The ghost of Eugene Ormandy is very, very angry:
Unable to find sponsorship, the Philadelphia Orchestra has canceled its 2009 European festivals tour.
Such a cancellation is highly unusual, and this one is doubly painful. The concerts in Lucerne, Paris, at the London Proms and the Edinburgh Festival starting in August would have brought the orchestra incalculable artistic credibility with audiences and within the classical industry.
And this was to have been Charles Dutoit's first tour with the orchestra in his new role as chief conductor and artistic adviser.
Reasons for canceling the tour are numerous, said an orchestra spokeswoman, but they include lack of sponsorship and the weak dollar. The increased cost of flying was "icing on the cake," she said.
In a word:
:-(
(link via Arts Journal)