The latest cultural anniversary?

[french frank]

On television and radio - the 18th century, celebrating its 300th anniversary in the 21st century ...

This might be a genuine cultural contribution to BBC television, if the programming is of a good standard; and, at first glance, it doesn't appear to be an excuse to highlight Radio 3 with a few tasty advertisements on television.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/eighteenth-century-britain.html

It doesn't threaten to be three weeks saturation coverage on Radio 3 either. But who knows? - the details are a bit scarce. (Is Suzy Klein really moving into Essential Classics - or do they mean Sarah Walker [or Rob Cowan]?)

[Honoured Guest]

Suzy Klein may well be presenting the Georgian Pleasures element within Essential Classics so as to maximize continuity with her lead BBC4 role in this season. We will see!

I love the idea of these cross-channel themed seasons (like the ballet mini-season starting tonight on BBC2), and it would have been even better if they'd included some Radio 3 dramas and features.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

On television and radio - the 18th century, celebrating its 300th anniversary in the 21st century ...

Typical BBC these days! Going for the ClassicFM century. Does nobody at the Beeb realize that the 21st Century is unique in being exactly 700 years since the 14th Century?! Where are all the celebrations for that? (I bet there'll be nothing at the Proms, either!)




(Do I need to add the ?)

[french frank]

(Do I need to add the ?)

Oh, yes you do! I was going to leap in to defend the Beeb on that charge!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

- apologies; "myn intente was nat for but to pleye" as one Fourteenth Century writer put it.

[Despina dello Stagno]

the details are a bit scarce.

Indeed they are, But there are a couple of items that looked to be of interest:

Choral Evensong from Medmenham: I do so admire the monks habits (lost a little on steam radio mayhap)
Through the Night: A recreation, in real time of a Macaroni's night out: dinner in White's, a fubsy whore, and a phaeton home (north of the river), and all for under a guinea (£1.05),

And being a channel hopping tart (No! wrong - Queen Caroline is so 19th century!) I will be watching Embarrassing Bodies (both editions - the one where William Herschel discovers Uranus and the one on Italian diseases (let's hope that doesn't turn out to be a mere pox vop)). And how about "Burke's Beerage", the hogmany type live show where they all party like its 1789; host Edmund gurns comedically.

Strewth.

With Lucy Worsley prominent in the proceedings, I fear this will turn into one of those "weren't they quaint in them days" fests.

[Flosshilde]

"exploring the extraordinary transformation that took place across the arts throughout the 18th century."

The trouble is that you could take any 100 year period - 1623 - 1721 perhaps - & talk about an 'extraordinary transformation'.

[Honoured Guest]

Yes, and you could take any 99 year period - 1623 - 1721 perhaps - & talk about everything that stayed about the same.

[french frank]

Yes, and you could take any 99 year period - 1623 - 1721 perhaps - & talk about everything that stayed about the same.

You have to have a 'peg'. They can discuss the extraordinary, almost incomprehensible transformation by which classical music became Classical music.