Daniel Barenboim speaks out against the level of the UK government’s support of the arts. “Music has become a specialised commodity for both performers and audiences. Young people do come to concerts – that is not the problem. The problem is that we have lost the intellectuals. And when that happens its role in society diminishes.” He ascribed this decline to the reduction of music education. “Music is a strange animal, in that you cannot explain a Beethoven symphony in words. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have content, but if you reduce music education you not only get fewer musicians and audiences but also you take away the sense of content.”