The Vienna Philharmonic is changing, despite itself. “There are now three Australians in the orchestra. There are also two Americans, a Canadian, and both harpists are French. Over the next four years, seven viola-players are due to retire and it is a safe bet that most of the newcomers will be foreign and probably female. The pressure for change has come primarily from guest conductors who, accustomed to industrial-strength precision playing in American orchestras, have complained about Viennese frailties – notably the trombones and tuba – without recognising that those wavery underpinnings were part of what audiences identified as the Vienna Philharmonic sound.” – The Telegraph (UK)