The reaction of governments and their subjects to the Wuhan Coronavirus have been very depressing, in all ways.  Few performing arts groups have been holding performances with any audience, for fear of spreading the deadly (0.13% mortality-rate, similar to seasonal flu) virus.  Entire economies locked down by government edict, small businesses and their owners ruined, populations living in near-constant fear.

Some classical music groups have adapted in very interesting ways.

Here’s a string quartet, playing while wearing masks.

How about an entire orchestra, and soloist, in masks!  The conductor is also wearing a mask.

By the way, those masks do not protect anyone from the virus, since they are not made of the correct material-they pass viruses both ways with ease. Totally virtue-signaling, and probably mandated by their local government.

How about Brass in Masks?!  This it totally ridiculous, since horn players cannot wear masks while playing!  And sad, if you ask me.

A music group in Europe participated in an interesting study, carried out by a local university, of how dangerous it might be for an orchestra to play their wind instruments normally.

Funny, but they found that wind instruments played as usual carried little to no risk of spreading germs!  Now, will anyone know about this study, and use it to get all the world’s orchestras back to performing?  Highly unlikely, since governments have become very comfortable wielding absolute power over their subjects, and will probably resist lifting all the bans on performance.  So many classical musicians might lose their jobs, and the people will lose a prime source of beauty in their lives.

Is this what we are in for, in the future?  Life without live music?