New Symphony Piece Canceled Due to EU Noise Law
The very first time that the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra tried to rehearse “State of Siege” in London, it was clear that they were violating European labor and employment law.
Tests that now must routinely be conducted when musicians are playing showed the average noise level as the orchestra played composer Dror Feiler’s piece was 97.4 decibels, “just below the level of a pneumatic drill and a violation of new European noise-at-work limits,” reports the New York Times.
Playing more softly was ruled out (many conductors are seeking, these days, to play music louder than ever before) and earplugs or other noise-screening devices were also determined to be unworkable, the newspaper says. So the world premiere playing of the piece scheduled for April 4 was canceled.
The new noise-limiting law took effect this month, as far as the European entertainment industry is concerned, and mandates that musicians be protected along with factory workers and others routinely exposed to loud noise. As a result, business for those who measure noise levels and develop possible mitigation measures is booming.
“At the Royal Opera House,” the Times reports, “the management has devised a computer program that calculates individual weekly noise exposure by cross-referencing such factors as the member’s schedule and the pieces being played. … Orchestras are also installing noise-absorbing panels and placing antinoise screens at strategic places, like in front of the brass section, to force the noise over the heads of other players.”
