Opera across the BBC

[french frank]

Last week at the V&A, the BBC unveiled a pan-platform season of opera programming to coincide with the V&A’s exhibition this autumn, Opera: Passion, Power And Politics, and in collaboration with the Royal Opera House 30 September 2017 - 25 February 2018.

• A season of programmes across radio, television and online this autumn, celebrating the power of opera, to coincide with the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new exhibition in collaboration with the Royal Opera House - Opera: Passion, Power & Politics

• Lucy Worsley to present a documentary series for BBC Two featuring Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director at the Royal Opera House

• BBC Music is working with the V&A to enable more people than ever before to experience and enjoy opera

• BBC Radio 3, the home of opera on the BBC, to broadcast recordings of seven operas which feature in the V&A exhibition. Radio 3 will also be broadcasting live from the Museum episodes of In Tune and Music Matters

• Sir Antonio Pappano to feature on a special BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Week focusing on Puccini

• Further programming will feature on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2017/bbc-announces-major-focus-on-opera

[oddoneout]

Nothing for years and then it all comes at once....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Nothing for years and then it all comes at once....

Really? Opera broadcasts on radio, but no TV coverage mentioned - no change there. A TV documentary series with Antony Papano - but also with Lucy Worsley, so probably no better than Papano's (very good) series on Singers last year. The only possible glimpse of a change is that "further programming" will feature on BBC4 - which, I hope will include broadcasts of full operas.

[french frank]

Nothing for years and then it all comes at once....

I think it's the second "pan-BBC" opera project though [A Passion for Opera was in 2010], probably because they believe opera is potentially 'popular'. I do note the tag on the press release: Category: BBC Two; BBC Four; Radio 3; BBC Arts; BBC Music. The BBC Two contribution is presumably the one programme with Lucy W.

But, yes, let's hope BBC Four comes up with some whole performances.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But, yes, let's hope BBC Four comes up with some whole performances.

We were given the complete Rheingold on BBC4 last month - the legendary Opera North staging - but the rest of the production was ("is" for another five months) available via the i-Player only. No introductory/plenary "presentation" - which, whilst better than the gee-whizz gushery of the Proms presentation, still seemed a little "budget-pressured". There is great potential here - and I particularly hope that the repertoire covers Baroque and post-1945 works as well as the usual suspects.

[french frank]

We were given the complete Rheingold on BBC4 last month - the legendary Opera North staging - but the rest of the production was ("is" for another five months) available via the i-Player only. No introductory/plenary "presentation" - which, whilst better than the gee-whizz gushery of the Proms presentation, still seemed a little "budget-pressured". There is great potential here - and I particularly hope that the repertoire covers Baroque and post-1945 works as well as the usual suspects.

It's strange that nothing is yet announced for BBC Four, just that there will be 'something'. Could be there are still negotiations. I presume the appearances of Sir Tony are not the ROH's only contribution.

[Lat-Literal]

Last week at the V&A, the BBC unveiled a pan-platform season of opera programming to coincide with the V&A’s exhibition this autumn, Opera: Passion, Power And Politics, and in collaboration with the Royal Opera House 30 September 2017 - 25 February 2018.

• A season of programmes across radio, television and online this autumn, celebrating the power of opera, to coincide with the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new exhibition in collaboration with the Royal Opera House - Opera: Passion, Power & Politics

• Lucy Worsley to present a documentary series for BBC Two featuring Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director at the Royal Opera House

• BBC Music is working with the V&A to enable more people than ever before to experience and enjoy opera

• BBC Radio 3, the home of opera on the BBC, to broadcast recordings of seven operas which feature in the V&A exhibition. Radio 3 will also be broadcasting live from the Museum episodes of In Tune and Music Matters

• Sir Antonio Pappano to feature on a special BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Week focusing on Puccini

• Further programming will feature on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...focus-on-opera

Excellent news - thank you.

[DracoM]

Sorry, but anything with Lucy Worsley fronting it is an instant switch off for me. Maybe she and Katie Derham ought to get together...........??

BUT promise in this sequence of programmes looks fine and am anticipating excellence.

[gurnemanz]

I take your point on Lucy Worsley - especially re pointless dressing up but she does know her stuff and can be tolerated more readily than KD.

[Sir Velo]

• Lucy Worsley to present a documentary series for BBC Two featuring Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director at the Royal Opera House

[
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...focus-on-opera

Is that in Lucy Worsley, the well known classical music authority?

[BBMmk2]

Thank you Frenchy for highlighting this. Looking forward to the Lucy Worsley, in particular.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I take your point on Lucy Worsley - especially re pointless dressing up but she does know her stuff and can be tolerated more readily than KD.

Maybe AP thought so as well.

[Richard Tarleton]

Is that in Lucy Worsley, the well known classical music authority?

Leaping to the defence of LW ...I think her USP is being a highly accomplished television presenter, and she'll probably make an excellent foil for the equally extrovert Sir A. She's a serious scholar, and (judging by her Private Passions appearance) has a perfectly respectable interest in classical music....Perhaps in this case the role profile was for not for a classical music authority (AP will be that) but for a presenter, who would make the thing work on television. Other candidates might have been, I don't know, Charles Hazlewood, Clemency Burton-Hill...... Once upon a time it might have been Clemmy's dad, or Bernard Levin, or Jonathan Miller.....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

.Perhaps in this case the role profile was for not for a classical music authority (AP will be that) but for a presenter, who would make the thing work on television. Other candidates might have been, I don't know, Charles Hazlewood, Clemency Burton-Hill.....

Or Amanda Vickery, who has already co-presented (rather well) Music/History programmes for BBC4 (Messiah at the Foundling Hospital and Leningrad). Perhaps a female presenter with a Northern accent was just one step too much "diversity" for the Beeb?

There again, I would have preferred the Corporation to have taken heed of Mary Beard's urging (Leave TV History to the experts) and had Papano co-present with a specialist Music academic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10246277/Leave-TV-history-to-the-experts-pleads-Mary-Beard.html

[french frank]

Other candidates might have been, I don't know, Charles Hazlewood, Clemency Burton-Hill.....

I note the

And to be honest, once you get a programme on television, which is bound to be for a more general audience, you have to go for a good broadcaster (the TV controller will probably have something to say about who it should be***). With a guest who is the 'expert' you need someone who will bring out the best in him/her rather than someone with a deep knowledge of classical music (hence Hazlewood or CBH ).

*** If I remember, it was the then controller of BBC Two who wanted Alan Titchmarsh to present the Proms.