Simon says: It was like this under Thatcher. We say: no it wasn’t
NewsIn 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:
Sir Simon Rattle's speech on the parlous state of classical music in the UK from Barbican concert tonight 1/3 pic.twitter.com/LV0IEIofGO
— Erika Johnston 💥 (@operabinoculars) April 23, 2023
He then conducted the uncut BBC Singers (pic).
Read our concert review here.
“England’s leading conductors did not live in Germany.”
Is this really an issue? In the year 2023? Seriously?
In the age of the globally interconnected first world?
Does Ol’ England expect Sir Simon to change his last name to the German “Rassel” now?
Some of the world-leading conductors actually live in London.
And they are not British.
Sure and why not? And how does it matter where they live/sleep/have their wine cellar?
Herr Generalmusikdirektor Simeon Rassel
Don’t allow a debatable defense of Thatcher get in the way of his broader gist: that the fragility of the arts in this country have deep roots that owe much to historically political neglect.
A split hair won’t break the camels back Norman, but a straw just might.
Thatcher, Thatcher, milk snatcher, Poll Tax Queen. And she ended up with dementia, some might argue she had it much earlier. She was horrendous
In the North of England her death was widely celebrated (and of course by many others). Not hard to understand why.
Probably those coal mines she is still accused of closing, ignoring the fact that, in most cases, Labour had beaten her to it.
Because she hated Amadeus?
Rubbish! I live in ‘the north of England!’ Which bit as a Londoner were you thinking of? Or do you mean Scotland, the north of UK?
Foul comment. I hope you are satisfied seeing you name online. It must give you a little thrill.
She spoke well of you, I’m told!
No – she took some tough decisions which were painful but necessary to reverse the sclerosis of the UK economy
I find it rather odd that NL feels quite entitled ( and surely he is ) to make statements about the future of classical music, but appears to deny Rattle the right to do so – or at any rate to decry him for doing so. It is not often that I pay much attention to Rattle prattle, but on this , is he not correct ?
He is correct in direction, lamentably wrong in detail.
Tory ideology and politics is throughly embedded in all the loss of subsidies, etc. Much like the anti-intellectual conservatism in the U.S. railing against metropolitan urban elites (coded language for you know who i.e. “rootless cosmopolitans”). So Thatcherism is indeed implicated in things like Brexit and the like and their obviously detrimental impact on culture and the arts.
Actually, it’s mainly “luvvies” who increasingly enjoy treating the traditional arts with a “cancel culture” attitude or “down with the man!” attitude. After all, social-artistic philistines over most of the past 100 years have just about always been along the lines of a Joseph Stalin or Mao Tse-tung, not a so-called rightist or rightwinger. Study Mao’s Cultural Revolution in 1960s-70s China to get a sense of what type of human nature exists on the anti-right left. Certainly, at least the far left.
It’s like the circle of fifths – the far right and far left meet and become one and the same (i.e. identical).
I could have added some of the traits of Adolf Hitler too. Traits which go against the conventional wisdom (preferred by most academicians and intellectuals) that he was a so-called rightwinger or ultra-conservative. In reality – and as with Stalin, Mao or Castro – Hitler also displayed many qualities of a person of the sociopolitical left, not right.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Beethoven try to cancel Napoleon with his third symphony re-titling?
Would that be anything like the “deplorables” in ‘fly-over country’ at all?
That comment from Hillary was if anything too kind. Given all that has transpired since (particularly Jan 6) the supporters of the orange-haired monster’s fascistic authoritarianism, white supremacy etc. should have been labeled “the despicables”.
Interestingly, Germany’s health service is going through bad times… How do I know this? From a protest site that had a link on Slipped Disc – “Sign to save the Osterreichischer Rundfunk Orchester.”
Rattle’s such a stunning political commentator, he should team up with Lineker or O’Brian…
Under Thatcher, the UK conquered the Falkland Islands.
The UK was at war.
Not Europe.
Yes, but as far as wars go, it was a small drop from an eye dropper. It was hardly a great political or strategical victory, in my view.
Britain’s success liberating its territory resulted in the fall of the Argentine junta. I’d say that was a pretty great political victory.
It still involved hundreds of people getting killed.
The UK did not “conquer” the Falkland Islands in 1982. The islands, which have been British for longer than Argentina has existed as a sovereign nation, were liberated from Argentinian invaders
That’s almost how Russia is now selling their military operation as “liberation” of the Ukraine.
No, it isn’t even close.
And I’m sure all 43 residents at the time were grateful for this epic war. They got to see an Argentinian ship sink from their loungeroom windows.
At least Simon Rattle has the courage of his convictions and the guts to tell things as they are and not just twiddle his thumbs like most people are regarding this issue. We have to face the truth about the neglect of the Arts in this country. The BBC is a shameful organisation and its cultural ‘vandalism’ needs to be recognised and opposed at every opportunity as does the government’s ignorance on the matter.
Stop attacking Rattle and wake up to the truth he speaks.
NORMAN LEBRECHT SAYS: “SIMON SAYS: IT WAS LIKE THIS UNDER THATCHER.”
We say: no, he didn’t. Sir Simon can speak for himself, and his words are far more telling and objective than the author’s. Do listen, as Rattle recounts a conversation with Peter Hall of the National Theatre about dealing with Mrs. Thatcher’s repeated, devastating cuts to the Arts Council grants. (Mr. Lebrecht seems to have forgotten that her tenure began with a 4.8% cut, and ended with one of 2.9%.)