Early Music Now - has it joined Early Music Late?

[AuntDaisy]

Apologies if somebody's already mentioned this...

I missed today's "Early Music Now" - has it permanently gone?

I don't think there was an announcement at the end of last week's "The Summer Festivities of Early Music in Prague".

[oddoneout]

I was wondering where it had gone as well.Having just assumed it was going to be on and actually remembering to turn on at the right time, was a bit miffed to find something else instead. New Generation Artists is worthwhile but it isn't EMN. Next Monday seems to be the same.

[AuntDaisy]

I have a horrible feeling it has gone.
You're right, oddoneout, NGA is usually good, but there's precious little Early Music on R3 these days (apart from EMS & TTN).

... and there's no sign of any Early Music in this R3 Autumn highlights list (with Alan Davey seductively posed).

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2021/radio-3-autumn-highlights

[french frank]

The week following the end of the Proms usually fixes the new schedule. For this week and next I only see one hour of early music, EMS at 2pm on Sundays. Early Music Now? Early Music Late? The second hour of EMS?

[ardcarp]

Sounds like a complaint to the BBC might be a good idea. Knowing them, it won't achieve much in the first instance, but when future programme planning is done, it is possible listenership opinion (i.e. we want more Early Music in the schedules) might be taken into consideration.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

and

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tn49/contact

[french frank]

Sounds like a complaint to the BBC might be a good idea. Knowing them, it won't achieve much in the first instance, but when future programme planning is done, it is possible listenership opinion (i.e. we want more Early Music in the schedules) might be taken into consideration.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

and

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tn49/contact

The standard answer about such omissions is: "We include such specialist music in all our music programmes." Last time I wrote to 'Im (about Ian Skelly) he made some comment about 'triangulation' - presumed I was just writing for others as he didn't imagine I listened to Essential Classics. Anyway, we all know how effective that complaint was. I didn't bother to reply that I didn't listen to anything on R3 and he could keep his exciting new drama and sloooow radio: my hook was slung long ago

[AuntDaisy]

The week following the end of the Proms usually fixes the new schedule. For this week and next I only see one hour of early music, EMS at 2pm on Sundays. Early Music Now? Early Music Late? The second hour of EMS?

The Late Early Music? Although it's far too serious to joke about.

Re. Complaining.
Have a look at the ~2014 posts here - including some by members of FoR3.

https://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/letters-regarding-radio-3/

Radio 3 used to offer what I wanted, at a time when that was literally life-saving. I was recovering from heroin addiction and severely depressed, came across Bach Day on R3 by chance, and rediscovered my childhood love of sacred and early music. I even wrote a deeply felt email thanking Radio 3 for just being there! Within a matter of months, the Early Music Show’s output has been halved and sometimes it’s jettisoned altogether. The Sound of Cinema season and the loss of Catherine Bott have almost been the final straw. It feels so unfair that even Radio 3 has to succumb to “market forces” when it isn’t subject to a market as such! The management have clearly fallen prey to the fallacy that “difficult” equals “elitist”.
... Christine Pryce

... I seldom listen to the station now, except occasionally on the iPlayer if I hear of a worthwhile programme. My impression is that the schedule, which was varied in style throughout the day, has been ratcheted down a few notches at every point. At the top, Discovering Music was gradually reduced in length and finally dropped; CD Masters morphed through Classical Collection to Essential Classics (with brainteasers and celebrity guests and some distinctly ‘non-essential classics’); the old Choirworks programme was lightened in tone and content as The Choir, and has finally adopted the ‘texting-and-tweeting’ style; one edition of The Early Music Show, allegedly dropped to save money, was replaced by the lighter film music programme; and what was already a fairly undemanding early morning programme ten years ago has become a mish-mash including irrelevant chatter, silly features, single movements and lighter pieces...
... Sarah Spilsbury

... I lament the axing of half the Early Music Show which I believe was widely appreciated by many listeners. I think Catherine Bott’s departure may have been linked to this. The morning programmes are all too often superficial with interviews with guests sometimes truly banal.
... Elizabeth Newlands

... The progs which most often get me hooked are the Early Music Show, Composer of the Week and the Essay, but sometimes also the Verb.
... Laurence Copeland

... Early Music halved. Catherine Bott gone. As I type this I have suddenly realised that I’ve not listened to Radio 3 at all for the last five days. Not even bothered to look to see what is on. A great pity. Radio 3 – RIP. Roger Sinden

... Saturday Morning Review, The Early Music Show, Words and Music – an absolute gem, live concerts…. But the movement is towards the commercial, an uncomfortable aping of ‘Classic FM’. I can not listen to Radio 3 in the mornings.
... Paul Smith

... Other concerns are the loss of the Early Music Show on Saturdays and the more regular re-broadcasting of old programmes. There also seems to be an increasing diet of C19th and C20th music to the exclusion of earlier centuries.
... Alex LCD

Very much regret the reduction by half of the time given to the Early Music Show and its defacto replacement by Sounds of the Cinema. This is an indication of the way that Radio 3 is going and it is to be deplored. Too much of Radio 3 resembles what could be found on Classic FM or other radio channels. Jonathon Holdern

... My favourite programme of the week used to be the Early Music Show, until it was cut by half and shifted to a post-prandial slot on Sundays which might suit others but not me – sadly I no longer listen, as I’m usually out on Sunday afternoons doing something else. Congratulations by the way to Classic FM for snapping up the excellent Catherine Bott, who was one of the shining lights of Radio 3. The station “doesn’t do chatter”, says Roger Wright. It does, the presenters chatter, with us, amongst themselves, with guests. The pre-handover chats between “Breakfast” and “Essential Classics” are particularly annoying.
... Richard Ellis

I'm back to listening to Ö1 & BR Klassik, where they usually have at least one Early Music concert a week!

[AuntDaisy]

The standard answer about such omissions is: "We include such specialist music in all our music programmes." Last time I wrote to 'Im (about Ian Skelly) he made some comment about 'triangulation' - presumed I was just writing for others as he didn't imagine I listened to Essential Classics. Anyway, we all know how effective that complaint was. I didn't bother to reply that I didn't listen to anything on R3 and he could keep his exciting new drama and sloooow radio: my hook was slung long ago

Sorry, our posts crossed.

What ever is 'triangulation'?

Exciting new drama my elbow! "The Duchess of Malfi" with pop music was the last thing I rapidly switched off.

[french frank]

What ever is 'triangulation'?

I didn't like to ask. I think it probably referred to the triangle of 'listeners', him and me as intermediary.

Exciting new drama my elbow!

Didn't it say the drama would include Marlowe's Dr Faustus and his specialism, Njal's saga?

[AuntDaisy]

I didn't like to ask. I think it probably referred to the triangle of 'listeners', him and me as intermediary.

Sounds uncomfortably like a mange a tout (or something similar ).

Didn't it say the drama would include Marlowe's Dr Faustus and his specialism, Njal's saga?

Instead of making a new Njal's saga, why not repeat the excellent R3 1990s "The Tree of Strife" by David Wade, translated by Magnus Magnusson, and with an all-star cast including Bernard Hepton, Struan Rodger, Maureen O'Brien, Norman Rodway and Barbara Jefford?

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1990-02-17#at-21.45

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1990-02-18#at-18.30

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1990-02-18#at-21.05

There are plenty of Faustus's to repeat as well - Alec McCowen's would be my choice.

Why bother making "podcasts" with indifferent casts, bastardised scripts and PC themes? Having wantonly destroyed the Radio Drama Company & Radio drama, R3 & R4 are never going to get the listener numbers they used to have!
What next, 5 minute "Happy Harmonies" podcasts of Shakespeare, some in Cockney vernacular?

The current BBC management have no idea of what BBC radio (drama) used to be capable of.


As for certain people having any credentials in this area - I think there's more to radio drama than just trotting out your own pet subject.

[french frank]

The current BBC management have no idea of what BBC radio (drama) used to be capable of.

The otherwise excellent Abigail Appleton who had charge of drama/speech in the early 2000s was asked if it would be possible to rebroadcast some of the great radio productions of the past. Her answer was that most weren't really 'suitable' in style for modern-day listeners. Which sort of makes you wonder why, on the same grounds, they bother with anything other than new, written-for-radio plays.

Curiously, the Light Programme/Radio 2, the Home Service/Radio 4 and, later, Radio 1, although they have evolved with the times, have never totally abandoned their founding principles: light popular music, a range of quality speech programmes, popular music for a younger generation. The Third Programme was for a type of listener: one who wanted to listen attentively to a range of serious programmes, presented by experts. The description is now dismissed as prissy, pretentious and outdated; and anyway, insofar as there are any listeners like that, they're all too old to bother with and it's better to train youngers listeners in new ways of listening: radio as 'a soundtrack to your life'.

[AuntDaisy]

The otherwise excellent Abigail Appleton who had charge of drama/speech in the early 2000s was asked if it would be possible to rebroadcast some of the great radio productions of the past. Her answer was that most weren't really 'suitable' in style for modern-day listeners. Which sort of makes you wonder why, on the same grounds, they bother with anything other than new, written-for-radio plays.

Thanks for the AA quote - I hadn't heard it before. I wonder if any youngsters stumble across or listen to 4extra?

Sadly, in my experience, new, written-for-radio plays are generally depressingly dull, with voices / actors that I can't tell apart and situations / stories that don't interest me.

In contrast, I'm enjoying "The Tree of Strife" as I work. Sad to think that so many great radio actors are no longer on air, or with us.
Sunday's Tom Stoppard "Imagine" had brief snippets of radio drama at its best - along with the great John Tydeman.

Curiously, the Light Programme/Radio 2, the Home Service/Radio 4 and, later, Radio 1, although they have evolved with the times, have never totally abandoned their founding principles: light popular music, a range of quality speech programmes, popular music for a younger generation. The Third Programme was for a type of listener: one who wanted to listen attentively to a range of serious programmes, presented by experts. The description is now dismissed as prissy, pretentious and outdated; and anyway, insofar as there are any listeners like that, they're all too old to bother with and it's better to train youngers listeners in new ways of listening: radio as 'a soundtrack to your life'.

R3 "serious programmes, presented by experts" = yes, please & enrol me in the old fuddy-duddy club.

I've not tried Scala, the description of "a soundtrack to your life" does nothing to tempt me - "Scala Radio presenters interview each other about the soundtrack to their lives."

Just realised that this EMN discussion has wandered slightly off-track...

[french frank]

Just realised that this EMN discussion has wandered slightly off-track...

It has, but the EMN discussion seemed to have suffered the same fate as EMN The BBC custom is not to mention programmes which have been dropped other than to refer to 'The last of the (present) series'. They bank on people taking a short while to notice it's gone, by which time they have a new programme in place to talk joyously about.

[AuntDaisy]

It has, but the EMN discussion seemed to have suffered the same fate as EMN The BBC custom is not to mention programmes which have been dropped other than to refer to 'The last of the (present) series'. They bank on people taking a short while to notice it's gone, by which time they have a new programme in place to talk joyously about.

Shall I wax lyrical about "Happy Harmonies"?

[french frank]

Shall I wax lyrical about "Happy Harmonies"?

If it's on a short hiatus, that probably means the presenter is taking a holiday.