The Unsinkable RTO

The new chief executive appointed to head Creative Scotland, formerly the Scottish Arts Council, is not Scottish by birth but has spent a total of 138 days in this country, demonstrating ample enthusiasm for its culture. It is Andrew Dixon’s love of the arts that qualifies him for the exciting task ahead, and it scarcely matters that he has made his professional mark outside of Scotland.
The cultural community tends to seek its visionaries beyond the normal boundaries, thus a New Zealander leads Scottish Opera, a Frenchman drives the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and an Australian is the current brains behind the Edinburgh International Festival.
It is a trend that chimes with the RTO, which has brought international flavours into its Scottish mix with (to mention but a few) an Antipodean chairperson and first trumpet, a Californian flautist, and German, Franco Hungarian and Kiwi violinists.
A passion for the arts is the only criteria relevant to any arts organisation, the RTO included. That is all that was required way back when the orchestra’s guiding light was hired, though Sir Richard of course is blessed with many attributes.
Sir Richard, who is English, did not look for the musical directorship of the RTO. He was not a self-referring applicant. The orchestra had to go out there and find him. As one leading arts commentator said, the kind of person and personality required for this absolutely pivotal role is not likely to list sending for application forms as his or her hobby.
Unlike the boss of Creative Scotland, Sir Richard did not have to go through the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (Ocpas), the quango deployed to ensure a candidate’s competence and screen out any nepotism. The RTO recruitment process is slightly more random.
But once identified and wooed, Sir Richard proved more than up to the challenge of meshing the early RTOers into an incredible band. It is to his credit that they have grown even more incredible with the passing of time.
Which brings us, via the scenic route, to the Cramond Association. It is not every conductor of international repute who is invited to speak at the Cramond Association. In fact, Sir Richard may well have been the first. But when he addressed a record crowd last month, packed into the Association’s Millennium Room, everyone present agreed it was A Night to Remember (as was the sinking of the Titanic).
The Association’s President, George Reid, said Sir Richard ‘gave a fascinating and humorous account of the origins and development of the orchestra’. His talk was interspersed with music from orchestra members, but otherwise it was a very enjoyable evening.
What Mr Reid didn’t realise, though, is that minutes before he was due to speak, Sir Richard discovered he had lost his notes. This catastrophe might have flayed a less versatile performer but with his many years’ experience in the RTO, the maestro was quite at ease without notes. And the fact that the self-selected musicians (mostly trumpets) present didn’t bother with notes either made the whole thing look and sound completely unrehearsed!
Following the event at Cramond, other RTO players have been forming small groups and will be making themselves available for appearances at functions throughout Scotland, and abroad if called (and paid) for.
There is even a rumour, so far unconfirmed, that the RTO string trio, last heard at the Christmas 2007 Concert, will be released (on licence) for a one-off date. Please contact the website for further details.

Really Terrible rules

Moves to make the RTO a co-operative – whereby all members become equally responsible – have not really worked out. Instead of more democracy in the orchestra, it has been agreed that there will be less, and all important decisions from now on will be taken by the Chairman. This is not to say that the ordinary musicians, who are the band’s very life blood, will not be involved in the day to day running of the RTO – far from it! In fact, Pippa, the Chairman, has asked for as many RTOers as possible to volunteer as informal helpers (see below) and would especially like to hear from those who have not helped for a while, or who have never helped in any way at all.
To clarify the new management style of the orchestra, the following rules – let’s call them guidelines - have been made:

1. There will be no written constitution. After consulting constitutional experts within the RTO, Pippa took a unanimous decision to not write anything down, but rather to keep a few ideas in her head about how the RTO should be run.
2. There will be a culture of contribution. This enables anyone from any section to have their input, and even to vote when there are contentious issues – for example, whether or not to retain the RTO Christmas card.
3. The Chairman will have the power to veto any contributions she does not consider appropriate, although this should in no way deter potential contributors from making their contributions.
4. There will be three decision making processes: a ballot of members (with the final result being decided by Pippa); Pippa canvassing opinions informally and then reaching her decision; Pippa just making a decision by herself.
5. Informal helpers. Because the Chairman’s workload has increased, informal helpers will be recruited to do various bits and pieces. These can range from handing out music, arranging chairs and stacking music stands at rehearsals, to organising a major RTO event, such as a concert or an overseas tour.

Although there is not much left to discuss, the focus groups, or informal chats, at Pippa’s will continue because they allow people to feel they are contributing. Members who have not yet attended an informal chat can rest assured that they are on the list and their turn will come! Slightly more formal chats may be held in the New Year.
* Sir Richard’s throwaway remark to percussion last week, that they were not playing ‘wrong notes, just different notes’ should not be taken too literally by other players. While freedom of expression is to be encouraged, it is feared that too much deviation from the music will lead the RTO astray. Written notes, unlike written constitutions, do have their place in the orchestra.
**Great news! The New York DVD is now in the final editing stages and should be ready in time for Christmas 2010. Watch this space for further developments.
***Look out for future blogs, including ‘Has anyone seen Zandra?’, ‘Seconds Out!’, and ‘The Grade Eight Fake’.

Nameless wonders

The RTO’s autumn season began in earnest last week with a run through of some exciting new repertoire, which had been collected by Dorothy, the new music secretary. Actually, Dorothy is not new at all, having been an RTO regular for many years and the leader of the double basses for even longer. But her elevation to music secretary is a departure and as such was marked by the orchestra with four cheers. Dorothy was appointed to her post by Pippa, the new RTO chairman, and will be assisted from time to time by several depute music secretaries (the successful candidates will be notified by post).
There are also new section leaders, following various promotions and sideways moves at the end of the summer session, and as a consequence there have been a few teething problems, particularly in the handing in of old music. Handing in of old music (HIOOM) always takes place immediately after the Fringe Concert in Canongate Kirk. Even musicians who have other pressing engagements, guests and/or children to attend to, or Usher Hall festival tickets to enjoy must first comply with HIOOM guidance and best practice (any practice would be welcome). This year, all sections except one (which shall remain nameless) cooperated fully, despite the inexperience of many section leaders in putting pages in order and clipping them together.
The nameless section (and, no, it wasn’t the violas) will not be exposed but will be given the chance to redeem itself later in the year, perhaps with one of the coveted solo slots at the Christmas party.
And so on to forthcoming events. First up is the airing on German national television of an eight-hour long RTO documentary. While the orchestra has many overseas fans, it has hardly been a secret that Germany was not one of them. In fact, a German newspaper once took the liberty of questioning the point of the RTO. Therefore, it was an enormous surprise when Lennart Herberhold of NDR TV phoned Pippa requesting permission to film the Fringe concert for his weekly culture show. The RTO operates an open doors policy and treats all press enquiries, however unusual, with equal seriousness. Access was duly accorded to Lennart, who arrived at the church early on the morning of August 30th and filmed everything in sight, including some members of the orchestra trying to put up their music stands and others reserving rows of pews for family and friends with their viola cases. Felicitas gave by far the longest interview and was the only RTOer who agreed to be interrogated in German. The results will be broadcast some time this month, in German, without subtitles, and the DVD box sets will go on sale at the next concert.
*As promised, the RTO will soon launch a special Meet the Mentor page on the website, featuring those professional musicians who have undertaken to coach an RTOer. It had been hoped to have this item up and running by now but the tutors involved have refused to pose for photographs or even confirm that they are indeed official RTO teachers. The response from the orchestra has been the exact opposite, with many players only too happy to share the details of their tuition with the general public. Why, just the other day Zandra Macpherson (violin) confided that she had embarked on a course of lessons, in the wake of her move from Seconds to Firsts. Zandra’s violin teacher would make an interesting study for musicologists, it is felt.

Pip pip

The silence of the blog over these past few weeks has nothing to do with the incapacity of the blogger; nor can it be blamed on any technical malfunction. The fact is, events so momentous have unfolded that even the most eloquent scribe would have had trouble conveying them to his public. Imagine, then, how your really terrible blogger feels. But someone has to tell you, so here goes.
About two months ago, maybe more, the driving force behind the RTO, its only ever chairman, decided to spend more time with his clarinet. Peter Stevenson had worked tirelessly to put the orchestra on the musical map and after New York in April he felt, with some justification, that he had done all he could. The musicians had reached a peak, of sorts, world fame was within their grasp and a whole legion of RTOs launched. This was thanks largely to the efforts and ambition of Peter.
But the question of ‘where do we go now?’ was for others to answer. So when the triumphant band returned from the States the race was on for a successor, preferably someone with previous experience of running an orchestra, plus tact, patience, supreme musicianship, humility, and outstanding team skills, or failing that, someone just like Peter.
It should be mentioned at this stage that the job was not advertised externally; although the RTO has a very strict policy of inclusiveness and does not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, age, religion or talent, this only applies to the musicians in the orchestra. When it comes to appointing chairmen, the criteria are somewhat different and the selection process completely undemocratic.
That said, however, no one objected when Pippa Lockhart declared unilaterally that she was to succeed Peter in the top (executive) role. Pippa, first trumpet, music secretary, and a member of the RTO almost since the beginning, probably would have been elected unopposed if there had been a vote (which there wasn’t).
RTO leaders tend to emerge organically and Pippa has been emerging for as long as the brass section, which perhaps more than any other section (bar the violas) always makes an unforgettable impression on audiences.
Under Pippa, the players know exactly where they are – or at least they did until she started moving them around. The one thing Peter never meddled with as chairman was the orchestra. If there were fifteen flutes and no cellos he never said anything like ‘we could do with a couple more cellos and a couple less of some other instruments’.
But Pippa has wasted no time in tackling imbalances, boosting a temporarily depleted back row with a trial trumpet and a French horn, and overcoming a dearth of first violins by promoting three seconds. RTOers, you see, will do anything for their popular new chairman.
Felicitas Macfie has kindly volunteered to take over as leader of the seconds and will be delighted to copy endless piles of music for the section (and any other sections, such is her eagerness to please). In another break with tradition, she will also be holding practice sessions for the strings in her front room, on those days in the week when she is not preoccupied with the supervision of her six children.
Already, the Pippa era is shaping up to be very distinctive from the Peter era in every way, except for the actual playing. In this, RTO fans can rest assured that nothing will change.

The trumpets shall not sound!

Few orchestras survive a season without a disaster or two and the RTO is no exception (in this and this alone). At rehearsal last Wednesday it was revealed that joint third trumpet Ninian will not be present at the Fingask event in the summer, which means that out of the current four RTO trumpets, four will be absent.
Compounding the catastrophe is the fact that among the cry-offs is Pippa Lockhart, first trumpet and new RTO Chairman (watch this space for further explanation). To say that Pippa is irreplaceable is underestimating the seriousness of the situation. If anyone reading this can a) play the trumpet, b) make themselves available on June 21, and c) bring a friend who plays the trumpet, please contact the RTO via its website as a matter of urgency.
Another issue last week was the violas (when aren’t they?), who outnumbered the first violins by three to one. Only an orchestra of the RTO’s calibre would put up with this and though no one said anything, everyone agreed that the balance was wrong. A motion to move a couple of violas into first violins was unanimously defeated.
Otherwise, the mood, if not the music, was upbeat. Since New York the RTO has been inundated with requests to perform on the international circuit, but while it considers both of these offers (from the Jamaican plantation owner and Zandra’s relatives in NZ), quiet reflection is its chosen course of action.
And what better way to reflect than to run through Fucik’s Entry of the Gladiators, Berlioz’ March to the Scaffold and the Grand March from Aida - all compositions that would challenge the world’s finest bands but were effortlessly executed by the RTO.
Sir Richard, having returned to form, in body and mind, extracted several surprises from the musicians, many of whom seemed emboldened by their American adventure. It has never been RTO etiquette to play in a manner that is noticeable to other RTOers, thus solos - and show-offs - are rarely condoned. But on Wednesday, members of the orchestra heard from Richard D on the horn (in the Berlioz – well done, Richard, it won’t happen again), Gerry on first clarinet (unforgettable), something that sounded like Hugh’s trumpet attacking the Verdi, and Sandy and Winnie in tandem (almost) on bassoon.
It is very encouraging that elements within the orchestra not noted for their exhibitionism are growing in confidence, but it should be stressed that there has been no accompanying growth in ability; the RTO’s reputation is quite safe.
Although the whole New York experience was obviously motivational in the musical sense for some players – Peter, in particular, was keen to share his practice tips – for most it wasn’t in any way improving and the RTO assures its fans that global expansion has done nothing to raise standards.
Rehearsal night did much to expose those standards. When, for example, Sir Richard said ‘play an orchestral C, now play a D, now give me an E, put it all together and what have you got?’ he expected a recognisable ‘Happy Birthday’. But of course there was little recognisable in what followed, and Alison, whose birthday it was (her 31st, making her the youngest by nearly 20 years in the entire orchestra), had to remain standing for several excruciating minutes while the second strings searched for their Es.
On a happier note, a trombone has been found at last to fill the (not terribly big) boots of Quinton Stewart, who retired recently. Step forward the RTO’s very own Pilot King, Blythe Crawford. Blythe is actually a better singer than trombonist and an even better RAF Squadron Leader, but it was agreed (especially by the ladies in wind) that he was eminently suitable. Welcome on board, Blythe!

Saving classical music

Although expectations were high for the RTO’s New York debut, nothing could have prepared the orchestra for the warmth and ebullience of the reception from a packed Town Hall on April 1. After more standing ovations than accorded Gordon Brown by Congress last month, the musicians were quite overcome and it took all their resolve not to play an encore (that and the fact that their repertoire had been completely exhausted).
A music critic wrote recently that the distinction between art’s essential autonomy and the power of communal solidarity melts away in some orchestras. He was referring to the Simon Bolivar youth orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel, but he could just as easily have been talking about the RTO under Sir Richard.
Was not the core of the experience last Wednesday night, as in the Greece of Aeschylus’s time, the sense of communion it engendered rather than the artwork itself? Was not the distinction between high and low art, popular and classical, middle or working class completely irrelevant?
Perhaps these are questions best pondered in a forum far removed from the RTO website!
For now the Scottish-based musicians are justifiably basking in their phenomenal achievement and pausing to reflect on their next move, which for most will be back home to Edinburgh.
When they touch down they can look forward to a rapturous welcome from a nation grateful for the impact they have made on music and for their quiet cultural diplomacy with the United States, laying the foundations for the presidential trip to Britain.
Of course the non-appearance of either of the Obamas or Hillary Clinton at the Town Hall (all three had travelled to London that week as part of a Homecoming tour which unfortunately did not include Scotland) was a disappointment.
As was the RTO’s failure to make it into this year’s Top Ten Orchestras Which Have Changed the World.
It has been said that all bands are made up of three types of players: the ones who ‘do it’, the passengers, and the wreckers. Well, we all know which type fills the ranks of the RTO! But on April 1 no one who was there can deny that they all ‘did it’.
The idea that the RTO could save classical music is not now so implausible. ‘They raise it up, by reminding us of the old Enlightenment dream – that underneath all our quarrels and differences, we are essentially one human kind, which a single music can speak to. At the same time, they bring it firmly down to earth.’
That was actually written about the Simon Boliver orchestra, not the RTO – hard to believe because somehow it fits so perfectly.
To paraphrase Alexander McCall Smith, the RTO makes everything possible – if musicians of this ability can be successful, just imagine: painters will no longer require a facility with paint and bankers will not be expected to add up.
Bravo RTO!

Broadcast news

It’s not often that members of the RTO get asked to perform on television, so when the call came last week – from the Andrew Marr politics show no less – there was great excitement in the ranks. With studio space tight, a representative sample of the orchestra was selected, which meant disappointment for some, but there were no hard feelings. This was a great RTO moment of which everyone could be proud.
Lead by contrabassoonist Alexander McCall Smith, a celebrity the world over (bigger even than Marr himself), the tiny troupe made an early start in front of the cameras, fortified by nothing more than BBC coffee. It is rare for musicians of this calibre to face their public in such a pristine state, and even more unusual for their public, who are accustomed to at least a couple of glasses of wine
With a light dusting of Lancome and no further preamble, the Really Terrible Seven took their places for the warm up. It went rather well. The brass were a little rubbery but there was nothing more challenging than a B flat. As for the strings, they coasted it, perhaps on account of there being no violas in the mix.
Everyone then relaxed and enjoyed the show. What could possibly go wrong? Live television might be daunting for some people but not for the amateur pros of the RTO. Time flew, politicians were wheeled on and off, McCall Smith was hauled back to brighten the tone, and the countdown began.
Five minutes, four…. Ian Rankin, another studio guest, sauntered over. ‘You’ve got to be more terrible,’ he said.
‘Never!’ cried RTO Chairman Peter Stevenson who has made it his life’s ambition to progress to Grade Five clarinet. ‘We will do our best.’
Suddenly, the lights were dazzling, the Seven were hurried to their chairs and Sir Richard, lurking behind the cameras, raised his arm.
‘…it’s called a Lazy Waltz,’ said Marr giving the cue. And that’s when it all went a bit off. Martha nearly knocked over her cello, something she’s never attempted before, and the wind and brass blew it basically. The two violins were fine though.
Afterwards, in the recovery room, the producer said it was great, really er great - she’d only had to cut about four and a half of the five RTO minutes.
For those interested, the results will hopefully appear on this website soon. Truly dedicated fans, however, could always check out the really terrible thing and head to New York. But be quick. At the last count, an unbelievable 930 tickets had been sold for the band’s American debut in the Town Hall. Looks like it’s going to be a sell-out folks!