Baroque Spring

[Thropplenoggin]

Where the bally hell's Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern been during R3's Baroque uprising (for surely this use of 'Spring' smacks more than a little of the Arab Spring, no? Or is every season to have its associated genre: Serialism Summer?)

Just think of all the hilarity they could have eked out of the Biber/Bieber homonym when the brat was throwing his toys out the pram in London last week.

[EdgeleyRob]

You lot are incredibly patient. I reached for the off switch after only a few seconds.

I didn't need to switch off,I didn't listen at all.

[JFLL]

Or is every season to have its associated genre: Serialism Summer?

I'd be quite content with Serious Summer ...

[antongould]

antongould, I'll be bound!!!

Sadly not Rumpole a full day supervising grandchildren meant I missed what sounds to have been one of Radio 3's great days.........

[Thropplenoggin]

I'd be quite content with Serious Summer ...

Uh-oh. If the R3 bigwigs are reading, they'll be floating ideas in their Creative Suites for this:

'Boffo! We can do Brahms - Four Serious Songs. Er, didn't Ludwig do something with Serious in the title?'

'The 'Serioso' Quartet?'

'Yeah, that'll do. I reckon we can easily eke a summer's worth of theme out of this one!'

[Anna]

Sadly not Rumpole a full day supervising grandchildren meant I missed what sounds to have been one of Radio 3's great days.........

Such a great day that it drove both Rumpole and myself to switch on Classic FM!! And who knows how many other R3 listeners to give up?

[hmvman]

Such a great day that it drove both Rumpole and myself to switch on Classic FM!! And who knows how many other R3 listeners to give up?

Me too. I switched onto 'Essential Classics' this morning and lasted less than a minute before I went back to Radio 4!

[Sir Velo]

Does anyone (FF?) know whether all BBC radio and TV stations were required to "observe" Red Nose Day? For example, did John Humphreys sport a comedy red nose, and interrupt an interview with the Prime Minister to tell "hilarious" funny stories?

Would be interesting to know what listening figures were like for the day.

[ardcarp]

If the intention is to raise money for what has to be a Good Cause, then I feel Radio 3 adopted the wrong strategy to winkle it out of its listeners' wallets and purses. My contributions were modest and went via my grand-children's mufti day and school antics. Had a musician (or even a presenter) made a short earnest appeal at (say) hourly intervals during the day on R3. I suspect it may have been more fruitful. OTOH it is called Comic Rerlief, and there lies the dilemma as far as I am concerned. Nothing is less funny than when you are told in advance that it is going to be.

[french frank]

Does anyone (FF?) know whether all BBC radio and TV stations were required to "observe" Red Nose Day? For example, did John Humphreys sport a comedy red nose, and interrupt an interview with the Prime Minister to tell "hilarious" funny stories?

I can see no reference at all on R4's Facebook for yesterday. Can't vouch for the actual programmes.

As for comedy, amateurs pretending to be comedians is just excruciating.

The whole Radio 3 business reminded me of some of the Radio 4 Talkfest programmes where they have a studioful of celebs/critics discussing animatedly and laughing a lot at their own jokes. They're enjoying themselves more than the paying audience.

[Sir Velo]

I can see no reference at all on R4's Facebook for yesterday. Can't vouch for the actual programmes.

So one's left wondering precisely why Radio 3 thought it had a remit to do this? Time was when Comic Relief (if only one could be relieved from R3s idea of comedy) was hived out to BBC1, where it didn't sit out of place with that station's remit to provide Entertainment, and could be easily avoided. How and when did this change? Can anyone imagine any other serious arts broadcaster, in this country or elsewhere, descending to this level?

[french frank]

So one's left wondering precisely why Radio 3 thought it had a remit to do this? Time was when Comedy Relief (if only one could be relieved from R3s idea of comedy) was hived out to BBC1, where it didn't sit out of place with that station's remit to provide Entertainment. How and when did this change? Can anyone imagine any other serious arts broadcaster, in this country or elsewhere, descending to this level?

I see John Humphrys was in an unusual role yesterday, but I didn't hear that the programme was specifically to do with RND.

He played a, move by move commentated, chess game with Dominic Lawson, a 'strong club player' who explained his moves...

[Oldcrofter]

For the few, like myself, not too familiar with the text of Colin/Collin and his beam, here is the lusty carpenter:

Young Collin, cleaving of a Beam,
At ev'ry Thumping, thumping blow cry'd hem;
And told his Wife, and told his Wife,
And told his Wife who the Cause would know,
That Hem made the Wedge much further go:
Plump Joan, when at Night to Bed they came,
And both were Playing at that same;
Cry'd Hem, hem, hem prithee, prithee, prithee Collin do,
If ever thou lov'dst me, Dear hem now;
He laughing answer'd no, no, no,
Some Work will Split, will split with half a blow;
Besides now I Bore, now I bore, now I bore,
Now, now, now I bore,
I Hem when I Cleave, but now I Bore.

[DracoM]

OK, I give in. I've had it up to here with 'Baroque Spring'. Feels suspiciously to me like the deification of miles and miles and miles of musical wallpaper, music to eat by, to talk by, to socialise and flirt to, but not music to sit down and take terribly seriously. Lovely,undemanding noise.
This is killing R3 for me.

When the BBC decide to obliterate moderation and carpet the airwaves with pretty well unrelieved ditto music for literally WEEKS..............

Sorry, but NO.

[EdgeleyRob]

So one's left wondering precisely why Radio 3 thought it had a remit to do this? Time was when Comic Relief (if only one could be relieved from R3s idea of comedy) was hived out to BBC1, where it didn't sit out of place with that station's remit to provide Entertainment, and could be easily avoided. How and when did this change? Can anyone imagine any other serious arts broadcaster, in this country or elsewhere, descending to this level?

I've been thinking the same thing.

OK, I give in. I've had it up to here with 'Baroque Spring'. Feels suspiciously to me like the deification of miles and miles and miles of musical wallpaper, music to eat by, to talk by, to socialise and flirt to, but not music to sit down and take terribly seriously. Lovely,undemanding noise.
This is killing R3 for me.

When the BBC decide to obliterate moderation and carpet the airwaves with pretty well unrelieved ditto music for literally WEEKS..............

Sorry, but NO.

Radio 3 was dying long before Baroque Spring IMO.
I can't believe what's happened to the once great radio station I grew up with in the 70's.