ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER CLASSICAL MUSIC funding crisis and if you deal with this shit for a living you know the pattern by now. The story breaks on the Slipped Disc blog and the serious classical journos pause for 24 hours so they can pretend they read it somewhere else. The rest of the sector doesn’t hold back.
Social media lights up with fury, initially directed at whichever funding body has made the decision, but swiftly refocused (the mental gymnastics are Olympic-level) on the usual suspects: the Tories, Brexit, choose your right-wing bogey-man. Gradually the shock fades; the great and good sign an open letter, and underpaid, exhausted admin staff start picking up the pieces. Again.
So why did? Haven’t you read Berlioz’s memoirs, or Thomas Beecham’s; or — Beresford King-Smith’s history of the CBSO (which comes with actual financial stats)?
