I see that most people have interpreted my original post as bemoaning the lack of popularity for classical music, which wasn't my point. It is the fact that it is no longer regarded, even in the serious press, as of any interest. And I think, to be honest, that it has something to do with the lack of aspiration in today's society. My grandfather, born at the end of the 19th century, was a self made man, of working class origin. He had left school young, but, by the time his children were adolescents, had a thriving business and was already a highly respected man in his home town. Not having received much of an education, he set about educating himself, reading as much as he could get his hands on. He remained a man of simple tastes, but he never doubted the importance of music, literature and art to our civilisation.
I don't think this is any longer the case. We have a society, obsessed with fame and money. Successive governments have totally denigrated the arts, especially in education. When I was at university, I embarked on a degree (Applied Modern Languages, with Economics), that was completely wrong for me. Fortunately I had a tutor, who was able to see that my problem was just that I was doing the wrong an degree. When he asked me why I had chosen the course, I said I had done it because I thought it would be more useful than a literary one. His response was, "Whatever happened to getting an education?" and he helped me to switch to French and English Literature. But this was surely the beginning of a trend that persists to this day. An arts based education is seen as somehow being of no use, even, in some quarters a cop-out. Personally I think the arts are, or should be, the civilising influence on society. I have nothing against popular culture, in fact have a healthy enjoyment of a lot of it, but with a press that now seems intent on raising the Beatles to the level of Bach and J. K. Rowling to the level of Shakespeare, what hope is there left for serious are in today's society?