Cleveland v Minnesota

Posted at 10:21 PM on August 28, 2006 by John Birge
Filed under: The blog

Cleveland Orchestra musicians agreed to a new three-year contract that keeps their salaries in line with those of the nation's other top orchestras. Base minimum (virtually everyone makes more) is $104,520 this year. The agreement was reached just in time for the orchestra’s European tour.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Orchestra is in the middle of their European tour, and a newspaper in Scotland says: “The Cleveland Orchestra are America's most polished outfit. The Minnesota Orchestra, to judge from this display, are hot on their heels. I doubt there will be a classier set of Festival performances than those delivered here in a breathtaking display of sophistication by Osmo Vanska's Minnesota Orchestra. The transformation the Finnish conductor has effected in this American orchestra since I first heard them, around three years ago, is staggering."

Fantastic review here, and be sure to listen to Classical Minnesota Public Radio's archive of tour interviews from the road here.