Drama to be eradicated from Radio 3

[LMcD]

That FNIMN concert had the driest orchestra sound I’ve heard since those NBC Toscannini recordings . I switched off in the end . I’ve no problem with Breakfast playing this as it’s a Magnificent piece of film music that any mid century classical composer ( like Walton or RVW who also featured in the war film music concert ) would have been proud of . It’s superbly orchestrated as well.

One thing though The Magnificent Seven is a Western not a War movie so I don’t get the link .

FNiMN + movie music, of which there seems to be much more on Radio 3 these days.

[oddoneout]

... and also one pronounces it as it is writ - b b c, bus, &c. One does not (I hope) pronounce 'xmas' as 'ex mas'.

I was brung up to regard 'xmas' as a taboo word like - to*l*t, s*rv**tt*, lo*nge



.

No, it's Crimbo now...
Xmas was definitely frowned on when I was a child. It was just about the only thing where the views of both sets of grandparents and my mother aligned, despite different cultural and belief backgrounds.

[vinteuil]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, isn't BBC an acronym rather than an abbreviation?
.

... and also one pronounces it as it is writ - b b c, bus, &c. One does not (I hope) pronounce 'xmas' as 'ex mas'.

I was brung up to regard 'xmas' as a taboo word like - to*l*t, s*rv**tt*, lo*nge



.

[Ein Heldenleben]

At the risk of staying off-topic I want to respond to enquiries . Thanks for your interest. I've found it thought-provoking. Maybe we need another thread .

'Xmas': Well, 120 years ago Elgar, who was a Catholic, wrote 'Xtian' in his letters. I use it like that ,simply as an abbreviation which has become a word in common use , like 'BBC' , 'bus' , 'submariine', etc. Yes, I suppose it has acquired a connotation of cheapening the Feast of Christ's Nativity, its commercialisation,etc. but I didn't mean that. So I dont think you need be shocked, ff, even slightly.

The King: I've always liked the man personally, so I like to hear what he has to say. I'm just a few years younger and have lived through much the same world and have much the same thoughts, and a not too dissimilar view of the world. In short, I sympathise with him. Incidentaly, I do think he's somewhat misunderstood. I think he's the first British monarch to have gone to school, and to (voluntarily) pay the equivalent of tax.

I'm not very interested in this idea of 'uniting the nation'. I thought the request for Tv viewers to 'join in' the pledge of loyalty , or whatever it was called, at the Coronation, was a terrible mistake. And I think the frequent questions on Tv about 'what does it mean to be British?' are simply euphemisms for something I'd rather not mention.

I could go on, as they say, but I sense it would only evoke lengthy lectures about politics which I'm sorry to say would not interest me. I hope I'm not provocative; I'm only here for few more years and I don't have any influence in the world, so just ignore this if you don't like what I say. I learnt in the 'Elgin Marbles' discussion some time ago that my opinions on various subjects had better remain private if I want a quiet life (which I do) !

I seem to have sparked an interesting digression on the Kings Speech by using the phrase “unite the nation.” By that I didn’t mean some sort of patriotic flag waving moment. I meant a programme like Dads Army of a Morecambe and Wise which seemed to appeal across the ages and classes and would thus get many millions of viewers. Of course many live events fall into that category but finding drama entertainment or comedy that does that is indeed the holy grail of commissioners.

[french frank]

I dont think you need be shocked, ff, even slightly.

I was only echoing your own use of 'shocked'. As I said "I don't feel as strongly about it as other people apparently do ..."

I could go on, as they say, but I sense it would only evoke lengthy lectures about politics which I'm sorry to say would not interest me. I hope I'm not provocative.

Not deliberately so, no. But doesn't it call into question the whole purpose of joining a discussion forum like this if you avail yourself of the opportunity to express your own 'political' (broad sense) opinions but aren't interested in hearing other people's? I can live with that but being myself particularly attracted to the intellectual exchange of opposing ideas (a workout for the brain), I find it a bit disappointing.

But I would agree with you that no one should get too exercised over someone else expressing a contrary view to their own. There have been many occasions when I have experienced the disdain of others on this forum: I attribute my lack of concern, not to my own dull-witted lack of awareness, but to a total lack of the social insecurities which either make someone slink away humiliated or retaliate with an aggressive put-down . Know thine own limitations and be humble ...

That said, there is also a certain social aspect to understanding how one's opinions might be received by the specific audience to whom they're expressed: in pub terms, to expect to get punched on the nose if you make Comment X to Listener Y.

[Ein Heldenleben]

But don't hold your breath: it's likely to disappear later this year. I can't find the announcement at the moment, but I think the Droitwich transmitter and its counterparts are due to be taken out of service on 30th June 2025.

A very retrograde step . In the event of an EMP weapon being deployed a valve based long wave transmitter would be very handy. I’d always thought that’s why Droitwich had never been decommissioned.
I still had a long wave receiver somewhere and for those with long memories they can be assembled out of bits and bobs like razor blades wire and coal (?)

as I thought Droitwich was a key element in the BBC’s “Cold War” wartime broadcasting service as this freely available document outlines

https://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/Page238.htm

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Elmer Bernstein was clearly played in order to promote tonight's British Movie Music Extravaganza from Chichester. There was applause for Walton's Spitfire Prelude before the orchestra had a chance to start the Fugue.

That FNIMN concert had the driest orchestra sound I’ve heard since those NBC Toscannini recordings . I switched off in the end . I’ve no problem with Breakfast playing this as it’s a Magnificent piece of film music that any mid century classical composer ( like Walton or RVW who also featured in the war film music concert ) would have been proud of . It’s superbly orchestrated as well.

One thing though The Magnificent Seven is a Western not a War movie so I don’t get the link .

[Ein Heldenleben]

08.50? You were too late to catch Bobby Vinton singing Blue Velvet then, about 10 pieces earlier.

That was a tribute to the late David Lynch.

Strikes me that the Tippett symphony with the deep breathing* in it would have worked just as well and also have been worth hearing.
* ps a reference to one of the creepier characters in the film and not the unfortunate Mr Lynch’s emphysema . A disease which , largely unnecessarily, kills millions worldwide.

[LMcD]

At the risk of staying off-topic I want to respond to enquiries . Thanks for your interest. I've found it thought-provoking. Maybe we need another thread .

'Xmas': Well, 120 years ago Elgar, who was a Catholic, wrote 'Xtian' in his letters. I use it like that ,simply as an abbreviation which has become a word in common use , like 'BBC' , 'bus' , 'submariine', etc. Yes, I suppose it has acquired a connotation of cheapening the Feast of Christ's Nativity, its commercialisation,etc. but I didn't mean that. So I dont think you need be shocked, ff, even slightly.

The King: I've always liked the man personally, so I like to hear what he has to say. I'm just a few years younger and have lived through much the same world and have much the same thoughts, and a not too dissimilar view of the world. In short, I sympathise with him. Incidentaly, I do think he's somewhat misunderstood. I think he's the first British monarch to have gone to school, and to (voluntarily) pay the equivalent of tax.

I'm not very interested in this idea of 'uniting the nation'. I thought the request for Tv viewers to 'join in' the pledge of loyalty , or whatever it was called, at the Coronation, was a terrible mistake. And I think the frequent questions on Tv about 'what does it mean to be British?' are simply euphemisms for something I'd rather not mention.

I could go on, as they say, but I sense it would only evoke lengthy lectures about politics which I'm sorry to say would not interest me. I hope I'm not provocative; I'm only here for few more years and I don't have any influence in the world, so just ignore this if you don't like what I say. I learnt in the 'Elgin Marbles' discussion some time ago that my opinions on various subjects had better remain private if I want a quiet life (which I do) !

At the risk of sounding pedantic, isn't BBC an acronym rather than an abbreviation?
Regarding nationality, I consider myself British simply because I've got a British passport, which I need because, as I don't have a driving licence, it is sometimes my only other acceptable form of identification.

[smittims]

At the risk of staying off-topic I want to respond to enquiries . Thanks for your interest. I've found it thought-provoking. Maybe we need another thread .

'Xmas': Well, 120 years ago Elgar, who was a Catholic, wrote 'Xtian' in his letters. I use it like that ,simply as an abbreviation which has become a word in common use , like 'BBC' , 'bus' , 'submariine', etc. Yes, I suppose it has acquired a connotation of cheapening the Feast of Christ's Nativity, its commercialisation,etc. but I didn't mean that. So I dont think you need be shocked, ff, even slightly.

The King: I've always liked the man personally, so I like to hear what he has to say. I'm just a few years younger and have lived through much the same world and have much the same thoughts, and a not too dissimilar view of the world. In short, I sympathise with him. Incidentaly, I do think he's somewhat misunderstood. I think he's the first British monarch to have gone to school, and to (voluntarily) pay the equivalent of tax.

I'm not very interested in this idea of 'uniting the nation'. I thought the request for Tv viewers to 'join in' the pledge of loyalty , or whatever it was called, at the Coronation, was a terrible mistake. And I think the frequent questions on Tv about 'what does it mean to be British?' are simply euphemisms for something I'd rather not mention.

I could go on, as they say, but I sense it would only evoke lengthy lectures about politics which I'm sorry to say would not interest me. I hope I'm not provocative; I'm only here for few more years and I don't have any influence in the world, so just ignore this if you don't like what I say. I learnt in the 'Elgin Marbles' discussion some time ago that my opinions on various subjects had better remain private if I want a quiet life (which I do) !

[LMcD]

08.50? You were too late to catch Bobby Vinton singing Blue Velvet then, about 10 pieces earlier.

The Elmer Bernstein was clearly played in order to promote tonight's British Movie Music Extravaganza from Chichester. There was applause for Walton's Spitfire Prelude before the orchestra had a chance to start the Fugue.

[hmvman]

08.50? You were too late to catch Bobby Vinton singing Blue Velvet then, about 10 pieces earlier.

A fortuitous sleep-in, then...!

[french frank]

"The broadcaster cites financial pressures and claims, rightly, that listeners turn to Radio 3 for classical music...."

This sentence resonated again this morning when this listener turned to R3 at 08.50 to hear... The Magnificent Seven main theme.

08.50? You were too late to catch Bobby Vinton singing Blue Velvet then, about 10 pieces earlier.

[Hitch]

A point of interest re. Doctor Who, one of the BBC's most lucrative properties: the Beeb has a long-standing and ongoing licensing deal with Big Finish Productions that has resulted in many hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of full-cast audio dramas. All are available via download and CD, though production of the latter is fading away due to production and storage costs. Some of the audios are available for as little as £3, but the majority are considerably more expensive.

There is an audience for audio drama, albeit commercial and not the usual R3 fare; so much so that the BBC makes money from it. Perhaps R3 should think about "refreshing" its audio dramas instead of abolishing them.

[hmvman]

"The broadcaster cites financial pressures and claims, rightly, that listeners turn to Radio 3 for classical music...."

This sentence resonated again this morning when this listener turned to R3 at 08.50 to hear... The Magnificent Seven main theme.