So what do musicians in other orchestras think of violinists in a German orchestra demanding more pay because they play more than other colleagues? “It’s a completely fatuous argument – and I’m not just saying that because I’m a piccolo player. That line of reasoning doesn’t apply in any other world. Certainly not in the sports world. In an American football team there’s a guy who just comes on to kick goals, and he works for maybe a total of one minute in the whole game, but he gets paid just as much as the rest of the team. Maybe even more, if he’s good.”