For 23 years as director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and latterly the BBC Singers, I was custodian of three great ensembles that have shaped the musical landscape of this country for almost a century. They are celebrated worldwide for unparalleled versatility, flexibility and ability to respond to an ever-changing landscape and the demands of (in my time) six director generals, each keen to leave their mark. Delivering quality first and value for money was the mantra, and meeting the challenge of reaching new and diverse audiences was the reward. Or so we thought.
The BBC announced last week that its great cultural assets are to be savaged so violently that they may never recover; that is the reward. The corporation runs one full-time professional chamber choir, three full-time orchestras in England, and one each in Wales and Scotland. The plan is to axe the BBC Singers before the Proms, on the eve of their centenary, to reduce the headcount by 20% of the three English orchestras, while Simon Webb, the newly appointed fall guy is working with the nations’ orchestras “to consider whether there could be any lessons” for them. A dark warning indeed.
