"Cultural vandalism"

Founded in 1969, Northern Ballet enjoys an excellent reputation in the UK for its performances of full-length story ballets. Like most large institutions, it is an Arts Council England Portfolio Organization, which means it is subsidized by taxpayers' money and National Lottery contributions. The company is highly regarded not only in Leeds, where it has had its own stage in the city center since 2010, but also in numerous English cities where Northern Ballet regularly performs. An integral part of this is the participation of the Northern Ballet Sinfonia, a 28-piece orchestra that is at home in all styles. Although the members are only engaged on a project basis, i.e. as freelancers, they are very loyal and some have been part of the orchestra for decades.

In September 2023, the public received the bad news that from April 2024, most of the tours would be played without live music. The reason for this was inflation, the general economic crisis and the war in Ukraine, which had driven up the energy bills and transportation costs of a tour disproportionately. The fact that almost thirty musicians would lose their livelihoods as a result of this measure was chalked up to collateral damage, albeit perhaps with regret.

Outrage and expressions of solidarity

The news spread by the orchestra members caused great indignation, at least among those interested in culture, and was described as "cultural vandalism" by the English Musicians' Union. The famous composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, the author of Les Misérables and Miss Saigonwho works for the Northern Ballet Wuthering Heights and Cleopatra wrote in an open letter that he had enjoyed working with the Sinfonia and had been impressed by the musicians' committed playing during many performances across the UK. He noted that this had made high-quality dance theater accessible to thousands of people every year. Live music brings emotion, whereas recorded music lacks spontaneity and the experience is therefore less impressive. The conductor would breathe with the dancers in order to achieve the most unique performance possible.

The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), of which SMV Central Secretary Beat Santschi is Vice President, condemned Northern Ballet's ideas in a letter to Arts Council England CEO Darren Henley: "Replacing musicians with a recording would be a significant cultural step backwards in a country renowned for the value it places on live music and the exceptional quality of its artists. It would also have a devastating effect on the musicians of the Northern Ballet, all of whom have freelance contracts and depend on touring for a significant proportion of their income. Music and dance lovers around the world could not understand if Arts Council England were a silent accomplice to this alarming situation."

Live music is an integral part of a ballet

Morris Stemp, responsible for orchestras at the Musicians' Union, also emphasized that the music is an integral part of a ballet and should not and cannot be separated from it. The Sinfonia musicians are now dependent on additional income. In the interview, he also points out that subsidies for the Northern Ballet, as well as for other institutions, urgently need to be increased and accuses the Conservative government of not supporting culture enough. Subsidies have fallen by around 25% in recent decades, he says. He believes that a Labor government would take the concerns of cultural workers more seriously.

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and the Basel Symphony Orchestra have already expressed their solidarity with the musicians of the Sinfonia with actions entitled "Keep Northern Ballet Live". There now seems to be some movement in the hardened fronts - perhaps also due to the national and international protests: On January 16, 2024, the ballet's management published a message stating that at least the spring tour with Romeo & Juliet to Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Norwich and London will be played with an orchestra and a better solution for the future will be sought together with the union and orchestra. However, it is also important to remain vigilant here in Switzerland: The Geneva Ballet wants to go on tour without an orchestra, but at least with an OSR recording, and the Opéra de Dijon has asked the SMV whether it could use OSR stage music recordings, which was rejected with reference to the provisions in the D tariff regulations. At its last meeting on December 22, 2023, the Central Board of the SMV addressed the issue and confirmed its fundamental stance, according to which it insists that live music should be used whenever possible and that recordings should only be used in exceptional cases.