Music: THE TOP U.S. ORCHESTRAS

"THE five major American orchestras are by general consent the Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland and Chicago. They share some important characteristics—excellence, prestige and money troubles. Each loses money every season: the New York and Philadelphia, with budgets of around $2,000,000 each, earn more than 80% of their costs, but the Cleveland, which spends $500,000 a year less, earns only 47%. All look very much the same, though the Cleveland's violas sit where the New York has its cellos, and Szell uses one more trombone and one less horn than Erich Leinsdorf does in Boston. The Boston has the greatest number...

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