The husband of the conductor in the Proms row is a guitarist for a heavy metal band that tried to release a song about Adolf Hitler.
Dalia Stasevska’s husband, 42-year-old Lauri Porra, plays bass for Stratovarius, who have had three number one albums in their native Finland.
The offending 2005 track, which the band had to drop, began with one of Hitler’s speeches.
Conductor Dalia Stasevska is understood to have been part of a small group behind the decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics next month
Dalia Stasevska is married to the Finnish musician Lauri Porra, who is the bassist for power metal band Stratovarius
At the time, lead singer Timo Tolkki said he was ‘extremely interested’ in the dictator but that ‘hell broke loose’ when he premiered the track to his German record label.
The band were formed in 1984 and have played music festivals around the world over the decades, releasing 15 studio albums, four DVDs and five live albums.
BBC insiders say Porra’s 35-year-old conductor wife is among those keen to modernise the Last Night of the Proms and reduce the patriotic elements.
She is understood to have been part of a small group behind the decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics next month.
‘Dalia is a big supporter of Black Lives Matter and thinks a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change,’ a BBC source said.
Porra plays bass for Stratovarius, who have had three number 1 albums in their native Finland
Miss Stasevska is pictured with musician Mr Lordi, the lead vocalist in heavy metal band Lordi
Miss Stasevska with her husband Mr Porra (both left) and legendary rock guitarist Steve Vai (right) who played with Frank Zappa and Whitesnake
Her stance has been backed by soprano Golda Schultz, who hinted at plans for a change in an interview.
The South African, 36, said: ‘Dalia and I want to pay tribute to the culture that has invited us into its space, and also make sure we do something that speaks to the times we are living through.’
Miss Stasevska, born to a Lithuanian mother and Ukrainian father, spent the first five years of her life in Estonia.
She then moved to Finland and was brought up by her father and a Finnish stepmother. Her mother Ula Zait moved to America and now lives in Texas.
In June, as protests took place over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Miss Stasevska tweeted the above image
Last month she also encouraged her 2,100 Twitter followers to listen to a BBC Radio 3 debate about classical music and race, calling it an ‘important conversation’
Her Facebook profile suggests she has rather different political leanings from her daughter.
She is a staunch Trump supporter and has recently posted messages containing the slogans ‘White Lives Matter’ and ‘All Lives Matter’.
Her daughter trained as a violinist at the renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki before selling a violin to pay the fees for masterclasses to become a conductor.
Since then, her stock in the classical music world has risen dramatically.
She conducted an orchestra professionally for the first time five years ago and became the principal guest conductor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra last year.
The songs have become a popular fixture in the BBC’s programming for the final night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, West London (pictured on September 8, 2012)
Next month, she will become only the second woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms.
Speaking to the Guardian in January 2019 about her husband, she said: ‘He’s the famous one, not me. There’s no city or country where he doesn’t get recognised!’
Miss Stasevska has spoken about facing sexual harassment and belittlement as a female conductor.
In 2014, she also published a letter condemning 511 Russian musicians for supporting Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea.
The conductor, who has spent lockdown learning Italian and planting potatoes, has remained silent about the Last Night furore.
Her agent did not respond to requests for a comment yesterday.