Sean: a Celebration

[french frank]

If you do I wonder whether you could kindly rename this thread Sean : A Celebration or some such and the rather negative headline I concocted a few months back now seems our of keeping .

I can do that bit, yes

I tried to edit your first post to include the old headline as explanation but that seemed to be suggesting I'd started the whole topic and I'd prefer you retained responsibility for that! - I am a mere servant ...

[Ein Heldenleben]

I can do that bit, yes

I tried to edit your first post to include the old headline as explanation but that seemed to be suggesting I'd started the whole topic and I'd prefer you retained responsibility for that! - I am a mere servant ...

thanks so much. The original headline , while no doubt accurate , clashes a bit with the very dignified unbitter tone Sean is taking. How he coped with the praise heaped on air live by Alice Coote and Christian Blackshaw last night without choking is beyond me . I won’t get over her singing Just A Sean At Twilight at full mezzo throttle in long time.

[LMcD]

Presumably whoever is responsible for, or has been told to expedite, Sean's early departure will claim, if challenged, that not renewing somebody's contract (if that is what has happened) is not the same as sacking them. Clumsy at best.

[oddoneout]

So did he jump or was he pushed - or did one lead to the other?

https://slippedisc.com/2024/12/on-radio-3-sean-rafferty-bows-out-early/

It's tempting to say "I think we should be told", but for all sorts of reasons that isn't an option. I do think though that R3 management should recognise that an(existing and long-standing) audience already less than well disposed to their actions will not find this sort of mess inspiring of confidence in the station's future. However, in the real world I realise that the concerns and opinions of that audience(of which I am part) are of little/no interest, as we are not the future of R3; indeed by being 'stuck in the past'(supposedly) we are a major part of the perceived problem of R3.

[french frank]

So did he jump or was he pushed - or did one lead to the other?

https://slippedisc.com/2024/12/on-radio-3-sean-rafferty-bows-out-early/

It's tempting to say "I think we should be told", but for all sorts of reasons that isn't an option. I do think though that R3 management should recognise that an(existing and long-standing) audience already less than well disposed to their actions will not find this sort of mess inspiring of confidence in the station's future. However, in the real world I realise that the concerns and opinions of that audience(of which I am part) are of little/no interest, as we are not the future of R3; indeed by being 'stuck in the past'(supposedly) we are a major part of the perceived problem of R3.

I liked one comment: "The newish head of Radio 3 has made a stupid mistake", followed by someone else's "... another stupid mistake."

[french frank]

So did he jump or was he pushed - or did one lead to the other?

He's a real pro - but even he might have been finding the whole situation a bit of a strain. I can quite believe he finally called it a day.

Incidentally, reading the comments on Lebrecht's blog, I'm pleased to see we haven't plunged to those unnecessary depths of invective as over there - for the one going or the one (in particular) staying.

[Ein Heldenleben]

He's a real pro - but even he might have been finding the whole situation a bit of a strain. I can quite believe he finally called it a day.

Incidentally, reading the comments on Lebrecht's blog, I'm pleased to see we haven't plunged to those unnecessary depths of invective as over there - for the one going or the one (in particular) staying.

I’m quite attracted by one commentator’s suggestion of a “street protest” over Record Review though.

[Ein Heldenleben]

A lovely heartfelt tribute to Sean from Georgia Mann there. She once worked for him. He really does sound a top guy . Handwritten scripts indeed which are then chucked out - superb …

[french frank]

I’m quite attracted by one commentator’s suggestion of a “street protest” over Record Review though.

The current situation does remind me of when Essential Classics was out for tender for 2017-18. That brief said: "Rob Cowan will continue as one of the two presenters of the programme." 2017 is apparently the year Rob began his new programme on CFM. It appears that by the end of 2017 EC was being presented by Suzy Klein and Ian Skelly. Must have been a very short contract that Rob was offered - or else R3 made him an offer that wasn't worth accepting? 'Constructive dismissal' or 'constructive resignation'.

[bluestateprommer]

Angela Hewitt just played some Scarlatti (forgot to note the Kirkpatrick number). Ailish Tynan just strolled in.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Angela Hewitt just played some Scarlatti (forgot to note the Kirkpatrick number). Ailish Tynan just strolled in.

Yep and Nicky Spence by the sound of it.

[bluestateprommer]

Yep and Nicky Spence by the sound of it.

Indeed, and Marcus Farnsworth is now singing Finzi's setting of "Fear no more, the heat o' the sun". Ailish Tynan sang Reynaldo Hahn's "A chloris" a few minutes ago.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Indeed, and Marcus Farnsworth is now singing Finzi's setting of "Fear no more, the heat o' the sun". Ailish Tynan sang Reynaldo Hahn's "A chloris" a few minutes ago.

Anna Tilbrook is a very very good piano player.

amazed how Sean is so graciously responding to the praise being heaped on him by some of our best current performers.

[bluestateprommer]

Anna Tilbrook is a very very good piano player.

amazed how Sean is so graciously responding to the praise being heaped on him by some of our best current performers.

Agree about AT. Nicky Spence was having a lot of fun with Noel Coward's "Any Little Fish", with sound effects from what sounded like Ailish Tynan and Tom Service. Sounds like time for a group [sic] sing led by Dame Sarah Connolly.

[Correction: more like a team relay sing, one at a time.]

PS: Barokksolistene are holding court with "My love is a red, red rose".

PPS: Angela Hewitt just played Felix Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte, op. 19, no. 1. Dame SC and AT are performing "O waly, waly" now.

PPPS: Going on now: slow movement from Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in d, op. 49, with Elena Urioste, Guy Johnston, and Tom Poster.

[kernelbogey]

I’m quite attracted by one commentator’s suggestion of a “street protest” over Record Review though.

There was a very effectively run - and, I believe effective - campaign a few years back (1980s?) to retain radio four broadcasting on Long Wave.