In an age where Lady Gaga can sell hundreds of millions of albums and yet a CD of Beethoven sells a few thousand at best, Stephen Fry hosted this special event in the Barbican Hall, London, to discuss the role and perceived decline of classical music in today’s society and what can be done to keep its spirit alive.

Author of the best-selling An Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music, Stephen Fry is well placed to talk about why this great music continues to have such relevance today. A rising star of the classical world, concert pianist James Rhodes took part in the debate and performed some of the pieces talked about while Sir David Tang moderated questions from the audience.

In this interview Stephen Fry explains the reasons behind organising the event.

A Classical Affair

Barbican Hall, London, September 2011

Your browser does not support iframes.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Piano pieces performed in the program:

Bach – Adagio (2nd mvt) from an Oboe Concerto by Marcello, BWV 974

Beethoven – Waldstein Sonata (1st mvt)

Schumann/Liszt – Widmung

Rachmaninoff – Prelude opus 3 no 2 in C-sharp minor

Bach/Busoni – Chaconne from Partita in D minor for violin

/nilsjohan