Editorial

From the current issue of Classical Music

There’s nothing like spending a couple of weeks out of the country to give someone a firm appreciation of our music scene. Deprived of the Proms on the transistor radio, the nearest symphony orchestra many miles away, it does not take long to realise just how spoilt for choice we are most of the time. Gosh, you say enviously, where is this distant haven, where the edges of the Atlantic lap at your feet, and the trappings of civilisation are left behind? OK, enough playing – we went to Wales. Yes, I know, the whole principality has the radio now, and you can even get a red hot internet connection if you know where to go. And there’s an awful lot of civilisation, not just in the hallowed halls of Cardiff but at the festivals of the western coast. So my deprivation was self-imposed. Not that two weeks passed without music. The iPod on speakerphone mode did a grand job with the Bach-to-shave-by each morning. I sneaked into a rehearsal as the rector accompanied his daughter in some show numbers (magic – if Bethan Davies comes your way, take my word for it: just book her). I sat in wonder as the fine organist Dr John Harrison conjured magnificent sound out of an old pedal harmonium in a 12th-century church (if like me you were brought up with one of these instruments taking up half of your sitting room it leaves you with impressive calf muscles and a soft spot for the thing forever). And with a houseful of people there were some extravagant recitals of Mendelssohn, Kreisler, Billie Holiday and Ligeti arranged (hastily) for violin, piano, ukulele, pan pipes, tambourine and obligato vuvuzela. But how could I resist all those fabulous Proms, whose reviews would have amazed me had I bothered to read a newspaper? It was in the very good cause of refreshing the ears and giving the brain a break. The result? Amazing. Straight into the Albert Hall after bombing up the M4, and Gergiev was lifting the lid on the Firebird in absolutely tantalising fashion. Even Scriabin’s curious first symphony managed to hit a few spots, its entertainment value enhanced no end when a section of the illuminated display behind the orchestra started smoking dramatically, putting at last three stalwart ladies of the London Symphony Chorus in fear of their perms. With or without smoke effects, music really does its stuff when you have tuned out for a while. It can be a difficult thing to do for those who work in the business, but give it a go. Have a break. Have a KitKat.

For those bringing their refreshed ears to the coming season there is no shortage of choice, as our new season guide attests, starting on page 20. Asking writers to come up with their tips for the hot tickets across the UK and Ireland is a sure way to furrow brows, since everyone knows that it is only possible to scratch the surface – there is just so much first-class music making going on. So see what our team has come up with for your patch, and feel free to fill the Letters page with ‘What about us?’ protestations.

Despite the wealth of music, being a musician has never been the most secure of jobs, and that is unlikely to change as global recession bites. So what is it really like if you lose your job? How do you get through it, and who is there to help? In this issue Jane Oakland speaks to musicians for whom redundancy has become a reality (page 33). They have interesting stories to tell, and their clouds have unexpected silver linings.