Attended a festival. A baroque music festival. We have a dozens of them around the world. Let's be specific; I attended one in the Czech Republic. In Znojmo to be exact, a beautiful medieval town in Southern Moravia. Nice to be back in my native country. The programme booklets, which were royally distributed around in most restaurants and cafés were impressive. A long list of sponsors (prominent ones included!) and a top star virtuoso violinist was the focus of the whole happening. Nothing wrong here one would say. I was truly looking forward.
Like all major events, there's much to be organised and behind-the-scenes-stress is a daily occurrence. The preparations, contracts with the players, securing venues, and all the thousand other details... you name it. In the past, I was frequently involved in such and it's indeed tough. Glad I am out of there. Yet there is one big tendency, which was almost like a slap in the face, when I found out some of the practices of present day's festivals.
We are all aware, that culture is at the receiving end, and that the receivables are not always very generous. Organisers are faced with such a problem, when putting together their budgets, resulting in inevitable choices; where to apply cutting. Festivals are - or at least should be - prestigious events, adding up to cultural life of a certain town, reviving music practices, attracting extra tourist - which to a certain extent also increase overall revenues for the benefit of the local entrepreneurs (as well as the tax office).
What I witnessed, was on the outside a try-hard glamour; while at the inside, musicians not only enduring some unusual long rehearsal hours (sometimes under almost unacceptable climatic conditions) - but rehearsing is part of their job one would say - it is mostly the accommodations around it, which were shocking. Next to the just mentioned bad conditions (too hot, too humid, poorly ventilated rehearsal places) the housing accommodation was - to use an understatement - appalling.
Taking into mind, that this is not a high-school summer camp, where teenagers may feel OK with improvised or crammed housing conditions; these are professional players, specialists in early music, who are stashed away into a dormitory (where time since socialism seemed to have stood still), three floors, with only one toilet and shower facility for all - somehow the keys are lost, so even a basic given of your privacy to lock yourself while using the toilet is nowhere to be found. One communal kitchen, with a tiny fridge, barely enough for all attendants to put in their basic food supplies. Not that this is a weekend-off event; it lasts for three weeks. The chaotic (and nerve-breaking) organisational chaos in-between the rehearsals, I will not even touch.
When complaining, little is done - or can be done, as resources are limited of course. Yet the star of the event, the Czech violinist-star Pavel Šporcl proudly shines in the lime-lights, maestro Roman Válek (who de facto organises this festival) is complacently strutting around. Sure, Šporcl is an audience attraction - but in all decency; is this the way to pave your path of glory on the backs of exploited colleagues, who work under those appalling conditions for a fee, that is too ridiculous to mention? Since no Czech orchestra was willing to play for you any longer, you called on to Slovakia's musicians (with individual exceptions here and there), and it doesn't take much to figure out that there is much inequality how much people were paid. One should be rather ashamed.
And true, musicians for whatever reason have accepted this gig - they should stand more firm and demand at least unilaterally at least a minimum fee. Yet, only a minority knows how to be more business minded. And this is exploited.
Besides, an interesting observation might be, that the festival is under "ensemblebaroque.cz" - yet, Pavel Šporcl doesn't perform in the HIP style at all, and the attempts of violoncellist Jiří Barta to play authentic is overrated - to say the least. The text of their website would suggest differently.
Znojmo is a picturesque town, but the fact how this festival is run, spoiled my enthusiasm. Perhaps it is because it is the sale season; get the last pieces for a reduced price! That's how music is treated. Just imagine, you study many years on your instrument, researching on specialisations of early music, and this is where one ends up. Among music colleagues, one would expect more collegiality and a sense for respect and human decency. Instead: cheap labour. Cheap business. ... Sad!
MS
Like all major events, there's much to be organised and behind-the-scenes-stress is a daily occurrence. The preparations, contracts with the players, securing venues, and all the thousand other details... you name it. In the past, I was frequently involved in such and it's indeed tough. Glad I am out of there. Yet there is one big tendency, which was almost like a slap in the face, when I found out some of the practices of present day's festivals.
We are all aware, that culture is at the receiving end, and that the receivables are not always very generous. Organisers are faced with such a problem, when putting together their budgets, resulting in inevitable choices; where to apply cutting. Festivals are - or at least should be - prestigious events, adding up to cultural life of a certain town, reviving music practices, attracting extra tourist - which to a certain extent also increase overall revenues for the benefit of the local entrepreneurs (as well as the tax office).
What I witnessed, was on the outside a try-hard glamour; while at the inside, musicians not only enduring some unusual long rehearsal hours (sometimes under almost unacceptable climatic conditions) - but rehearsing is part of their job one would say - it is mostly the accommodations around it, which were shocking. Next to the just mentioned bad conditions (too hot, too humid, poorly ventilated rehearsal places) the housing accommodation was - to use an understatement - appalling.
Taking into mind, that this is not a high-school summer camp, where teenagers may feel OK with improvised or crammed housing conditions; these are professional players, specialists in early music, who are stashed away into a dormitory (where time since socialism seemed to have stood still), three floors, with only one toilet and shower facility for all - somehow the keys are lost, so even a basic given of your privacy to lock yourself while using the toilet is nowhere to be found. One communal kitchen, with a tiny fridge, barely enough for all attendants to put in their basic food supplies. Not that this is a weekend-off event; it lasts for three weeks. The chaotic (and nerve-breaking) organisational chaos in-between the rehearsals, I will not even touch.
When complaining, little is done - or can be done, as resources are limited of course. Yet the star of the event, the Czech violinist-star Pavel Šporcl proudly shines in the lime-lights, maestro Roman Válek (who de facto organises this festival) is complacently strutting around. Sure, Šporcl is an audience attraction - but in all decency; is this the way to pave your path of glory on the backs of exploited colleagues, who work under those appalling conditions for a fee, that is too ridiculous to mention? Since no Czech orchestra was willing to play for you any longer, you called on to Slovakia's musicians (with individual exceptions here and there), and it doesn't take much to figure out that there is much inequality how much people were paid. One should be rather ashamed.
And true, musicians for whatever reason have accepted this gig - they should stand more firm and demand at least unilaterally at least a minimum fee. Yet, only a minority knows how to be more business minded. And this is exploited.
Besides, an interesting observation might be, that the festival is under "ensemblebaroque.cz" - yet, Pavel Šporcl doesn't perform in the HIP style at all, and the attempts of violoncellist Jiří Barta to play authentic is overrated - to say the least. The text of their website would suggest differently.
Znojmo is a picturesque town, but the fact how this festival is run, spoiled my enthusiasm. Perhaps it is because it is the sale season; get the last pieces for a reduced price! That's how music is treated. Just imagine, you study many years on your instrument, researching on specialisations of early music, and this is where one ends up. Among music colleagues, one would expect more collegiality and a sense for respect and human decency. Instead: cheap labour. Cheap business. ... Sad!
MS
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