Orchestra – by R Casteels

• Facing the Music is the title of an article written by R Casteels and published by the arts magazine/ esplanade/ issue May + June 1998, pages 22-26. Casteels describes the rise of the western symphony orchestra, its stagnation and fall. After asking the question 'what's next?', Casteels proposes a 21st century philharmonic orchestra whose (quote) "leadership is in the hands and ears of the chief acoustician, conductor and ingenieur". He lists the instruments that constitute (in this order) the percussion section, the aerophones and finally the chordophones. 

• L'orchestre du vingt-et-unième siècle est un article écrit en 1993 par R Casteels pour le International Eötvös Institute Foundation décrivant la sclérose dont souffre l'orchestre européen. 

• In the Western Symphony orchestra, Casteels wonders if the western orchestra is an example of margninal survival in the anthropoligical sense: the culture changes constantly but its manifestations cling to sclerosed museum culture.

- Act I Rise of the western symphony orchestra;

- Act II Stagnation and Fall;

- Act III What's next?