
How the BSO takes 100-plus musicians on tour halfway across the planet (2017) - wallflower
https://www.wbur.org/artery/2017/10/31/bso-instruments-travel-equipment
======
niccl
Interesting, but it's nothing compared to a rock'n'roll tour. I've no detailed
knowledge of what it's like now, but even 35 years ago we had five 40-foot
trailers filled with gear, including 21 cannons and a 3 ton bronze bell, for a
tour that did a different venue most nights. Only about 30 people in the tour
party, though

~~~
Symbiote
It's amazing seeing a band with an enormous stage act -- most notably
Rammstein -- packing up after a show.

The last time I saw them, it looked like half of the stage was already packed
into cases within half an hour of the end of the show. News reports say they
had _60_ trucks of stuff, and 200 people to set it up and take it down again.

I'd assume they don't have anything as fragile or intrinsically valuable as an
orchestra, but with each show bringing in €3-6M (sometimes more) the value to
the tour is greater.

------
madengr
I thought just about all bows are made from pernambuco (Brazil tree wood). The
article seems to indicate there are travel restrictions with it. I recently
bought one for my daughter, and they are not cheap, but they sound much better
than carbon fiber.

~~~
Symbiote
The species is endangered [1], and trade of unfinished wood is restricted [2].

I strongly discourage buying anything made from endangered species -- most
people in America or Europe wouldn't consider buying something made from an
endangered animal, but don't consider plants in the same way.

There have been discussions about loosening restrictions on musical
instruments using small amounts of endangered wood, where the majority of said
wood is used in furniture etc (e.g. rosewood on guitar fretboards and
furniture). I still discourage purchasing even that, but in this case the
restriction[2] only mentions musical instruments, so that is presumably the
majority use of this wood.

(These restrictions can change, so it's important to keep up-to-date.
Instruments can be seized by customs otherwise.)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paubrasilia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paubrasilia)
and links from it

[2]
[https://www.speciesplus.net/#/taxon_concepts/94093/legal](https://www.speciesplus.net/#/taxon_concepts/94093/legal)

------
btucker
Alas, they just cancelled this year's East Asia tour:
[https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/01/30/bso-cancels-east-
asia...](https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/01/30/bso-cancels-east-asia-tour-
coronoavirus)

------
memset
Interesting! Why do they bring all of these instruments? For example, are
there not timpani available at their destination?

~~~
chrisseaton
> Why do they bring all of these instruments?

I think people are very personally attached to their instruments.

~~~
packetslave
Indeed, and in a top-tier symphony orchestra like BSO, many (if not most) of
the musicians will be playing one-of-a-kind handcrafted instruments that are
hundreds of years old.

------
pradn
The article doesn't mention if the musicians are sent in multiple planes, like
athletic teams often are.

