ALMOST FIFTEEN years ago, feminists in California and New York picketed the Vienna Philharmonic in protest of its refusal to hire women musicians. The protests were influential and the orchestra hired its first full-time female member at that time. The protests did not, however, lead to the rapid change that has occurred elsewhere. The Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world’s premier orchestras, remains remarkably and refreshingly traditional, stubbornly resistant to both feminism and multiculturalism despite concessions to both.

See this shocking group photo which depicts a nearly all-male, all-white ensemble.  Though it appointed its first female concertmaster last year, the Philharmonic still has only six full-time female members. Its concerts are reminiscent of a relatively recent era, when you would not have seen a heavily pregnant concertmaster, as I did at a recent performance of an American orchestra, or women in the front row playing violin in pants, their legs spread-eagled before the audience, or a significant Asian presence. It is difficult to imagine Marin Alsop, the openly lesbian conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducting for this venerated institution in her scarlet-accented high heels.

During its 160-year history, the Wiener Philharmoniker, with its characteristic “Viennese Sound,” has been led by many of the greatest conductors and praised by famous composers such as Wagner, Bruckner, Brahms, Mahler (who conducted it from 1898 to 1901)  and Richard Strauss. The waiting period for weekend ticket subscriptions is 13 years. At this time of year, the orchestra’s New Year’s Day concert, which features Strauss waltzes and ends with a rousing version of The Radetzky March under the chandeliers of the Musikverein, is especially popular and is broadcast on PBS in this country. (See yesterday’s performance of the Radetzky March, conducted by Mariss Jansons, here.) The orchestra has held a concert each New Year’s Day since 1941.

Members of the orchestra have openly stated in the recent past that the ideal member is a Central European man. They have even gone so far as to state that the orchestra’s sound can only be achieved by musicians who possess the appropriate cultural “soul.”

The Philharmonic did not allow women to become full members until 1997. Between 1997 and 2010, a period during which many other orchestras became heavily female, it hired only three women. Paul Fürst, a violist, once stated in a documentary on women conductors:

There is no ban on women musicians playing here but the Vienna Philharmonic is by tradition an all-male orchestra. Our profession makes family life extremely difficult, so for a woman it’s almost impossible. There are so many orchestras with women members so why shouldn’t there be – for how long I don’t know – an orchestra with no women in it … A woman shouldn’t play like a man but like a woman, but an all-male orchestra is bound to have a special tone. [Wikipedia]

The American-born musician William Osborne led an internet campaign against the orchestra in the 90s, accusing it of “deep-seated brutality” for its exclusion of non-Europeans. Players unapologetically defended its exclusivity over the years. Dieter Flury, a solo-flutist in the Philharmonic, stated in 1996:

From the beginning we have spoken of the special Viennese qualities, of the way music is made here. The way we make music here is not only a technical ability, but also something that has a lot to do with the soul. The soul does not let itself be separated from the cultural roots that we have here in central Europe. And it also doesn’t allow itself to be separated from gender. So if one thinks that the world should function by quota regulations,then it is naturally irritating that we are a group of white skinned male musicians, that perform exclusively the music of white skinned male composers. It is a racist and sexist irritation. I believe one must put it that way. If one establishes superficial egalitarianism, one will lose something very significant. Therefore, I am convinced that it is worthwhile to accept this racist and sexist irritation, because something produced by a superficial understanding of human rights would not have the same standards.[Wikipedia]

Otto Strasser, the former chairman of the Philharmonic, wrote in 1970:

I hold it incorrect that today the applicants play behind a screen; an arrangement that was brought in after the Second World War in order to assure objective judgments. I continuously fought against it, especially after I became Chairman of the Philharmonic, because I am convinced that to the artist also belongs the person, that one must not only hear, but also see, in order to judge him in his entire personality. […] Even a grotesque situation that played itself out after my retirement was not able to change the situation. An applicant qualified himself as the best, and as the screen was raised, there stood a Japanese before the stunned jury. He was, however, not engaged, because his face did not fit with the ‘Pizzicato-Polka’ of the New Year’s Concert. [Wikipedia]

In 2001, a musician who was half Asian became a member, a major break with the past. The orchestra is democratically administered, with major decisions made by a majority of players. Thus no single person or director can be blamed for its resistance, which may be why it has held fast, relatively speaking, against major change.

— Comments —

Eric writes:

Here is a picture of the St. Olaf College band. Bet they sound good, too.

Laura writes:

Well yes, I’m sure they are excellent. But I count more than 40 girls in that picture, wonderful musicians in their own right, no doubt – perhaps even better than the boys. But there is a very strong case for single-sex music ensembles. Contrary to the feminist myth, men have not traditionally dominated music, except at the very highest levels. Women are much more abundant in the middle range of ability. A co-ed model easily leads to female dominance (either a numerical dominance at the secondary school or college level or a more nebulous cultural dominance at every level as men defer to women) and male reluctance to pursue music as an avocation or career. We also end up with pregnant concertmasters and orchestras that are beset with the same tensions between career and motherhood that most bureacracies suffer from today, rendering music a job rather than an all-consuming vocation.

I can’t prove it now, but we also probably end up with worse music. (That’s not to say that mixed orchestras are bad. There are many superb female musicians and outstanding mixed-sex orchestras.) All-male groups bring out the masculine desire to excel and compete in ways that mixed groups do not.

Michael S. writes:

The Vienna Philharmonic is a national and international treasure. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to “fix.” And the Vienna Philharmonic is absolutely NOT broken.

And anyway… the St. Olaf College Band? Really?

Laura writes:

I think Eric was joking. : – )

Please follow and like us: