Thousands Rally to Save Classical Music at the Salle Pleyel

By: Dec. 26, 2014
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Approximately 10,000 people have signed a petition to stop classical music from moving out at Salle Pleyel next month.

According to the petition, The Salle Pleyel will temporarily close at the end of 2014 and its operation will be awarded to a claimant whose specification will concentrate exclusively on live music (rock, pop, song ...) and entertainment.

The petition states, "We oppose the scheduled end of classical music at the Salle Pleyel, mythical place full of history. The argument of the leaders of the Philharmonic, a possible competition between the two rooms, does not seem sufficient to arbitrarily decide a drastic reduction in the presence of symphonic classical music in the center of Paris. Just as Bastille never emptied Garnier, complementarity can certainly be found between the Philharmonic and Pleyel, allowing it to retain all or part of its traditional vocation. We therefore appeal to your pragmatism that common sense prevails and allows the Salle Pleyel to continue hosting classical music concerts."

According to slippedisc.com, "A court battle has dragged on for years over actual ownership of Pleyel, purchased in 2009, led by the seller's former wife, a conductor herself, who has also been trying to keep classical music at Pleyel. On Nov. 25, she led 50 orchestra musicians in a protest concert opposite Paris' Palais de Justice. Cité has announced its plans to award the contract for new management of Pleyel at the beginning of January amid growing fears the future tenant may remodel the hall for pop music, making it unusable for concerts of classical music."

Read the full report here.



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