November 10, 2021, 12:23 | Updated: November 10, 2021, 12:26 PM
The party in the German concert hall left musical instruments badly damaged by the fire extinguisher.
Image: Getty
An orchestra’s instruments were coated in fine acid dust after a fire extinguisher was set off in their rehearsal room.
Members of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen were shocked to discover that their instruments had been destroyed during a weekend celebration at their resident concert hall in Hilchenbach, Germany.
A fire extinguisher was set off in the German orchestra’s rehearsal space, coating 25 instruments with white extinguishing powder.
“It’s the dust in the room that worries us,” says music director Michael Nassauer. “It goes everywhere as soon as you open a door.”
The acid dust is so fine that it has settled even in the smallest interstices of the instruments. A specialized company is brought in to ensure that the instruments are not further damaged.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDG3TKIxVEQ
Unfortunately, it is not known how many instruments are already damaged beyond repair.
The instruments involved included a €180,000 (£153,943) Steinway harpsichord and grand piano, and the orchestra and concert hall filed criminal charges.
Although it is unknown who the perpetrators were, the party cellar below the concert hall had been rented for a private event on the evening of the incident.
A police investigation is currently underway to determine the reasons for the disturbances and how those involved gained access to the orchestra’s rehearsal room.
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