The new week-long Bristol Proms series aims to break classical music out of its ghettos. Has it succeeded, asks John Lewis?
Classical promoters and record label bosses have long claimed that they want to "take this music to the masses", to "break out of the classical ghettos", or to "find a new audience for this music". The same barriers are often cited. Symphony halls are stuffy and uncomfortable. Orchestras wear black and you can't see what they're doing. Conductors have their back turned to you, rarely say anything and never talk about the compositions. Audiences can't applaud between movements, or even clap between a series of linked pieces.
