Proms queen breaks her silence
Music world rallies to defence of woman under fire for plan to abandon songs with ‘slavery links’
‘It was the most idiotic decision as it alienates the core support of the BBC. They do get into a muddle by talking to each other’
A FINNISH conductor blamed for a row over the Last Night of the Proms has hit back at the BBC as her friends insisted corporation bosses were behind the decision to replace Rule, Britannia.
Dalia Stasevska was said to be “heartbroken” by personal attacks after BBC sources reportedly claimed she had demanded Rule, Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory were pulled from the annual performance because of associations with colonialism and slavery.
However friends of Ms Stasevska last night told The Daily Telegraph that the decision had been taken by BBC bosses, adding she would never have had the “arrogance” to demand such a change to the patriotic music.
It is understood that a compromise to perform both songs without the lyrics was made after an intervention by Tim Davie, who will take up the position of Director-general next month.
Ms Stasevska, 35, who has supported
Black Lives Matter, has been attacked since the row erupted at the weekend and has now made her social media profiles private.
A source close to her said: “From Dalia’s point of view there has been a lot of unpleasantness and some of the stuff that has been written is heart-breaking.
“It is frightening, unpleasant, scary stuff and she can’t say anything as she can’t be a part of any of that.”
The source added that “hand on heart” she did not make the decision about the songs and said that conductors do not “have the power to say I want to do this I want to do that”. There is “no arrogance” to the 35-year-old and she “would never have said that”, they told The Telegraph.
Ms Stasevska became embroiled in the controversy after “BBC sources” briefed a Sunday newspaper that she had concerns about the words. The outgoing Director-general of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall, has since described it as a “creative and artistic” decision.
The corporation last night insisted that they did not brief the story as a spokesman for the Proms described the attacks on the conductor as “unjustified and misguided”.
“The programme of the Last Night of the Proms was the BBC’S decision,” she said. “As such Dalia Stasevska should not be held responsible.”
Last night the world of music also rallied to the defence of the Ukrainianborn musician, with many sharing a message from Joshua Weilerstein, the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne.
Mr Weilerstein, who is organising an open letter from musicians and managers all over the world, said that attacks on his peer had been “unbelievably abusive, bullying, and patently xenophobic”. He wrote: “Regardless of views on the issue of programming certain traditional works, which are of course subject of vigorous and necessary debate, the treatment that Dalia is getting is abhorrent and needs to be addressed.”
Lord Grade, the former BBC chairman, said last night that Mr Davie was a man of “infinite common sense” and he hoped that “in the future he will stop the BBC getting themselves in such a ridiculous muddle”.
He said: “It was the most idiotic decision and it alienates the core supporters of the BBC. It makes no sense whatsoever to me. The BBC do get themselves in a muddle by talking to each other and not understanding the world around them.”
Mr Davie, a former Tory council candidate, is understood to want to reset the troubled relationship with the Government when he takes the helm.
The BBC, which had reportedly considered scrapping the songs altogether, said that the decision to drop the lyrics was due to coronavirus restrictions and that both will return in full next year.