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Hi,

Great that the proms season is on again, in my view on the best musical festival in the world.

Saying that, I hope that the comentary could be imrpoved. A comment was just made on live TV that it is important to be a diplomat when being a musician. I'm sorry to inform whatever the person's name was that the most porlific and talented conductor of the last century, was perhaps not a diplomat, Karajan. I would also include Bernstein in this.

I'd like to suggest that music is about tacit knowledge and quite simply, knowing what to play and how to interpret. It is certainly not about be in diplomatic as the implication is that when playing or confucting one has to compromise in what one is communicating. How ridiculous.

Also, this kind of opinion is typical of what's wrong with a lot of British music: most musicians who play are terrified of showing emotion or being emotional when playing their music. Have you ever looked at the back sections of British orchaesta (I include the LSO) and watched the occasional violinist hardly move their bow during Tchaikowsly's Romeo and Juliet for exmaple, or Night on Bald Mountain? Disgraceful.

I hope to see some broken violin bow hair this season and a few tears from the players...

The point is that I'm not making a distinction between 'diplomat' and 'ambassador' ( I didn't mention the latter), I'm discussing the frame of the argument itself and that there shouldn't even be a discussion about behaviour (ie diplomacy), rather that there should be one about how music is expressed (not controlled).

There's always an unhealthy obsession in the UK with 'characters' and 'personalities', rather than about the actual substance of what it is these people do: facilitate beautiful organised sound.

It made me angry that the idea of diplomacy was even mentioned. Musical ideas, if they are worthy of the ear, need to be brave not 'diplomatic'. They need to be distinct, feeling, intellectual (another faux pas that needs more mention of in today's world of soundbites, informality and 'dumbing down'), passionate.

Also, I'm not sure how much diplomacy really works in terms of organising sound. If you have a professional, truly talented set of musicians, who will understand, as part of their professionalism, the authority of the conductor, then there will be no need of it. I know for a fact most professional orchestral musicians understand this, which was another reason the use of the word angered me so.

I do though agree that Bernstein are both exponents of superb music!

Yours, with some humility...