John G. Deacon wrote:

>And so, today, the Financial Times takes up the discussion!
>
>Of course, Mortier has been forced into uncomfortable compromises.
>...  Although his relations with the Vienna Philharmonic have
>greatly improved, he has failed to eradicate the deputy system,
>which allows the orchestra to use different personnel for rehearsal
>and performance; this has led Simon Rattle to pull out of a Figaro
>production planned for 2001.

Explain to this innocent how the "deputy system, which allows the orchestra
to use different personnel for rehearsal and performance" works.  Do the
rehearsers pay very close attention to the conductor and then report back
to the performers something like "in measure 54, the Maestro wants us to
slow down, but then as we get to measure 58, we're supposed to speed it up,
but not too fast"?

Walter Meyer