BBC hires extra conductor

The BBC today appointed the German musician Anja Bihlmaier as principal guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic.

Bihlmaier, 45, has just left the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague after one three-year term as chief conductor. On Thursday she conducts the BBC Philharmonic for a second time at the BBC Proms. The orchestra has the Finn John Storgards as its music director.

Sir Thomas Beecham’s quip about hiring foreign conductors when there are so many English second-raters might now reasonably be applied to the BBC which – except in Scotland – does not have a single British baton on the books.

Should this be an issue? Given the high quotient of Finns – four, count them – it does not reflect well on the BBC’s search criteria.

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