Proms conductor hits back as BBC bosses are blamed for silencing Rule, Britannia!

A Finnish conductor blamed for the row over the Last Night of the Proms has hit back as those close to her insist that BBC bosses were behind the decision to replace Rule, Britannia!

Dalia Stasevska  is said to be “heartbroken” by personal attacks on her as her friends insist she did not demand that Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory were pulled from the Last Night of the Proms because of associations with colonialism and slavery.

It was down to BBC bosses and she would never have the "arrogance" to demand a change to the patriotic music, sources close to her told the Telegraph.

It is understood that a decision to compromise and perform both songs without the lyrics was made after an intervention by Tim Davie, who will take up the position of Director General next month.

Ms Stasevska, 35, who has supported Black Lives Matter, has been attacked since the row erupted at the weekend and has now made her social media profiles private.

A source close to her said: “From Dalia’s point of view there has been a lot of unpleasantness and some of the stuff that has been written is heart-breaking.

“It is frightening, unpleasant, scary stuff and she can’t say anything as she can’t be a part of any of that.”

The source added that “hand on heart” she did not make the decision about the songs and said that conductors do not “have the power to say I want to do this I want to do that”.

There is “no arrogance” to the 35-year-old and she “would never have said that”, they told the Telegraph.

Ms Stasevska became embroiled in the controversy after “BBC sources” briefed a Sunday newspaper that she had concerns about the words. The outgoing director-general of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall, has since described it as a “creative and artistic” decision.

The corporation has insisted that they did not brief the story as a spokesman for the Proms described the attacks on the conductor as “unjustified and misguided”.

“The programme of Last Night of the Proms was the BBC’s decision,” she said. “As such Dalia Stasevska should not be held responsible.”

The world of music jhas also rallied to the defence of the Ukranian-born musician, with many sharing a message from Joshua Weilerstein, the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne.

Mr Weilerstein, who is organising an open letter from musicians and managers all over the world, said that attacks on his peer had been “unbelievably abusive, bullying, and patently xenophobic”.

“Regardless of views on the issue of programming certain traditional works, which are of course subject of vigorous and necessary debate, the treatment that Dalia is getting is abhorrent and needs to be addressed,” he wrote.

It came as former BBC chairman Michael Grade described Mr Davie as a man of “infinite common sense” and said he hoped that “in the future he will stop the BBC getting themselves in such a ridiculous muddle”.

Lord Grade said: “It was the most idiotic decision and it alienates the core supporters of the BBC, it makes no sense whatsoever to me. The BBC do get themselves in a muddle by talking to each other and not understanding the world around them.”

Mr Davie, a former Tory council candidate, is understood to want to reset the troubled relationship with the Government when he takes the helm next week.

During an earlier stint as acting Director General he oversaw an investigation into BBC management and conduct in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal and vowed to “get a grip” on the corporation.

The BBC, which was reportedly considering scrapping the songs all together, says that the decision to drop the lyrics is due to coronavirus restrictions and both will return in full next year,

But they have been criticised by the Prime Minister who insisted it is politically acceptable to sing Rule, Britannia! during a visit to a Leicestershire school on Wednesday.

In a speech to pupils, Boris Johnson cited the debate around the lyrics as an example of a concept that teachers are able to help pupils understand - a benefit of being back in classrooms.