Germany adds rural orchestra to nation’s best
mainThe Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz has been included in a list of six national orchestras that will receive 4.5 million Euros in federal funding over five years to boost players’ salaries and maintain high standards.
The other orchs in the booster basket are in Bochum, Hamburg, Jena, Munich and Stuttgarter.
Konstanz is in an area of natural beauty and widespread poverty.
How does Konstanz, a university city of 80,000, class as ‘rural’?
As somebody who genuinely does live in rural surroundings, my nearest neighbours are wildlife and farm animals (currently sheep, cattle in the summer months), I’m somewhat flummoxed by this description.
“Konstanz is in an area of natural beauty…”
Yes, undoubtedly.
“…and widespread poverty.”
Err, no, certainly not. Maybe not as wealthy as neighbouring Switzerland, but certainly one of the more prosperous regions of Germany.
Precisely. Gorgeous region – without doubt. And very prosperous as well.
Konstanz is a lovely town but in my opinion has the worst concert hall in Germany , if not the world! The acoustic in the Konzil is quite appalling. A waste of money of it is going to be spent on concerts there.
Link to article?
http://magazin.klassik.com/news/teaser.cfm?ID=13081&nachricht=Millionen%2DF%F6rderung%20f%FCr%20sechs%20deutsche%20Orchester
Was this funding really given as part of a judgment that this is one of the best orchestras in the country?
Funny fact: the photo has been edited to remove the name of the ship, which is MS München (the capital of a rival federal state). But they neglected to edit out the figure attached to the front, which is the Münchner Kindl from the Munich coat of arms.
what the orchestras in Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich ?
“Konstanz is in an area of […] widespread poverty.”
Indeed Norman, indeed it is. While we are on the subject, how are Weybridge and Belgravia coping with all the “widespread poverty” in their respective areas these days?
A boost for Southern Baden-Württemberg after the demise of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden Und Freiburg.
The merger of the SWR with the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra has created a very odd institution. The orchestra, for example, has nine trombones, and four of them are principles.
Co-principals only work half the time, and with four of them they are only working one quarter of the time. About one concert or recording session a month, or less given the pauses that happen now and then. Since most of them are fairly young, this will go on for a long time.
Certainly no financial poverty anywhere in BW, but the Bodensee area is good example of Germany’s spacial poverty. The country has 85 million people in an area the size of Montana. Bodensee is such a beautiful area with the huge lake at the edge of the Alps, but so overcrowded much of it is destroyed, even with Germany’s rigorous building and planning codes.
Konstanz is also special because its close proximity to Switzerland kept it from being bombed during the war. It is thus one of the very few German cities where the beautiful and unique architecture reveals the city’s true history and age.
Having trouble posting. Hope this isn’t a repeat.