Radio 3 Unwind starts on the 4th of November

[french frank]

I have to say there have been many times lately, deep in the night, when I have taken this sedative and found it perfect for easing me to gentle sleep. There has been music, accompanied by the sound of waves, which is truly soothing. I can see nothing wrong with lullabies - and long, long ago I found that Mozart's flute and harp concerto played softly would ease my baby sons to sweet sleep.

Absolutely nothig wrong with it at all. But misleading to associate it with Radio 3 and classical music as such. Just commodification of art rather than art itself. As an individual, I expect Radio 3 to offer more than that. That's not what the creators originally intended it to do: it's the contemporary appropriation of classical music to help people sleep. One either considers that important or one doesn't.

[vinteuil]

When it comes to getting to sleep, some people swear by the Shipping Forecast.

... and some at it.

.

[LMcD]

I have to say there have been many times lately, deep in the night, when I have taken this sedative and found it perfect for easing me to gentle sleep. There has been music, accompanied by the sound of waves, which is truly soothing. I can see nothing wrong with lullabies - and long, long ago I found that Mozart's flute and harp concerto played softly would ease my baby sons to sweet sleep.

When it comes to getting to sleep, some people swear by the Shipping Forecast.

[Bella Kemp]

I have to say there have been many times lately, deep in the night, when I have taken this sedative and found it perfect for easing me to gentle sleep. There has been music, accompanied by the sound of waves, which is truly soothing. I can see nothing wrong with lullabies - and long, long ago I found that Mozart's flute and harp concerto played softly would ease my baby sons to sweet sleep.

[LMcD]

Letter in next week's RT Feedback (P144):

"With Radio 3 Unwind, we have a whole radio station devoted to classical music as sedative: undemanding, cosy, with presenters speaking in hushed tones.

In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley's drug called Soma was a narcotic tranquilliser, designed to reduce unrest and subversive ideas. That got me thinking. But then I fell asleep. Rachel Collingbourne, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Well said, Rachel !

[Serial_Apologist]

Letter in next week's RT Feedback (P144):

"With Radio 3 Unwind, we have a whole radio station devoted to classical music as sedative: undemanding, cosy, with presenters speaking in hushed tones.

In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley's drug called Soma was a narcotic tranquilliser, designed to reduce unrest and subversive ideas. That got me thinking. But then I fell asleep. Rachel Collingbourne, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

[french frank]

I get the impression that the Radio 3 sleeping pill is now most often trailed as 'Radio 3 Online', with 'Unwind' being mentioned only occasionally.

Managerial decision in view of the criticisms? A hint of ducking and diving, perhaps?

[LMcD]

I get the impression that the Radio 3 sleeping pill is now most often trailed as 'Radio 3 Online', with 'Unwind' being mentioned only occasionally.

[Roslynmuse]

He forgot to add "... of a certain age..." to that final para.

I was thinking exactly the same thing...

[oddoneout]

On the contrary: the variety is as broad as it ever was

Has he looked at the daytime schedules of yore, such as the one posted recently by(I think )Aunt Daisy, to get an idea of why some of us might disagree with that statement?
For now I'll narrow it down to "is that why there is so little Classical content, and Baroque/early repertoire is almost non-existent? They seem to have been removed in order to accommodate the management pressure to tick equality,diversity and accessibility boxes. That doesn't broaden the music offering, it just shifts the lack of breadth(perceived, not actual, in my view) elsewhere.
His habit of drawing attention to a one-off, such as the Sunday trip around the UK, or a new series such as The Modernists, to me just seems to highlight the paucity overall. Time was when a new series, or indeed just topic-based series in general, happened as a standard part of the output; it was what R3 is(was) for, not a rare happening that has to be endlessly trumpeted.
I don't pour scorn on the idea of introducing 'classical music' to the masses(far from it) but I am critical of the ways that he approaches the matter, for several reasons.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Our leader in the Spectator



Sir: In an attempt to formulate an argument as to why launching Radio 3 Unwind is not to be welcomed, David Sexton ties himself in knots (Arts, 30 November).

He describes a nonexistent ‘pressure’ on Radio 3 to play music of a particular mood or style. On the contrary: the variety is as broad as it ever was. We recently announced a 40-part series entitled The Modernists, exploring composers ranging from Boulez to Berio to Stockhausen. We arranged a day of broadcasts across the UK to mark the start of Advent, with programmes from the Scottish Highlands, St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Seamus Heaney’s birthplace in Northern Ireland. And in January we will be in Auschwitz, reflecting on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. None of this is the mark of a radio station seeking to embrace a ‘ghastly descent into populism’.

There is a strange habit within a small section of the arts world of seeking to pour scorn on anything that might introduce classical music to others. The launch of Radio 3 Unwind means there is now an even greater amount of classical music on offer from the BBC – at a time when figures show more hours are being spent listening to the main Radio 3 station than ever before. I’d say that’s something to celebrate.

Sam Jackson

Lord alone knows why he wants to pick a fight with people who support his station. Not a good PR move
The “listening hours “ argument partly a function of population growth and much of the music on Radio 3 is not , by any stretch of the imagination, classical music . I wouldn’t put many of the carols played on Sunday in that category,Christmas ( they never call it that of course it’s always “the Festive Season ) has largely become an excuse to trot out over-exposed carols and saccharine Xmas music.
There is literally no one out there wishing to “pour scorn” on attempts to introduce classical music to others, Many of us play instruments , help others learn music , work for free for music charities , sung in church choirs etc etc
I mean really….Just what do you contribute Sam ?

[AuntDaisy]

...
There is a strange habit within a small section of the arts world of seeking to pour scorn on anything that might introduce classical music to others. The launch of Radio 3 Unwind means there is now an even greater amount of classical music on offer from the BBC – at a time when figures show more hours are being spent listening to the main Radio 3 station than ever before. I’d say that’s something to celebrate.

Sam Jackson

Thanks anton.

He forgot to add "... of a certain age..." to that final para.

[antongould]

Our leader in the Spectator



Sir: In an attempt to formulate an argument as to why launching Radio 3 Unwind is not to be welcomed, David Sexton ties himself in knots (Arts, 30 November).

He describes a nonexistent ‘pressure’ on Radio 3 to play music of a particular mood or style. On the contrary: the variety is as broad as it ever was. We recently announced a 40-part series entitled The Modernists, exploring composers ranging from Boulez to Berio to Stockhausen. We arranged a day of broadcasts across the UK to mark the start of Advent, with programmes from the Scottish Highlands, St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Seamus Heaney’s birthplace in Northern Ireland. And in January we will be in Auschwitz, reflecting on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. None of this is the mark of a radio station seeking to embrace a ‘ghastly descent into populism’.

There is a strange habit within a small section of the arts world of seeking to pour scorn on anything that might introduce classical music to others. The launch of Radio 3 Unwind means there is now an even greater amount of classical music on offer from the BBC – at a time when figures show more hours are being spent listening to the main Radio 3 station than ever before. I’d say that’s something to celebrate.

Sam Jackson

[Barbirollians]

I asked Alexa to play it this lunchtime . In Piano Focus a piece of such extraordinary Einaudi like vacuity was playing - that it was like a drill of minimalist repetitive blandness and I had to turn it off and Alexa kindly then played Beethoven Piano Concerto no 5 for me - Ashkenazy/Solti - and I was able to unwind.

[Ein Heldenleben]

There is a version of my database 'front end' which includes artists, but I haven't 'formally' announced it yet. At the moment it's only possible to search on a single artist, but searching back to about 2013 on Barbirolli then filtering for 'sinfonia of london' within the browser gives 5 results for Breakfast (not all of which match your Google search results) and 18 for Essential Classics.

Thanks v much. Looks like 2015 - 19 Barbirolli featured a lot but apart from the Cello concerto he doesn’t get played much now on these two programmes. My theory is that producers tend to cluster round certain recordings rather than risk either delving back or trying something new unless that new recording has become flavour of the month. The Wilson / Sinfonia is in vogue definitely.