Radio 3 schedule changes (‘edging away from speech')

[Ein Heldenleben]

My concerns about this being on R3 aren't so much to do with "wrong sort of music" as "what is the purpose of it being on R3?" Is it to attract a new audience( classical music isn't scary, you've already heard it without realising); to please newer listeners who find the recent trend to chat'n'bits to their liking and so will (it is assumed) also be happy with a day of film music; does the fact that "real" composers wrote film music represent a nod to the established(aka awkward and demanding) R3 listeners.
It won't attract new listeners as they won't know it's there - why would they, R3 isn't on their radar.
The "new " listeners might find parts of it to their liking, but will they take to a whole day's schedule being taken up with it.
Established listeners might risk the film version of regular programmes? If I remember I'll tune in to the EMS, but as I'll not have had the radio on as would otherwise be the case on a Sunday I'll quite probably miss it.
Whatever the purpose I do think that it is just too long a chunk of time to allocate. I also wondered about whether it wouldn't be better to use the existing Sound of Cinema slot(possibly with some temporary extensions) to cover such material.
Re: your suggestions, for alternative subjects for the whole day treatment, SJ was asked about a Boulez immersion day, I believe the response was "why not"(with convolutions) rather than a straight "No".

He was hardly going to say no and give a bit of a news story ( “ Controller says Non Merci , Pierre “ ) but if it ever happens , if even a day of post war atonal music music happens , I’ll be staggered. Hasn’t Music In Out Time been shunted back 30 mins…?

[LMcD]

Don’t get me going FF . The idea of devoting an entire day to film music is a prime example of what’s wrong with the channel. Ok there’s Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Britten , RVW - fine . And lesser talents like Korngold who wasted it on film when his classical work is so much more interesting . But Most film music is second rate - cliche strewn , always going for the cheap Emotional effect . It’s like a Russell group university doing a course on the verse in Hallmark greetings cards. Mind you I suspect that’s happening as well. But they’ll be doing it in a post modernist ironic way. Radio 3 really mean it .
So we are being told the music of John Williams , Debbie Wiseman , Morricone, Rota et Al is of great cultural significance. It isn’t really… It’s pretty good music but so was that of the now unjustly neglected seventies pop rock band Pilot with catchy classics like January and It’s Magic.
Why not a whole day on Renaissance Polyphony, the Second Viennese school ? Or Boulez ? Or British female composers like Lutyens and Maconchy?

I believe that much of Friday March 8th, which is International Women's Day, will be dedicated to works composed by females. Maconchy's string quartets will be the subject of a discussion (impassioned argument') at 4.30 p.m..

[french frank]

Does it, and if so in sufficient quantity and the right(audience attracting) media to have any effect?

In my experience, yes partly. That is, the media pick up on anything which 'isn't what R3 usually does but which ordinary people will love'. That's news. So the argument that people have to already be listening to the station in order to know about it fails. Exactly how many new listeners are attracted v how many old ones (like me) go away and don't come back I couldn't say. But it's a strategy that's been tried for 20-odd years and hasn't worked so far. The BBC's response has always been: "Well, must try harder."

It wold be good if we weren't discussing what 'R3 is doing but shouldn't' but 'What is it not doing but could, and arguably should.'

[Pulcinella]

I believe that much of Friday March 8th, which is International Women's Day, will be dedicated to works composed by females. Maconchy's string quartets will be the subject of a discussion (impassioned argument') at 4.30 p.m..

I'm not sure how much mother influenced daughter, but a CD of some of Nicola LeFanu's Chamber music has recently been released, with a good Gramophone review (it was one of March's Editor's Choices):

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9561348--the-path-above-the-dunes-chamber-music-by-nicola-lefanu#about

[Ein Heldenleben]

I believe that much of Friday March 8th, which is International Women's Day, will be dedicated to works composed by females. Maconchy's string quartets will be the subject of a discussion (impassioned argument') at 4.30 p.m..

if all the music played is of their quality then it will be an improvement on the every day fare.The annual IWD is usually the opportunity to hear unfamiliar often neglected works . In general the standard of music on that day is in many ways higher than a day when Composer Of The Week is relatively poor and the sequence programmes contain too much light music (Breakfast , Essential Classics and In Tune ) of mixed quality. I am all for experimentation it’s just that I don’t find a day film music either ambitious of in BBC speak distinctive .

[french frank]

I am all for experimentation it’s just that I don’t find a day film music either ambitious of in BBC speak distinctive .

Waddya mean - not distinctive?

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/movie-music-monday-schedule-how-listen/

Only Classic FM could come up with an idea like that - oh, wait... When Sam Jackson worked for CFM he complained about R3 pinching their ideas

[french frank]

Just thought: it's not clear what's happening on Saturdays to the late night Tearjerker and Gameplay which currently mean that TTN doesn't start until 3am. Nothing has been said about them being removed. If they remain and Sunday Breakfast is to start 30 mins earlier at 6.30 instead of 7am, that would mean TTN being reduced to 3½ hours.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Waddya mean - not distinctive?

https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/movie-music-monday-schedule-how-listen/

Only Classic FM could come up with an idea like that - oh, wait... When Sam Jackson worked for CFM he complained about R3 pinching their ideas

Yes well : if there’s one thing all the BBC old lags used to hate it was ITV blow-ins telling us how to make telly - even when they were right.

[kernelbogey]

Just thought: it's not clear what's happening on Saturdays to the late night Tearjerker and Gameplay which currently mean that TTN doesn't start until 3am. Nothing has been said about them being removed. If they remain and Sunday Breakfast is to start 30 mins earlier at 6.30 instead of 7am, that would mean TTN being reduced to 3½ hours.

Well all I can say is I hope we'll still have Tearjerker to help us deal with the loss of TTN hours.

[vinteuil]

And now, Radio 3 Chilled.

"The extension will include shows that lean into the mindfulness, wellbeing and sleep space with unique and compelling combinations of speech and music as heard in BBC Sounds titles like The Music & Meditation Podcast, Tearjerker and The Sleeping Forecast"
.

[Sir Velo]

"The extension will include shows that lean into the mindfulness, wellbeing and sleep space with unique and compelling combinations of speech and music as heard in BBC Sounds titles like The Music & Meditation Podcast, Tearjerker and The Sleeping Forecast"
.

[french frank]

"The extension will include shows that lean into the mindfulness, wellbeing and sleep space with unique and compelling combinations of speech and music as heard in BBC Sounds titles like The Music & Meditation Podcast, Tearjerker and The Sleeping Forecast"
.

And: "It will feature a wide range of classical music both familiar and new, intertwined with voices and soundscapes to create a fresh, distinctive sound that transports listeners to a place of calm." That would be funny too if it weren't the official description of R3 Extension.

[Serial_Apologist]

And: "It will feature a wide range of classical music both familiar and new, intertwined with voices and soundscapes to create a fresh, distinctive sound that transports listeners to a place of calm." That would be funny too if it weren't the official description of R3 Extension.

How much "classical music" is like that, or intended to be that, looked through the periscope of history, anyway? A teeny-weeny proportion, I would estimate.

[vinteuil]

.

It will feature a wide range of classical music both familiar and new, intertwined with voices and soundscapes to create a fresh, distinctive sound that transports listeners to a place of calm...

... it will combine more music from a broader range of classical and contemporary composers than other UK stations to create a consistent, calming listening experience unlike anything in the market...

In Brave New World Aldous Huxley would have called this soma ...

.

[french frank]

How much "classical music" is like that, or intended to be that, looked through the periscope of history, anyway? A teeny-weeny proportion, I would estimate.

I don't want music to be calming