The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Serial_Apologist]

Canons were all right when Webern used them...

[Ferretfancy]

I once worked on a programme about the time the Germans shelled Scarborough during WWI. Over an aerial shot of the town, and for reasons known only to the higher lunacy, the director decided to use the opening of Mahler's 5th to accompany it. However, in his view the splendid climactic crash wasn't strong enough, so we dubbed in a canon shot on top of Mahler's allegedly tame orchestration.
Unfortunately, I can never hear the piece now without a sneaking suspicion that Gustav might have approved !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I listened to this programme again this morning. (More fool me.)

It made me realise just how difficult it must me for the presenters. Clemency Burton-Hill is a highly intelligent woman who has been reduced to being required to deliver a sycophantic, patronising and utterly embarrassing script that she would probably never have dreamt up in a month of leap-days.

"Hello; thank you for joining me, Clemency Burton-Hill"
(We haven't joined you. You're on your own Clemency. Just you and a microphone, perhaps with a technician lurking around.)

"Text me - Clemency Burton-Hill."

"This is Clemency Burton-Hill, your Breakfast Host this morning and all this week."

"I'm going to hand you over to Rob Cowan for "Essential Classics", so it's goodbye from me, Clemency Burton-Page, until tomorrow when I hope you'll join me again."




Have you noticed the pattern here? The name of the presenter is repeated ad nausiam throughout the programme, the assumption being that the person sitting in the chair with the cosy chat is more important than the music.

[french frank]

Have you noticed the pattern here? The name of the presenter is repeated ad nausiam throughout the programme, the assumption being that the person sitting in the chair with the cosy chat is more important than the music.

But it is a truth universally acknowledged in the media world (if not in small isolated communities elsewhere) that radio IS about presenters not music. We are battling against the tide of populism to try and claim otherwise.

[amateur51]

I once worked on a programme about the time the Germans shelled Scarborough during WWI.

Blimey Ferret! - well I must say you do look a lot younger than that

[cloughie]

Let me get this off my chest.... it's 0845 on Boxing day and we've just heard 1812 yet again. The reason? the cannons weren't loud enough (according to a listener) in the previous (and recent ) performance.

Reminds me of the review of the LAPO Mehta LP - not a record for small machines or semi-detached houses.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We are battling against the tide of populism to try and claim otherwise.

Sad but true.

[Suffolkcoastal]

We did get one more interesting listener request at the weekend for some Kalliwoda, who representation on R3 these past few years has been almost exclusively confined to the occasional repeat of a Morecau de Salon for Oboe on TTN, and got a movement from one of his quartets. When are we going to get one of his symphonies complete. I'll repeat that they are very good works and a couple of them among the better examples of the form from the early romantic period.

[Crowcatcher]

After listening to New Generation Artists on Monday evenining I "accidentally" caught the first few minutes of the Urban Prom intrduced by Clemency Burton-Hill and was absolutely horrified at her approach and attitude - obviously one of RW's darlings!
Reflects why I no longer listen to Breakfast.

[Black Swan]

Well I caught just a brief bit this morning. They have a new reason to Tweet/Txt/Email for 2014.

Clemency Burton-Hill presents a New Year's Day edition of Radio 3's Breakfast programme plus a new Breakfast feature highlighting listeners' favourite British music.

Evidently, they will compile a comprehensive playlist of British Music from information provided by the listeners...

What next? I am thinking guest stars participating in the program as famous composers?


Arrgghhhh

[Serial_Apologist]

Evidently, they will compile a comprehensive playlist of British Music from information provided by the listeners...

I'm willing to bet that if we were to flood their polls with works by Lutyens, Maxwell Davies, Birtwistle, Barrett, Finnissy and Ferneyhough, they wouldn't get included for broadcast.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Well I caught just a brief bit this morning. They have a new reason to Tweet/Txt/Email for 2014.

Maybe, since they are so interested in what the listeners think, the BBC will consider starting an online Radio 3 Messageboard? I'm surprised they haven't thought of this one before.

[french frank]

Maybe, since they are so interested in what the listeners think, the BBC will consider starting an online Radio 3 Messageboard? I'm surprised they haven't thought of this one before.

What we do know is that the R3 boards were never for the listeners: they were to 'feed' content into the programmes - the reason why, initially, there was no board for Choral Evensong - no opportunity to use the content in broadcasts; and why the first Sunday Morning programme had its board closed fairly rapidly - comments were too rude to be used.

Hence Facebook and Twitter are ideal: they provide just enough well selected material to read out on air. Again, these aren't provided for listeners and they are much more effective than the messageboards for providing R3 advertisements, and a promotional opportunity for all the people who appear in broadcasts - or would like to appear. Just be nice and complimentary ... It makes perfect sense when you realise the management thinking behind it all.

[Bax-of-Delights]

I'm willing to bet that if we were to flood their polls with works by Lutyens, Maxwell Davies, Birtwistle, Barrett, Finnissy and Ferneyhough, they wouldn't get included for broadcast.

I've already suggested Matyas Seiber...

Actually I don't think R3 need go to all the bother of collating the "100 Best Pieces of English/British music" over the next year. With my Petulengro powers I can provide the list right now:
VW: Lark Ascending
Elgar: Cello concerto
Arnold: English Dances
Arnold: Scottish Dances
Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches
Parry: I was glad
Britten: Four Sea Pictures
Bax: Tintagel
etc etc etc....

you get the drift - the pieces that get played and replayed all the time on Breakfast/Essential Classics.
Simples. Job done. A suitably heavy cheque can be sent to Bax Towers.

And that "Musical Map of Britain" - now consigned to the dustbin. Whatever use was it and did anyone ever have need to reference it?

[alycidon]

I've sounded off before about Breakfast, but more recently I have found it completely unlistenable-to because of all the chit-chat that goes on. It's not just Breakfast, either - every other daytime programme on R3 has turned into a talking shop, and just an ego-trip for the presenters IMO.

My hearing is such that when I have the music at a comfortable level, I then cannot understand any speech whatsoever, so my frustration must be obvious. OK, so I could just play CDs, and that is what always happens, but it is nice to be able to listen to choices made by someone else, to have some variety, but if only they could cut out the senseless chit-chat all the time.