Don’t get caught up in outdated beliefs – classical
music offers something for everyone, says Jonathan Lennie
Despite the best efforts of orchestras and opera companies to attract a new and younger audience, some classical music myths still abound. Somehow, there persists an idea that classical concerts are very formal events in which people in tuxedos and ballgowns buy very expensive tickets to hear ancient, irrelevant music, performed by ageing men dressed like they are from the 19th century. And, even if you did manage to pass the classical music quiz to get in, they would soon spot your inappropriate behaviour and, not being an expert, you would have no idea what is going on, right? Wrong. None of that is true, of course.
Trainers allowedModern audiences come in all shapes and sizes, and are as likely to be dressed in a T-shirt and jeans as in a suit and tie. What’s more, compared with other forms of entertainment, prices are very reasonable. Tickets for the
BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in
London, for instance, start at £12, or less if you take advantage of a young person’s scheme – certainly cheaper than a football match or the cinema in London, and not much to witness 90 professional musicians playing some of the world’s greatest music.