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It all started with an e-mail from Xu Rong, host of the Diamond Classics
programme on Nanjing Music Radio. Having visited the Elgar website, he wondered
if the Elgar Society could help him meet the fast-growing demand in China for Western classical
music.
To quote Mr Xu: "More and more Chinese people have become interested in classical music
because they hold that the popularity of classical music embodies the civilization of a country, and
that classical music can enrich their culture." He continues: "Unfortunately, both the varieties
and the quantities of the classical music CDs available in Nanjing [make it] difficult to meet their
demands. In order to solve the problem, would you please assist me [with] a few classical CDs
composed by Elgar?"
The Elgar Society is delighted to help. In addition to those CDs the Society and its branches
have provided in their own right, a number of friends and associated organisations have also
agreed to sponsor CDs of their choosing. These include Brian Kay (of BBC Radio 3 Sunday
Morning fame), The London Philharmonic
Orchestra,
The (Florida-based) Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the progressive rock group
The Enid and The Elgar
Birthplace.
Such has been the response from individuals and organisations wishing to sponsor CDs that
we are now seeking to extend the scheme to other classical music stations in China. We have
contacted the British Council, the British Embassy in Beijing and Mr Xu himself for help in
identifying appropriate radio stations. The Society has also forwarded Mr Xu's request to other
British composer and conductor societies in case they should also wish to provide CDs of their
"hero's" music. One way and another, we are determined that the voice of British music should
be heard in the immense and exciting developing market that is China.
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