FLOUNDERING in a sartorial world of which they know little, orchestral musicians have been fretting for decades about what to wear on stage. Back in the early days of the Soviet Union, Russian orchestras advertised their solidarity with the proletariat by wearing the sort of overalls favoured by tractor drivers in the Urals.
That innovation did not last long. Neither did the London Symphony Orchestra’s decision in the 1960s (when it regularly appeared on television in André Previn’s Music Night) to adopt the “Val Doonican meets Sergeant Pepper” look — improbable amalgams of comfy cardigans and psychedelic shirts, flung together in a desperate attempt to look casual and trendy.
About the same time, the London Sinfonietta attempted to match its avant-garde repertoire by garbing its players in black polo necks — considered rather chic and dangerous in the Sixties. In reality, the only danger was that players would expire from hyperventilation.
Everyone agrees that white tie and tails is hopelessly anachronistic for orchestras struggling to attract young audiences. But two big obstacles have stood in the way of reform. The first is that nothing dates faster than a fashion statement on the concert platform. Just look at fiddler-a-go-go Nigel Kennedy, who still clings to his distressed-punk look 20 years after it has been been abandoned on the streets of Camden Town.
The second obstacle is that orchestras cannot afford to alienate the middle-aged punters who are their most loyal supporters. Survey after survey has revealed that this core audience likes the formal look. It is all part of the sense of tradition that attracts many to classical music. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the orchestras in the vanguard of sartorial reform are the BBC’s. Cushioned by the licence fee, they are less dependent on audience approval than, say, the LSO or the Hallé.
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What’s the answer? Just as top tennis players and footballers are kitted out free in their sponsors’ products, perhaps top orchestras should strike up sponsorship deals with great fashion houses. Then audiences could feast their eyes on the latest creations from Armani or DKNY as they listened to Mozart.
As for the players, such an arrangement has to be better than looking like a stuffed penguin. Or Sergeant Pepper.