Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The current gimmick, to get people to text/tweet/email/phone to get their name read out over the airwaves, is nominating a "companion piece" to play after a famous work. Today it was the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. I'm afraid the instantly entered my brain, and I suggested the finale of the same work as the ideal companion piece.

I was in a hurry to go for a run with a friend, so didn't have time to say what I really thought. Another day ...

[Stanfordian]

The current gimmick, to get people to text/tweet/email/phone to get their name read out over the airwaves, is nominating a "companion piece" to play after a famous work. Today it was the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. I'm afraid the instantly entered my brain, and I suggested the finale of the same work as the ideal companion piece.

I was in a hurry to go for a run with a friend, so didn't have time to say what I really thought. Another day ...

Great post Eine Alpensinfonie. I just can't listen to R3 and its type of nonsense anymore.

[Padraig]

Today it was the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. I'm afraid the instantly entered my brain, and I suggested the finale of the same work as the ideal companion piece.

I was in a hurry to go for a run with a friend, so didn't have time to say what I really thought. Another day ...

So it was you EA?
You should have stayed for the ensuing slating.

[cloughie]

The current gimmick, to get people to text/tweet/email/phone to get their name read out over the airwaves, is nominating a "companion piece" to play after a famous work. Today it was the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. I'm afraid the instantly entered my brain, and I suggested the finale of the same work as the ideal companion piece.

I was in a hurry to go for a run with a friend, so didn't have time to say what I really thought. Another day ...

Was your second choice the first movement?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

So it was you EA?
You should have stayed for the ensuing slating.

Suzy said "The only wrong answer is 'the rest of the concerto'."

[Nick Armstrong]

The current gimmick, to get people to text/tweet/email/phone to get their name read out over the airwaves, is nominating a "companion piece" to play after a famous work. Today it was the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. I'm afraid the instantly entered my brain, and I suggested the finale of the same work as the ideal companion piece.

Nice one, Alps

[cloughie]

Suzy said "The only wrong answer is 'the rest of the concerto'."

Oh the power of the Radio Presenter, only to be beaten by our ability to press the off switch.

[Serial_Apologist]

Suzy said "The only wrong answer is 'the rest of the concerto'."

No explanation beyond that then, I take it?

[Stanfordian]

No explanation beyond that then, I take it?

Hiya Serial_Apologist.

I suppose the presenters are being paid no matter what rubbish they read out and childish initiatives they push.

I hate being so negative but I can see that R3 management are ruining this once wonderful Radio Station. Eeeeee, those were the days!

Attracting new listeners to 'classical music' is more than playing bleeding chunks and promoting participation in competitions.

[Serial_Apologist]

iativ

Hiya Serial_Apologist.

I suppose the presenters are being paid no matter what rubbish they read out and childish initiatives they push.

But she didn't explain why the only possible answer was incorrect, was what I was thinking!

[Padraig]

No explanation beyond that then, I take it?

Indeed there was, S_A. Whether you or EA would accept it is doubtful since the explanation given did not address the issue of 'full works' as 'we' know it. SK wanted to use the chosen piece as a starter for as many different ideas as possible from as many listeners as possible in order to expand the number of possible solutions. EA was putting a spanner in the 'works' which seemed to annoy Suzy. Having been a teacher, I'm sure EA knows well the smart alec effect on both teacher and class.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

EA was putting a spanner in the 'works' which seemed to annoy Suzy.

Easily done. (Not that that should deter us. )

[DracoM]

I laughed, EA.........they still don't get it about bleeding chunks, do they?

[french frank]

Whether you or EA would accept it is doubtful since the explanation given did not address the issue of 'full works' as 'we' know it. SK wanted to use the chosen piece as a starter for as many different ideas as possible from as many listeners as possible

Which also explains why they used that nasty Pletnev recording of K331 - because it cut out all the Mvt 1 repeats and thus came in at under 14 mins instead of 22-23. The only 'companion pieces' whose relevance didn't completely elude me were a Schubert Rondo (the 'alla turca' mvt being a rondo) and … Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia perhaps (Turkey-Asia?). Might just as well have chosen something Christmassy.

[Rcartes]

Another aspect of this is the substitution for the early evening repeat of Composer of the Week by a further half-hour's wittering and - which is what I wanted to discuss - In Tune's "specially curated" playlist, which seems to be simply another 30 minutes of totally random bits. Take Monday's offering for example: a movement dragged out of Dvorak's American quartet, the whole 3 minutes (whoopee!) of Duke Ellington's Don't Get Around Much Any More, the 4th movement of Beethoven's 1st symphony, another little chunk cut out of Monteverdi's Vespers, and so on and on. What on earth were we supposed to get out of that? What, exactly, was specially curated" there? Of course, you know to expect when the word "curated" is used in this kind of context: bollox, no less.

I really am getting fed up with this stuff, as Stanfordian says, it makes it difficult to impossible to listen to Radio 3 now.