Sky Arts 2

[Richard Tarleton]

The Barenboim masterclasses in question are presumably those available on DVD from Amazon, available to purchase for far less than a monthly bung in Rupe's billfold. :

a51, there's loads more. some mentioned above. I've recently watched Segovia playing in the Alhambra, Barenboim actually playing the Beethoven sonatas, and lots more besides. There were some terrific Brandenburgs the other day.

Actually I don't have a lot of choice. I live in an area where terrestrial reception was appalling even when it existed. It's now been switched off. I can't get Freeview. Without a satellite dish I would not have TV. I'm quite happy to pay a premium for choice and HD.

Meanwhile BBC 4 brought you the world premiere of Turnage's Anna Nicole

[LHC]

I'm a Vigin media cable customer, and they only supply the channel in standard definition. I have read that they will eventually take the HD feed, but don't know the timescale.

The only negative I can think of is the number of repeats. However that does mean that if you miss something, it will appear again before too long.

BBC 1 shows F1 in HD, but if your area hasn't 'gone' HD that won't help.

I see Virgin Media have just announced that the HD versions of Sky Arts 1 and 2 will be available on Virgin from 26 April.

Excellent news for us Virgin customers

[Mr Pee]

Shai Wosner was also nurtured by BBC as one of Radio 3's New Generation Artists. Remind me of the artists that Sky has nurtured?

http://www.skyartsignition.com/

[amateur51]

http://www.skyartsignition.com/

Oh right.

I watched the informative video

Steve Coogan
Sandi Toksvig
Dame Judi Dench
Juliet Stevenson
Lesley Garrett
Lord Melvyn Bragg
Jamie Cullum
James Rhodes ....

that sort of nurturing ...?

I wonder if they'll play safe & follow the ACE-funded groups or will they fall foul of the 'picking up the cuts' debate?

[Freddie Campbell]

...Well I opted for Sky as it included Broadband & TV quite reasonably.Have not been disappointed!

[amateur51]

...Well I opted for Sky as it included Broadband & TV quite reasonably.Have not been disappointed!

"Just for a handful of silver he left us ...."

[Mr Pee]

Oh right.

I watched the informative video

Steve Coogan
Sandi Toksvig
Dame Judi Dench
Juliet Stevenson
Lesley Garrett
Lord Melvyn Bragg
Jamie Cullum
James Rhodes ....

that sort of nurturing ...?

I wonder if they'll play safe & follow the ACE-funded groups or will they fall foul of the 'picking up the cuts' debate?

I also watched the video:-

"Sky Arts is the place to find the most interesting and innovative arts programming" - From the Grauniad, not normally the most pro-Murdoch rag.

"One of the most innovative of arts supporters is Sky arts"- The Stage

Did you also see the coverage of the Hay-on -Wye book festival, Gilbert and George, the Dublin Theatre Festival, the clips of Lucrezia Borgia Live from ENO, Live theatre from Sky Arts Playhouse, and the fact that Sky took over the South Bank Show Awards when ITV could no longer be bothered with them?

[amateur51]

My point is that Sky is not nurturing new talent but rather backing established artists. It's backing those who have already 'won', there doesn't seem to be much risk involved, it is scarcely innovative.

It's in it for the publicity, pure & simple (rarely pure and never simple, I know)

That's all

I trust that this series of postings will be regarded as debate rather than being labelled as squabbling, a tactic used by parents down the ages to stifle their young

[Stunsworth]

I see Virgin Media have just announced that the HD versions of Sky Arts 1 and 2 will be available on Virgin from 26 April.

Excellent news for us Virgin customers

Yippee!!!

[Panjandrum]

It must be terribly hard for those with such high moral standards to build up a classical music collection: all that hunting around for labels with a "Fairtrade" sticker on them.

Must rule practically all the majors (not to say the independents) out of court. Still they can always listen to an endless loop of La Valse, Pomp & Circumstance No 1 etc ad nauseum, ad infinitum on Radio 3 I suppose.

[Mr Pee]

It must be terribly hard for those with such high moral standards to build up a classical music collection: all that hunting around for labels with a "Fairtrade" sticker on them.

Must rule practically all the majors (not to say the independents) out of court. Still they can always listen to an endless loop of La Valse, Pomp & Circumstance No 1 etc ad nauseum, ad infinitum on Radio 3 I suppose.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13010131

[PaulT]

I much appreciate all your positive comments here about Sky Arts and have decided to go for it. The sports coverage too seems to be excellent - live coverage of the whole of the US Golf Masters I see with a slew of documentaries about the history of this event whereas all the BBC can now manage is to tap in for the last two days. As for broadcasting documentaries that are commercially available as DVDs, good for them. They have presumably paid the neccessary license fees and I would far rather watch these on TV than buy the DVDs and then have them gathering shelf dust after a single viewing.

[Stunsworth]

...whereas all the BBC can now manage is to tap in for the last two days

To stick up for the BBC for a moment, when they start broadcasting the Masters tomorrow I will watch it there in preference to Sky. At least there are no annoying adverts.

[Mr Pee]

To stick up for the BBC for a moment, when they start broadcasting the Masters tomorrow I will watch it there in preference to Sky. At least there are no annoying adverts.

I'm not sure about the sports coverage, but certainly Sky Arts is free of adverts. Earlier this evening I watched a fascinating film on Sky Arts 2 called "In Search of the Messiah", which was about Stradivarius and Guarneri string instruments and the way in which their rising value, fuelled by speculators and collectors, is making it almost impossible for musicians to actually own them. It featured performances and interviews from, among others, Heinrich Schiff, James Ehnes, Stephen Isserlis, Ruth Palmer, Leif Ove Andsnes, Natalie Klien, and Joshua Bell. It ran for 50 minutes without a single advert break. That's why Sky is worth paying for.

And even if there are adverts in a particular programme, with Sky+ you can pause the live TV for 3 or 4 minutes at that point, and then simply fast forward though them, or press pause for 10 minutes or so at the start of a programme, and then just whizz through the adverts as they appear. Since getting Sky I've had to sit through fewer adverts than ever.

( Not currently available on DVD, Amateur, in case you were wondering...)

[amateur51]

It must be terribly hard for those with such high moral standards to build up a classical music collection: all that hunting around for labels with a "Fairtrade" sticker on them.

Must rule practically all the majors (not to say the independents) out of court. Still they can always listen to an endless loop of La Valse, Pomp & Circumstance No 1 etc ad nauseum, ad infinitum on Radio 3 I suppose.

Either of you two small giggling boys (Panjandrum & Mr Pee) care to explain what is so hootworthy about the 'Fairtrade' initiative?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FWovgOzmFU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuVQJdA-z8