Hi Ray,
At 12:38 09/04/01 -0400, you wrote:
>HP has an orchestra for their employees. Anyone with any sense at all
>knows you can't "downsize" the flute player and still have an ultimate
>product. That is also the reason my computer and scanner is HP. I've had
>almost no need to call their tech support and when my scanner developed a
>slight problem they simply replaced it rather than taking both our time and
>money. REH
Sadly, though, this is what it's coming to.
Three days ago my better-half was singing in Bach's St Matthews' Passion in
Bath Abbey. It was a suberb performance and the Abbey was full -- and all
seats were at sky-high prices. The Bath Bach Choir is probably one of the
best half-dozen in England, and three of the soloists were of international
standard. Yet the "Friends" of the Choir had to subsidise the soloists and
the Musicians Union had to subsidise the cost of the Wessex Chamber
Orchestra. And it just about broke even.
Orchestras are being remorselessly ground out of existence. All four major
orchestras in London are massively subsidised, just as the opera houses
are. In our case, they're all subsidised by the State and there are
indications that all these will be reduced substantially in coming years.
In the field of choral music, which interests me particularly, I've
detected the beginning of what may be a new trend. This is the rise of
"sing-alongs" whereby singers gather for ad hoc,
all-in-one-rehearsal-and-performance events for which they, not the
audiences, pay. These seem to be economically viable whereas the average
choral concert loses money, even though the singers have to pressurise all
their friends and relatives to buy tickets.
I think that "serious" music is dropping back to being enjoyed by
performers for its own sake (or as background music for church ceremonies)
as in the formative era of western music 300 to 500 years ago. We've now
gone past the romantic period of prima donnas (performers, conductors,
composers) of a century ago when vast concert halls were built and where
audiences went to concerts as much to be seen by the other notables of the
city as to enjoy the music.
Keith Hudson
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 11:54 AM
>Subject: Another way
>
>
>>
>> THE "HP WAY": AGILENT CHOOSES SALARY CUTS OVER LAY-OFFS
>> Rather than lay off workers during the current economic slump,
>> Hewlett-Packard spin-off Agilent Technologies will temporarily cut the
>> salaries of all 48,000 workers, including management, by 10%. The decision
>> is consistent with the famous "HP Way" developed by company founders Bill
>> Hewlett and Dave Packard, who stressed the importance of showing respect
>> for individuals. (San Jose Mercury News 5 Apr 2001)
>> http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svtop/agilen040601.htm
>>
>>
>
>
>
___________________________________________________________________
Keith Hudson, General Editor, Calus <http://www.calus.org>
6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England
Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727;
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
________________________________________________________________________
