Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[vinteuil]

Is he married?

... much to many people's surprize, he did get married
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[Roger Webb]

... in the 'olden days' when one used to visit record/CD shops there was often a section labelled 'easy listening'. Visiting one such once with a colleague whose tastes were even more austere and astringent-loving than mine (and who was braver than me), he went up to the desk to enquire the whereabouts of the 'difficult listening' section

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They also used to have a section marked 'Popular', get your friend to ask where the 'Unpopular' section is.....the assistant will probably point to the 'Classical' section. I nearly changed the name of my shop to 'Bristol Unpopular Discs'.

[Pulcinella]

Bring back The Innocent Ear, that's what I say....preferably without a presenter!

Isn't that effectively what Mixtape is?
Can't bear it (jarring key and style changes with barely a microsecond between pieces.)

[Roger Webb]

Isn't that effectively what Mixtape is?
Can't bear it (jarring key and style changes with barely a microsecond between pieces.)

The Mixtape fulfills an important role in the 'structure' of the evening: it's on between 7.00 and 7.30...yep, that's it, nothing more!

I believe it was invented when they messed-about with the Proms' start-times which for a couple of years we're mainly at 7.00, and when they weren't they needed some 'padding'...and it got stuck.

[Sir Velo]

Isn't that effectively what Mixtape is?
Can't bear it (jarring key and style changes with barely a microsecond between pieces.)

Due to a failing Android battery which prevented my customary catch up on the latest releases from Qobuz I was compelled to listen to the car radio yesterday evening on an exceptionally trying drive from Sussex to Wiltshire. (The back up iphone I carry with me with its Lightning connection doesn't connect with the Chord Mojo DAC) Hurriedly retuning from R1 (it had been in a garage less anyone get the wrong impression ) I soon wished I hadn't bothered. A truly execrable mismatch of popular music and "pop" classics which of course had been "carefully curated". I spent the rest of the drive cursing my lack of foresight at not recharging the phone when I had had ample opportunity!

[AuntDaisy]

Be careful what you wish for ...Tom Service might be free on weekdays! Or perhaps another presenter could be lured away from Classic FM - Alexander Armstrong, Alan Titchmarsh, David Mellor...?

The magnificent Catherine Bott is currently un-CFM-attached and available!

[Roger Webb]

The magnificent Catherine Bott is currently un-CFM-attached and available!

Yes, but be careful with singers pursuing other job vacancies....Roddy Williams' single appearance as a DJ is still fresh in the mind!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Isn't that effectively what Mixtape is?
Can't bear it (jarring key and style changes with barely a microsecond between pieces.)

Indeed : they should employ a composer to write transitional modulatory music to create between pieces rather like Backhaus used to do in his piano recitals . It wouldn’t get round the tuning problem though unless perhaps they were performed by an exceptionally keen eared string quartet.

[AuntDaisy]

Yes, but be careful with singers pursuing other job vacancies....Roddy Williams' single appearance as a DJ is still fresh in the mind!

Are you thinking of his Inside Music appearance? But could he be a Swingle Singer?

[Roger Webb]

Are you thinking of his Inside Music appearance? But could he be a Swingle Singer?

No, neither, he did one 'show' as guest presenter, but I just can't remember whether it was Breakfast, EC, or Sunday Morning....I'll try and look it up, it was probably only a couple of years ago. Worth a listen if it's still available on Sounds...but I'm not saying why!

Edit: found it, standing in for Sarah Walker on Sunday 2nd Jan 2022 - currently not available....what a shame it's a gem! They've not asked him back! Surely someone remembers it.

[french frank]

Yes, but be careful with singers pursuing other job vacancies....Roddy Williams' single appearance as a DJ is still fresh in the mind!

CB has earned her presenter spurs on R3 already. No nonsense there. We assumed she'd been 'let go' by R3 (a good enough recommendation at that time) and went to CFM because they offered her a good slot.

[oddoneout]

The magnificent Catherine Bott is currently un-CFM-attached and available!

But would she want to take on three and a half hours 5 days a week, having reached her three score years and ten and perhaps not in need of working every hour there is?
By an odd coincidence I have been sorting through some of my old papers and came across a concert programme of English music 1660 - 1720 in which she was soprano soloist - some time late 70s I'm assuming, the year isn't given. I have her autograph on the back together with Anthony Pleeth, Nigel North and Paul Burgess, but not the 4th instrumentalist, one Philip Pickett...

[Ein Heldenleben]

No, neither, he did one 'show' as guest presenter, but I just can't remember whether it was Breakfast, EC, or Sunday Morning....I'll try and look it up, it was probably only a couple of years ago. Worth a listen if it's still available on Sounds...but I'm not saying why!

Edit: found it, standing in for Sarah Walker on Sunday 2nd Jan 2022 - currently not available....what a shame it's a gem! They've not asked him back! Surely someone remembers it.

Yes I remember it. What it shows is that presenting a live radio programme is much more difficult than most people imagine and is a different skill from either acting or singing.

[Roger Webb]

Yes I remember it. What it shows is that presenting a live radio programme is much more difficult than most people imagine and is a different skill from either acting or singing.

Yes, it's more difficult to do than what you're used to doing...lots of things are! I was an ok engineer working on the technical side in radio studios abroad (I actually trained as a communications technician) but the moment came when I was offered a spot presenting a couple of programmes - I think because no one else knew anything about classical music! I was poor at it....I didn't know this at the time! Looking back, I'm embarrassed to think how I must have sounded.
Surely it's down to the producer of the programme to bring together the elements that make a good show....including choosing the right presenter - merely selecting a 'personality' that is known to the listenership is not good enough. I rather feel this about sports programmes. Take cricket, at one time we had professional commentators John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Henry Blofeld etc. Now they are all ex-players - of course there have been good commentators that were cricketers, Boycott, Bailey, Agnew. But will we ever see pro commentators with the ability to talk on a wide variety of subjects as the Arlotts and Johnstons could do?
Selecting a presenter is a skill, as important as presenting is.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yes, it's more difficult to do than what you're used to doing...lots of things are! I was an ok engineer working on the technical side in radio studios abroad (I actually trained as a communications technician) but the moment came when I was offered a spot presenting a couple of programmes - I think because no one else knew anything about classical music! I was poor at it....I didn't know this at the time! Looking back, I'm embarrassed to think how I must have sounded.
Surely it's down to the producer of the programme to bring together the elements that make a good show....including choosing the right presenter - merely selecting a 'personality' that is known to the listenership is not good enough. I rather feel this about sports programmes. Take cricket, at one time we had professional commentators John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Henry Blofeld etc. Now they are all ex-players - of course there have been good commentators that were cricketers, Boycott, Bailey, Agnew. But will we ever see pro commentators with the ability to talk on a wide variety of subjects as the Arlotts and Johnstons could do?
Selecting a presenter is a skill, as important as presenting is.

Football still has commentators who are TV or Radio professionals but cricket seems to have gone largely down the ex player route . Some are excellent : others aren’t. Presenting is , again , a different skill to commentating. Some commentators just aren’t up to it as presenters and vice versa.
Commentating on a team game like football or rugby is one of the most difficult jobs of the lot - so many names and very fast paced. It’s all very unfair - TV tennis commentary (as far as the BBC is concerned ) is all about not talking during the action and then very rapidly summing things up. Never done it but having seen it I reckon it’s a toss up between TV racing commentary and Radio tennis commentary for the most difficult. The amount of words you have to get out in a short space of time and the level of accuracy needed.