Concertgoers could hardly escape noticing that the past month or so has been the season for hearing big symphony and opera orchestras from abroad. The Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Phil- harmonic, for example, were both here for weeks at the same time, and they weren't the only ones.
Why is it, you may wonder, that they all seem to want to come to Japan simultaneously? It would certainly be nicer if they could be neatly spaced out over the course of the year, to be considerate of our thirst for music, not to mention our financial means.
The answer is simple. This is when they can best afford to be away from their audiences at home. And so they come.