From martha_argerich Yahoo egroup:
Thu Sep 8, 2005 6:55 pm
"Dear All,
In spite of my not having been able to buy tickets for the Festival this year, I
have been following the events on the News regarding the Union problems that are
affecting the normal development of the concerts at the Colón Theatre for this
year's Martha Argerich Festival. You all know that this year, for reasons that
involve my extended 6-year coverage of this event on the Internet and the lack
of echo these have had in the local scene, I have stated here that I would not
cover the events. This present crisis for the organizers and artists concerned,
has moved me to break my silence.
Today's concert, where Ms. Argerich was to play the Bartók 3rd Concerto under
Charles Dutoit and the Buenos Aires Philharmonic for the first time in
Argentina, has been cancelled as per a Press Conference which was televised live
a few minutes ago. Chantal Juillet was also scheduled to play the Stravinsky
Violin Concerto under Dutoit and the BA Philharmonic. The rest of the Program
included Falla's "El Amor Brujo", with Vera Cirkovic in the singing part and
Maurice Ravel's Bolero. A fantastic program for both soloists and the BA
Philharmonic, which don't often get the chance to play with musicians of the
stature of Dutoit, Argerich, Juilliet and Cirkovik. The performace was a treat
for any music lover and especially for a Buenos Aires audience, which has been
used to visitors that range from Toscanini, Leinsdorf, Leitner, etc... And
pianists of the stature of Backhaus, Gieseking, Arrau, etc. and singers like
Nilsson, Berry, Ludwig, Hotter etc. We are hungry for our past cultural forays
of the 50's, 60's and 70's.... It's been a long time since we have had so many
luminaries in one setting, as were due to perform on the Colón's stage today.
The Festival experienced a similar situation on Monday, September 5, 2005. In a
marvellous and heroic logistic feat, the Foundation managed to move the Simón
Bolívan Youth Symphony to the Teatro Coliseo, three blocks away and pulled off
the concert without a hitch. Ms. Argerich made the headlines that evening and
also next morning. In lieu of this, Ms. Argerich managed to negotiate a repeat
of this Monday concert, scheduled for Wednesday [yesterday] afternoon at 4 PM,
free of charge, for anyone who was willing to queue outside in the hot sun. I
did and I witnessed a performance by a wonderful orchestra, disciplined and
musical, of great sensitivity. The Colón gave them the right environment and
framework to show off their excellent qualities, both as an ensemble and in
their solos in Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony. Dudamel showed his claws and guts as
a blossoming new conductor to watch. Alexander Melnikov played Prokofiev's Piano
Concerto No. 2. A revelation in his pianism and musicality. An extremely
versatile pianist of incredible mechanical means and refined sensitivity in
dealing with Prokofiev's language. Lilya Zilberstein played a great Rachmaninov
4. For all of us who were there, FOR FREE, this was more than just a present...
It was a FEAST!!!!
The problem today and over the past few days, lies with the Municipal Musicians'
Union and the General State Workers Union, all of whom have called a strike
until Monday, when they will return to meet with the authorities for discussions
in search of some sort of agreement on their salary raises. Their claim is a
raise in their salaries to make ends meet under a rising covert inflation which
is killing any normal family with kids in Argentina these days. There have been
rises of from 60 to 70% in foods such as meat and fish.... No one with a frozen
salary over the past 14 years can survive in this.... So it is a big problem. I
believe that their claim is just and should be addressed. However, I don't agree
that this should have blown itself out of proportions with and as a result of
this particular Martha Argerich Festival. My feeling is that they have used this
situation to make themselves heard.
You all know that I have posted in all these groups on the "SAVE THE COLON"
crusade, launched at the beginning of this year. So this is not something that
people here didn't know was happening. However, over the past months, some
things were beginning to fall into place and some performances were being
scheduled and both audience and workers respected the terms of agreement. Well,
let's not forget that the Tuesday Chamber Music concert where Ms. Argerich first
performed the Shostakovich Quintet in Buenos Aires, was held without any
problems and was an enormous success.
That discussions, which were being held in an orderly fashion, should suddenly
take on this magnitude, makes me feel that the Unions took advantage of both Ms.
Argerich, the artists who were invited as her guests, her newly instated
Foundation who organized the event for the first time, her scholarship Argerich
Sinfonietta musicians, and the public in general. This is NOT THE WAY to settle
internal problems which have been longstanding at the Colón for more than I can
remember. Municipal authorities have constantly put these matters aside and have
now, in a certain way, provoked this unruly mess. It was bound to happen if
there was no goodwill from any of the negotiating sides.
There was always the alternative of taking the Festival to the interior, to a
province. I think this was not contemplated with the appropriate seriousness.
Agreed that a newly instated Foundation and all its members want their first
success to be in the centre of cultural life. We should sometimes think ahead
and, as is often done overseas, the show is first taken on the road before it
gets to New York and Broadway!!!
From what the News reports say, musicians trying to put together an alternate
chamber evening program and, on the other hand, the scholarship Sinfonietta
members, who were trying to plan a small concert with Ms. Argerich playing the
Schumann Concerto and Gabriele Baldocci Beethoven's 4th, were under threat by
the resident musicians, should they go ahead with plans for an alternative
evening program. The threats were apparently based on their possible future
careers in becoming members of the Resident Colón Orchestra or the Buenos Aires
Philharmonic.
This is a great shame on all concerned regarding this salary dispute: both
authorities and Unions. One does not use a Festival such as Argerich's to make
their claim heard. This denotes a marked lack of respect for an artist of the
stature of Ms. Argerich and for her guest musicians. It also casts a dark shadow
on our cultural community as a whole.
Maria
reporting from Buenos Aires
Argentina
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]"
Topic: Argerich not allowed to play in "Teatro Colón"