In an open letter to The Guardian, two of Britain’s most influential conductors, Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Mark Elder, have warned of the impact the pandemic will have on some of the country’s greatest orchestras.
‘There’s a real possibility of a devastated landscape on the other side of this’, they explain. ‘Orchestras may not survive, and if they do, they may face insuperable obstacles to remain solvent in our new reality.’
The performing arts, including theatre, music and dance, will be some of the last activities to resume as the UK climbs out of lockdown. For many musicians, this is causing, and will continue to cause, significant financial difficulties.
They write: ‘For freelance musicians, which include four of the London orchestras among others, huge problems remain. Currently many freelancers fall between the cracks of the government’s self-employment schemes. We need to find a way to sustain some kind of backbone of income so that we will eventually be able to play whenever that will be possible.
'We refuse to believe that live music will die, but it will not survive merely on energy and optimism. It will need support and understanding, particularly when it ventures out in public once more.'
‘At the most basic level, despite all appearances to the contrary, musicians are humans. They need to eat and pay their bills. But we also need to play together and train, just like any sports team, albeit in a totally new environment. Crucially, this musical team is part of a complex structure that is focussed around, and serves, its home town or city.’
The letter continues: ‘We MUST find a way to play together soon, even without an audience, if we are to maintain anything like our normal standards, and we badly need clarity from government, a timeline, of when that might be and how it can be implemented. We understand that we cannot expect to revert to everything as it was before; we will be creative and tireless in making contingency plans and solving problems.’
'We refuse to believe that live music will die, but it will not survive merely on energy and optimism. It will need support and understanding, particularly when it ventures out in public once more.'
