Sad case , should have been settled long ago
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Sad case , should have been settled long ago -
Meant to respond to this earlier. Yes, a sorry mess. I'm afraid I can't pick out the rights and wrongs of it. (And probably best not to get personal here.)It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world. -
A very ill advised appeal( and one wonders whether counsel for the WNO were keen on it ) . The argument that the poor artistic performance criteria did not apply to ensemble playing just does not hold water at all for the very short dismissive reasons given by LJ Maurice Kay and the WNO ended up with a worse result than in the EAT namely that there was simply no argument but that Mr Johnston had been unfairly dismissed . The case did not turn on whether Rizzi's criticisms were right but that Mr Johnston's dismissal was unfair because he was denied the right to an audition in ensemble conditions.Originally posted by french frank View PostComment
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Perhaps I should add some personal information as I worked in a free lance capacity with WNO and as a full time member for 7 years and I knew Sandy (Johnson) as a colleague. This was between about 1972 and 1987 - some 15 years - and I'm still in touch with members of the orchestra as well as retired menbers of WNO who are still in Cardiff.
Times have changed a lot for the worst because in the early seventies, eighties and probably into the nineties the management respected the orchestra and the chorus and the company was run as a sort of family unit, irrespective of who was the MD and guest conductors, producers, directors etc.
But by the time that ogre arrived the management had become subservient to him. By this time I had long left and no longer even free lanced in Wales, as I was in London and doing other things.
As far as Sandy (Murray Johnson) was concerned he was, and had always been, a valued member of the wind section, and all who had a decent set of ears considered him a fine player and an excellent musician. The wind section I should mention was an excellent group in those days and easily on a level with the best orchestras around. Sandy was a conciencious hard working and serious member of this group, and his beautiful sound added a lot of finesse to the section.
On at least one occasion his modesty made him ask me if I thought he could get through (Tristan and Isolde). I laughed and said that I would never even consider the possibility of him not being at least 150% - and this was indeed the outcome. Many players in the wind section praised Sandy especially on accasions when I heard them or was involved myself in chamber music with them.
Unfortunately the company and in particular the management were conned by an Italian time beater who had no sense of musicianship whatsoever. (I have no bias because I never (thank heavens) worked with that butcher of a musical line. But plenty of people outside of WNO and in London in particular have given me plenty of information on how bad he was). And of course I have heard many WNO performances since - and also with him (the Italian) time beating - and witnessed how unmusical the outcome was once he was in charge.
I'm overjoyed that Sandy has won and will be contacting him soon to pass on my best wishes.Comment
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