Gergiev on Shostakovich's Fifth, 'Masterworks', BBC4 tonight

[JFLL]

On BBC4 tonight at 7.30 (90 minutes):

“Masterworks: Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. Russian conductor Valery Gergiev explores one of the great cultural documents of Stalinist Russia, Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony: A Soviet Artist's Reply to Just Criticism. Written under the shadow of state oppression at the height of Stalin's purges, the symphony re-established Shostakovich as an ideologically sound Soviet composer and remains one of the most popular of all 20th century symphonies.” Director: Francesca Kemp.

[amateur51]

Many thanks for the alert JFLL

[Nick Armstrong]

On BBC4 tonight at 7.30 (90 minutes):

“Masterworks: Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. Russian conductor Valery Gergiev explores one of the great cultural documents of Stalinist Russia, Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony: A Soviet Artist's Reply to Just Criticism. Written under the shadow of state oppression at the height of Stalin's purges, the symphony re-established Shostakovich as an ideologically sound Soviet composer and remains one of the most popular of all 20th century symphonies.” Director: Francesca Kemp.

Yes I spotted that in a rush over breakfast... Has it been on before?

[johnb]

Is this a repeat of the original Masterworks programme from decades ago? (I'm sure I have a recording of that somewhere.)

[salymap]

Bound to be a repeat but I don't think I'veseen it. Followed by 'The Swing Thing' which I may record too for the w/end.

I wish BBC2/4 would say if a programme is a repeat.

[amateur51]

Yes I spotted that in a rush over breakfast... Has it been on before?

Have a care there ... didn't they lay the baby Moses in the rushes?

[amateur51]

Does it really matter if it's a repeat? - I watch the weather forecast every night but mostly it might as well be a repeat for all the relevance it has to the next day's weather

[teamsaint]

Does it really matter if it's a repeat? - I watch the weather forecast every night but mostly it might as well be a repeat for all the relevance it has to the next day's weather

Well quite.


at a certain point in one's life this starts to apply to all sorts of things...politics, () Rock music, the England cricket team, spy scandals...........

I prefer to think of things as patterns. Not that it really makes a difference, I suppose.
Anyway, this won't be a repeat for me , so worth catching hopefully.. I enjoyed the Howard Goodall prog on the same work a few years back.

Edit, actually Ams, the BBC could save a fortune by following your theme through.......

[JFLL]

Bound to be a repeat but I don't think I'veseen it. Followed by 'The Swing Thing' which I may record too for the w/end.

I wish BBC2/4 would say if a programme is a repeat.

Sorry, it is a repeat according to the BBC4 website. I’d assumed it was new, because there’s no ‘R’ after it in the Radio Times and I don’t remember it. But looking back in RT over the BBC4 programmes this week, there don’t seem to be any marked with an ‘R’, and I’m sure some (almost all?) of them are, so maybe it’s never used for BBC4. On the other hand, sometimes BBC4 programmes have ‘New’ before them in RT. Does that mean that all the others are repeats? Bit of a shambles, as you imply, salymap. If they've got a symbol, why not use it consistently?

[BBMmk2]

Ah, well beimng BBC4, a lot of those type of programmes seem to be repeats but as I havnt watched it, it be rather good, imo?

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Yes, it is a repeat, but I hope it signals a repeat for the entire series. There was a particularly good episode with Andrew Davis on RVW's Tallis Fantasia, with a performance in Gloucester Cathedral recreating the premiere.

[MrGongGong]

Just caught then end of this
sounded a bit tired to me ....... but might catch the rest later

[BBMmk2]

Watched the majprity of this programmge. Although I thought the anecdotes and footage interesting,it did sound not at its best. Be interesting to find out how /gergeiv interprets this work now? Ten years is an awful lon g time?

[Resurrection Man]

The BBC seems to be very arbitrary with its definition of a 'repeat'. Sometimes if a programme has previously been broadcast on, say, BBC1 but then gets another airing on BBC4 ..it might not be flagged up as a repeat because it is the first time it has been broadcast on BBC4!

The Masterworks is being repeated early tomorrow morning at 02.35

[salymap]

I watched 30 minutes but either my hearing is bad today or the sound of the actual music is not well recorded. Speech fine, music too quiet. Up sound, turn down speech. Just my tinnitus perhaps. I have a 1976 LP with Washington National Symphony Orchestra/Howard Mitchell. Must listen again to that