By the decade of the 1980s classical or serious music had become thoroughly constipated, hidebound, and imprisoned in the ivory towers of academe. Even as we move into the new millenium orchestras tend to program the safe bets, trotting out the old war-horses for a canter around the paddock, a quick rub down, and a handful of oats.

Urgent countercultural physic appeared to reestablish the essential link between music, its makers, and the common people—at least, the people more common than the arcane alchemists of academe. It took form in books such as Michael Walsh's¹ Who's Afraid of Classical Music? and performers such as The Cambridge Buskers and PDQ² Bach. Local ensembles have brought rarely heard music to the ears of interested listeners, as have composers such as Philip Glass and others. Yet, orchestras still suffer financial mismanagement, but now we have more reason to hope for better things in future.