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You wrote in your review of a recent CD: "If I challenged you to name ten living composers whose music will be played 50 years from now, Gavin Bryars would be among my certainties."

Who are the other nine on your list?

I'll summarise tomorrow. Meantime, debate raging on Facebook and Twitter.

Norman,

A couple of months ago I heard your interview with Michael Kaiser on BBC3. During the interview you mentioned audience demographics for classical music in France. Could you provide with the source of that information?

Thanks,

John

I have a question about your Song of Names. Did this Song exist? How many of the hundreds of thousands end up on the list?! I can't find a reference to the existence of this song.
Thanks

Do you know if people from the other side of the stage (conductors and performers) have noted the growing number of people who stampede out of the auditorium as though it were a fire drill immediately after the last note is played? It used to be a few wise-asses who wanted to beat the crush at the coat-check, but last week at the RFH it seems that all of them decided to attend the same concert, and half of the hall spilled out as the orchestra was taking their bows. Surely this is disheartening for a performer? I know one can't force an audience to applaud what they don't find worth clapping, but surely one can spare a few minutes out of respect for two hours of hard work. Have you talked to anyone on the performer's side who has mentioned this?

Finzi vs. Mahler

I hear Finzi as a great writer.

Mahler as "hack-y".

I love Mahler, don't get me wrong.

It can work. But please don't tell me
he's a good writer.

For Mahler to get such huge attention whilst
Finzi is ignored methinks is the height of injustice.

I'm sorry that your Evening Standard column no longer appears - I always tried to get hold of a copy on a Wednesday. Your strident style (and classical music coverage in general) is much missed by this reader. Is the future in the blogosphere after all?

can you do this in reverse?
suggest what the effect is of certain compositions or composers? one can't standardize emotional responses, I'm guessing, but if you could take a stab at it, in my case it would be Prokofiev:
Lt. Kiev, The Gambler Suite, The Classical Symphony, piano and violin concertos. I was a viola performance major in college, in the 1970's, when I discovered those passions. Only association I can come up with is that my mother, who had been a concert pianist, and who ran a children's camp in my childhood, had the campers act out Peter and the Wolf in the 1950's. I'd be curious to know what language you might use to describe the effect of Prokofiev, if something like that could be standardized.

I enjoyed your Scena column on Sir Thomas Beecham, and I'm wondering if you know the provenance of the below anecdote?

Once, Sir Thomas, son of the founder of Beecham's Pills, the huge pharmaceutical company, was walking about in one
of the smaller British towns when he spied a bank. Going in, he said to the teller, "I need some money." The response
from the teller was, "Do you have an account with us?" Beecham's companion immediately said to the teller, "Do you know
who this is? It's Sir Thomas Beecham." The teller, somewhat flustered, excused himself and retired to the bank office.
When he returned several minutes later, he said, "We are pleased to be able to serve you, Sir Thomas. How much money
do you want?." Beecham replied, "How much do you have?"

John Lucas replies:
I would say the story is definitely apocryphal. I have seen it in one or two guises, though not precisely this one. Part of the problem is that 'humorous' magazines were much given to inventing Beecham stories, knowing that he would never bother to contradict or complain about them

I enjoyed your programme, Is this a record?

Well researched, well presented and highly entertaining.

Margarete Rolle

Just listened to 'Is this a Record'. Never have I heard such a 'pantheon' such awfulness! I'm so glad you put that programme together. Maybe I'm an 'aesthete', but it seems that primary reason for recording is to make money, rather than capture artistry in as perfect a form as possible.

Keep this sort of thing coming - hopefully someone will see how dire it has become with classical art music. And how Jazz/World Music has infiltrated Radio 3 and classical music in general that it is almost politically incorrect to present only western art music in a concert.

How sad it is to see the only 'providers' of broadcast 'art' music become either purveyors of insipid aural wallpaper by the yard or stockists of political correctness.

What happened to astonishing my ears, and not letting them sit back in an easy chair? (forgive me Mr Ives)

Mark

Dear Norman Lebrecht,

First may I say how much I enjoy your frank and revealing interviews with musicians - an invaluable insight for music lovers.

I've long appreciated the phenomenal talents of Natalie Dessay, and was mortified to find I’d missed your interview with her last week (21-7-08). Unfortunately it's not available on the BBC 3 “Listen again” due to the 7-day policy.

Is there any way I could possibly listen to your Interview – perhaps through an archive system or some other source? I would really appreciate it if you could help me out.

Kind regards,

Tony Fell

University of Bradford,
Yorkshire

Dear Sir,

I enjoyed reading your article about Candide and the need for an Overture Protection Society. I am currently in a production of Candide and sadly, our director felt it necessary to stage the overture. Dreadful choice.

All the best,
Diana

NL: Name and shame him! Diana, you are member #2 of the OPS - best, Norman