{"id":7465,"date":"2016-06-14T10:59:42","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T09:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=7465"},"modified":"2016-07-18T16:13:39","modified_gmt":"2016-07-18T15:13:39","slug":"second-violin-section-consider-brexit-from-leading-orchestra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2016\/06\/14\/second-violin-section-consider-brexit-from-leading-orchestra\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Violin Section Consider “Brexit” from Leading Orchestra"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second violin section of the Brumington Symphony Orchestra are bracing for a vote on whether to leave or remain in their orchestra. The upcoming referendum has created anxiety throughout the orchestra amidst concerns that the second violins, who are the second largest section in the orchestra, are leaning towards a so-called Brexit (an exit<\/u> from the B<\/u>r<\/span>umington Symphony).<\/p>\n

\"Violin<\/a>Although the orchestra is one of only 12 salaried orchestras in the country\u00a0and provides the second violins with a generous pension, paid sick days and funding for personal artistic development, some in the second violins feel that they have lost control over musical decision making. \u201cIt\u2019s outrageous that we often don\u2019t even control which direction our bows are going,\u201d said Martin Geigeflegel, one of the organisers of the Leave campaign. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly expected to match the first violins\u2019 bowings, which are set by the leader, who is not a member of our section. Some bowings are even set by the conductor, who is not even a member of the orchestra. Voting Leave will restore our musical sovereignty- second violin bowings should obviously be decided by second violin players.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is clear that some of the discontent in the second violin section stems from frustrations with the dominance of the first violins, who are the largest section in the orchestra and get to play most of the memorable tunes. \u201cWhen we came together with the woodwinds, the brass and the rest of the strings to form a musical union,\u201d said Myrtle\u00a0Shyftmysser, the long-time third assistant principal second violinist of the orchestra, \u201cit was about creating a common marketplace for our musical talents. The first violins have become too dominant- they drive too much decision making and get too much audience attention. Frankly, I hate them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concerns have been raised as to whether a second violin Brexit would lead to the dissolution of the entire BSO, which has been riding high on a wave of critical adulation, sold out concerts, and one of the most lucrative recording contracts in the UK, one which is reported to generate dozens\u00a0of pounds in income for the orchestra every year. The orchestra\u2019s CEO Petri J\u00e4tehuolto said it would be a step into the unknown, \u201cIt is extremely unusual for an orchestra to perform without a second violin section. While they contribute very little to the music making of the orchestra overall and don\u2019t seem to ever play a melody, they do take up quite a lot of space on stage, and I\u2019m very concerned about whether audiences will think they\u2019re getting value for money at our concerts when there is such a large open space on the stage. We\u2019re currently looking at whether putting some small sculptures or possibly a water feature on stage would be a suitable alternative to a second violin section.\u201d<\/p>\n

J\u00e4tehuolto\u2019s remarks brought Geigeflegel back to one of the major concerns of the Leave the Orchestra campaign- that too much decision-making power was in the hands of un-auditioned bureaucrats. \u201cJ\u00e4tehuolto and his team sit over there in the office building and decide who is going to conduct, what time rehearsal starts and what colour the posters are, and he\u2019s never had to learn the first page of Don Juan.\u201d<\/p>\n