Concerts being cancelled

[marshanp]

Ones by visiting orchestras, that is. The visit of the Brno Philharmonic to Symphony Hall in the autumn was cancelled at fairly short notice, without any explanation that I could find. Now the British tour of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow scheduled for March 2022 has been cancelled. Well, postponed until February 2023... if you believe that.

And it is quite impossible to find out why, and whose decision it was.

Was it the orchestra that pulled out? I doubt it - nothing to gain, and plenty to lose.

Symphony Hall (B:Music)? No, definitely not. It will lose them a substantial amount of income.

The Russian Department of Foreign Affairs? Maybe - but you would expect them to make lots of noise about it.

The UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport? These seem the likeliest villains to me... and if they are behind the cancellation, they are keeping it to themselves.

I had sold 67 seats for the TSOM concert, after recommending it as "unmissable" to supporters of the concert coach group I run. A Russian orchestra, 89-year-old Vladimir Fedoseyev, their conductor since 1974, and a 15-year-old prodigy as soloist in Rachmaninov's Second concerto. Probable dynamite. I had to add a second set of seats to my initial reservation.

I am seriously pissed off... and I have ~130 seats reserved for visits by two more foreign orchestras in 2022. Will they happen? Who knows... and if they don't, will there be any explanation?? That seems extremely unlikely

 

[alanbeeb]

Explanation? maybe just possibly something to do with COVID?

Funnily enough in the current situation you wouldn't get me into a hall full of coughing seniors either.

 

[marshanp]

I don't know about you, but (just like the 67 other people who wanted to come with me to the concert) I'm vaccinated to within an inch of my life... and given that I am qualified to make decisions on my own behalf, I intend to carry on living, thank you very much. Along with all those who reckon that attending a concert, having considered the risk and taken appropriate precautions, is an entirely reasonable thing to do. Anybody who feels differently need not come along.

If anybody considers themselves entitled to deny me the opportunity to hear a great orchestra in my local concert hall, then I expect them to make themselves known and to give an account of their reasoning. And I will expect the reasons given to stand up to scientific and statistical analysis, rather than to be motivated by political expediency.

 

[alanbeeb]

I don't know about you, but (just like the 67 other people who wanted to come with me to the concert) I'm vaccinated to within an inch of my life... and given that I am qualified to make decisions on my own behalf, I intend to carry on living, thank you very much. Along with all those who reckon that attending a concert, having considered the risk and taken appropriate precautions, is an entirely reasonable thing to do. Anybody who feels differently need not come along.

What about the performers and the venue staff - are they allowed to have that choice?

You may well be vaccinated to the hilt, but you can still spread the virus to others and eventually it will get to people who are vulnerable to it.

If anybody considers themselves entitled to deny me the opportunity to hear a great orchestra in my local concert hall, then I expect them to make themselves known and to give an account of their reasoning. And I will expect the reasons given to stand up to scientific and statistical analysis, rather than to be motivated by political expediency.

Given the volatility of the situation, what do you think all the risks are that have to be calculated in moving 100+ people and their equipment around Europe? Given the possible impacts on travel, accommodation, possible lock-downs, changing government restrictions, travel bans, visas, obtaining tests, providing evidence of tests and vaccinations, obtaining vaccinations and boosters, obtaining medical cover valid for all the locations to be visited, making sure there is insurance for all of this..... and on and on, difficult enough at the best of times I would think.

Maybe they just cannot afford the travel insurance premiums.

Do you expect them to provide you with a spreadsheet demonstrating their risk calculation?

 

[herb]

Too early. I am seriously missing live concerts but have not had the Boris Booster yet. My flat earth system is a great compensation.

 

[marshanp]

...Do you expect them to provide you with a spreadsheet demonstrating their risk calculation?

No; having sold 67 seats for the concert I simply expect to be provided with an explanation of why I am going to have to make 67 refunds.

The B:Music "News" page has been updated today, but not with anything about the cancellation. Nobody at B:Music answers the phone.

My providing coach trips to concerts and theatre is done entirely voluntarily. I think that people who get paid for running a venue owe me
1) proper notification and
2) a reason
if they cancel a concert.

What is so unreasonable about that?

The only way to find out about the cancellation is to visit the web page to buy more tickets. As far as I can see, many of the audience won't know the concert has been cancelled until they turn up on the date printed on their tickets.

 

[TheDecameron]

Infection rates are receding, let’s hope a window for concert performances will reopen. I’m booked for about four in the coming months. Desperate to hear live music again