Nike Wagner, director of Bonn’s Beethovenfest: “The connoisseurs of bygone times are giving way to the consumers of today. And these people tend to gravitate toward the mainstream, toward popular big events with pop, rock and entertainment. Yet classical music, in the widest sense, has always been written and intended for a minority audience. So it’s paradoxical – but this way, the highest quality, ‘elite’ works are also getting exposure.”