Davidson: Time Is Up For Vienna Phil’s “Tradition”

Justin Davidson is fed up with the Vienna Philharmonic and its persistent refusal to treat women as legitimate candidates for employment in a symphony orchestra. “A decade after it supposedly committed itself to entering the 21st century, I believe that the Vienna Philharmonic has relinquished its claim to serious consideration as a dynamic cultural organization… The geological pace of change is not merely a regrettable obstacle in the relentless pursuit of quality. It is product of a narrowly preservationist, antiquarian philosophy, which fetishizes sound at the expense of spirit.”