Musicians' unions warn of cutbacks
The German-speaking professional associations and musicians' unions from Austria, Switzerland and Germany (SMV, DOV, GdG-KMSfB and ver.di) are observing "with great concern the current rampant destruction of opera houses, ensembles and orchestras in Europe".
At present, 182 orchestra musicians and opera choristers at the Rome Opera have been dismissed, the chamber orchestra of Danmarks Radio is to cease operations on November 25, 2014 and the Cordoba Symphony Orchestra is facing a 40 percent budget cut, the associations write.
"Every country in Europe has its own specific musical tradition, which is characterized not only by folk music, but also by professional music theater and symphony orchestras," says Beat Santschi, Central President of the SMV.
Gerald Mertens, Managing Director of DOV, adds: "Professional ensembles are a guarantee of high artistic quality. This quality has its price. If the general public is to continue to go to the opera or a concert for the price of a movie ticket in the future, public funding bodies must increase their subsidies appropriately and not freeze or even reduce them."
Reinhard Pirstinger from the Austrian association GdG-KMSfB explains: "Opera houses and orchestras create cultural identity in their city and region. They need to be strengthened, not weakened".
Following a joint working consultation in Zurich, all four associations are calling on the public and political leaders of the ensembles under acute threat in Italy, Spain and Denmark to reverse the cuts and layoffs. An appeal is made to "immediately seek appropriate individual solutions together with the respective national musicians' associations to avoid the dissolution or irretrievable liquidation of professional ensembles".
