Since last week, the conclusion has come to seem inescapable: By sticking with its new chief conductor François-Xavier Roth despite allegations of sexual harassment surfacing against him last year, the SWR Symphonieorchester—the renowned Stuttgart-based radio orchestra with a particularly strong contemporary-music reputation—has lost its way. Cancelling his contract following the allegations might well have led to a legal dispute and a financial settlement in Roth’s favor and made the orchestra leaderless for a longer period. Still, it would at least have put an end to the matter. Now it looks like it will matter for a long time to come.
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