Afternoon Concert - general thread

[PatrickMurtha]

A highlight of the first hour of the Friday, November 3, Afternoon Concert is a Magnificat in C minor by Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684), which has a very effective stately opening and just a nice sound throughout. Checking my listening notes (and this is where they prove their value), I see that I thought a motet of Rosenmüller’s, Beatus vir qui timet Dominum, was “Fresh!” So now I am an official Rosenmüller fan and will look for other of his works.

[JasonPalmer]

Listening now, a bit of brahms before my son arrives home from school and the focus switches to youtube cartoons and chopped apples.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoying the 3pm slot by stabet mater as son staying later at school to do christmas decorations for charity, a pity as i would prefer he bring them home and we put up ourselves. Still...nice music.

[Bryn]

The content of Afternoon Concert has more and more bleeding chunks and commercial CD clips than in the past. Why? They have hardly run out of in-house recordings and those from other broadcasters.

[oddoneout]

The content of Afternoon Concert has more and more bleeding chunks and commercial CD clips than in the past. Why? They have hardly run out of in-house recordings and those from other broadcasters.

The build-up to EC XL(EC but with longer chunks and a "big" item at 3pm) model has been going on for a long time now, and has got to the stage where I often don't bother to listen if I haven't already got the radio on from the lunchtime. Even then it doesn't necessarily stay on, not least as the 3 pm slot has had little of interest - the repertoire from which they choose seems to have got very limited. A shame, as it used to be something I enjoyed, and probably listened to more than the evening broadcasts, and heard more variety and unfamiliar items.

[JasonPalmer]

Todays concert looks good. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s5t9

[oddoneout]

Todays concert looks good. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s5t9

As an example of what Bryn was complaining about in his post unfortunately - "bleeding chunks", and what I consider to be a poor attitude to composers' works. The Haydn Te Deum in the first part was presumably played in full(I was out until part way through the Danse Macabre) but after the Mahler his "Missa in tempore belli" is only allowed two movements. Why? Does the Mahler preclude having anything "too long" in the same programme.
In the interests of balance(perhaps) it's good to hear the Mahler as it has many happy memories for me, being one of the works I played as a young person in a holiday orchestra. I can't remember what the first half of the programme was; although I can remember some of the first half works I can't match them to symphonies. Putting on 3 full concerts a year was certainly a good way to rack up the number of symphonies under one's belt!

[hmvman]

As an example of what Bryn was complaining about in his post unfortunately - "bleeding chunks", and what I consider to be a poor attitude to composers' works. The Haydn Te Deum in the first part was presumably played in full(I was out until part way through the Danse Macabre) but after the Mahler his "Missa in tempore belli" is only allowed two movements. Why? Does the Mahler preclude having anything "too long" in the same programme.

I was listening in the car this afternoon and it appears that the first three movements of the Haydn Mass were played yesterday. I can't think why this work should be split up so - it's not that long a work - but, as you say, it's been happening for a while. It would appear that Afternoon Concert is on a downward slide towards 'EC in the Afternoon'.

[smittims]

I thoiught that was a fine Mahler One in the 'three-o-clock-slot'. But how sad that there is only a 'slot' for larger works to be 'slotted' into. That this is the BBC's own term for it shows that the playlist/drivetime/scatter trend is a deliberately trivilaist attitude.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoying this afternoon concert, nice bit of strauss to kick off.

[LMcD]

I enjoyed the 2 movements (!) of Carl Frühling's Piano Quartet (or Quintet)

[oddoneout]

Filleting and stripping much in evidence on today's EC XL(as I now think of it - Concert it isn't)
In the run-up to the 3pm major work slot we had a single movement from each of JS Bach, Mendelssohn and Florence Price(no connection between them as far as I can see) and then the Magnificat from Byrd's Great Service before starting the Chausson Symphony No 1. Why? Earlier there was Scene 1 of a sequence of music pt together by Christina Pluhar - other sections will appear on other days, but not one each day as might be expected from a 5 part work - oh no, nothing so logical, one today, 3 tomorrow separated by other, unconnected works, then part 5 on Wednesday.
The online information is rubbish as it gives the impression that there are two Chausson symphonies in the programme and hasn't yet(3-30pm) updated from the Byrd.
Given that Wednesday is St Cecilia's feastday and she does have some connection with music it could have been an opportunity to put in a bit of thought - perhaps even come up with an approximation of a concert, shock horror, but no. The Britten Hymn, and a Song by Rhona Clarke seems to be the sum of it.
Perhaps if some of the effort and expense put into adverts was directed to ensuring that both content and information for existing programmes was up to scratch...

[Sir Velo]

In the run-up to the 3pm major work slot we had a single movement from each of JS Bach, Mendelssohn and Florence Price(no connection between them as far as I can see) a

Come on! Bach was German; so was Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn wrote an "Italian" symphony; Florence is a city in Italy. Innit?

[Serial_Apologist]

[T]he effort and expense put into adverts ...

That's what it is then. :p

[LMcD]

Wouldn't it be more honest - and more accurate - to simply call it 'Afternoon On Three'? (Possibly introduced by the Dave Clark 5's 'Bits and Pieces')