Vienna Philharmonic Sexism and Racism Scandals
July 26th 2006 02:00
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra stands proudly as the principle orchestra of Vienna, and as one of the best and most renowned orchestras in the world. It’s list of conductors and guest conductors over the years takes all the big names, Karajan, Richter, Furtwängler, and their annual New Year’s concerts are televised around the world as a greatly anticipated event. But this is an orchestra whose traditions run deep. And their attempts to keep their roots firmly planted in Austrian soil in this changing world has caused them more than a few scandals over the years.
Even now, female members of the orchestra make up 2% of total members, a tokenistic concession if ever there was one. Non Aryan members of the orchestra number about the same amount. How can this be representative of the talent in Vienna, when at least half of the members of their music schools are female, and Vienna attracts people of all nationalities to study there, as it is an arts capital of the world?
The simple answer is that it can’t. The VPO’s exclusive nature is not made secret. In fact, there are a number of accounts demonstrating their practices. The memoirs of Otto Strasser(artistic director), in 1970, spoke about a ‘grotesque situation’ that occurred where the best identified candidate for a violin position turned out to be Japanese when they lowered a screen. He was rejected, since his ‘his face did not fit with the ‘Pizzicato-Polka’ of the New Year’s Concert’. Almost all orchestras world wide use a screen between the audition panel and the applicant to encourage objectivity in player selection. The Vienna Philharmonic does not. Another demonstration of latent racism is in the case of tubist Yasuto Sugiyma, a world class musician who did not complete his tenure period, being fired after the first year, only to gain a position in America with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. If there was reason to fire him, why was he able to pick up a position so immediately afterwards, in an area where the concentration of orchestras per capita makes competition much fiercer?
The first woman to become a member of the Philharmonic was the harpist Anna Lelkes, who became a member in 1997 after performing as a ‘non-member’ for 20 years. This is a baffling amount of time to wait to complete the process of becoming a full member, no German male players have been denied membership after a 3 year tenure period. This situation occurred similarly with the case of violist Ursula Plaichinger, who in 2001 became the second woman to join the Philharmonic’s ranks. In 2005, a full year after she should have become a member, she took a leave of absence from the Orchestra and moved to Amsterdam. Attempts to gain understanding at why she would either not take one of the highest paid orchestral positions in the world or to be denied it have gained little success - members of the orchestra are forbidden to speak to press.
Justification for such processes is given by the Philharmonic as ‘preserving the distinctly Viennese style of playing’. As a flautist said in a radio interview in 1996, their style of playing had much to do with the soul, which could not be separated from it’s roots in central Europe. The orchestra appears to adopt the attitude that in playing music in a masculine Austrian style, they themselves must be comprised of Aryan men. In my opinion, it should be a quality of any musician to be able to play in a variety of styles. By limiting their membership towards these restrictions, the Orchestra is reducing it’s versatility. What if it wanted to perform music by French composer Messiaen? Or Australian composer Ross Edwards? Surely their selections would then limit their capacity to appropriately stylistically do this.
Even if there is some unknown element of a performer that impacts on their playing based on their origins, why wouldn’t a female Japanese student who has spent her life studying music in Vienna and absorbing the culture be adequately equipped to play in an Austrian style?
What do you think? Is the Vienna Philharmonic’s Principle of maintaining their style through keeping the same race of players valid, or is it a conservative attempt to cling to outdated traditions in a cosmopolitan world?
Even now, female members of the orchestra make up 2% of total members, a tokenistic concession if ever there was one. Non Aryan members of the orchestra number about the same amount. How can this be representative of the talent in Vienna, when at least half of the members of their music schools are female, and Vienna attracts people of all nationalities to study there, as it is an arts capital of the world?
The University of Vienna, taken from their site. Surely some ethnic or female musical talent has emerged from here or other Viennese institutions in the last 150 years?
The first woman to become a member of the Philharmonic was the harpist Anna Lelkes, who became a member in 1997 after performing as a ‘non-member’ for 20 years. This is a baffling amount of time to wait to complete the process of becoming a full member, no German male players have been denied membership after a 3 year tenure period. This situation occurred similarly with the case of violist Ursula Plaichinger, who in 2001 became the second woman to join the Philharmonic’s ranks. In 2005, a full year after she should have become a member, she took a leave of absence from the Orchestra and moved to Amsterdam. Attempts to gain understanding at why she would either not take one of the highest paid orchestral positions in the world or to be denied it have gained little success - members of the orchestra are forbidden to speak to press.
Justification for such processes is given by the Philharmonic as ‘preserving the distinctly Viennese style of playing’. As a flautist said in a radio interview in 1996, their style of playing had much to do with the soul, which could not be separated from it’s roots in central Europe. The orchestra appears to adopt the attitude that in playing music in a masculine Austrian style, they themselves must be comprised of Aryan men. In my opinion, it should be a quality of any musician to be able to play in a variety of styles. By limiting their membership towards these restrictions, the Orchestra is reducing it’s versatility. What if it wanted to perform music by French composer Messiaen? Or Australian composer Ross Edwards? Surely their selections would then limit their capacity to appropriately stylistically do this.
Even if there is some unknown element of a performer that impacts on their playing based on their origins, why wouldn’t a female Japanese student who has spent her life studying music in Vienna and absorbing the culture be adequately equipped to play in an Austrian style?
What do you think? Is the Vienna Philharmonic’s Principle of maintaining their style through keeping the same race of players valid, or is it a conservative attempt to cling to outdated traditions in a cosmopolitan world?
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Comment by L.
I'm struggling to understand how even conservatives can maintain that position if it is purely something that seeks to sustain the status quo. Surely it would be detrimental to the quality of music? I just don't see how it's sustainable.
But by god. 1997. First woman.
That's nuts.
Comment by Peter
Comment by L.
But refering back to WW2 and Hitler probably isn't the best example of how they are like now.
Could you do me a favour? I know this is vague but I have an update on the interaction between the literary and musical world?
L.
Comment by Peter
About their sound, much of a deal is made about the Vienna sound and it's uniqueness. It's more instrument set ups than players themselves though. I can only speak as a clarinettist, but it's not a bad example - I've heard women with masculine tones and men playing with what you might imagine as more feminine tones(though it's certainly a term that comes up less) and I notice little to do with people's background playing a part. To tell players apart by minute qualities of their tone takes a life time of playing to be able to do, and then that will only often be on your instrument. How many members of the public would really care that much? It seems to me that such nuance, if it was for purposes of sound rather than racial and sexual discrimination, would still just be a case of haughty high ups having their head up their arse.
You are vague, but I'll see what I can do for you.
Comment by Liz Hanson
Comment by Musician
understand.
Personally I am terrified by diversity of sound
and all cacophony performance of NY Philarmonic you enjoy
so much.
Diversity and Art ?
We use to call Greek Antiquity, French Renesance,
Russian Ballet, Italian barocco... Not by chance...
USA is not nationally united country and has different
sensuous of art. Good luck!
But do think, please for your sake, the history of art for all people get started long before
USA was born.