German orchestral merger

[Guest]

Terrible news from Germany, courtesy of Norman Lebrecht: the Südwestrundfunk (Southwest German Radio) has announced radical cutbacks to its two fabulous orchestras, the SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, and the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Stuttgart. One may be forced to merge with the other unless these cutbacks are rescinded.

http://thousandfoldecho.com/2012/04/04/urgent-petition-save-some-of-germanys-finest-orchestras/

Here's Michael Gielen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5DV...feature=relmfu

- his association with the SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg is surely one of the great conductor / orchestra partnerships (in terms of performing new and contemporary music, in terms also of their superb Mahler and other recordings) ... and those of us who admire Norrington (even those who don't ) will recognise that the Stuttgart orchestra has a very distinct identity (I think the very un-Norrington Celibidache conducted them in the 1970s).

Here's Pierre Boulez and François Xavier Roth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9djhuEyN3K4

http://www.freunde-swr-so.de/unterstuetzerbriefe.php

[salymap]

That is sad. I remember phone calls and correspondence with the SWDR. The Sudwestdeutchrundfunk years ago and they were a pleasure to deal with. I suppose that's the same orchestra. Believe it, when Breitkopf Leipzig and Breitkopf Weisbaden weren't talking to each other, scores and parts were ordered via this country, which is how I was involved.

[Ariosto]

It perhaps should not come as as shock that the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Stuttgart might be under threat as its has been reduced to nothing more than a school orchestra after the treatment it got from that Norrington idiot. It needs a few years to get good players in under a good musical conductor, now that RN has left.

[PJPJ]

This has been brewing for a while and, despite and because of Germany's relatively strong economy, a worry with wider implications for European orchestras, too. As John Skelton points out, the two orchestras have their own identities and merging them will be a tragedy for both and their listeners. Sad indeed, salymap.

[amateur51]

Hmmm the petition link doesn't work but I'll try to navigate my way around it.

Very sad news and cultural vandalism of the worst sort

[ahinton]

Terrible news from Germany, courtesy of Norman Lebrecht: the Südwestrundfunk (Southwest German Radio) has announced radical cutbacks to its two fabulous orchestras, the SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, and the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Stuttgart. One may be forced to merge with the other unless these cutbacks are rescinded.

http://thousandfoldecho.com/2012/04/04/urgent-petition-save-some-of-germanys-finest-orchestras/

Here's Michael Gielen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5DV...feature=relmfu

- his association with the SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg is surely one of the great conductor / orchestra partnerships (in terms of performing new and contemporary music, in terms also of their superb Mahler and other recordings) ... and those of us who admire Norrington (even those who don't ) will recognise that the Stuttgart orchestra has a very distinct identity (I think the very un-Norrington Celibidache conducted them in the 1970s).

Here's Pierre Boulez and François Xavier Roth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9djhuEyN3K4

http://www.freunde-swr-so.de/unterstuetzerbriefe.php

Well, never let it be said that the so-called "admirable" Mr Lebrecht doesn't send out necessary warning signals from time to time. Many thanks for posting this, although I, too, cannot make the petition link work, so any help that you can give with that will be much appreciated as I will most certainly add my name to that petition. There was a similar situation in the Netherlands some time ago where a petition attracted many signatures. All praise to Maître Boulez for speaking out in strong support of these orchestras, especially the former of the two that you mention. This is appalling and profoundly depressing news and will remain so unless a much-needed and sustainable repreive is agreed.

[JohnSkelton]

Petition - try http://www.orchesterretter.de/

[amateur51]

Petition - try http://www.orchesterretter.de/

Many thanks, JS - duly completed tho I understood very little of what I was voting for (you explained earlier, I know) .

If a recruiting sergeant comes to my door, I'll give him your name

[ahinton]

Petition - try http://www.orchesterretter.de/

Thank you very much for this; I have now duly signed it and received an almost immediate acknowledgement and confirmation via email that I have done so. I join you, JohnSkelton, in urging everyone else who cares about the fate of fine orchestras anywhere to add signatures to this peition without delay.

Let's hope!

[JohnSkelton]

There's a link for the petition in English at the top of the page .

If a copy of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGAFIyoZ7cY turns up on your doorstep, you'll know you pressed a wrong button somewhere .

[PJPJ]

I'm sure most will realise you do need to click on the link in the email you get, to activate your signing. If you don't, your signature will not appear.

Page 1 has lots of the well-known

http://www.orchesterretter.de/unterzeichner.html

[ahinton]

There's a link for the petition in English at the top of the page .

If a copy of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGAFIyoZ7cY turns up on your doorstep, you'll know you pressed a wrong button somewhere .

I think that if that did indeed happen I'd need to be pressing a trigger...

[DublinJimbo]

I'd heard about this some weeks ago, just prior to a trip to Freiburg, during which I heard the orchestra with Michael Gielen in a wonderful programme of Schoenberg, Mahler and Brahms. I asked about the petition at the time, but the people at the concert hall knew nothing about it.

I've now signed online. Thanks to the OP for alerting us to this.

[Curalach]

Signed

[gurnemanz]

As Gielen points out: You can't "merge" two orchestras. In so doing, you would destroy the character, culture and tradition of both of them. Baden Baden and Freiburg (as the smaller centres) presumably fear that it is the Stuttgart orchestra that would in essence survive.