Boston The BSO in Pain

IT IS depressing to observe the decline and fall of a great orchestra, especially when that orchestra is close to home. Nevertheless, the former arist??rat of orchestras, the Boston Symphony, has fallen on hard times, and its problems merit some serious consideration.

Nearly everyone in Boston-even those people whose idea of a cultural evening is an excursion to Fenway Park-is aware of the recent departure of Erich Leinsdorf from the podium of the BSO. Not too many local critics, however, have sought to delve too deeply into the behind-the-scenes conflicts at the orchestra. Those who have made inquiries either end up fired, like George Gelles, or reprimanded, like Michael Steinberg. Probably no one outside of the Symphony hierarchy is completely aware of all of the problems which face the organization at the moment, but some have become public knowledge.

Morale at the orchestra was at its lowest in recent memory when Leinsdorf departed, and the BSO, which had been one of the international greats under Koussevitsky and Munch, was trailing each of the other four major American orchestras in record sales. When RCA Victor picked up the contract for Ormandy and the Philadelphia, there were rumors that the company would phase out Boston, because of the lack of magnetism in Leinsdorf's conducting. Leinsdorf was criticized as being excessively Germanic in interpretation, and at least one orchestra member publicly stated that he would rather be conducted by a metronome.

Conflict broke out the year before Leinsdorf left, when, for the first time in the history of the orchestra, the orchestra members refused to give the traditional Christmas gift to the conductor. The animosity between maestro and players became more apparent when trumpeter Roger Voisin "stepped down" from his position in the first chair after an incident in a public performance during which he allegedly misplayed a passage deliberately to cause Leinsdorf embarrassment. With the orchestra's prestige falling apart, it was obvious that new blood was needed, and Leinsdorf's resignation was not too surprising. His successor, William Steinberg of Pittsburgh, came somewhat as a surprise. Pittsburgh was not one of the major orchestras, although Steinberg himself was a man of proven competence. This year, he began his career at the BSO, serving as Music Director and conducting part time while finishing out his tenure at Pittsburgh.

THE QUALITY of this season has been good, if simply for the variety of conductors who have been invited to fill in for Steinberg. Unfortunately, there persists the tendency to stick to the warhorses and shy away from experimentation, as witnessed by the disastrous concerts given by Carlo Maria Giulini. His histrionic performance of the "Pathetique" Symphony pleased the Friday afternoon matrons but caused a furor which led the members of the orchestra to request publicly that several Boston critics be banned from future performances. Seiji Ozawa's interpretation of Carmina Burana was much better, and Claudio Abbado's choice of new music was a refreshing change.

Even more refreshing than that, however, is the news that several of the older, less inspiring members of the orchestra are being given their notice.

Likewise, the news that the BSO has removed itself from the clutches of RCA Victor and signed a recording contract with the prestigious Deustsche Gramophon Gesellschaft must hearten owners of high priced music systems who appreciate the better quality of DGG recordings. The extent of the changes Steinberg is making is not fully known, however, since he, most tactfully, is not publicly announcing them. Rather, the word has leaked out from the people involved of the vast changes going on in the makeup of the organization.

Hopefully, a proper selection of new people will restore the "Boston sound" which existed under Koussevitsky and even came through in the sometimes sloppy conducting of Munch. Then, for the first time in almost a decade, Boston won't have to lay claim to the dubious distinction of having Arthur Fiedler as its greatest resident conductor.