Just in: BBC self-censors its classical strategy
NewsIn an act of executive shame, the BBC has taken down the so-called ‘classical review’ that was the basis for abolishing the BBC Singers and one-fifth of the jobs in BBC orchestras in England.
Whoever ordered the takedown should own up and explain. The BBC is acting like a Stalinist textbook, forever editing its past.
The present shambles involving the director of music Lorna Clarke (pictured), head of orchestras Simon Webb and self-absenting head of radio 3 Alan Davey grows more ludicrous by the day.
As ever, nobody is taking responsibility.
Welcome to YOUR brave new world.
After having lectured others, learn to live with the consequences of supporting the “covid barbarians”!
The internet, of course, does not forget and the document can be found on the Wayback Machine.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230311111430/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/documents/classical-music-ecosystem-research.pdf
And here, http://www.colinscolumn.com/new-strategy-for-classical-music-prioritises-quality-agility-and-impact-therefore-the-bbc-has-made-the-difficult-decision-to-close-the-bbc-singers-20-posts-and-invest-resources-in-a-wider-po/, with several readers’ comments.
“Classical music ecosystem”
So merge with BBC Earth, maybe?
Nothing is more amusing than actors like the Biased Broadcasting Company trying to keep up appearances.
No wonder, then, that John Cleese left the country.
Let’s pressure the board of the Association of British Orchestras to rescind the award presented to Alan Davey at the Leeds conference a few weeks ago. The man has presided over a shameful period in British classical music – he’s the last person who should be honoured for lifetime achievement.
Who was Chair of the ABO when that award was dreamt up?
RTE and Lyric FM in Ireland is miles better for music than BBC. Once it lost its Lord Reith focus – inform, educate, entertain it is no longer a respected broadcaster.
Its employees would not know a quaver from a crotchet or Bach from Buxtehude. I rarely listen to it now. It was fine back in the olden days when I listened to it on my old Pye wireless in Dublin back in the 1950s.
Now it is misinform, propagandise, indoctrinate.
Does anyone know why the English BBC orchestras have a 20% cut and not the Welsh or Scottish orchestras?
Political correctness?
The gist of the reason is that SSO, NOW and NCW are managed by BBC Scotland and BBC Wales, and not by BBC Orchestras and Choirs. So their cuts may come at later dates when Scotland and Wales announce.
If you look up Lorna Clarke on the BBC website her biography & CV makes no mention at all of any experience, training or background in classical music. This is what is wrong with the BBC.
It would be like my old hospital the Rotunda in Dublin hiring a ventriloquist as its Master.
My sympathy to GB listeners, I find RTE and Lyric FM in Ireland far better.
I am looking forward to attending choral Eucharist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
Yes, immediately before her current BBC role, wasn’t Ms Clarke in charge of ‘pop’ music at the Corporation, and before that network mananger for Radio 2, Six Music and the BBC Asian Network? According to the BBC, as of July 2022, her salary was between £180,000 and £185,000, ‘though her claimed expenses are commendably frugal!
As usual, the BBC appointments are towards those who tick boxes (always has been)and usually without a degree in the Performing Arts! (They especially revere Oxbridge types, Simon Webb) Yet Lorna Clarke is Copenhagen Business School so of course has an understanding of the music world.
One of our great intellectual and cultural beacons is being torn down.
A bit like Brexit, isn’t it? Another British institution with its head down and blinkers on heading for an inevitable and ludicrous collision with a wall.
And once-head-of-pop Lorna Clarke’s qualifications in classical are what?
Alan Davey, if you look up his biography started life as a humble administrator in the DHSS. He managed to acquire several honorary doctorates, again has no background in classical music, he is passing on this month to pastures new.
Imagine what would happen if your local GP was a former chestnut roaster with no medical training qualifications and registration!
It seems on Radio 3 one does not have to have any relevant formal training and experience at all. How did he manage to get the job at all?
Indeed, the fault lies not so much with Ms Clarke or Mr Davey, but with the organization and people who gave them authority over domains in which they lack expertise.
This is the sort of person you really need to run the BBC and for that matter the NHS. I do rather resemble Sir Lancelot Spratt, MD, FRCS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVWjAeAa52o
I propose Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling….
Anyone who can teach ravens to fly underwater is clearly best-suited (and cleary best-‘qualified’) to sort out this absolute cluster-mess!
I mean, seriously, what on earth is the BBC thinking?
Why not have just one big department to run the BBC, NHS, Arts Council etc? No specialist knowledge necessary, so no change needed, and no need to move top management from one gravy train to another.
Call it the of Department of Administrative Affairs.
“A bit like Brexit, isn’t it?”
The politics are different and a bit mixed up between Brexit and things like what’s going on with the BBC and “self-censor.” Upending traditional Western culture is affected way more by the political left, whereas Brexit appealed way more to the UK-traditions, cultural-respecting political right. There was an overlap between the two, however, so it’s not a perfect philosophical match. But I imagine a larger portion of people who opposed Brexit are less bothered by what the BBC is doing.
I would like to know what qualifications in music Lorna Blair et al have ?? Can they actually spell Harrison Birtwhistle , Dunstable , ades. ????
Birtwistle.
Presumably you got all three names wrong for satirical purposes.