Just in: Birmingham’s shockingly empty Symphony Hall
OrchestrasThis was the state of the audience a couple of moments before the orchestra came on stages for a concert of Debussy and Stravinsky, conducted by Jérémie Rhorer and augmented by the CBSO Youth Chorus (which usually brings some of its parents along).
Just look at the emptiness.
This is an organisation in deep crisis.
Our correspondent reports:
‘There was a short speech before the concert began asking audience members not to take photographs or make recordings during the concert. This was met with spontaneous applause.
‘Audience behaviour was very good. I saw only one person with a drink: it appeared to be Emma Stenning, the CEO, who held a drink in her hands throughout the Debussy, finishing it in the middle of the ‘Sirènes’.’
Someone needs to get a grip.
We are so very worried for our Orchestra’s future: they have lost their entire budget from the City Council, attendance at concerts is poor and rather than finding solutions to their terrible problems Ms Stenning seems determined to declare war on those of us who have been supporting the Orchestra and attending concerts loyally for decades. We have been coming regularly since the Town Hall days over 40 years ago. There have never been times like these. It is terribly upsetting suddenly to feel that we aren’t welcome any more. We wrote to the Orchestra about our concerns but have not had any form of acknowledgement or reply. Most of all we worry for the musicians.
Very well said. The new CEO is completely out of her depth. Can we have a bucket collection after the concerts to buy her a one-way ticket back to Canada?
Give her a chance. She might yet prove her worth. Ever erred Tim?
She’s had a chance. See photo above for impact.
She’s not a Canadian, she’s British. Why would you send her back here?
Totally agree. Pop to see Fulltone on the 25th May in Symphony Hall – they’d love to have you there.
If I could for this multiple times I would.
Keep up the fight!
I agree. I too have been coming for decades. Since the arrival of this CEO, the upsets have been many, and old hands feel they are not listened to. I too have written but got the brush-off. Not good for PR. The cheers tonight re the camera/mobile announcement should tell the CEO something. But – as I predicted months ago – I suspect a stubborn approach. I see and hear few supporters in Symphony Hall. The vast majority I have spoken to are not in favour. It is utterly right to find ways to fill this hall – but her ideas range from the naive to the cuckoo. And managing to alienate decades-old hands is quite an achievemen in such a short time. Bridges need to be built fast, but I fear it’s too late. I feel for the orchestra.
The fact that she backtracks so reactively indicates this was never properly thought out and consulted in the first place. There are the great and the good in Birmingham musical circles, and no-one was approached.
Last Wednesday was packed, last Saturday was completely sold out, so it’s by no means all doom and gloom. Me and my four friends are not in that pic but we were there, so it was a little fuller but certainly very quiet this week.
I remember concerts that empty with Sakari and some “star” visitors…it happens now and then. Of course we have to hope it doesn’t become a trend, but the “cost of living crisis” is real and increasingly difficult.
The Council cuts are very sad, not a great time to be trying to find an extra £630,000…so that’s definitely tough. But it’s a small percentage of their overall budget, and it’s actually the cutting of ties and what that represents for culture that is sadder.
Don’t know why you don’t feel welcome? Seems like the orchestra is playing amazingly, especially when Kazuki is conducting, and are busy “spreading the joy” rather than in “deep crisis”. I don’t feel as though Emma has “declared war” on me either!
So pleased that Emma Stenning is ‘flying the flag’ for off the wall behaviour at classical music events. No wonder people are not going to support such clowns!
CBSO member. I’m curious to know what this war is against you, there were no phones in the concert last night and the Pictures at an Exhibition concert was reverted back to a standard concert. Any “Explore” concerts are clearly marked in the brochure and you do not have to attend these. Please explain.
Personally I feel very welcomed when I attend CBSO concerts – perhaps you would like a red carpet?
Attendance isn’t always poor by any means – inevitably some will sell more than others. Kazuki concerts are always well attended and there is also a cost of living crisis. I can’t go as much as I would like to for this reason. I have noticed there are more young people attending which is very positive for the CBSO.
Your points are well made. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
I was there for a CBSO matinée a few weeks back and it was three-quarters full.
I completely agree with your comments. The new management of the CBSO doesn’t seem to have a clue – Bling leading the blind!
Tim, you were there last Wednesday. You will have seen with your own eyes that the hall was well filled, that the audience was enthusiastic, the orchestra was playing superbly for Kazuki Yamada and that there was nothing unusual about the presentation or the behaviour of the public. You’ve also been to enough CBSO concerts over the years to know that some concerts simply don’t sell – something that’s inevitable in a season that is nearly twice the size of a typical London orchestral season. And you’ll be well aware that top of the list of things that don’t sell (after new music) are French repertoire and post-Sacre Stravinsky.
“Blind leading the blind?” More a case of none so blind as those who won’t see.
If Emma Stenning really was the only person in the audience holding a drink, then she should resign.
Extremely sad.
But in the next breath people the same people bemoaning the doomed state of classical music in the UK will fight tooth and claw against any attempt to grow its appeal and will be triggered by any mention of inclusion and/or diversity.
You know who you are and you are your own worst enemy. You have spent decades trying to keep classical concerts as a cosy club for ‘our sort of people’. Well you reap what you sow.
The target audience is dying and who is going to replace them?
“against any attempt to grow its appeal and will be triggered by any mention of inclusion and/or diversity”
No, they’re not against any attempt to grow its appeal, they just happen to believe that fashionable DEI is not the way to do it. It’s not a new idea and it’s not working!
Sneer at “our sort of people” if you wish, but trying to attract people who are not predisposed to listen to classical music is always going to be an uphill struggle. Without the full cooperation of the education system, the BBC, and parents, it is doomed to fail in the short term. The question is, if these reforms could be introduced (and that’s a big “if”), can the CBSO afford to wait until the benefits filter through? Doesn’t look promising.
“trying to attract people who are not predisposed to listen to classical music”
Talk about giving yourself away ….
Please explain precisely what I’m giving away.
Perhaps you could define the sort of people who are, in your opinion, “predisposed to listen to classical music” and what it is about them that makes them so inherently “predisposed” compared to other people …..
Specifically targeting black people stands a much lower chance of success than, say, E Asians or white middle class people. I’ve tried. The complaint that stands out time and time again is that it comes across as patronising – white people knowing what is best for black people who, being black, cannot possibly have heard of Mozart or Mahler. Black people do not like being treated as a barometer of success for some trendy white campaign.
In my experience, white working class people are no more familiar with these composers than black people are, possibly less so, but DEI activists don’t want them.
Lack of diversity is primarily a problem of class, not race.
Why “inherently”?
Where did that come from?
Precisely who is being ‘excluded’?
@Michael: you don’t ‘grow’ appeal, you nurture or develop it. You can only grow something from scratch, such as plants. The current fashion for misusing that verb is excruciating, as is the latest neologism, ‘to leverage’. Americans love making verbs out of nouns (to impact, weaponise, now ‘leverage’) and the UK brainlessly laps it all up.
As for the target audience dying out, well, they’ve been saying that for decades. It seems that many people come to classical music later in life and then stay loyal to it until the man in the white suit comes for them. It’s a little like the market for slacks with elasticated waistbands of which no-one, to my knowledge, has predicted a looming demise.
What was the minimum price for a ticket?
£5
for students yes but for pensioners £26
I book a full season of tickets, so get the maximum discount. I sit in the cheapest seats so normally pay £12.50 per ticket. Last night my ticket was £23.50. Still not a Kings ransom by any means.
It is not just the problem of this particular organization. UK politicians decided to flood the country with people of different cultural values. And they become the majority. This is only a beginning. Dark times are upon us
“And they become the majority.”
When was that, exactly? 1975? 2021? 10 minutes ago?
They ‘will’ become the majority, but you know that’s what he meant…
How perceptive you are! You *know* that I knew what he meant and you *know* what he meant!
Actually, I didn’t know that that was what he meant. I tend to take it that people mean what they say, and took him to be under the impression they ‘they’ have already become the majority.
Do try to be a little less confident in making things up about other posters.
Tonight’s performance was absolutely wonderful, a world class orchestra and soloist, playing to their usual impeccably high standards. While it was a shame that there weren’t more seats filled, I find it much more concerning that ‘journalism’ (in the very loosest sense of the word) such as this, is choosing to attack members of the management rather than promote the quality of the music which is, in my opinion, first class. Why somebody would choose to focus on whether other audience members were having drink or not is beyond me, I was enjoying the quality of the CBSO, and I can’t wait to hear them again.
‘Cos it’s immensely distracting when the stranger sitting next to you is guzzling. I’ve pretty well stopped going to theatre because of the guzzlers, the chatterers, the phone-users, the arm-wavers, the singing-alongers.
I don’t lik the drinking and phone-waving. However, I grew up in cinemas where you sat still and quiet, though engulfed in cigarette smoke in the 1950s. As an ardent RLPO fan, I have learned to adjust. It is also lovely not to be surrounded by geriatrics like me.
Hi Emma! Worth it?
I totally agree. The Orchestra are playing better now than I’ve heard before in a decade of visiting Symphony Hall. It would be good to see that as the focus of the conversation.
I would also like last nights rules (photo’s and videos only during applause breaks) applied to all concerts.
No, journalists (more politely, “reviewers”) comment on the entire concert experience, which extends into the auditorium.
I think a balanced and fair review, that comments on the entire concert experience would be very welcome. What’s written above is none of those things.
This is too much. The CBSO are still playing great concerts and all this constant media bombardment is doing is putting people off going.
Audiences have been dropping worryingly for a long time and to constantly pillory someone for trying to act in the best interests of the orchestra and turn the tide is counterproductive at best. There may have been some changes made that haven’t quite worked but the concerts are still going on and are still of a consistently high quality; all that is required is for people to attend them.
And as for the carping on about the CEO having a drink….I mean, unless she was crashing bottles of champagne around the place then really, grow up!
(Tonight’s concert was excellent by the way, in case anyone is vaguely interested in the actual music.)
It is easier to be focus on the music that’s playing if you’re not repeatedly distracted by the raising of a booze-swilling arm (yes, dear, it’s called a transferred epithet) in your sightline.
Don’t patronise please Paul Brownsea. What about a water-sipping arm? Is that better? Different?
I don’t like some of the changes either (the video / lighting business for example) but as Christopher Morley says they do seem to be prepared to backtrack if something isn’t working out. I just wish people would support this great orchestra by continuing to attend their superb concerts rather than heckling from the sidelines. People read this stuff and it is immensely damaging.
It would be awful if this debacle (which, I hope, will be remembered in retrospect as the storm in a teacup it surely is) were to lead to the demise of a great and valuable institution.
I haven’t done any patronising.
FYI, a water-sipping arm is no different. Your arm going up and down still caresses my arm.
‘Twould be nice if you could spell my name correctly.
Apologies, autocorrect turned you into an island. Perhaps, incidentally, you would be happier on one of those; maybe one without any other people to annoy you.
Ooooh!
What is so objectionable about not wanting to be shoved by the person next to me as they raise and lower their glass, as the interference with my sightline distracts me, as the angle of liquid in the glass suggests wetness may be about to spill over onto me?
Oh, and you still haven’t substantiated your claim that I was *patronising*. Possibly you don’t think before slapping on the boo-words.
Spot on. I am fully supportive of a team trying honestly to make changes and broaden the appeal of the music we all enjoy. I love taking a drink in with me and I am able to drink without slurping.
One poorly attended concert is hardly a crisis.
“There was a short speech before the concert began asking audience members not to take photographs or make recordings during the concert.”
Who made that announcement? It’s in direct opposition to the recent announcements from the orchestra.
Or was it only because of the presence of the youth choir – safeguarding issues?
The person who made the announcement was Graham Sibley – Director of Orchestra Operations and an ex-member of the orchestra. He is part of the New Management who is upsetting so many of the regular CBSO audience.
The announcement was made by Graham Sibley, Director of Orchestra Operations. No reason was given.
The CBSO is still a brilliant orchestra and Kazuki Yamada is a very able and popular music director. Also there are many concerts that are well attended.
However, the board and senior management have been losing credibility and trust.
Please – stop gimmicks, stop preaching, stop being condescending and stop treating your loyal supporters like children who don’t know what is good for them.
Please – rediscover the caring, friendly atmosphere of a few years ago, show some empathy and LISTEN to your audience if you want to keep them with you.
Above all, program the major and varied classical music repertoire and let the CBSO Musicians get on with giving great performances.
The new season looks promising but the policy and attitude at the top has to improve.
What is a ‘caring atmosphere’?
Emma Stenning brazenly drinking during the performance should leave to sell said drinks at a stand as far away from this hall as possible – preferably on a remote far away island in the pacific
Bristol, a city of 750,000 doesn’t even have a professional orchestra. They have to import the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and others for concerts.
And at Wednesday night’s Bristol concert by the Halle practically everyone sitting around me was drinking without any fuss at all.
Without any fuss at all from or by *whom*? I daresay slurpers don’t mind other slurpers next to them. Perhaps there is a case for having separate Slurpers’ Enclaves in the seating.
Under the dire circumstances, maybe they should consider renting out these empty halls for private events like weddings and birthday parties, with members of the orchestra providing musical entertainment. Just saying!
They are not alone. But what’s the attendance like if Yo-Yo Ma or Joshua Bell shows up?
I’ve seen some distressingly sparse houses at Strathmore for the Baltimore Symphony in recent years, but nothing quite that bad. How can you possibly stay in business very long?
All part of closure of restaurants, pubs, shops, decimation of city centres making them unattractive places, due to people preferring to order in than make the effort to visit any of these. It’s not only classical music that is affected, attendance at other places of entertainment suffer with closure of small club sites. Only the mega pop concert or festival seem immune at the moment. What’s caused all this, “Stay at Home” a very powerful message for some. What did people expect?
The end is near if that’s your house for repertory.
There is no alternative to subscription selling, and any “CEO” not aware of this immutable fact grasped centuries ago, or unable to execute, must be replaced.
Separately, the reason drinks are not allowed in properly managed halls is that removing stains is expensive.
Such a waste of a fine hall.
I was at the Southbank for the Philharmonia’s Bruckner and Kantorow last night which was brilliant but also “shockingly empty.” Rather than this constant attack on CBSO, it would be so much better if our industry could support and lift up all our UK orchestras working in these difficult times.
This! It’s tough out there at the moment. I manage http://www.fto.org uk and we’re about to embark on a five night tour. The fear and realities of us playing to tiny houses is very very real. Yet what we produce is exceptional. All orchestras are facing the scarcity in audiences. And I just don’t know why. What’s happened?
Conversely there have been several full houses this season – with silent audiences. These tend to be the weightiest concerts such as a superb Shostakovich 8th Symphony. There should be a message in that.
Destruction of an art form by a woke marketeer! Sad. I used to enjoy CBSO concerts. Won’t be going to anymore.
That’s a pity. The orchestra needs our support. Don’t give in. The orchestra and music are thrilling. That’s what counts. Not Ms Stenning setting bad examples. (Can she REALLY not do without a drink for an hour?)
Very sad, especially if this was the concert with Ravel’s Scheherazade sung by a wonderful singer, and Stravinsky’s thrilling and rarely heard Symphony in Three Movements.
Ms Stenning may have been signalling that it’s ok to take a drink into the hall. That’s a practice which many venues now permit. Of the various strategies to increase the appeal of classical concerts, it’s one which doesn’t really bother me. I occasionally sip a G&T myself.
So maybe Ms Stenning should buy a few cases of plonk. Then, next time fewer than half the seats are sold three days before a concert, mobilise social media, fly posters etc to send a message: “Come to Symphony Hall – all remaining tickets £5, including a free glass of wine”…. (or beer or soft drink, of course).
I don’t know why UK venues seem reluctant to adopt dynamic pricing. It can cut both ways, of course: we heard here recently of a US venue charging USD 750 for the few remaining (and not very good!) seats for a recital by Yo Yo Ma.
English Touring Opera visited my local theatre recently. Their Manon Lescaut had been trashed by most critics, and The Rake’s Progress rarely fills any house. So I wasn’t surprised to see plenty of tickets left on the days of the performances. I phoned the box office: “Do you offer any last-minute concessions?” The answer was no, never.
Fortunately, the shows must go on, in the short term, at least. The costs are therefore sunk. Do managers and promoters not realise that ANY revenue from ticket sales (and hence more bums on seats) is better than no revenue?
Dynamic pricing would be good. When were you last on a Ryanair or EasyJet flight that was less than 80% full? They’ve been using dynamic pricing for decades. The algorithms are trivial by comparison with those used by social media.
Alternatively or additionally, why do many venues still not collaborate with seat-filling websites like Central Tickets? I’ve had some great deals from them for concerts at SouthBank Centre.
As for drinks stains on seats, just say “no red wine in the hall, please”. Most other stains will yield to a dry-cleaning spray can.
If Central Tickets is anything like Ticket Masters, scalpers buy up seats for popular concerts and audience pay dearly with the orchestra not getting that premium.
THIS!! It’s decimating organisations right across the arts sector. Except, it’s not the companies buying them all, it’s the arts organisations having to use them to seat fill, in the vain hope it feels full and people who’ve bought tickets buy tickets for the next one quicker. It’s a dreadful dreadful state of affairs.
Does S Rattle have anything to say about this which, if it’s as bad as the reporting suggests, is existential?
I know it’s many years since he moved on but, as he did so much to promote the orchestra, it must be deeply depressing to see his work undone.
In central London the other day I was struck by how busy it was. London has huge numbers of commuters and tourists to help keep things going. Other cities not so much. Is that the future? Successful venues in places like London and Edinburgh, and very little elsewhere?
His work’s not undone! A couple of concerts have been very quiet, many have been packed, some have been sold out.
It was very busy outside Symphony Hall last night – with roller skaters…maybe they could’ve been offered free tickets or made aware of the £5 tickets they’d have been eligible for! A few might’ve popped in.
It was a beautiful concert, amazing soloist, wonderful CBSO Youth Chorus and gorgeous playing by CBSO.
Calm down.
I said “IF it’s as bad as the reporting suggests”.
Just going on what has been reported.
Well the CBSO can’t win can it. Despite an announcement to say no phones during the performance last night, the usual suspects are still straight on here intent on carrying on the witch hunt against Emma Stenning and the CBSO. You got what you wanted, why can’t you just celebrate what was a fantastic concert. Whoever sent this photo in clearly spent the whole concert watching Emma and not the orchestra. Although it is wonderful to know the exact moment she finished her drink!! Sadly I missed that particular climax!
All these people who claim to be CBSO fans seem to be doing a sterling job of trying to destroy it.
Hi Emma! Got another of your theatre friends to write this? Always welcoming feedback…if it supports your agenda.
Your drinks distract people around you who actually went for the music. Any drink suggestions to improve Debussy? Let us know.
Not sure why anyway needs to drink during a performance? There’s a place for drinks – it’s called the bar.
It’s also dangerous having to step/trip over discarded drinking vessels or slipping on the spilled liquid in the rows/aisles when accessing or exiting seats. And some poor souls have to clean up afterwards! Don’t want concerts to become like rugby matches.
To which Constant Lambert and friends would repair when anything by Brahms was about to be performed.
Australians have a reputation for consumption of alcohol, but nobody here would drink during a concert or a ballet or an opera. Why Brits seem unable to do anything these days without guzzling alcohol is an interesting question.
What’s wrong with having a drink while watching?
Nothing wrong, you can watch it from the bar, take Emma with you.
It’s distracting to others. Others matter more than oneself.
‘Cosit distracts the person next to you. Your guzzling arm transporting your glass up and down to your mouth intrudes on their sightline, while your arm is brushing against theirs as you raise and lower the glass. This shows lack of consideration for others.
Or having a pee?
The announcement at last night’s concert reflected our current policy and asked audience members to take any photos and short film clips during applause breaks.
The full policy can be read here: https://cbso.co.uk/your-visit/faqs#at-the-performance
Thank you, Ms Marketing
I don’t see anybody on the CBSO staff called Ms Marketing.
“During applause breaks” = Not during the music. That’s a U-turn compared to recent concerts.
The policy merely “suggests”, so not the same as the announcement. Big difference Ms Marketing.
The policy doesn’t tell people not to take photos during the performance. It ‘suggests’ they wait to an interval. weasel words
How many people can follow all these ambivalent and ambiguous niceties? Are we listening to great music or what? CBSO Management – you are being disingenuous. It’s absurd.
Selling tickets for orchestral concerts is manifestly getting harder, but the ‘new’ audience will be hard to find, and it is foolish to alienate the ‘old’ audience in the meantime. Ultimately, the local authority should not have cut the grant completely – and spent much more energy pressing the Government to recognise its responsibility for the CBSO – a National Asset. Perhaps a change of Government will help – but common sense and fewer gimmicks are the best antidotes to decline.
Last year we went to a Albert Hall prom and the guys next to us munched on crisps and popcorn throughout. In the end my partner asked them to be more ‘thoughtful’ about their behaviour. To which their response was that they had been purchased at the Albert Hall. And in a sense I could see the point.
While I am sorry that people feel upset that Ms Stenning has not replied to their messages, I can assure them from first hand experience that it would have been no different under the previous CEO.
The previous CEO cared about music and did his best to make the CBSO world class.
Emma treats music as if it’s another theatre role for her CV, something to be dumbed down instead of elevated. She is ignoring her loyal audience because she thinks she knows better.
In her own words when she took the job, she described “musicians, artists and educators who brought the repertoire to me in new and accessible ways, and held my hand as I discovered each piece for the first time”. Is this a woman to be steering an orchestra to greater heights?
Orchestra members and donors are appalled and it’s only a matter of time until something changes. Let’s pray the CBSO survives her ignorance and arrogance.
And you know what? Some orchestra members were appalled by the previous CEO too. They drove the one before him to nervous exhaustion and forced his predecessor out of his job outright.
(Note the term “some”. Not all. There are few things that are certain in orchestral life, but one constant is that if someone claims to be speaking on behalf of all the musicians, they aren’t).
As M Chevalier used to sing: Ah yes, I remember it well…
There are still three or four players who back Ms Stenning, but most stay determinedly shtum.
Is that an excuse? We are in the here and now. The buck stops….
Stephen was a brilliant CEO with an encyclopedic knowledge of music who truly cares about the orchestra. He steered us through thick and thin. We may not always have appreciated just how good he was at the time but it’s not right to deflect criticism of Emma onto him. He’s in a different league, sadly.
Are you really all moaning about the CEO of an orchestra having a glass of water during a concert. Would you rather she coughed throughout it instead…..oh no wait, that would probably annoy you all too!
Who said it was water? CBSO policy allows wine, beer, spirits, fizzy drinks, … Emma says it makes it more inclusive but she’s the only one there drinking
Can anyone confirm what previous experience Emma Stenning has with music and orchestras? People keep saying she has zero music experience? If so it explains everything
A few points. No photos- great, and well observed. The attendance was small, but by the start of the concert it had grown. I was about ten seats from Emma Stenning. I didn’t notice if she had a drink, and if she did it certainly wasn’t carousing. Certainly she didn’t applaud Graham Sibleys speech! I think there have been some serious communication misteps, but I’m less worried than I was. The Explorer concerts are clearly marked in the season brochure; and the rush.hour concerts are something I really hope work – surely a better way to pull in some new faces who might become regulars.For the moment I give ES the benefit of the doubt, and I’ll be subscribing again on the 20th May
Re drinking: it is simply not good manners to drink next to someone in a concert of this kind. It is distracting and unnecessary. This may be old-fashioned but it’s true. If people cannot go a couple of hours without a drink (there are intervals for that) then that is absurd. It’s just part of the “me” culture: I want it now, so hang everyone else. A CEO should set an example of good manners and etiquette in a concert hall. She has signally failed to do so. In my book, that’s not only a bad CEO – it’s a disgrace. Ask yourself, Ms Stenning: What if every single member of the audience did this all the time? What would be the result? Answer that!
“The biggest cheer of the night was for the opening plea by Graham Sibley (Director of Orchestra Operations) for patrons not to film the concert. Hurrah!”
https://www.midlandsmusicreviews.co.uk/2024/05/sun-sea-and-sirens-from-debussy-and.html
Utter nonsense, the biggest cheer was for our wonderful orchestra and the soloist Elizabeth Llewellyn’s performances.
The churlish applause after Mr Sibley’s speech smelt like a bunch of spoilt brats getting their own way.
I have been coming to concerts for over 20 years and will continue to support the CBSO in their mission to attract new audiences.
As I said in my previous comment they clearly ARE also listening to the older audiences feedback. There were no phones allowed in the the performance last night, and the “woke” concerts as you all dearly love to call them are now clearly signposted so just don’t go to them. There are plenty more concerts in the season.
Whilst you’ve all been busy attacking the new CEO, you may not have noticed that the current drinks policy and phone policy have been in place since 2022, a good year before she started. For goodness sake leave the poor woman alone and support the CBSO when they need you the most. The classical music industry is in chaos.
I attended a funeral in Birmingham and, unknowingly, strayed into the clean air zone. I remained away from my Stoke on Trent home for three weeks. On my return, I found letters demanding £180 in fines. To avoid stress, I paid the fines and vowed that I would never visit Birmingham again, other than to pass through via train, boat, or motorway. I regularly visit the Liverpool Phil. It is a much more welcoming city.
I don’t get it. Are you saying that without these self-inflicted fines you’d otherwise be visiting the CBSO, Brian?
https://cbso.co.uk/stories/emmas-top-ten
“Why not discover some new tunes today?”
Bach
“Air on a G String the perfect companion for James Bond’s antics in Casino Royale.”
Puccini Madam Butterfly
“You might recognise House of Gucci, but if you listen closely you can also hear echoes of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables”
Mahler
“A favourite of fictional conductors across cinema, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 features on the soundtrack of both Tár and Death in Venice.”
Incredible!
As long as people are careful and respectful about their drinks I don’t see why this is especially controversial. People recording on phones is disrespectful. And irritating. Incidentally, it’s also irritating to a lot of ‘mainstream’ rock/pop acts who are pushing back against it. But the idea that allowing either of these will make any significant difference to bringing in new, younger, audiences is ridiculous.
Young people, generally, aren’t exposed to classical music in the education system, at any stage. Even the very few students who are interested enough in music to take GCSE in the subject can acquire an excellent grade with very little exposure to classical music. The more time we spend arguing about drinks, phones and goodness knows what else – perfectly reasonable subjects in themselves – the more precious energy is wasted in not targeting the root causes of serious cultural deficiencies (and cultural vandalism/ignorance) in our country.
“As long as people are careful and respectful about their drinks…”
Yes, but how to we ensure that they ARE careful and respectful about their drinks? Seeing someone wavering with two full glasses towards you in the cramp of a row is not a calming experience.
Its unbelievable that Stenning was on a bender literally IN the gig. Though I get the sense she must be plastered most of the time given the decisions shes making.