Afternoon Concert - general thread

[jayne lee wilson]

I'd rather program all the marvellously varied Ten Symphonies (well, the 9 on disc at least...), in order.... as it happens, I'm casting around for new season after all the (still ongoing) Schubert, Mozart Piano Concertos (Levin).... so we'll see....

But I never heard the 2019 Concerto for Orchestra, so I may track back to seek out....

[edashtav]

I would never want to usurp Jason's position as cheer-leader for Afternoon Concert , but I think I ought to say how much more I enjoyed yesterday's programme than some others.

I admit to being less than kind about David Matthews' music , so it's a pleasure to say how much I enjoyed his 'Nachtgesang' broadcast just after 3pm. and the 18th century chamber work after that.

I admit to having inclined to your position over David Matthews’ compositions in the past rather than Jayne Lee Wilson’s admirable enthusiasm although I’ve long retained an affection for his 4th symphony. However, like you, I responded positively to yesterday’s recent pieces: the night song and Concerto for orchestra.

Even more endearing was hearing David’s astonishing energy and commitment to finding, restoring and show-casing long lost scraps from the masters, e.g. Mahler’s partial orchestration of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden quartet. I relished the Reger’s orchestral arrangements of Schubert songs and thought his Earl King was masterly.

David is a wonderful musician from tip to toe and he’s not an epigone.

However, despite his amazing fluency and facility, his well-wrought scores are just a tad short of compelling because they break insuffient new ground.

He deserves better reward for his zeal and endeavour.
Let’s hope Jayne plays catch-up!

[smittims]

I would never want to usurp Jason's position as cheer-leader for Afternoon Concert , but I think I ought to say how much more I enjoyed yesterday's programme than some others.

I admit to being less than kind about David Matthews' music , so it's a pleasure to say how much I enjoyed his 'Nachtgesang' broadcast just after 3pm. and the 18th century chamber work after that.

[JasonPalmer]

Listening now, lovely piano music, hurrah for radio 3

[Ein Heldenleben]

A very interesting series of pieces this and some exceptional playing throughout. Very good work on the part of the producer to source so many outstanding performances from so many disparate sources, I particularly enjoyed the Sibelius and the Bartok.

[smittims]

Well , they played it all right, but oh dear, what happened to the recording? The solo flute in the first movement , and the solo clarinet and bassoon at the start of the third, were closer and louder than the full orchestra, which, even though playing forte with bass drum and cymbals (scarcely audible) sounded as if they were playing in an offstage room the door of which was slowly and silently closed. And what was that curious noise in the third movement, like someone distantly thrashing a wardrobe?

I'm sure Liszt intended more dynamic contrast than this. My fifty-three-year old copy of 6500 189 has a splendid dynamic range.

[Alison]

Bravo for broadcasting 'From the cradle to the Grave' instead of yet another recording of 'Les Preludes'.

It's a marvellous piece, the perfect tonic for those who think they don't like Liszt's music. I find it goes through my head for days after I've heard it. I don't think anyone's come so close to it as Haitink in his old Philips recording with the LPO.

[Alison]

Cracking Sibelius 4 this afternoon from the Royal Concertgebouw under Klaus Mäkelä

Yes! I’m thinking of KM as the new Concertgebouw chief, whatever the silly delay imposed, and on this evidence he is worthy NOW of such a position.

[Nick Armstrong]

Cracking Sibelius 4 this afternoon from the Royal Concertgebouw under Klaus Mäkelä

[smittims]

Bravo for broadcasting 'From the cradle to the Grave' instead of yet another recording of 'Les Preludes'.

It's a marvellous piece, the perfect tonic for those who think they don't like Liszt's music. I find it goes through my head for days after I've heard it. I don't think anyone's come so close to it as Haitink in his old Philips recording with the LPO.

[JasonPalmer]

Listening now, go on, put down the cd and listen to radio 3 eh

Ian Skelly concludes this week of Afternoon Concert featuring performances from the Netherlands, with the Royal Concertgebouw performing Sibelius's Fourth Symphony, written in 1910 and a product of a difficult period in the composer's life.

Also today, Les Ambassadeurs La Grande Ecurie perform more of a concert recorded at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, and today's concerto is Bartok's Third Piano Concerto performed by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet with the KBS Symphony Orchestra.

Presented by Ian Skelly.

Including:

Biber: Mystery (Rosary) Sonata No. 12 'The Ascension'
Petra Mullejans (violin)
Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
Lionel Meunier (conductor)

Liszt: Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe, S. 107, symphonic poem
Vienna Philharmonic
Riccardo Muti (conductor)

David Matthews: Le Lac Op.146 for soprano and ensemble
Ailish Tynan (soprano)
Ulster Orchestra
Jac van Steen (conductor)

c.3pm
Sibelius Symphony no.4 in A minor, Op.63
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)

Les Ambassadeurs La Grande Ecurie Quatrieme Suite in D major
(Jean-Philippe Rameau - Ouverture (from Zaïs), Jean-Philippe Rameau - Menuet (from Le Temple de la Gloire), Jean-Philippe Rameau - Rondeau (from Dardanus), Antoine Dauvergne - Entrée de Chasseurs (from: Enée et Lavinie), Jean-Joseph de Mondonville - Musette (from: Titon et L’Aurore), Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer - Chaconne, Jean-Philippe Rameau - Tambourin)
Les Ambassadeurs La Grande Ecurie
Alexis Kossenko (conductor)

c.4.00
Bartok Piano Concerto no.3 in E major, Sz.119
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
KBS Symphony Orchestra
Yoel Levi (conductor)

[JasonPalmer]

This cannabich symphony 67 is nice...all the best tunes on radio 3 concerts

[JasonPalmer]

3% for 3 sounds good to me

[french frank]

You are not going to win arguments over Radio 3’s content by looking at its audience figures because that is not the prime driver of editorial decisions on that channel.

I wasn't talking about any driver of editorial decisions: I was replying to the assumption expressed on this board that changes were designed "to attract a larger audience". It is of course possible that Afternoon Concert has attracted a larger audience by changing its format, in which case in would be very interesting to know which programmes have lost listeners given that overall figures are somewhat down.

Quarterly figures are volatile, but it was significant that R3's reach last September hit such a low point. The percentage reach which references the annual population changes is rounded up/down to the nearest whole number (which given that R3's reach is so small can make a disproportionately large difference), but it had been 4% for years and years - which is to say it has been at least 3.5%. For two quarters running now it has been 3% which may in fact only indicate a small fall, but a fall it is. Whatever you consider to be the drivers of individual editorial decisions, I'm quite sure the editors don't want to see reach falling.

[JasonPalmer]

What a lovely violin concerto....