Culture Council: broadcast orchestra should broadcast more, perform less

The Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor should focus more on broadcasting and less on concert practice. So says the Council for Culture in an opinion released today on the policy plan of the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Foundation (SOM), which includes the choir and orchestra.

While the Council is very appreciative of the Saturday matinee, are the two other series the Foundation is bringing a bit redundant in their current form. The Friday Evening Concert, in cooperation with AVROTROS , is not innovative enough. The Sunday morning concert, like the Saturday matinee presented in cooperation with NTR, could just as well be performed by other orchestras, according to the Council.

Broadcasting task

So how to proceed? The council puts it this way: 'the SOM may take a broader view of its task than just commissioning public broadcasting to produce the current three broadcast series and must prioritise the fulfilment of the broadcasting task.' That task could be fulfilled by choir and orchestra playing more for radio and television, as well as providing broadcasts over the internet, recorded with simple camera equipment.

The committee of five men and two women, consisting of Nanette Ris, Wim Jansen, Bernard Kobes, Michael Nieuwenhuizen, Oswin Schneeweisz, Bert Schreurs and Lonneke Regter, 'believes that in the coming period the SOM should be based on productions commissioned by Public Broadcasting with distinctive symphonic and vocal repertoire that are primarily intended for radio, TV and other media platforms, and secondarily of interest as concert series.'

Internet

That there is still something to be gained there, according to the council, is evidenced by the falling listening figures, against which internet broadcasting, and devising and developing new formats would be a good remedy.

That innovative nature is a thing though, according to the council. We quote: 'In its policy plan, the SOM states that it can make little room for innovation within the current budget. The council finds this position incomprehensible and believes that SOM can also achieve innovation within the existing budget, but must make sharper choices.'

As the current management has only recently taken office, the Culture Council is still giving SOM time to adjust the plan. Until the end of this year, to be precise. Should it be ok by then, the council also wants to carry out a mid-term review, in 2018, 'to monitor the progress of the innovation.'