The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra had recently been rehearsing a piece, “State by Siege” by the composer Dror Feiler at 97.4 decibels, just below the level of a pneumatic drill, but still a violation of new European noise-at-work limits. The orchestra refused to play more softly or wear noise-muffling headphones.

Consequently, Trygve Nordwall, the orchestra’s manager, dropped the musical piece, which was supposed to have its world premier on April 4. The conductor reluctantly made the decision to comply with the EU noise-limit regulations, and not for artistic reasons.

The New York Times reports that, “the cancellation is, so far, probably the most extreme consequence of the new law, which require employers in Europe to limit workers’ exposure to potentially damaging noise and which took effect for the entertainment industry this month.

Ironically, the EU noise-limit regulations for the entertainment industry were put into place after European rock musicians complained of noisy working conditions.

To read the entire article from the New York Times, link here:

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