The mighty Phil

Listening to the excellent BBC Philharmonic recording

from the Victoria Hall,

Hanley of Elgar’s Enigma Variations (Cover CD, June) reminded me of my first ever experience of an orchestral concert at the age of 16. It was in 1962 at the Memorial Hall, Northwich, with the same orchestra, known then as the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, playing Schubert’s Ninth Symphony under George Hurst. That concert hooked me on classical music for life. With school music in decline, the role of the BBC regional orchestras in bringing classical music to local communities has never been more important. These fine orchestras are the BBC’S greatest asset. It’s high time we saw and heard more of them on television.

John Greenway, London