River of Music: 12 hrs Non-stop Music: Sunday 30 October

[antongould]

A listing is being updated as the sequence progresses. It's usually an item or two behind the relevant transmission.

With little credit being given to Ethyl the Wrecker .......

[Pianorak]

A listing is being updated as the sequence progresses. It's usually an item or two behind the relevant transmission.

Ah - thanks for the link, Bryn and ff!

[french frank]

With little credit being given to Ethyl the Wrecker .......

I noticed that Ethel the Organist had reappeared.

I can understand the refusal to listen to any of it (because it doesn't satisfy an individual's personal preferences for listening). I'm completely non-plussed by anyone's ability to listen to hour after hour of it: and with 12 hours of it, I doubt it was supposed to be listened to like that. But, again, an individual preference …

[kernelbogey]

I too am finding the lack of breathing space a problem, especially given the -ahem - 'striking difference' between the pieces in question, - jars a bit....

[Rue Dubac]

Well, shallow and ignorant as I probably am, I am enjoying the River more than I expected. I did not tune in until about 11.30, put off then by something very minimalist straight after Nigel and his Four Seasons, that at first I thought was some clever clogs doing some sort of variation on the Vivaldi... Then realised it was the River.
I've enjoyed trying to guess what some of the many unfamiliar pieces are, found the playlist in the Schedule and look occasionally, using the ones I recognise as markers. I have absolutely no idea of the significance of the music to the evolution of R3, and don't do social media so will remain ignorant. For a one-off it is quite refreshing, if frustrating at times.
Really do not understand why some listeners feel so strongly about an advance playlist in this context. If you want to listen to your favourite piece, surely you can play yor CD? I got a bit of one of my favourites, the Ravel string quartet, but only a bit...
I also find I like the way one piece segues into the next. I think it's often quite cleverly done.

[Guest]

Been tuned in since about ten. Thoroughly enjoyable way of listening to broadcasted music. I think that R3 should do this on a regular basis (once a week?). Definitely gets my vote, in fact I’d say it’s excellent.

Maybe, if, and I repeat if, they had provided playlists earlier?

[MrGongGong]

Mr GG, if I read him correctly, seems to welcome this approach on the Cageian principle that the only option when faced with new music is to listen without preconceptions of any kind. One problem with that is that some kinds of music carry underlying preconceptions are part of the package. There is also the problem of the preconception that is needed to rid oneself of the spoiler.

It's definitely worth a go sometimes (SOMETIMES) ... I've just been on a very long journey and randomly turned on the radio to hear a massive orchestral piece with shades of Gamelan BUT not Britten, Mc Phee or anything I knew already. So having completely forgotten about this river thing listened to the end to find out what it was half thinking I might investigate but then it was something completely different. Which got me musing on the desire to own, classify and possess. So then I thought that it was perfectly fine on this occasion not to know for once.

Of course, one can ignore all that and just hear it as an 'acoustic phenomenon', according, also, to Mr GG.

Music is an 'acoustic phenomenon' (amongst other things) and it's fine to experience it as such.

What I would see this as is an 'experiment'. If it doesn't work for most people, it could be considered a 'failure'.

Depends on what you mean by 'work'.
To my mind, one of the things that art can do (and I include music) is to intrigue, perplex and baffle. People seem fine with this in other artforms but often not in music.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Really do not understand why some listeners feel so strongly about an advance playlist in this context. If you want to listen to your favourite piece, surely you can play yor CD?

I can think of a couple of reasons - seeing what's on when in order to ensure that the piece that you've been longing to hear on R3 for the past thirty years is finally going to appear at 2:47pm, for one. Delaying/bringing forward lunch/dinner in order to ensure that you don't (or do!) miss certain pieces. Knowing that a work by a composer you've heard of but whose Music you've never heard is being performed at 3:14 AND 7:42.

[peterthekeys]

River of bleeding chunks

I haven't paid much attention to this up to now, but the thought of 12 hours of R3 with no inane chatter, gush or ignorant pontification was really quite alluring.

I should have known. I was out this morning, and turned on when I got back (about 14:30) to hear the start of an absolutely storming performance of the Rite of Spring. Part 1 ended, and I was eagerly awaiting part 2 - when it suddenly metamorphosed into the slow movement of Franck's flute sonata. The realization sank in, and the disappointment and disgust was total. "Gardener's Question-time" rapidly got an extra listener.

[peterthekeys]

River of Music? More of a musical stew, a mess of indigestible lumps and glutinous gravy, a potpourri of unrelated music, segueing from one to another without breathing space to digest. A bit like Classic FM without the commercials. 'Rivers of Muzak' more like.

Or even more like a Joanna MacGregor recital

[Beef Oven!]

I'm completely non-plussed by anyone's ability to listen to hour after hour of it: and with 12 hours of it, I doubt it was supposed to be listened to like that. But, again, an individual preference …

I don’t think it’s about ability, more about preference. But who’s saying we should listen to this hour after, hour?

[Alison]

At least Brian Kay has had a look in.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I don’t think it’s about ability, more about preference. But who’s saying we should listen to this hour after, hour?

Because it's so good, no-one will be able to resist.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I can think of a couple of reasons - seeing what's on when in order to ensure that the piece that you've been longing to hear on R3 for the past thirty years is finally going to appear at 2:47pm, for one. Delaying/bringing forward lunch/dinner in order to ensure that you don't (or do!) miss certain pieces. Knowing that a work by a composer you've heard of but whose Music you've never heard is being performed at 3:14 AND 7:42.

That's exactly it.

[Beef Oven!]

Wow! Great to hear Delia’s arrangement of the Dr Who theme!!!