Just in case anyone's been reading Private Eye's charming little write-up of the LPO's situation, I'd like to point out the following errors in their report, if you can call it a report:

A few weeks ago I deleted a blogpost on the topic at the request of my husband. In it I had not "leaked" any "inside information". Indeed, I had not written anything that had not already been plastered all over the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail - which sadly have slightly larger readerships than we do. I assume PE was referring to us, since I don't know of another LPO "wife" who writes a blog.

Nor was my husband "read the riot act". He asked me to delete the post because he personally felt uncomfortable about it - in my opinion unnecessarily so. He is a nice sensitive fellow when he wants to be, and I happen to live with him, so on this occasion I decided to agree. Besides, if anyone at the orchestra wanted to take me to task about anything, they would phone me in person, or collar me in the RFH bar. They would not have to go through my husband. Why does Private Eye think they would? Where do these sexist twerps think we are - under Taliban rule?!?

And while we're on the subject, what PE describes as the orchestra's "recent" rescue package took place 10 years ago or thereabouts, when pretty much every arts organisation in the country needed one too. Admittedly, in the grand scheme of things, a decade or so is recent, compared to, say, the sinking of the Titanic or the demise of the dinosaurs.

Have a nice weekend, folks. The music ain't gonna stop, so do come to the Asrael Symphony. Vladimir will be doing 'Barlines' in the bar, I mean the ballroom, afterwards - informal discussion post-concert - and I have the rather nice task of introducing him this time. See you there.