It’s either escapist or depressing to think about travel at a time of lockdown. But musicians will travel again, just as they always have. Sometimes such moves are permanent: Gerard Schwarz’s feature this issue remembers composers who fled fascism to settle in America, finding freedom and safety from persecution, and indelibly enriching their adoptive home’s life. As with his article on American composers for us in 2019, there is much music to discover, and I urge you to do so.

More generally, though, today’s artists recall the enriching experience of collaborating with colleagues in corners of the world far removed from one’s own. But as we contemplate a post-pandemic world, how might the nature of such activity change? All artists are desperate to work again, but the enforced pause is leading some to reflect on the nature of their often exhausting globe-trotting lives, the positives and negatives, and where the balance should, or could, lie. I’m reminded of the 2018 film about Yuja Wang, Through the eyes of Yuja, which movingly depicts the extraordinary but also often lonely life of an ever-travelling star pianist.

Perhaps artists assessing the impact of constant travel might consider Sir Simon Rattle’s decision to leave the LSO in 2023 and return to Germany as Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony – much nearer to his Berlin-based family. While many have speculated on the factors behind his decision, he gave them as ‘entirely personal, enabling me to better manage the balance of my work and be close enough to home to be present for my children in a meaningful way.’ I think it speaks well of him, and also of our age, that a figure of such stature can so openly express such priorities. And while it is sad that London is losing such a high-profile artist and articulate arts advocate at a time when UK classical music is facing formidable and multiple challenges, let us remember that thrilling orchestral eras emerge elsewhere too: think of Mirga Grazinytė-Tyla in Birmingham – where, of course, a young Rattle once made his name.

Another issue being increasingly raised is the environmental impact of touring – air miles equal emissions, no matter how often you choose the offset option when booking tickets. How should that shape future touring? We recently published a thought-provoking piece online by the conductor Sébastien Daucé, who has founded an organisation to address this issue. One suggestion is that when touring happens, it should be justifiable, with a deep focus on what artists can contribute to a destination.

And sometimes that impact is unknown at the time. To return to Rattle, another quote from the announcement also stood out, one showing the potentially life-changing importance of international exchanges of art. He recalled a visit by the BRSO, his soon-to-be orchestra, and Rafael Kubelík to his childhood city of Liverpool, a vivid experience which, he says, ‘made a profound impression on a teenager who wished to be a conductor.’ Touring will no doubt return, and ultimately a balance between all the above will be struck – and it may well be a healthier one than existed before.

This article appears in the February 2021 issue of Gramophone, available now.