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music. And I still feel like that about his playing — he gets straight into Bach’s main artery, past all the
academia that surrounds it.”

The scaffolding around much of classical music, and its teaching, is something Balsom understands, but
clearly has reservations about. “I do find myself thinking, ‘Forget the context. The only question is, how
does this make you feel?’ Because that was my ‘moment’, with my Walkman. I’ve spent all my life since
then hunting down that feeling.”

She has an interesting take on the argument that classical music can be too forbidding for many children. “I
actually think it is often more mystifying for grown-ups. You play children a great piece of classical music,
brilliantly performed, and they are spellbound — it’s just that they maybe can’t articulate that feeling. I
think it’s when we get older, and we don’t know, say, that what we’re listening to is opus 24 or whatever,
that we get more inhibited about it.”

She found the making of Royal Fireworks the most thrilling experience she has had in a recording studio.
“That music could sound quite hackneyed, because it’s everywhere. But you can’t kill it, it’s so good. I just
don’t think there’s anything that’s been invented since the 17th century that can do what it does better or
more gloriously.”

Cherishing music is one thing, nurturing the next generation quite another. “Music education is the opposite
of a luxury. I could literally weep when I think about children who might have this ‘thing’ in them, but
there’s no outlet for it.” And with that she is off, dashing to pick up her son from football. Personally, I’d
make Balsom minister for music and absolutely hurl resources at her. That’s when you’d see fireworks.

Royal Fireworks is out now on Warner Classics