The elected leaders of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra have written to the unelected board of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, expressing warm admiration for the terminated music director Andris Nelsons and dark concern that the musicians were not consulted in the process that led to his dismissal.
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Displays of solidarity between musicians in world-class orchestras are rare but not without precedent. What makes this message significant is its exposure of the undemocrativc procedures at the governing level of the Boston Symphony. When Germans express concern about authoritarianism in music, the warning sounds that much louder.
It may not make an instant difference, but the message serves both the embarrass the leadership of the Boston Symphony and to isolate them from the rest of the orchestral sector. This is not to be taken lightly.
Kudos to the Berlin Vorstand for speaking out.