The undersigned submits the following comments and
recommendations relative to the performance of Schubert's
Unfinished Symphony by this city's symphony orchestra as
observed under actual working conditions:
A. The attendance of the conductor is unnecessary for
the public performances. The orchestra has obviously
practiced and has the prior authorization from the
conductor to play the symphony at a predetermined level
of quality. Considerable money could be saved merely by
having the conductor critique the orchestra's performance
during a retrospective peer review meeting.
B. For considerable periods, the four oboe players had
nothing to do. Their numbers should be reduced and the
work spread over the whole orchestra, thus eliminating
peaks and valleys of activity.
C. All 12 violins were playing identical notes with
identical motions. This is unnecessary duplication: the
staff of this section should be cut drastically with
consequent savings. If a large volume of sound is
required, this could be obtained through electronic
amplification, which has reached high levels of
reproductive quality.
D. Much effort was expended playing the 16th notes or
semi-quavers. This seems an excessive refinement, as
most listeners are unable to distinguish such rapid
playing. It is recommended that all notes be rounded up
to eighth. If this is done, it would be possible to use
trainees and lower grade musicians with no loss of
quality.
E. No useful purpose would appear to be served by
repeating with horns the same passage that has already
been handled by the strings. If all such redundant
passages were eliminated, as determined by the
utilization review committee, the concert would have been
reduced from two hours to about 20 minutes, resulting in
substantial savings in salaries and overhead. In fact,
if Schubert had addressed these concerns on a cost
containment basis, he probably would have been able to
finish this symphony.