European Union noise regulations for workers might mean that symphony orchestras will have to quiet down. “The intriguing issue, though, is whether the directive will impose changes in the repertoire itself. The London Symphony Orchestra says that this is a real possibility. Loud works like Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler may have to be scheduled more rarely and surrounded by quieter pieces. Look up the European commission’s website and you will find a section mocking the idea that Beethoven’s Ninth symphony – the EU’s anthem – might even fall foul of the noise at work directive. But the idea is not so far-fetched.”