Are all orchestras arranged on stage the same way?
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This is a question of both practicality and "period authenticity." While there has been a "standard" western seating for almost a century,many conductors have experimented with other setups; most of theseconcern the arrangement of the bowed string instruments. The modernsymphony orchestra grew from smaller chamber consorts, and one can viewthis organization based on timbre hierarchies. While the tessituraconsiderations, as mentioned in the other post, emerged as a recordingphenomenon, this model has held for aesthetic and practical reasons. This "high-to-low" organization is, however, absent in the organizationof non-stringed instruments, and conductors typically have more choicesdepending on the size of the hall and orchestra (e.g. whether to putthe brass in a single arc). Piano, harp and percussion placement isprobably the most flexible, although in most cases, the percussionappears at the extreme rear of the ensemble, the harp and piano onstage right, usually between the second violins and the winds. Someconductors reconstruct seating arrangements contemporary to those ofthe pieces played, but this is often eschewed since most conductorshave been trained to the standard seating; cueing instruments orsections becomes a little less second-nature when a conductor has toadapt to a standard s/he is not used to, and orchestral musicians relyon spatial properties when balancing their dynamics and timbres. I’mnot aware of how the unions regard seating these days and whether it isrequired to be fixed, but beyond this, seating is essentially aconceptual and sonic decision of the conductor made for musicalpurposes.
For the most part. The string sections (violins, violas, cellos) are found immediately in front of the conductor and are arranged in a semi-circle. The string basses stand behind the cello section. The winds (oboes, flutes, piccolo, clarinets, and bassoons) are seated in two horizontal lines directly behind the strings. The brass (French horns, trumpets, trombones, and tuba) are seated in the back of the orchestra along with the timpani, percussion, piano, and harp.
