23 December 1979 Los Angeles Times Singers' Rights In all the reports of the glorious Eastern U.S. tour of our Los Angeles Philharmonic, an important point seems to go unreported, even though it may have future repercussions right here at home. Fact: In Giulini's presentation of the Verdi Requiem al Carnegie Hall, using the same stellar soloists heard here at the Music Center, the choral parts were sung by an amateur chorus. As a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (we performed the work here with Giulini) it is appalling to me that any professional orchestra - every member of which is paid at least union scale - would appear with a choral organization obtained for free from a nearby university. The word exploitation comes to mind. As it is, even when 130 voices are needed by the Philharmonic for works such as the Verdi, only 60 are paid. The rest perform, often, for the love of music. I would like to suggest that the singers are entitled to professional, ethical treatment. If the audience pays, the performers should share in the earnings. All the performers. |