Brits show marks classic year. (MW Comment).

Much has been made recently in the media about classical record companies supposedly dumbing down and promoting the ephemeral at the expense of the real thing. However, the reality is very different.

While the classical music market is perceived by some to be in terminal decline worldwide, the Classical Brits has just celebrated what has been a remarkable year in the UK for classical music. Created three years ago by Rob Dickins, the Classical Brits has done much to challenge the widely-held view that classical music was the exclusive domain of old fogeys. The show has shown that classical music is diverse, accessible, sometimes outrageous and, even, relevant to the young.

In 2001, the UK classical market grew 6% year-on-year to a three year high of 70m [pounds sterling]-plus. Artists such as Russell Watson, Andrea Bocelli and Lesley Garrett achieved phenomenal sales success (a cardinal sin for the purists!) and opened doors for other classical artists by generating media interest. This, in turn, contributed to consumer receptiveness and has, as a result, facilitated chart success by core artists such as Bryn Terfel, Cecilia Bartoli and the exciting new tenor, Juan Diego Florez.

There may no longer be a market for the 99th version of The Four Seasons, ...