Book Review - Orchestra edited by Andre Previn

Orchestra edited by Andre Previn, interviews by Michael Foss, Photographs by Richard Adeney

London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1979        ISBN 0354044206

A fascinating book, this collection of interviews with orchestral players is divided into sections about how they got to where they are, what they think of the job, what it's like to tour, why they quit, the quirks of their instruments, and what the future holds for the institution that is the symphony orchestra.

This beauty of this book is that at the time it was complied (the late 1970s) it was the beginning of the full professionalization of the orchestral player, and it documents the generation of English musicians who got to the top level without having to necessarily go through a music school to get there. The routes to the top orchestras in Britain in the 50s and 60s was mostly by recommendation, many not even auditioning, and certainly many without a good knowledge of repertoire. This is quite different to most of the Americans interviewed for this book, who did go through what would now be considered the normal channels of music school and audition.

What is interesting is how unprepared both nationalities were for orchestra playing - the British because they hadn't done it before, the Americans because music school prepared them as soloists, not section players. The people interviewed usually spent their first few years in the orchestra terrified, not really knowing the repertoire, and scared that they'd lose their place. They only gradually move into becoming the (mostly) jaded people we hear in this book.

The differences in orchestras, and how they are run, is marked. The English orchestra musician, (who was) employed from concert to concert, needs to have their fingers in lots of musical pies to make a living - giving them great sight-reading skills, but not really having the time to rehearse properly. The American orchestra provides a secure job with plenty of rehearsal, but with not much scope for other musical activities outside the orchestra.

As for conductors, the verdicts are mostly scathing. It seems that the best are the ones that know backwards the pieces they are conducting, and work to get the right balance from the orchestra, rather than those that pick apart every bar. What is interesting is that very few of the musicians felt they needed the conductor to provide a beat (which many do very badly anyway).

In many ways this book is depressing - many of those interviewed are weary of it, working their time out to retirement, having done it all before and not really excited to do it again. It's clear that - at least in 1979 - the life of an orchestral musician was a hard grind, with music not at the centre, as it should be. It would be very interesting to undertake similar interviews today, to see if the current generation of musicians see it differently, and have a more enjoyable life.

Cheers for now, from
A View Over the Bell