Music gets in the way of running BBC Proms

If you were in charge of the world's largest music festival what would you want to be remembered for? - Discovering new and neglected composers and repertoire? Broadening audience tastes by imaginative and risk-taking programming? Showcasing new performing talent? Challenging your audience? Celebrating the diversity of classical music?

Compare this checklist with the achievements that BBC Proms director Nicholas Kenyon claims credit for in today's Guardian - big screen TVs in Hyde Park, internet booking, web-streaming, text-message information service, digital television relays, avoiding positive discrimination in favour of women composers (think about it), lots of guest orchestras from Europe and the US, and 'taking people with us' (whatever that means).

Nicholas Kenyon doesn't actually say it, but the message is clear. Running the BBC Proms would be a lot easier if it wasn't for that damn music.

My server logs show the BBC regularly reads the Proms coverage
On An Overgrown Path. But they need to be a lot more ingenious in their response to articles like * BBC Proms 2006 lacks the eternal feminine * Cleveland leave a bit of a Missa behind in London * Vienna Philharmonic in perpetual motion * No such thing as an unknown Venezuelan conductor
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Comments

Anonymous said…
'taking people with us' is probably the newest pc version of 'it takes a village' -- and is probably better than 'being had' (or 'taken for a ride')
Pliable said…
Actually I thought it was 'taking people with us' as in 'down a slippery slope.'

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