Page 938 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

Antonio Pappano; and no fewer than 12 new pieces of music, specially commissioned by a

monarch who clearly wanted to showcase a rich mix of living British composers.

And surreal because that glorious parade happened at a time when Britain’s classical music life
seemed more imperilled than at any point since the Second World War. Nearly a year on, it still

does.

The violinist and Edinburgh International Festival boss, Nicola Benedetti
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It has been hit by a perfect storm. The mass closure of venues during the pandemic, followed by

a prolonged cost of living crisis, has driven many music organisations and individual musicians

close to bankruptcy. Crass, ill-considered cuts by those responsible for funding music — from

quangos to universities — add to the insecurity.

Then there’s the marginalising of music in state schools. And, perhaps most demoralising of all,

the widespread feeling that many people at the top of government, local government and public

institutions are not only indifferent to classical music (that has long been the case) but actively

hostile.