I write this review at a time of great uncertainty: the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant has been announced; London and much of south-east England have just entered the newly created Tier 4; lorries are queuing at Dover; Brexit talks have broken down; and many countries have closed their borders with the UK. For many of us musicians fortunate enough not to have been bereaved by the pandemic, Christmas 2020 has nevertheless been a disappointment, not only because long-held plans to gather with family have been curtailed but also because of the lack of opportunities for traditional music. The innovation and persistence which choirs and orchestras, amateur and professional alike, have exhibited during the Covid-19 pandemic have been astonishing, but no amount of online and outdoor performances, socially distanced chamber music concerts and Zoom rehearsals can alter the fact that, compared to the situation in 2019, music-making is in a poor state. The repercussions for the coming years, not only financial but also with regard to musical quality, are worrying. Many schools are not holding musical rehearsals of any kind, however small, because of fears of viral transmission through singing and handling instruments, meaning that thousands of children are being deprived of their first encounters with musical performance. It is to be hoped that this situation is temporary, though in many cases, finances dictate that once these opportunities are lost, they can never be reinstated. Hopefully by the time this review is published, with millions of vaccines planned in the intervening months, the picture will be rosier—but not without lasting consequences for children, young people and professionals.

中文翻译：

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“分心时代”的早期英语音乐

我在充满不确定性的时候写这篇评论：已经宣布出现新的 Covid-19 变种；伦敦和英格兰东南部的大部分地区刚刚进入新创建的 Tier 4；卡车在多佛排队；英国脱欧谈判破裂；许多国家已经关闭了与英国的边界。对于我们许多幸运的音乐家没有因大流行而失去亲人来说，2020 年圣诞节仍然令人失望，这不仅是因为长期以来与家人团聚的计划被取消，而且还因为缺乏传统音乐的机会。在 Covid-19 大流行期间，合唱团和管弦乐队，无论是业余的还是专业的，表现出的创新和坚持令人惊讶，但没有多少在线和户外表演，与社会保持距离的室内音乐会和 Zoom 排练可以改变这样一个事实，即与 2019 年的情况相比，音乐制作处于糟糕的状态。未来几年的影响，不仅是财务方面的，还有音乐质量方面的，令人担忧。许多学校不举行任何形式的音乐排练，无论规模如何，因为担心通过唱歌和使用乐器传播病毒，这意味着成千上万的孩子被剥夺了第一次接触音乐表演的机会。希望这种情况是暂时的，尽管在许多情况下，财务决定了一旦失去这些机会，就永远无法恢复。希望到这篇评论发表时，在接下来的几个月里计划了数百万种疫苗，