Dave. I'm not saying that all is sweetness and roses in classical either. But chucking in a long-time legend like Christy in to demonstrate how to get audiences is like me saying we'll get Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil, fill the Bridgewater three times over and lo! See how all's well in the world of classical!   And the Hallé playing Messiaen or Shostakovich will never fill the hall but that is not a reason for not airing less mainstream, less popular works. Without subsidy you'd have to ditch them (no loss to me in those cases as it happens but that's hardly the point is it. Had Bach been left to "market forces" in the hundred years after his death instead of being advocated by a few aficionados with vision we would scarcely have heard of him now). A big promoter in London can fill the Albert Hall every week as long as puts the all-bells-and-whistles 1812 on the menu. The subsidies for classical help to preserve diversity. I hope you can see it's not the same perception problem as with folk music. Anyone can quote exceptions that prove the rule. I happen to think that we need to preserve culture, even minority culture, and that will usually require taxpayers' dosh. Jeez, if they can do it for Northern bloody Rock... The problem with folk is that it has yet to prove (not to you, not to me, not to each other!) that there is culture worth preserving. To the general public, even to the reluctant Beeb. Traditional Irish has big problems of perception (and the rapidly-changing nature of the country) too but they are not the same as here and there are several regular (and good) radio slots on RTE and on local radio. It's what people think of us at the end of the day innit. We can't expect either them or even the Beeb to make all the running in getting the perception right and fair. It has to come from within.   Whining on about lack of subsidy of folk is a perfect manifestation of one of the symptoms of the problem.   Anyway, the Barn Concert is great and will do good. I didn't haven't a pot at Eliza's article because I have a problem with the gig.   I just don't. I didn't have a problem with the article either apart from the snipe in the final paragraph. We need good airings by good people. All power.