Rising standards outside the Big Five create a new elite
Their players are highly skilled specialists, prized for their uncommon physical abilities and welded into a team by a strong figure of authority. Their seasons are long, routinely lasting from early fall to late spring and often extending into the summer. Their budgets run into the millions of dollars; their fans are numerous. Heard on radio and seen on television, they have become symbols of their cities, sources of local pride and the subject of endless arguments over which is best.
The Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and their fellow gridiron gladiators? No, far less violent. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the rest of the major leagues? No, even more sophisticated and spiritually uplifting. These are the major symphony orchestras of America, a group of 20 or so crack ensembles that are flourishing artistically as never before. In unprecedented numbers, they are setting new standards of excellence in performance. In the process, they are changing the face of the country's traditional orchestral establishment. Declares Sir Georg Solti, music director of the Chicago Symphony: "American orchestras are undoubtedly superior to any, except one or two European orchestras. The standard of orchestral playing in America, all over the country, is amazing."
For years it was commonly agreed that there was a Big Five among U.S. orchestras: in alphabetical order, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. For the most part, they were the orchestras with the biggest annual budgets and, partly as a result, the best musicians. They had lucrative recording contracts and the most eminent conductors. They were all located in important cities, with access to large populations, wealth and influential critics, whose regular attention enhanced their reputations.
Today the idea of a Big Five has generally lost its validity. "On any given night, one can hear a concert of excellent quality," says Stephen Sell, executive director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. "There probably hasn't been a Big Five for half a decade." Agrees John Edwards, executive vice president and general manager of the Chicago Symphony and, at 70, the dean of U.S. orchestra administrators: "Basically, the concept of a Big Five is outmoded." Determined by the musicians' technical command, the conductor's leadership and the intangible element of inspiration, excellence is no longer quite so exclusive. A current ranking of the country's best orchestras, in order of achievement: