2025-10-18
46 分钟The Economist.
Last year, allegations surfaced about two senior musicians at the New York Philharmonic,
accusations of sexual misconduct involving multiple women.
The orchestra tried to fire the accused in 2018, but the musicians' union successfully challenged the dismissals.
After the story was published in New York magazine, both men were put on leave.
Only once there was a new investigation did the Philharmonic finally sack them.
The case raised uncomfortable questions.
When an orchestra plays, we in the audience enjoy a polished performance.
But for the musicians, orchestras can be difficult places to work.
These institutions are built on hierarchy.
You're reminded daily that there's always someone waiting to replace you.
In that kind of situation, it can feel impossible to speak out.
I'm Rosie Blau, and today on The Week Ahead Intelligence,
Henriette MacFarlane explores why orchestras have been so slow to change,
even after the Me Too movement took hold.
It's a story about how musicians are trained from childhood to defer to authority,
about how those hierarchies determine not just where you sit, but whether you can speak about harm.
And it asks what price are we willing to pay for perfection.
When you stand outside the Musikverein, the home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,
you get this sense that something pretty special is about to take place.