Orchestra member not doing anything. Why?

[Handyweatherstation]

This afternoon I was watching a of an orchestra playing Beethoven's 'Pastoral' and noticed one member of the orchestra with no instrument. He's in the middle, near the back, as in the pic.

Why doesn't he have an instrument and what is his role? Does anyone know?

That's a different bloke, but I do accept now that the one I meant does actually do something 😅

@Sporkle99 what confused me was that in several scenes he's sitting with his fingers linked, rather than holding the piccolo, whereas the others who aren't playing hold their flutes or whatever.

I wonder what piccolo players think about when they're waiting for their bit. There must be a lot of waiting. I wonder who their favourite composers are who always included plenty of good piccolo showy offy bits and which were the dullards who hardly ever remembered to put piccolo bits in.

Another question to ponder @powershowerforanhour and so many of them.

I would think he's the piccolo player?

I think it’s on the little shelf/ledge of the music stand so it’s hidden from view!

I’m entertained by the bassoon* player. He has very expressive eyebrows.

*I think. Had to Google

Quite a few of them are expressive. It looks like they're enjoying themselves.

That would explain it!

Snorted at "holding their flutes"

I will show myself the door

Lots of piccolo players play the flute too, so they don't sit around as much as you might think!

Snorted at "holding their flutes"

At least I didn't write 'holding their instruments'! 😅

I (literally) laughed out loud at this 😂

But why would a piccolo player be sitting in the middle of the cellos? Now I'm baffled in a completely different way? The only thing I really know about orchestras is that the strings/brass/woodwind all sit in different areas.

Usually in an orchestra there's two or three flutes. Usually the "first flute" and "second flute" will play slightly different notes but often at the same time.

Depending on the piece, some pieces will have a part written for a third player to play the piccolo for the whole piece, or sometimes the part is written that for part of the piece they play the flute, and then it's marked on the music that the next bit is to be played on the piccolo, so they change back and forth during the piece.

Sometimes in a piece like a concerto or symphony, not all the instruments are used in every movement, so those players just sit on stage for the bit they're not playing in. It happens quite often with brass and percussion, for example 3rd Movt of Shostakovich's 5th symphony has no brass.

Source: played flute and piccolo in orchestras growing up but now my brain has been turned to mush as a SAHM so I hope this makes sense 😅

WhenLifeGivesYouLimes has left a lingering question about the piccolo player, but the main one is answered. Thank you, at least I'll be able to sleep now.

Glad I’m not the only immature one here. I was sniggering at “sit there fiddling with their piccolo”

Piccolo player cum orchestra stunt double. In case the music calls for someone crashing through a glass window or falling dramatically down some stairs.

In Bolero, I think there are two flautists who take it in turns. I imagine it would be physically impossible for a single flautist to play continuously for an extended period.

@WhenLifeGivesYouLimes I think the woodwind are in a straight line, possibly one step up, behind the "semicircle" the strings sit in. Traditionally the strings sit from left to right 1st violins, 2nd violins, Violas, Cellos with the basses behind them, but recently more orchestras have moved the violas and cellos into the middle with the violins on the "outsides"... Possibly for reasons of balancing the sound better or for logistics.

The stage in the video looks smaller than most from back to front, the cellos would usually be in a few rows but they look like they're all in a line here due to lack of space, hence the woodwind being really close behind them.

At the risk of hijacking your thread, I'd like to know why there are so few women - well only one that I can see playing the violin, unless anyone can see any others?

I saw two women, Avocado. And just the one non-white player. Still, it's a good orchestra, that's for sure.

He sits next to a flutist, I assume he plays a piccolo and it's not in the field of view unless he is playing.

I think the Wiener Symphoniker had a no women policy until not that long ago, (or was that the Berliner?) and this looks like quite an old recording.
I listen to the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra quite a lot and they have loads of women.