Back to Saturday night is opera night?

[french frank]

But if Saturday night is the best night to broadcast a live performance of a longer opera then changing the timing of the preceeding jazz programme shouldn't be taboo - it isn't reasonable to expect opera enthusiasts to be flexible about timing & days while jazz enthusiasts aren't.

Or vice versa? It does seem as if hitherto it has been the jazz enthusiasts that have had to be 'flexible' even to the point of having their programme dropped.

Not sure why there's all this drama, though. Wagner isn't on every week. Just asking why opera, beginning at 7.30pm, shouldn't be treated like any other live concert on during the week?

[Honoured Guest]

"Early" (before 7.00) Monday Opera start times last autumn -

7 Oct 6.15 Verdi
28 Oct 6.00 Wagner
18 Nov 6.15 Verdi
25 Nov 5.30 Verdi

Unsatisfactory scheduling.

Early evening CotW scheduling disruption - Yes, i-player compensates to some degree for most (?) people, but the whole point of a regular daily slot at this time is to make it easy for people to schedule it into their daily routine.

Opera on 3 and Live in Concert as distinct programmes - Isn't the idea to encourage regular listening to the Opera broadcasts, like regular scheduling of Chamber at 1.00, Early Music, Choir, Jazz, World, etc?

JLU flipping from 6 to 4 when there's Opera at 6 - I listen to JLU and am quite happy with this. It still keeps a Jazz sequence each week because there's always a junction with JRR.

[Flosshilde]

Or vice versa?

Of course - but my comment about jazz flexibility was linked to a suggestion that opera scheduling should be flexible, based on when the operas were being perfromed & the best time to broadcast them, so I'd already answered your question.

Not sure why there's all this drama, though. Wagner isn't on every week. Just asking why opera, beginning at 7.30pm, shouldn't be treated like any other live concert on during the week?

Quite.

[slarty]

Well, a great deal of the Saturday opera on 3 season had a lot to do with the "Live from the MET" series, and as everyone, who is opera orientated knows, this is a live Saturday Matinee broadcast from New York. The Met normally start at 1pm their time - 6pm our time, even for a normal opera, because they generally have an evening performance to get prepared. The Beeb may well "time delay" the broadcast by a little, to leave the Jazz in peace, but it is a difficult evening when a long opera is pre-recorded and then broadcast over a too tight time slot, dispensing with proper intervals.
So it still can come down to having to rush home from work on a Monday, for an early start, whereas Saturday evening is perfect slot even for an elongated broadcast when a Sunday lie in is the offing.
I realise that no two groups will agree with what is better, but having had a long and successful Saterday evening slot, why change it?

[Old Grumpy]

(I don't say this as a jazz fan, which I'm not).

And your support is much appreciated!

[Howdenite]

But the whole point is that most of the time operas DON'T start at 6.30pm; they hardly ever do. They start at 7.30pm, the same as live concerts. Not least because 'those who go to work' can't get to the opera by 6.30pm.

In fact, operas at ROH start at a time to allow the opera to end at or before 10:30. I've learned the hard way to check start times carefully as they vary considerably. And on Saturdays, they often start 1/2 hour earlier to get people out by 10 for the train. Not that that stops the stampede that begins as the curtain drops... A consistent opera start time would mean the operas are recorded and broadcast later. This is fine with me but some people seem to care very much that things are broadcast live. I'm finding it confusing to discover which day(s) will have opera, I'm afraid, so I'm listening less than I was and sometimes missing things I want to hear by not catching it before it goes off the iPlayer after 7 days.

[Quarky]

OK Howdenite.

I don't want to quibble, as there is a fair spectrum of views here, but of course listening at home on the radio does not require catching a train anywhere at 10.30. In fact assuming most people take an hour or so to get home, that might potentially put opera end time back to 11.30. Unless the Hear and Now start time of 10.30 is regarded as sacrosanct. Flexibility is the key.

As regards the view that if it aint broke, don't fix it, and leave Saturday nights as they were, I personally find the hyper enthusiasm of Margaret Juntwait and Jay Saks reason enough to switch off at 6 pm.

[french frank]

of course listening at home on the radio does not require catching a train anywhere at 10.30. In fact assuming most people take an hour or so to get home, that might potentially put opera end time back to 11.30. Unless the Hear and Now start time of 10.30 is regarded as sacrosanct. Flexibility is the key.

Several points:

1. Yes, a start time for the opera-goers is the main(?) consideration: it's one way to make opera 'accessible', like Big Screen showings. These times are known well in advance, and Radio 3 has the option of recording those with early start times IF it wants a standard broadcast time of 7.30pm.

2. However, operas, like concerts, don't all come in a standard shape and size, so somewhere there has to be a measure of flexibility, which R3 seems to solve by leaving some 'empty time' which it can fill with recordings, announced in advance or, more usually, not.

3. The Hear & Now start-time, I'm sure, is not sancrosanct. But the TtN start-time is because it's beamed across Europe for other EBU broadcasters who won't have been broadcasting the opera beforehand. Alternatively, H&N could be truncated, which also wouldn't be ideal. It's one of the 'downsides' of 24-hour broadcasting.

[Old Grumpy]

It's one of the 'downsides' of 24-hour broadcasting.

Easy: get rid of TtN on Radio 3 - nobody listens to it anyway!

[Quarky]

Well, A cautious thumbs up for the new schedule, so far.

Last Saturday kept me entertained throughout.

This Saturday appears to have, on the face of the schedule, programmes of interest throughout from Lunchtime through to TTN.

Noted that we are back to a 6pm start opera from the Met, L'Elisir d'Amore, starring Netrebko. I guess R3 may regard this as the highlight of the evening, but I can't help feeling R3 is missing a trick in broadcasting opera. Opera is a strongly visual art, and Netrebko in particular has star billing not only for her voice but for her looks and acting ability. There are various free versions of the whole opera on Youtube including Netrebko, e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m4AkN3DLTk

Two questions cross my mind: Wouldn't an opera buff preferentially watch a video of the opera as opposed to a sound broadcast, and shouldn't R3 be looking at iPlayer, with a view to broadcasting a video version over the internet?

[french frank]

Well, we've had 'Get rid of Through the Night' and 'what's the point of having opera on Radio 3?' Any other good ideas?

As for broadcasting videos, free of charge to viewers, the opera companies might have something to say about that, especially if they propose producing a video commercially.

[aeolium]

Two questions cross my mind: Wouldn't an opera buff preferentially watch a video of the opera as opposed to a sound broadcast, and shouldn't R3 be looking at iPlayer, with a view to broadcasting a video version over the internet?

Well, for me the answers to both those questions would be: "As a rule, no" and "No". I do go to see live broadcasts of opera in the cinema, and also more occasionally live performances in the opera house, but I am quite happy to listen to opera performances on the radio or on CD (I very rarely watch opera DVDs unless it is a really good production). Far more opera productions disappoint than impress these days and so listening to opera on the radio is like listening to a Shakespeare play: the imagination supplies what the eye cannot see - and the imagination can often be so much better than a director's "concept".

So I am glad that R3 still broadcasts opera. There should be productions available to be seen as well as heard on BBC TV - R3 shouldn't get involved in that.

[David-G]

in response to: "Two questions cross my mind: Wouldn't an opera buff preferentially watch a video of the opera as opposed to a sound broadcast, and shouldn't R3 be looking at iPlayer, with a view to broadcasting a video version over the internet?"

Well, for me the answers to both those questions would be: "As a rule, no" and "No". I do go to see live broadcasts of opera in the cinema, and also more occasionally live performances in the opera house, but I am quite happy to listen to opera performances on the radio or on CD (I very rarely watch opera DVDs unless it is a really good production). Far more opera productions disappoint than impress these days and so listening to opera on the radio is like listening to a Shakespeare play: the imagination supplies what the eye cannot see - and the imagination can often be so much better than a director's "concept".

So I am glad that R3 still broadcasts opera. There should be productions available to be seen as well as heard on BBC TV - R3 shouldn't get involved in that.

As I regular opera-goer, I just wanted say that I agree with you completely.