The state of classical music, late 2010

An arts foundation asked me to summarise the state of the art in the throes of its latest turmoil. I gave brisk answers to brief questions, but still surprised myself at my own general optimism that classical music will emerge stronger from recession and that the new wave of talent will generate its own energy. You can read the interview here: http://www.snapshotsfoundation.com/articles/36-norman-lebrecht-interview

Meantime, things are getting tough in Spain and Portugal. The manager of Porto’s beautiful and adventurous Casa da Musica tells me he’s preparing for a 19.6 percent budget cut. I see that Michael Kaiser is impressed by the arts minister, but the government is fragile and all outcomes are uncertain.

In Spain, the symphony orchestra in Seville is suffering a 40 percent cut and voices are being raised against the continued state funding for Daniel Barenboim’s East-West Diwan while resident arts ensembles are exposed to the full blast of post-bankcrash retrenchment.