthy of comment.
As regards women’s rights, it is absolutely correct to distinguish Saudi Arabia from the other countries you have mentioned. Chinese communism was all about getting women into work, not hiding them away at home.
All other nations mentioned in your post have women’s equality enshrined in law.
That being the case, I am agog to find out what became of the female orchestral members during this tour. Did they go, or did they stay at home?
I think we should be told…
Another comment: can this Private Eye report possibly be true?
It sounds so bizarre…
Yes it’s definitely true. I know an extra who was asked to play on it.
Which part of (posh) London, which luxury hotel, which apartment store, has not been sold yet to Saudi-Arabia?
The people may vote in the West – One Party. It has one agenda, selling out.
Sarah Connolly is off to Saudi to sing in an opera there. Are you going to cover this story, Norman?