Again Radio 4 does music.. opera this time.

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  • ardcarp
    Late member
    • Nov 2010
    • 11102
    #1

    Again Radio 4 does music.. opera this time.

    Britain in Ten Operas, presented by Roddy Williams.

    BBC Radio 4 - Britain in Ten Operas, Royals and Rogues
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p78g
    Roderick Williams investigates what our opera history tells us about British identity.


    The first episode was a swift overview of Purcell''s Dido and Aeneas, Handel's Julio Cesare, Gay's Beggar's Opera and...even more perfunctotily perhaps.... Arne's Alfred. The object of the programme was to explain how operas fell in with 'British bulldog' sentiments of their times, plus a bit of satire thrown in. Very well done I thought. Maybe a bit quick for Radio 3 opera buffs, but a most heartening programme to air for the general musical listener. Whilst music was 'talked over' a bit, this was generally well-managed with fair chunks being allowed to run.
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  • french frank
    Administrator/Moderator
    • Feb 2007
    • 29917
    #2
    Originally posted by ardcarp View Post
    Britain in Ten Operas, presented by Roddy Williams.

    BBC Radio 4 - Britain in Ten Operas, Royals and Rogues
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000p78g
    Roderick Williams investigates what our opera history tells us about British identity.


    The first episode was a swift overview of Purcell''s Dido and Aeneas, Handel's Julio Cesare, Gay's Beggar's Opera and...even more perfunctotily perhaps.... Arne's Alfred. The object of the programme was to explain how operas fell in with 'British bulldog' sentiments of their times, plus a bit of satire thrown in. Very well done I thought. Maybe a bit quick for Radio 3 opera buffs, but a most heartening programme to air for the general musical listener. Whilst music was 'talked over' a bit, this was generally well-managed with fair chunks being allowed to run.
    Seems to have a sound thesis behind it:

    "Britain has often held an ambivalent attitude towards opera. At many points over the last 350 years, sung dramas have spoken to and for a mass audience. At other times we’ve viewed opera as elitist and foreign. In this three-part series we'll see how, throughout that history, the changing place of opera in British culture tells a revealing story about who we are."

    The sort of thing which ought to enticingly link up with something coming up on R3.
    It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

    Comment

    • ardcarp
      Late member
      • Nov 2010
      • 11102
      #3
      I have to disagree slightly with the script on one statement that 'Handel operas were not rediscovered until the late 20th century'. I think the likes of Anthony Lewis and Raymond Leppard made their mark in staging 'unstageable' Baroque opera a bit before that. In fact Handel's Italian operas fell slightly outside the general drift of the three English 'operas' in Roddy's programme which, with dialogue or not, probably were the fore-runners of today's popular musicals. We shall see what the next episode brings!

      Comment

      • vinteuil
        Full Member
        • Nov 2010
        • 12683
        #4
        Originally posted by french frank View Post

        The sort of thing which ought to enticingly link up with something coming up on R3.
        ... whenever there is good classical music / cultural item on radio 4 (and they crop up often enough... ) I am always amazed that there seems to be a total disconnect with radio 3.

        'Joined up thinking' (dread words), you might have thought, shouldn't be difficult here - to get one radio channel to give the lead into another channel doing similar things which might attract a potential audience. But no, each empire within the BBC is evidently such a chasse gardée that the Controllers can't bear to think their rivals might benefit...

        Pathetic

        .

        Comment

        • french frank
          Administrator/Moderator
          • Feb 2007
          • 29917
          #5
          Originally posted by vinteuil View Post
          But no, each empire within the BBC is evidently such a chasse gardée that the Controllers can't bear to think their rivals might benefit...

          Pathetic

          .
          A thought I might have added. Do Radio 4 managers really want their listeners to switch over to Radio 3?
          It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

          Comment

          • Frances_iom
            Full Member
            • Mar 2007
            • 2411
            #6
            Originally posted by french frank View Post
            A thought I might have added. Do Radio 4 managers really want their listeners to switch over to Radio 3?
            have you considered that planning might well be for when R3 is only on sounds ? with R4 remaining as the 'intelligent' channel (R1 + R2 already pseudo commercial )

            Comment

            • gurnemanz
              Full Member
              • Nov 2010
              • 7357
              #7
              I remembered it from last November and the accompanying discussion on here. A rather swift recycling and worthwhile though it was, I was not needing to listen again so soon. I would have thought an evening repeat might have been appropriate to catch some listeners who can't tune in during the day.

              Comment

              • Frances_iom
                Full Member
                • Mar 2007
                • 2411
                #8
                Originally posted by gurnemanz View Post
                ...A rather swift recycling and worthwhile though it was...
                in some ways R4 is starting to look like the old World Service that served me well when away from UK - that had an 8 hour cycle for many programs - R4 seems to repeat at different times of the day but with a couple of weeks delay - my guess is yet another cost saving which is severely hitting radio whereas TV no doubt expensive live sport is sacred.

                Comment

                • ardcarp
                  Late member
                  • Nov 2010
                  • 11102
                  #9
                  OMG I'd not only forgotten the original broadcast, but also that I'd started a thread about it. Old age I guess!

                  Comment

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