May, 2004 - Nr. 5
K-W Symphony:
A Lose-Lose Ending?
by Herwig Wandschneider
Negotiations are normally intended to strive for a win-win solution, and if that is not possible, then at least an acceptable solution for both parties – should such exist. It seems that the Board decided on rigid terms going into the "negotiations" and if these terms were not acceptable: too bad. Fischer-Dieskau was to accept two pre-determined conditions:
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Share the artistic leadership with Simon Streatfeild this season
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Apply like everyone else for the next season
Which conductor will want to share his artistic leadership? Fischer-Dieskau obviously had the opposite in mind. No sharing, the next season guaranteed. An equally inflexible, if perhaps not unexpected, attitude.
In fact, neither position is particularly surprising. The mandate of this Board, however, was to find a solution, a workable compromise, a solid attempt to re-establish peace in the KWS community by asking Fischer-Dieskau back – by unanimous vote also the New Boards’ agreed objective. Instead, the Board stipulated pre-determined conditions, which Fischer-Dieskau could not possibly agree to.
All hopes that this Board was prepared to correct the attitudes of the previous Board thus appear to be vanishing right in front of our eyes. They finished up with inflexible conditions on both sides, no compromise, and in the end, sadly, blame it all on the demands and the inflexibility of the Conductor. And then the mystery Director with the signed, but then cancelled, "Consent and Waiver of Notice of the Meeting". So meaningful. Nothing in the last Board meeting could be voted on as a result, so that the fallback position was limited to previous decisions. It all sounds much like the other Board…
End-result: no Fischer-Dieskau, a damaged reputation on both sides, more than likely a dissatisfied community (unless it accepts the attempt to blame it all on the conductor), a probable law-suit, and disenchanted subscribers and sponsors. All this fuss for a lose-lose ending?
Well, perhaps not just yet. Negotiations take time. Opening positions have been stated, but no point has actually been negotiated. There will be another Board meeting, where voting will again be valid. Positions can change. Programmes can be printed by the deadline, but programmes have been changed before. Negotiations can yet begin. Let us be sure of one thing…this Board will do better than the last, even if it does not yet look like it.
