Sir, - Not for the first time I am stunned by the stultifying lack of imagination shown by the Millennium Funds Committee. When I first read that 700,000 was being allocated to what appears to be a dumbed-down version of Messiah, I assumed it was a typo. Only with repeated publication did I realise that such a farcical act had actually come to pass.
With admission at £29 and £39, television rights and proposed video sales a la Faith Of Our Fathers, am I the only one who is puzzled as to why such a vast sum of public money is required?
I know that great sacrifices are being made - such as having pop stars arrive in time to give a whole two days of rehearsal before the event - but I cannot for the life of me see why this show cannot be self-financing.
If the aim is to give popular access to a great work it would surely been better to have prices which do not limit access to the already well-heeled. Having heard only brief extracts (the RTE commercials and the full prelude), I hope I am wrong in concluding that, at best, this interpretation aspires to a "Hooked On Classics' banality. As a long-time admirer of the works of Mr Handel and after decades of listening to gospel music, I cannot see either coming out well from this debacle.
It is obvious that there are as many constructive ways of spending the Millennium bonanza as there are available euros, but ready access to funding does not excuse mis-spending. To our shame, we remain one of the only countries in Europe - if not the only one - without a fully fledged conservatory of music. West of the Shannon remains a comparative wasteland, in spite of the gallant efforts of many individuals and organisations. I know that £700,000 will not solve this sorry state of affairs, but it would surely buy a site or set the ball rolling. Only be a small beginning, perhaps; but it would be a millennium marker which would endure for the benefit of music-lovers in Ireland long after this particular Messiah has gone pop! - Yours, etc., Tom Munnelly,
Fintra Beg, Miltown Malbay, Co Clare.