Whether by a digital detox, a conga to Beethoven or hitting the village hall, Isobel Tilden has compiled 10 ways musicians plan to protect classical music.
After cuts by Arts Council England and the BBC, Simon Rattle says UK opera houses and orchestras have never faced greater peril. How can they fight back? Top musicians outline their battle plans
1. Turn off your phone and revel in the mysterious
Don’t we all need a bit of time to be alone with our thoughts? Or to sit and share something that requires us to put away our phones and revel in something mysterious, beautiful and visceral? All music can offer us a haven for reflection, but classical music is constructed more like a narrative than a short lyric. You just need to give it time.
I find it upsetting that British politicians are afraid of revealing that they’re interested in culture. In Italy, where I conduct the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, the audience applaud when a senior politician comes to a concert. Classical music – and all culture – helps grow our collective awareness of what it is to be a human being. That’s a beautiful thing – why don’t we celebrate it? Conducting at the coronation proved what an extraordinary array of talent we have here in the UK, from gospel choirs to brass bands. How can their existence be so threatened? Music’s value and importance was there for everyone to see. I hope it provokes a real discussion for once. Classical music gets your brain as well as your heart going. How many things in life can do all that? Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House...Keep reading on The Guardian.
After cuts by Arts Council England and the BBC, Simon Rattle says UK opera houses and orchestras have never faced greater peril. How can they fight back? Top musicians outline their battle plans
1. Turn off your phone and revel in the mysterious
Don’t we all need a bit of time to be alone with our thoughts? Or to sit and share something that requires us to put away our phones and revel in something mysterious, beautiful and visceral? All music can offer us a haven for reflection, but classical music is constructed more like a narrative than a short lyric. You just need to give it time.
I find it upsetting that British politicians are afraid of revealing that they’re interested in culture. In Italy, where I conduct the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, the audience applaud when a senior politician comes to a concert. Classical music – and all culture – helps grow our collective awareness of what it is to be a human being. That’s a beautiful thing – why don’t we celebrate it? Conducting at the coronation proved what an extraordinary array of talent we have here in the UK, from gospel choirs to brass bands. How can their existence be so threatened? Music’s value and importance was there for everyone to see. I hope it provokes a real discussion for once. Classical music gets your brain as well as your heart going. How many things in life can do all that? Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House...Keep reading on The Guardian.