Simon says: It was like this under Thatcher. We say: no it wasn’t

Simon says: It was like this under Thatcher. We say: no it wasn’t

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norman lebrecht

April 24, 2023

In another of his political interventions, Sir Simon Rattle treated his Barbican audience to a burst of historical analysis.

Reading from a script, he showed how out of touch he is with UK conditions. Under Margaret Thatcher, arts organisations were rewarded for raising private subsidy and showing entrepreneurial skills. Their state grant was not cut. Thatcher herself went to concerts and opera, always paying for her own ticket. Brexit had not happened, Europe was not at war. England’s leading conductors did not live in Germany.

Here’s his discourse:

He then conducted the uncut BBC Singers (pic).

Read our concert review here.

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