• 13-digit ISBN: 978-1-84379-808-8
• Barcode: 9781843798088
• Approximate length: 50,000 words
• Formats: iPad/iPhone, Kindle, Nook

It is no secret today that classical music has big problems. Which are the orchestras best able to survive? What can the public do? Written by world-renowned American conductor John Axelrod, The Symphony Orchestra in Crisis presents in nine chapters many eye-raising observations and amusing anecdotes. Speaking from experience, Axelrod articulates the current challenges and possible solutions facing the instrument of the orchestra.

For the music lover or the classical music cognoscenti, there are plenty of tongue-wagging zingers in this short but spicy ebook: why was Herbert von Karajan invited only once to conduct the Cleveland Orchestra? Do French orchestras go on strike more frequently than others? Are Swiss musicians always so serious? Is there still a ‘Big 5’ in the USA? Are English orchestras overrated? Are professional musicians underpaid?

About the Author

Since 1997, John Axelrod has conducted over 150 orchestras around the world. He has recorded for such labels as Naxos, Universal, Sony, Ondine, Warner, Naïve and Nimbus. After private studies with Leonard Bernstein and with Ilya Musin at the St Petersburg Conservatory, Axelrod founded OrchestraX in Houston, before becoming assistant to Christoph Eschenbach at the Bayreuth Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.