Conductor at eye of storm keen to push for changes
WHEN she was interviewed last month about the Last Night at the Proms, Dalia Stasevska gave no inkling about conducting the patriotic finale without lyrics.
The 35-year-old Finnish conductor sidestepped any controversy, saying she was ‘so happy’ to be allowed to take the podium at the Albert Hall in September.
However, BBC insiders have since said that she is among those keen to modernise the evening’s repertoire and reduce the patriotic elements.
She is understood to have been part of a small group behind the decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics next month.
‘Dalia is a big supporter of Black Lives Matter and thinks a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change,’ a BBC source said.
Her stance has been backed by soprano
Golda Schultz (left), who hinted at plans for a change to the final night in an interview with a music critic. The South African, 36, said: ‘Dalia and I want to pay tribute to the culture that has invited us into its space, and also make sure we do something that speaks to the times we are living through.’ Miss Stasevska, born to a Lithuanian mother and Ukrainian father, spent the first five years of her life in Estonia. She then moved to Finland and was brought up by her father and a Finnish step-mother. Her mother Ula Zait moved to America and now lives in Texas. Her Facebook profile suggests she has rather different political leanings than her daughter. She is a staunch Trump supporter and has recently posted messages containing the slogans ‘White Lives Matter’ and ‘All Lives Matter’.
Her daughter trained as a violinist at the renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki before selling a violin to pay the fees for masterclasses to become a conductor.
Since then, her stock in the classical music world has risen dramatically.
She conducted an orchestra professionally for the first time five years ago and became the principal guest conductor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra last year.
Next month, she will become only the second woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms.
Miss Stasevska, who is married to Finnish bass guitarist Lauri Porra, has spoken about facing sexual harassment and belittlement as a female conductor.
In 2014, she also published a letter condemning 511 Russian musicians for supporting Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea.
She wrote: ‘It makes me wonder how you, artists with diverse ethnic backgrounds can support a regime that is drawing new geographical lines on a false pretext.’
The conductor, who has spent lockdown learning Italian and planting potatoes, has remained silent about the Last Night furore. She has turned her Twitter page to a private setting and her agent did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.