Andrew Carlan wrote:

>I didn't think to add that I wasn't supporting the exploitation of
>classical music as a sign of success or a luxury product like a Mercedes
>Benz or a college degree or living in the right part of town.

That wasn't the way I took it.  The point of my reference to Paul Keating's
love of Mahler and French clocks was the way that some newspapers report
such things - I'm thinking of what British tabloids laughingly regard as
journalism.  Their Australian equivalent is less outrageous and I assume
there is a North American equivalent.

Whether we like it or not, there is a perception - a wrong one, as
most Listers will agree - that classical music is for the rich, the
university-educated, the people who live in the "best" parts of town, we've
heard the sort of thing over and over.  Some media quite happily perpetuate
this perception.  To expand on this would be to venture into politics which
is outside the scope of the list and inherently unwise!

Richard Pennycuick
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