Tearjerker, Downtown Symphony, Piano Flow, Happy Harmonies and other Saturday padding

[LMcD]

I’m not sure there’s any relationship between tv watching and book reading .I must have spent hours a day watching tv both professionally and as a viewer but still managed to read a book a week. During lockdown that trebled to about 3 a week but that’s partly because the telly is rubbish these days . The internet is something else entirely - things like JSTOR, IMSLP and Wiki are an amazing resource but it’s extraordinary how much time you spend just flitting from subject to subject...

Despite having access to umpteen TV channels, streaming services, YouTube and many other readily available diversions, I'm actually reading more (physical) books than ever - I resort to my Kindle App if a book proves unreadable because the print is too small. The local library's reservation system is excellent, and I've stopped pretending that my regular trawl of local charity shops won't result in a further increase in the number of books awaiting my attention. I find I'm reading a lot more non-fiction these days, especially 20th century history, and many more female than male novelists.

[AuntDaisy]

Another Saturday Through the Night ruined by drivel - when will it end?

Here's what we missed:
05:01 Francois Couperin; Bruit de Guerre; Hungarian Brass Ensemble
05:04 Aaron Copland, Timothy Kain; Hoe Down - from "Rodeo" arr. for 4 guitars; Guitar Trek
05:08 Gioachino Rossini; Overture from La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie); Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
05:19 Niccolo Paganini; Moses fantaisie (after Rossini) arr. unknown for double bass and piano; Gary Karr (double bass), Harmon Lewis (piano)
05:27 Erik Satie; Parade; Pianoduo Kolacny (piano duo)
05:40 Jean Coulthard; Michael Conway Baker (orchestrator); Four Irish Songs; Linda Maguire (soprano), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
05:50 Carl Nielsen; Serenata in vano, FS 68 (for clarinet, horn, bassoon, cello & d.bass); Festival Ensemble of the Festival of the Sound, James Campbell (conductor)
05:57 Antonio Vivaldi; Flute Concerto in G minor, RV 439 ('La notte'); Zug Chamber Soloists
06:08 Miklos Kocsar; Scale, tear! (Halog, hasadj meg!) - folk prayers; Hungarian Radio Choir, Peter Erdei (conductor)
06:14 Joseph Haydn; String Quartet in A major, Op 55 no 1; Meta4
06:31 Edward Elgar; Variations on an original theme (Enigma) Op 36; New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Neville Marriner (conductor)
Info from https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/...May%202021.pdf

Available to (re)listen to via more enlightened European broadcasters, e.g. on Swedish radio https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/1699180

The Couperin had a rather abrupt transition in to the Copland, but I rather enjoyed it along with the Haydn & Nielsen.

[cloughie]

I hope each week when you put these ‘missing’ lists you email a copy to the BBC philistine suits who have imposed these regular Saturday morning incursions.

[AuntDaisy]

I hope each week when you put these ‘missing’ lists you email a copy to the BBC philistine suits who have imposed these regular Saturday morning incursions.

I suspect it would be water off a duck's back. As French Frank has already commented...

Yes, he mentioned Lord Reith in his reply to me. [ "'Reach – increase it' – why not? It’s what Lord Reith wanted."] I think I could have written his script. As an ex-civil servant, he knows what to say to fob people off so that they finally give up. There's a certain brutality to these BBC responses: ordinary, reasonable people don't quite master the technique of landing the knock-out punches.

BTW They're not just missing lists - you can actually hear the excised 2 hour block via Swedish radio for the next week or so.

[cloughie]

I suspect it would be water off a duck's back. As French Frank has already commented.

I know but that’s no reason not to keep annoying them!

[kernelbogey]

My toe-in-water dips into these programmes suggests that they promote the notion - or rather pander to it - that music is for use as a background, or to manipulate one's mood. I don't object to anyone using music that way if they want to, but - and here's the thing - there is no need for Radio Three to be promoting this already widely-held notion. What will attract some - of course not all - potential Radio Three future listeners is gentle, informative education as to why there is more to a Mozart symphony, a Beethoven string quartet, a Verdi opera than mood music, or the passing plangency of a pop song about lost love.

[AuntDaisy]

I know but that’s no reason not to keep annoying them!

I suppose so, although not sure I have the energy these days.

Would an en masse FoR3 e-mail campaign would cut any more ice?

[Jonathan]

I suppose so, although not sure I have the energy these days.

Would an en masse FoR3 e-mail campaign would cut any more ice?

No idea but it's worth a go! There is a group on FaceBook called "Rescue Radio 3" - they are a lot more shall we say...forward in their criticism than we are here. Maybe if we could all unite and all send emails, someone might actually pay attention?

[LMcD]

I suppose so, although not sure I have the energy these days.

Would an en masse FoR3 e-mail campaign would cut any more ice?

I doubt it - remember, Auntie Knows Best! I still haven't had the response I was promised when I filled in the complaint form relating to coverage of Prince Philip's death.

[oddoneout]

I doubt it - remember, Auntie Knows Best! I still haven't had the response I was promised when I filled in the complaint form relating to coverage of Prince Philip's death.

Didn't they eventually decide not to respond, just record numbers - which did little to defuse the situation from the complainers' point of view but saved the Beeb a lot of work.

[LMcD]

Didn't they eventually decide not to respond, just record numbers - which did little to defuse the situation from the complainers' point of view but saved the Beeb a lot of work.

If that's the case, why didn't they send me an email telling me they weren't going to respond?

[french frank]

No idea but it's worth a go! There is a group on FaceBook called "Rescue Radio 3" - they are a lot more shall we say...forward in their criticism than we are here. Maybe if we could all unite and all send emails, someone might actually pay attention?

"Rescue Radio 3" is a Facebook talkshop. They don't actually do anything and their criticicism is of the kind which the BBC/R3 routinely ignores.

There are about 100+ forum members who are regularly posting here just at the moment, so if they all signed a letter that would be 100 names … for what that would be worth. I think the problem is that they have very carefully considered the effect that their changes are likely to have on the existing/longstanding audience and they don't care. So writing in and complaining is what they expect, and ignore. It might have an irritation value, though

[kernelbogey]

"Rescue Radio 3" is a Facebook talkshop. They don't actually do anything and their criticicism is of the kind which the BBC/R3 routinely ignores.

There are about 100+ forum members who are regularly posting here just at the moment, so if they all signed a letter that would be 100 names … for what that would be worth. I think the problem is that they have very carefully considered the effect that their changes are likely to have on the existing/longstanding audience and they don't care. So writing in and complaining is what they expect, and ignore. It might have an irritation value, though

There was a very effective campaign a few years back to keep Radio 4 longwave transmission. I would hope that a properly organised campaign re Radio Three might have an effect.

[AuntDaisy]

"Rescue Radio 3" is a Facebook talkshop. They don't actually do anything and their criticicism is of the kind which the BBC/R3 routinely ignores.

There are about 100+ forum members who are regularly posting here just at the moment, so if they all signed a letter that would be 100 names … for what that would be worth. I think the problem is that they have very carefully considered the effect that their changes are likely to have on the existing/longstanding audience and they don't care. So writing in and complaining is what they expect, and ignore. It might have an irritation value, though

I wonder if a way of publicly shaming the BBC cuts / changes would help? Probably not.
BBC drama is also undergoing upheaval / decay and a recent Facebook post by Caroline Raphael & interview / comments by Gillian Reynolds drew some attention, but no positive changes.

How about posters on the side of buses with:
BBC R3 - Less Classical than Classic FM *
BBC R3 & R4 - Worse than it was
BBC R3 - Turn off Grandad
BBC R4 & R3 - We won't make a Drama...

* copyright French Frank & arguably true due to the increasing non-classical drivel dilution.


Something like this humorous mock-up (no breaches of copyright intended):

[french frank]

There was a very effective campaign a few years back to keep Radio 4 longwave transmission. I would hope that a properly organised campaign re Radio Three might have an effect.

The one success we did have was in getting BBC Radio to reverse its decision to cut R3's bitrate in order to introduce a looped trailer on R5Live, as placemarker when the station wasn't actually broadcasting anything. BBC audio boffins had assured them that the difference in audio quality wasn't distinguishable by human ear. I printed off pages and pages of comments from the old BBC messageboard and bunged them in to the Director of Radio. And we got an apology for them mucking up the Proms season.

The difference there was that the consequence was unintended. In this case the consequence is predictable, but merely collateral damage in pursuit of a higher goal But after organising a campaign unsuccessfully for 20 years, I'd be very happy if someone else thought they could do a more effective job.