Culture Invests In People Today

Michael Hedges March 27, 2023 Follow on Twitter

Arts and culture are considered a public good. High culture, likewise, esteemed as the historical record. Orchestras, ballet, choirs, operas, films and more are given certain priority by nations and cities to perpetuate cultural values. While the mission is clear, the means are fraught. This dilemma has frequently appeared with increasing economic stress and political populism.

Quite often support for cultural institutions falls through the state to public broadcasters. From recent events we know that conservative politicians are rarely fans of public broadcasting, preferring the free market solutions of venture capital and private equity supporters. The “move fast and break things” philosophy does not bode well for cellos. The market instability of cultural institutions is anathema.

The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) came under the funding axe. After a “one on one” meeting with Federal Media Minister Susanne Raab in early February, ORF director general Roland Weissmann declared “no possibility” for continued financing for the orchestra, reported DiePresse (February 20). Frau Raab demanded significant budget cuts at ORF, in line with the conservative Austrian People’s Party.

The RSO was introduced by ORF in 1969, first as the Austrian Radio Orchestra, emphasizing contemporary classical music and opera. The Austrian cultural scene erupted. "An end for the RSO would be a break in the world capital of music,” said Vienna Philharmonic director Jan Nast, quoted by Der Standard (February 20). “An end to the orchestra would bring the music theater at the Vienna into serious artistic and financial difficulties and would be a culturally politically fatal signal in a country whose globally recognized cultural heritage is supported and preserved by institutions like ours,” added Theater an der Wien artistic director Stefan Herheim. More than 60,000 signatures were affixed to a public petition of support. Statements of support also came from Berlin Philharmonic director Andrea Zietzschmann and the three Bavarian orchestras.

The big meeting of the ORF Foundation, which controls the broadcaster’s affairs, all political appointees, was held last week (March 23). Services cuts were indeed imposed. The classical music streaming channel Myfidelio is to close. It was introduced in 2016 as “the Netflix of classical music.” Sports budgets were also trimmed.

But the RSO was not included. "With our common commitment to the continued existence of the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, we as the government note that the envisaged savings of this orchestra of international charisma are off the table," said Culture Minister Andrea Mayer (Green Party) in a statement, noted Bavarian public arts and culture channel BR Klassik (March 23). "From my point of view, the RSO should never have been discussed from the outset. It is therefore gratifying that this decision to preserve the orchestra has been made, even if the details still have to be worked out.”

In the same vein, UK public broadcaster BBC director general Tim Davie gave notice last year to orchestras and ensembles. “While we will continue to play a vital role in classical music in this country, we must be realistic about the resources we use,” he said, quoted by Arts Professional (June 8 2022). “We will look to reduce licence fee funding in our performing groups, preferably by looking for alternative sources of income where possible.”

Among the ensembles facing the axe was in-house choral group BBC Singers, finally announced March 7, reported the Guardian (March 13). Salaried positions in other performing groups - including the BBC Symphony and Philharmonic - were to be cut by 20%. “This new strategy is bold, ambitious and good for the sector and for audiences who love classical music,” said BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore, making the announcement.

Unsurprisingly, arts groups, unions and fans revolted. “What has happened to our nation's beloved BBC, the organisation that has been responsible for some of the greatest classical music broadcasts in history?” wrote notable cellist and conductor Julian Lloyd Webber to Radio Times (March 21). “Let us not forget that these proposed cuts and others are occurring in the context of poorly-judged political decisions,” said media union Bectu Deputy General Secretary Philippa Childs, quoted by Variety (March 24). “The government’s decision to freeze the license fee has made damaging cuts inevitable and the reality of this decision is job losses for talented and hardworking people, a loss of cultural output, and ultimately a reduced BBC, from which we all suffer.”

Then the BBC “suspended” the termination of BBC Singers, suggesting “a number of external organizations” had come forward with measures of support. According to the BBC (March 25), separately, 140,000 persons signed a petition to reverse the closure. The BBC Singers will, indeed, perform at the annual summertime music festival BBC Proms.

See also...

• Hot Topics - Public Broadcasting
• Hot Topics - Media in Austria
• Hot Topics - The BBC

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