Friday, January 23, 2004
MUSICIANS’ UNION OPPOSES INTRODUCTION OF VIRTUAL ORCHESTRA INTO WEST END
The Musicians’ Union today confirmed its strong opposition to the proposed use of a device in a West End theatre show which would result in the loss of jobs for professional musicians in one of the capital’s best known productions.
The Cameron Mackintosh organisation has announced its intention to replace twelve musicians with a machine known as a Sinfonia, which acts as a virtual orchestra, once the production of Les Miserables moves from its existing home at the Palace Theatre to the Queen’s Theatre at the end of March.
The Sinfonia is a device that stores samples of every instrument involved in the orchestral score and permits an operator to provide the instrumental performances to represent the missing conventional instrumentalists. The Union understands there are no trained operators in the UK at present.
Horace Trubridge, Assistant General Secretary – Live, stated:
“Musicians’ Union members are vehemently opposed to the introduction of this device into the West End or for that matter any theatre anywhere in the UK. We are in discussion with the Cameron Mackintosh organisation and remain hopeful of a positive outcome. Continued…
There was no doubt as to the strength of feeling amongst MU members at our meeting in Central London yesterday, although we hope that our existing good relationship with Cameron Mackintosh will help us in resolving this issue and protecting our members’ interests.
Any fan of West End musicals will recognise that the orchestra is the beating heart of the production. Take the musicians away and you remove at a stroke one of the vital elements of the live theatre experience.”
John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, added:
“The reputation of West End theatre has been built on the professionalism and the world class standard of its live performers and the reputation of the Musicians’ Union rests on its long-standing campaign to “Keep Music Live”. Our members would resist at all costs any system which would result in not only the loss of employment opportunities, but also the delivery of a product of inferior quality to the public. They are very concerned about the impact this may have upon the ability of the West End to attract theatregoers from both home and abroad. Furthermore this closely follows the establishment of the Live Music Forum by the Government, chaired by Feargal Sharkey, and goes against the current growth in live music in the UK.”
The Cameron Mackintosh organisation has announced its intention to replace twelve musicians with a machine known as a Sinfonia, which acts as a virtual orchestra, once the production of Les Miserables moves from its existing home at the Palace Theatre to the Queen’s Theatre at the end of March.
The Sinfonia is a device that stores samples of every instrument involved in the orchestral score and permits an operator to provide the instrumental performances to represent the missing conventional instrumentalists. The Union understands there are no trained operators in the UK at present.
Horace Trubridge, Assistant General Secretary – Live, stated:
“Musicians’ Union members are vehemently opposed to the introduction of this device into the West End or for that matter any theatre anywhere in the UK. We are in discussion with the Cameron Mackintosh organisation and remain hopeful of a positive outcome. Continued…
There was no doubt as to the strength of feeling amongst MU members at our meeting in Central London yesterday, although we hope that our existing good relationship with Cameron Mackintosh will help us in resolving this issue and protecting our members’ interests.
Any fan of West End musicals will recognise that the orchestra is the beating heart of the production. Take the musicians away and you remove at a stroke one of the vital elements of the live theatre experience.”
John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, added:
“The reputation of West End theatre has been built on the professionalism and the world class standard of its live performers and the reputation of the Musicians’ Union rests on its long-standing campaign to “Keep Music Live”. Our members would resist at all costs any system which would result in not only the loss of employment opportunities, but also the delivery of a product of inferior quality to the public. They are very concerned about the impact this may have upon the ability of the West End to attract theatregoers from both home and abroad. Furthermore this closely follows the establishment of the Live Music Forum by the Government, chaired by Feargal Sharkey, and goes against the current growth in live music in the UK.”
