Innocents Abroad

Response to Scorditura posting:

I would say that the situation here is pretty stable although budgets cuts are something we have gone through and are still subject to. We are a municipal orchestra, employees of the city of Munich and subject to political decisions. A few years back, in the throes of the world-wide recession and turbulence following 9-11, the city of Munich had to make sharp budget cuts in all areas. The subsidies for culture (which includes musuems, theaters, libraries, etc.) were especially hard hit, and we, being the largest city cultural institution bore the brunt of the cutbacks.

It must be said, however, that before these cuts, we were well provided for and that many would consider our situation to have been a luxury. For instance the number of positions in the orchestra was cut from 130 to 120. In Europe, most big orchestras have 2 principals for each wind section as well as more than one concertmaster or section leader for the string sections. I think in all of Germany, in the last 15 years , a total of 1,000 orchestra musician jobs have been lost- by fusion of orchestras, closings, and scaling back. Many of these positions have been at smaller orchestras in the former East Germany, where there was an especially high density of ensembles.

The city of Munich is in the best shape of all the major German cities financially. Unemployment is relatively low and there is a well diversified economy. Tbey changed the tax laws just about a year ago, which should make revenue sharing between the cities, state and national governments more equitable for the cities.

I think that it is important for Americans considering employment here to have an interest in learning the language as well as being open to trying to fit in to the local culture. Many people can speak English here (many guest conductors too) but for a long term feeling of well-being, comfort in the language is a must. It takes a while but just by being here you absorb so much. I remember being exhausted when I first arrived here, knocking myself out trying to comprehend, but with time everything became easier.

It has been so long that I have worked in the States that I am not really in a position to compare the working conditions on both sides of the Atlantic. I have the feeling that the work load here is lighter. Many colleagues teach, play gigs, and or pursue hobbies and live well-rounded lives here.

At auditions, a Mozart concerto (for violin ) is pretty universally required for the first round. Of course orchestras differ in what they are looking for and it is difficult to generalize. Perhaps there is less emphasis on orchestral exerpts here. Artistic interpretation of the concerto is valued more than knowledge of theorchestral repetoire. A beautiful sound and sensitve phrasing are also important. Virtuosity for its own sake is to be avoided.