FNiMN

[french frank]

My apologies for not being good at debate

No, I didn't realise your comment was referring back to "A lot of popular classics like the works of Grieg should be binned here too". Not overall objective criticism - it seemed more like 'What I like - good. What I don't like - bad. The term 'worthy' seems to be used by more populist commentators to denigrate. I recall it being used by the erstwhile Culture Secretary, the late Tessa Jowell.

My 'wind-up' post wasn't aiming to be prescriptive or exhaustive, but where I might not refer to Private Passions (or CotW which I forgot) by name, a description of either would not place it beyond the pale. Anymore than Radio 3 must have Petroc Trelawny as a presenter. Saying the station could continue without him isn't a criticism of him personally; so also Private Passions.

[LMcD]

Re Grieg - see post 342; re serious and worthy - perhaps a paraphrase of 'difficult' - see post 351

I've come to the conclusion that Sam Jackson isn't doing that bad a job. What's currently on offer appeals to me much more, and is much less elitist, prescriptive and judgmental, than some of the proposed alternatives. Only time will tell whether I'm deluded, a hopeless case, a voice in the wilderness, or just somebody who has, in recent years, learned that, with age, one becomes involved in an increasingly demanding process of continual adjustment. in the context of which changes in the character of a radio station to which I still listen, albeit less often, are, at most, a minor irritant. I leave it to others to fulminate.
I'm not in the business of making dismissive comments about other people's listening habits - after all, one man's dross may well be somebody else's simple pleasures. It so happens that I enjoy and appreciate different genres of music at different times, and at present, with the help of BBC Sounds and my TV hard disc, I can listen to what I want to hear when I want to if what's currently on air isn't what I want or need at the time. At the moment, I would say that SJ is right more often than he's wrong, and that's all I would expect anybody to say about me.!
(Ah yes, the Bartok - unfortunately, the extracts which I played to illustrate my little lecture terrified the deputy manager's cat).

[oddoneout]

How did my reference to post 342 end up as a link to an very old technical query? Was it the use of a hashtag symbol rather than the word 'post'? I was on my way out and posted in haste so didn't see the error in time to edit.

[vinteuil]

How did my reference to post 342 end up as a link to an very old technical query? Was it the use of a hashtag symbol rather than the word 'post'? I was on my way out and posted in haste so didn't see the error in time to edit.

... I have experienced something similar - and yes, I think it's the hashtag that does it. It's usually all right if you put a gap between the hashtag and the next symbol - so # 342 but Vinyl to MP3 Conversion without the gap

.

[oddoneout]

... I have experienced something similar - and yes, I think it's the hashtag that does it. It's usually all right if you put a gap between the hashtag and the next symbol - so # 342 but Vinyl to MP3 Conversion without the gap

.

Thank you for that, I'll try and remember, but as getting post numbers is a faff in the first place because for me they disappear once logged in I may well not!

[cloughie]

Thank you for that, I'll try and remember, but as getting post numbers is a faff in the first place because for me they disappear once logged in I may well not!

Or they change depending on what filter is used!

[oddoneout]

I've come to the conclusion that Sam Jackson isn't doing that bad a job. What's currently on offer appeals to me much more, and is much less elitist, prescriptive and judgmental, than some of the proposed alternatives. Only time will tell whether I'm deluded, a hopeless case, a voice in the wilderness, or just somebody who has, in recent years, learned that, with age, one becomes involved in an increasingly demanding process of continual adjustment. in the context of which changes in the character of a radio station to which I still listen, albeit less often, are, at most, a minor irritant. I leave it to others to fulminate.

I'll have to differ from you regarding Sam Jackson. While my music preferences have changed somewhat over the years, such that what he favours might not be quite such a major issue as for others, it's the format that has turned me into a non-listener. The spoken content has become so dominant, of such poor quality(all Beeb self promotion), and for so many hours of the day, that I can no longer deal with it. The afternoon offering needs access to Sounds to make it a sensible listen, given the continued attachment to the deconstruction of concert recordings, which rules it out.
His apparent aim to make all the daytime output essentially the same makes sense in terms of what appears to be the over-riding concern to increase audience at all costs, but can only work(if at all) by ignoring everything that R3 is supposed to provide.
What I don't really understand is why it was thought a good idea to use the FNIMN name. Carrying across an audience might work for major TV shows, but not for this. To me it just seems a way of annoying quite a lot of listeners, but for differing reasons. Better to simply have a Friday evening concert slot that provides an alternative to the regular weekday ones, free of the baggage that the FNIMN label brings. Complete, but shorter pieces( and from across the centuries instead of the current narrow R3 focus on just the last 150 years or so), put together with thought(connection through a theme) as last Friday's concert was, but without the music hall presentation gimmick, would I think be a worthwhile exercise.

[french frank]

I've come to the conclusion that Sam Jackson isn't doing that bad a job.

You accused me of posting a wind-up! [Edit No it was ooo - but I admit it rankled! ] Btw, you also said:"I think I would find it difficult to remain a Friend of a Radio 3 ...". It's news to me that you ever were. This is a publicly available forum which has never required anyone to be an official Friend. All opinions welcome as long as people don't set out to annoy others or break the House Rules

Instead of repeating what you enjoy, why not engage with the discussion?

[french frank]

I'll have to differ from you regarding Sam Jackson ... &c.]

Yes, I agree with most of that. It's the presenter-led format, replicating what the popular music stations do, which reduces quality; plus, for me and others, the lack of full-length works. Any individual piece of music would be - for me - acceptable on R3, even if I didn't enjoy it. Even the odd single movement (perhaps with an apology for the lack of time!). It's the unrelieved incoherent sequence of pop-length pieces punctuated by vocal vapidity that represents loss of quality.

[Roger Webb]

......... It's the unrelieved incoherent sequence of pop-length pieces punctuated by vocal vapidity that represents loss of quality.

In a nutshell! The reason I, and it seems an increasing number of ex-Radio 3 listeners, are exploring alternatives in the shape of YLE, Cesky Rozhlas, etc. for morning listening.....I still catch the occasional evening concert - ensuring I 'tune in' at 19.32 so as to avoid the inevitable advert! But competition is keen with most continental stations starting their evening concerts at 19.00 (UK time)....WDR3 had a lovely concert of chamber music live from the Köln studios last night, and tonight it'll be BR klassik with Simon Rattle in Brahms' German Requiem - with 'our own' Lucy Crowe one of the soloists, live from Munich......FNiMN doesn't stand a chance! Oh, and the vocal vapidity in tonight's FNiMN is provided by Lady Kate of Durham!

[Ein Heldenleben]

I see that after last week’s unusually classical Fauré into French music tonight reverts to type. Rodgers and Hammerstein - fair enough. But Menken and Schönberg - well this is thin West End fare really. The gulf musically between Bruckner and Rodgers is about the same size as that between Rodgers and Menken/Schönberg.

Getting the BBC SSO to play them , with their recent fine performances of Bruckner and Mahler in mind , is like getting Picasso to paint your house or Bernstein to DJ at your party. (Mind you both the latter would be creatively interesting).

[Ein Heldenleben]

In a nutshell! The reason I, and it seems an increasing number of ex-Radio 3 listeners, are exploring alternatives in the shape of YLE, Cesky Rozhlas, etc. for morning listening.....I still catch the occasional evening concert - ensuring I 'tune in' at 19.32 so as to avoid the inevitable advert! But competition is keen with most continental stations starting their evening concerts at 19.00 (UK time)....WDR3 had a lovely concert of chamber music live from the Köln studios last night, and tonight it'll be BR klassik with Simon Rattle in Brahms' German Requiem - with 'our own' Lucy Crowe one of the soloists, live from Munich......FNiMN doesn't stand a chance! Oh, and the vocal vapidity in tonight's FNiMN is provided by Lady Kate of Durham!

If I want vocal vapidity I usually go the local pub.

Mind you it’s the quayside at Piraeus compared to R3 . The only pub I’ve ever heard Nietzsche quoted in.
And I don’t mean the timeless Python couplet :

“There’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach yer about the raising of the wrist
Socrates himself was permanently p***ed.”

[oddoneout]

You accused me of posting a wind-up! [Edit No it was ooo - but I admit it rankled! ] Btw, you also said:"I think I would find it difficult to remain a Friend of a Radio 3 ...". It's news to me that you ever were. This is a publicly available forum which has never required anyone to be an official Friend. All opinions welcome as long as people don't set out to annoy others or break the House Rules

Instead of repeating what you enjoy, why not engage with the discussion?

I'm intrigued - I didn't set out to wind you up, so am now wondering what I wrote that has done so!

[oddoneout]

I see that after last week’s unusually classical Fauré into French music tonight reverts to type. Rodgers and Hammerstein - fair enough. But Menken and Schönberg - well this is thin West End fare really. The gulf musically between Bruckner and Rodgers is about the same size as that between Rodgers and Menken/Schönberg.

Getting the BBC SSO to play them , with their recent fine performances of Bruckner and Mahler in mind , is like getting Picasso to paint your house or Bernstein to DJ at your party. (Mind you both the latter would be creatively interesting).

It doesn't say so but isn't this night's offering a repeat?

[Roger Webb]

.
And I don’t mean the timeless Python couplet :

“There’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach yer about the raising of the wrist
Socrates himself was permanently p***ed.”

......."and Wittgenstein was a beery swine, 'I drink therefore I am.'"