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

[Ein Heldenleben]

Whose purpose? There was a time when Radio 3 managers were well aware of the gaping cultural divide between themselves, what they were trying to achieve, and the BBC's top brass. They tried their best to hold the line; but for more than 20 years now, Radio 3 managers have simply taken the BBC shilling, tugged their forelocks and presided over the slowly declining intellectual standards. Without a murmur of dissent.

The argument over what Radio 3 (and Third Programme ) should be is as old as the hills. Donald McLeod mentioned yesterday that Robert Simpson resigned decades ago over the move to a more music based service. Donald pondered what RS would have thought of TTN - the all music service Donald launched. Earlier than that F.R Leavis excoriated the Third Programme for its “Metropolitan”* literary coverage - though he confessed he didn’t know enough about music to criticise its music coverage. Mind you the literary coverage then was so, so much better.

* key Leavisite term of general disapprobation referring to the back-scratching nature of literary journalism.
PS in the last 30 mins Petroc has played barely two pieces of classical music - Haydn Rider Qt and the Britten piano and orchestra piece with the flashy scales.
He has also paid fulsome (Cornish back-scratching? ) tribute to Kneehigh theatre who are distinctly non-“Metropolitan”

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

- the BBC justs wants to survive and those lucky enough to have gained an above average education can go hang - after all they are a dying breed.

Now you know that concept isn’t mathematically possible.

I agree with your sentiment though.

[french frank]

The argument over what Radio 3 (and Third Programme ) should be is as old as the hills.

Yes, and going back further, the attacks on the Third Programme came from outside the BBC; but the Third was the BBC's own creation. I think they did try to respond to the criticism. The problem is, it hasn't mattered how much Radio 3 has attempted to 'move with the times' (i.e. be more populist), it's never enough for the critics. The cartoon representation of a station where the presenters speak with cutglass accents and wear dinner jackets, and announcers ploddingly take longer to explain the narrative behind a Schubert song than it takes to sing it, is too good a joke to abandon.

The latest Radio 3 innovations seem to me to be the most craven and self-serving, and the critics inside the BBC are now more influential than those outside. The defence has crumbled.

[LMcD]

The argument over what Radio 3 (and Third Programme ) should be is as old as the hills. Donald McLeod mentioned yesterday that Robert Simpson resigned decades ago over the move to a more music based service. Donald pondered what RS would have thought of TTN - the all music service Donald launched. Earlier than that F.R Leavis excoriated the Third Programme for its “Metropolitan”* literary coverage - though he confessed he didn’t know enough about music to criticise its music coverage. Mind you the literary coverage then was so, so much better.

* key Leavisite term of general disapprobation referring to the back-scratching nature of literary journalism.
PS in the last 30 mins Petroc has played barely two pieces of classical music - Haydn Rider Qt and the Britten piano and orchestra piece with the flashy scales.
He has also paid fulsome (Cornish back-scratching? ) tribute to Kneehigh theatre who are distinctly non-“Metropolitan”

I'm prepared to cut him a little slack on St Petroc's Day. I really enjoyed the Alwyn

[cloughie]

I'm prepared to cut him a little slack on St Petroc's Day. I really enjoyed the Alwyn

Feet either side of the Tamar!

[Ein Heldenleben]

I'm prepared to cut him a little slack on St Petroc's Day. I really enjoyed the Alwyn

Yes me too - I can’t think of another piece of music with St Petroc in the title ....

[AuntDaisy]

Here's what we missed from TTN this morning...
Fully available to our European friends, e.g. Swedish radio

https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/1721597

05:01 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Don Giovanni K 527 (Overture); Danish Radio Sinfonietta, Adam Fischer (conductor)
05:07 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Danzi (arranger); Duos from Don Giovanni; Duo Fouquet (duo), Elizabeth Dolin (cello), Guy Fouquet (cello)
05:12 Theodor Rogalski; 3 Romanian Dances; Romanian Youth Orchestra, Cristian Mandeal (conductor)
05:24 Dora Pejacevic; Life of Flowers, Op 19; Ida Gamulin (piano)
05:45 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Basta vincesti ... Ah, non lasciarmi K.486a; Rosemary Joshua (soprano), Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Rene Jacobs (conductor)
05:50 Maurice Ravel; Une Barque sur l'ocean; Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
05:58 Joseph Haydn; Symphony No.64 in A major, Hob: I/64, 'Tempora mutantur'
Danish Radio Sinfonietta, Rolf Gupta (conductor)
06:18 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Piano Quartet in G minor, K478; Trio Ondine, Antoine Tamestit (viola)
06:42 Orlande de Lassus; Omnia tempus habent; King's Singers
06:47 Paul Schoenfield; 4 Souvenirs for violin and piano; Elena Urioste (violin), Michael Brown (piano)
Info from

https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/notturno-playlists/2021/06/05%20June%202021.pdf

I'm enjoying the Don Giovanni duos on 'cello; there seems to be a Mozart theme for this block.

[AuntDaisy]

Here's what we missed from TTN today...
Available to our European friends, e.g. Swedish radio listeners

https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/1724107

05:01 Ludwig van Beethoven; Adagio in E flat (WoO.43 No.2) for mandolin and piano; Lajos Mayer (mandolin), Imre Rohmann (piano)
05:07 Max Bruch; Romance, Op 85; Adrien Boisseau (viola), Polish Sinfonia luventus Orchestra, Jose Maria Florencio (conductor)
05:17 Fryderyk Chopin; Four Mazurkas; Ashley Wass (piano)
05:27 Filip Kutev; Sakar Suite, for symphony orchestra; Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vassil Stefanov (conductor)
02:48 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alexei Tolstoy (author); 4 songs to texts by Alexei Tolstoy (Op.38 Nos.1-3 & Op.47 No.5); Mikael Axelsson (bass), Niklas Sivelov (piano)
06:01 Friedrich Kuhlau; Grand Quartet for 4 flutes in E minor (Op.103); Valentinas Kazlauskas (flute), Albertas Stupakas (flute), Lina Baublyte (flute), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute)
06:24 Georg Philipp Telemann; Suite in G major, TWV.55:G2, 'La Bizarre'; B'Rock, Jurgen Gross (conductor)
06:41 Franz Schubert; Overture from 'Fierrabras' (D.796); Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Hans Zender (conductor)
06:51 Carl Maria von Weber; 2 Arias: 'Wie nahte mir der Schlummer' and 'Leise, Leise, fromme Weise'; Joanne Kolomyjec (soprano), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
Info from https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/...une%202021.pdf

The Beethoven was a lovely piece to start on & new to me.

[NHTL]

According to the new Radio Times we willl be getting a full ‘Through the night’ this coming Friday/Saturday (18th/19th June). I hope it is a permanent change!

[Quarky]

According to the new Radio Times we willl be getting a full ‘Through the night’ this coming Friday/Saturday (18th/19th June). I hope it is a permanent change!

Well not quite, but going in the right direction. According to the BBC website Calendar, the offending programmes have been shifted, and are now concatenated with Late Junction, extending from 11 pm to 3 am..

Used to be a big fan of Late Junction, in the days of Mad Max, but my tastes have changed. Scope for some compression of these three programmes?

Martin Handley will be compering Breakfast. Another big plus, imv.

[oddoneout]

According to the new Radio Times we willl be getting a full ‘Through the night’ this coming Friday/Saturday (18th/19th June). I hope it is a permanent change!

We can hope but I think it may be a forlorn exercise. I suspect that that TTN slot has now been permanently designated as the radio equivalent of prime building land owned by a developer which has no regard for local needs and wishes.

[LMcD]

TTN slots this weekend:
Saturday 0300-0700
Sunday 0100-0700
I gave up relying on the Radio Times a long time ago, although it can't be blamed for schedule changes that are announced too late for inclusion.

[kernelbogey]

We can hope but I think it may be a forlorn exercise. I suspect that that TTN slot has now been permanently designated as the radio equivalent of prime building land owned by a developer which has no regard for local needs and wishes.

And... the musical equivalent of 'the sausage war'...?

[LMcD]

It looks as though we're stuck with Piano Flow and Happy Harmonies until at least 3rd July. One shudders to think what might replace them.

[AuntDaisy]

It looks as though we're stuck with Piano Flow and Happy Harmonies until at least 3rd July. One shudders to think what might replace them.

Maybe they'll try and attract the oldies back & restore political balance with:

• Boris's Bruckner bonanza.
• Govey's gruesome Grieg.
• Keir's Khachaturian kedgeree.