The city of Berlin has a huge budget deficit and proposes to slash arts funding. Berlin Philharmonic music director Simon Rattle protests, describing the situation as “catastrophic” and “cultural dismantling” in an interview with the weekly Der Spiegel magazine. Sir Simon, who took over the orchestra two years ago, told the magazine: “I can see the hopeless situation of the city, but on the other hand, this cultural dismantling is an incredible shame for Berlin.”