The musical director of the Israeli Symphony Orchestra is to give up his salary to try to save the organisation from financial disaster, according to Slipped Disc, the blog run by cultural commentator Norman Lebrecht.

Mr Judd, who is British, wrote in a letter to the orchestra and its directors: "I am shocked to hear of the financial situation, due to ... insufficient government budgeting, cuts of productions of the Israeli Opera, fees that haven't been updated for years, and difficulty in raising sufficient funds."

In a statement, the ISO's board said: "The orchestra and its management are confident that the planned cuts, along with the ISO's huge success, will support its continuous flourishing and let it balance its financial situation."