Madam, – The articles written by Mary Leland and your music critic Michael Dervan (“Discordant notes strike Vanbrugh”, January 18th) have raised many interesting and quite a few relevant points in relation to the discussion on the future provision of chamber music by RTÉ.
Mary Leland appeared to reflect only those views that support the position that the current model for chamber music provision is immutable. By contrast, Michael Dervan’s article made a constructive contribution to the overall debate.
RTÉ is happy to record again that the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet has made a significant contribution to the musical life of Cork and throughout Ireland over the last 23 years. It is, nevertheless, RTÉ’s responsibility to assess what the options are for chamber music provision in the years ahead.
To inform this assessment, RTÉ looks forward to receiving the report of the respected independent consultant Dr Philip Hammond shortly. We hope that this report will assist us in our deliberations so that we can arrive at the best decisions for chamber music promotion and provision. – Yours, etc,