Sir Simon, who leaves the UK to become musical director for the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, believes British classical musicians have been dogged for years by poor facilities and low pay. Speaking to Radio Times magazine, he said that during his time in charge of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, it had to sell its grand piano and stop recruiting musicians to clear its deficit and secure funding from England's Arts Council. Every orchestra in this country is technically bankrupt, but somehow muddles through. The important is always edged out by the desperate, which may be the way to run a war, but it's a bloody awful way to run an arts organisation.
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It is like saying we don't need children as long as we have snapshots. Of course, it is expensive and some people go for social reasons, but it is a damn sight more expensive to hear Barbra Streisand. It's so important for music to be available to everyone, and that's a matter of political will as well as organisation. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.