The Rome Opera Fires Orchestra in Plan to Cut Costs and Prevent Shutdown during 2015

The Rome Opera has found a way to get past its current labor and deficit issues: Just fire the whole orchestra. It seems counterintuitive to the purpose of running an opera but those on top think it's the best bet for ensuring that the upcoming season can continue, according to Opera News.

The firings, which amount to 182 total musicians, come as a result of the orchestra's contract being up at the onset of 2015. The negotiations for a new deal stand to block scheduled performances so the Rome Opera is opting to fire its full time staff and hire freelance performers, a method that will both, theoretically at least, save money and save productions from being cut. The most sinister success would be if the opera were able to convince its former full-time staff, now without a job, to come back and play freelance gigs. Musicians under contract were legally able to unionize, however the opera would not have been required to pay them for days when they were on strike.

"We realize that what we're doing is taking a path that has never been tried before in our country," said Ignazio Marino, the mayor of Rome. "But after careful reflection, we thought that this is the only path that can bring real renewal to the lyric opera of our city."

According to general director Carlo Fuortes, the orchestra and chorus took up €12.5 million of the company's €40 million annual budget.

We'll have to see how the plan works out. But we may be looking toward a new era of operatic minimalism coming out of one of the genre's capitals.