The Sound of Music

Australian work rules say an employee can't be exposed to sounds that average more than 85 decibels a day. And that's causing major headaches for orchestras. A performance of Sleeping Beauty by the Australian Ballet required four separate sections of horns, strings, etc. that worked in relays. That added $100,000 to the cost of the performance, and performers say it affected the ballet as well, since dancers respond to changes in the orchestral performance in their dance.