Simon Rattle slams ACE’s ‘cultural vandalism’

Simon Rattle slams ACE’s ‘cultural vandalism’

News

norman lebrecht

April 17, 2023

Interviewed by the Australian newspaper ahead of an LSO tour, he pulls no punches on the Arts Council’s recent actions.

Here are the quotes:

‘It’s an act of cultural vandalism… The type of cuts that are going on, countrywide, are ­making a mockery of the (Conservative) government’s claim to do levelling up … It has been illiterate and shortsighted in the most astonishing way. A real violence to the British music scene.’

‘I really enjoyed working in Germany alongside of Angela Merkel, who would be just as happy to come to hear a Bruckner symphony as she would be to watch a football match. She was passionate and knowledgeable about both. This was not a problem. The politicians there both support and enjoy classical music. That’s considered very normal. I suspect the politicians who support classical music in England often have to kind of hide, and are worried that they may be tarred with being elitist or fat cats. This also doesn’t help the art form, because it’s about as far away from elitist as you can get.’

Full story here.

 

 

Comments

  • Henry williams says:

    He enjoyed working in Germany. Why did he leave ?

  • Barry says:

    I wonder what other interests besides classical music he believes qualify one to be a head of state or other high ranking government official.

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      He’s probably thinking of another excellent musician who became a British head of state; Edward Heath.

  • Alexander Hall says:

    Do politicians in the UK actually care about what happens in the cultural scene? When you have a Culture Secretary named Nadine Dorries deemed to be a suitable custodian of our great institutions and heritage, you just want to run away and hide.

    • Barry says:

      “Do politicians in the UK actually care about what happens in the cultural scene?”

      Why confine the question to politicians? Politicians respond, cynically (and admittedly inconsistently) to what the public appears to care about. Sadly, there is little evidence that a substantial number of people care about classical music; it’s below critical mass. The blame for this extends well beyond government. Even comments in The Guardian, normally better than most on this issue, show an alarming level of ignorance about the true reasons for subsidy.

      The educational establishment, the BBC in recent years, the press, TV companies, all members of the “sink or swim” brigade, and those who think that any European art form is intrinsically bad, must share the blame.

      • Sue Sonata Form says:

        I was about to agree with everything you said – until you mentioned the Grauniad.

        • Barry says:

          I don’t support its politics but arts coverage used to be better than many, even if I had to hold my nose when reading it.

          The BBC in print.

  • Duncan says:

    Well said Simon. Bravo. The cultural philistines aren’t just at the gate, they’ve broken through and are wrecking classical music.

  • There's no such thing as a free lunch says:

    What does Sir Simon propose to be cut instead of arts funding? Or does he know of the magical money tree that the government can get money from to fund the arts the way he wants to

    • Bob says:

      I dunno bank subsidies, military budgets?

      ACE’s overall grant is NOTHING in comparison…

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      Who knows? Apart from the fact that he’s entitled to his opinion afforded by the vestiges of freedom of speech.

    • Tamino says:

      How about stopping financing the plutocracies war rackets? (Tony Blair, are you in hell yet?) How about closing tax loopholes and taxing corporate gains proportionally to the common man?
      There are many ways where a government could make sense for culture and against daylight stealing of public money and productivity.

    • Rob Keeley says:

      Easy. Just print money. As long as Sir Simon gets his hall.

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