Thread: VPO still practicing Nazi policy?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...a-philharmonic

It’s billed as the biggest classical-music concert of the calendar, which starts the New Year with two hours of sweet, innocent waltzes.
And this year especially, the orchestra at the heart of the show is facing persistent and increasing charges of illegal discrimination against women and minorities, along with ugly secrets that keep arising from its distant Nazi past.
The Vienna Philharmonic’s concert is watched on television by as many as 60 million viewers in 81 countries, the totals rising year by year. Rather than being uplifting, for many viewers it’s depressing to note how few women can be seen.
Out of 126 members of the VPO, just six are women. On stage, for most of this week’s concert, only three or four could be counted, with two more coming on for cameos -- one of them a debutante flautist, Karin Bonelli.

***

The VPO operates a similar barrier against ethnic minorities. There are no Asian or non-white members, even though one third of the students at Vienna’s University of Music come from the Far East. A tuba player from the New Japan Philharmonic, Yasuhito Sugiyama, won an audition to play at the State Opera in 2003, but was refused membership of the Philharmonic. After three years, Sugiyama quit Vienna to join the world-class Cleveland Orchestra.

Old news, but still good for wrapping fresh sole...which we'll enjoy this evening.

Admins- Is there a way to block this sub forum? I’m getting tired of having to look at thread titles like this when I log on to TC.

People, I chose that title for the thread because that is the title of the article: Nazi Past, Female Phobia Afflict Vienna Philharmonic. I see no reason why that should be such a big deal. Is your conscience bothering you??

Who cares how old it is? Why should it be divisive unless your conscience is bothering you? If there's a rebuttal to the article then where is a source? If VPO changed their policies then where is a source? If there isn't either of these then it should be brought up again. Why is that a problem?

Your title claims they are still practicing Nazism, which seems a bit overheated.

Since you asked, is *your* conscience bothering you?

I don't know anything about their politics. I just find them pretty darn boring to watch.

Impure and complex.

The VPO is my favourite orchestra, and unlike some here I find them a joy to watch.

I can't see why this old topic has surfaced again. As already pointed out, it was doing the rounds about 3 years ago. For anyone who doesn't know about this topic, it's simply a "google" away, where you'll get all the information you could possibly require in an objective form.

Whenever I see reference to "Nazi" on any TC thread, I know with virtual 100% certainty two things: (i) it's been here before (either exactly, or in a slightly different guise), (ii) I'll find the whole thing highly tedious whether it's something new or old.

Personally I'd like the Admins to ban all this kind of stuff completely, or allow it only on the "Groups" section. This is especially so when the latest thread is merely a re-tread of the same thing that was aired previously.

I don't suppose I'm the only one here who finds it amusing that people want to ban topics about Nazism?

Other old ideas that we should probably ban because they're out-of-date:
Your favourite Brahms symphony. Come on, people, the fourth is 130 years old! Enough already!
Do you like Mozart. Seriously? The guy's been dead like two centuries.
Should we listen to the music of murderers like Gesualdo. Hey! He said he was sorry!
Medieval music. Oh for f***'s sake. AGAIN??