Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

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  • Don Petter

    This morning Sarah Walker introduced the Glazunov A minor Violin Concerto as being ‘in three continuous movements’.

    I knew what she meant but it didn’t seem to sound quite right. Would it have been better as ‘one continuous movement’ (perhaps ‘in the usual three sections’)? Maybe pedantically ‘three contiguous movements’.

    All in all, I think the natural description would have been ‘in three movements, played without a break’.

    Comment

    • Don Petter

      Only caught the end in the car today.

      Does anyone know if Monty has chosen his Czardas yet?

      Comment

      • Ferretfancy
        Full Member
        • Nov 2010
        • 3487

        The latest wheeze is to play two pieces at once, and ask the listeners to guess what they are. At the moment it's just a short spot, but surely there is scope for development here.

        Why not play all the scheduled choices for the morning in simultaneous pairs and halve the programme time devoted to music? This would stimulate perceptive listening while allowing more time for tweets.

        Comment

        • Stanfordian
          Full Member
          • Dec 2010
          • 9310

          Hiya Ferratfancy,

          Great idea! I'm in!

          Comment

          • Victor Meldrew II

            RC yet again!

            I'm sorry to have another rant about Mr Cowan but this morning, he introduced a selection of Chopin Preludes with an almost continuous and breathless, throat-constricting speech. Is it really necessary to talk so bloody much when playing music? For goodness sake RC, shut up and breathe!!

            Originally posted by Barbirollians View Post
            This morning Radio 3 was still tuned in on my radio after last night's Chailly concert.

            I had the serious misfortune to catch ten minutes or so of this programme. It was like the worst sort of dumbed down schmaltz on Classic FM.

            Rob Cowan whilst highly knowledgeable comes across as oily and irritating and there was an absurd " Who am I " segment - with Stephen Johnson doing his impression of the Mystery Voice from I Am sorry i have't a clue and then all manner of gooey e-mails read out about Rossini .

            What is this trash doing on radio 3 ?

            Comment

            • Eine Alpensinfonie
              Host
              • Nov 2010
              • 20570

              Originally posted by Victor Meldrew II View Post
              I'm sorry to have another rant about Mr Cowan but this morning, he introduced a selection of Chopin Preludes with an almost continuous and breathless, throat-constricting speech. Is it really necessary to talk so bloody much when playing music? For goodness sake RC, shut up and breathe!!
              They all do it. I think it's an instruction for "on high" to not leave any gaps between words. I'm surprise they don't talk over the music, DJ style.

              Comment

              • french frank
                Administrator/Moderator
                • Feb 2007
                • 30279

                I do find Essential Classics difficult to contemplate listening to, but I do look online to see what is being perpetrated. I looked this morning purely because I had an email from a listener who was, um … unimpressed.

                My only thought was how could they have a feature called 'Five reasons to love Dvořák's Slavonic Dances when my immediate thought was that One Reason to Hate Dvořák's Slavonic Dances might be that Radio 3's morning programmes keep playing them, over and over again, on average every 10 days.

                Apart from my only thought, my additional thought was, 'Oh no, not another stand-up comedian …'

                So I have no opinion on the presenters because it is so plainly not a programme for me, a fairly musically uninformed listener who would like to extend my knowledge, that I cannot face listening to it.
                It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

                Comment

                • pastoralguy
                  Full Member
                  • Nov 2010
                  • 7755

                  Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post
                  They all do it. I think it's an instruction for "on high" to not leave any gaps between words. I'm surprise they don't talk over the music, DJ style.
                  Well, COTW went through a phase when they did just that. I remember wanting to hear Busoni's violin concerto when he was featured and being appalled when Donald Macleod spoke for about 10 seconds over the introduction!

                  Not surprisingly, it was a trend that soon waned.

                  Comment

                  • pastoralguy
                    Full Member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 7755

                    I do like Rob Cowan but I fear that his hands are tied by edicts from 'on high'.

                    Image to say that I'd love to break into Broadcasting House and pinch the cd of Bernstien's 'Candide' overture. I used to love it until Rafio3 started playing it over and over and over...

                    Comment

                    • Nick Armstrong
                      Host
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 26533

                      Originally posted by french frank View Post
                      So I have no opinion on the presenters because it is so plainly not a programme for me, a fairly musically uninformed listener who would like to extend my knowledge, that I cannot face listening to it.
                      I would continue to plead in favour of the 10.30 watershed. After that, it's much better. OK at 10.30 RC played Liszt's Tasso, about which the less said the better (but some people like that sort of thing and it's at least not a regular war-horse), but after that, I managed to coincide with Foulds's April-England, always welcome and captivating, and then Sokolov playing the Chopin Op.28 Preludes complete, which I was very interested to hear.
                      "...the isle is full of noises,
                      Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
                      Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
                      Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

                      Comment

                      • muzzer
                        Full Member
                        • Nov 2013
                        • 1192

                        Perhaps RC might adopt one of the Slavonic Dances as a personal jingle, thereby emulating the late great Alan Freeman........

                        Comment

                        • french frank
                          Administrator/Moderator
                          • Feb 2007
                          • 30279

                          Originally posted by pastoralguy View Post
                          Image to say that I'd love to break into Broadcasting House and pinch the cd of Bernstien's 'Candide' overture. I used to love it until Rafio3 started playing it over and over and over...
                          We are soon to get treated to a Radio 3 simulcast of Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night, complete with the Candide Overture (coincidentally, I noted this on the latest FoR3 propaganda which Mark will post later this very afternoon. It should be said that, judging from the entire programme, Candide will be one of the better pieces What they will be playing appears to be hidden in a press release (though all will presumably be revealed tomorrow (Friday) in the week's schedule.

                          If you want anything closer to the Radio 3 Utter Junkshop I have yet to see it. Radio 2 listeners can hear it on Radio 2 - and so could Radio 3 listeners if it appealed to them. And this - believe it or not - is the BBC's idea of 'bringing people together' with music More likely to cause outright war …

                          @Caliban
                          I would continue to plead in favour of the 10.30 watershed.
                          I'm afraid of a case of 'Give a prog a bad name and damn it'. Many who might find their patience repaid simply won't be listening.
                          It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

                          Comment

                          • vinteuil
                            Full Member
                            • Nov 2010
                            • 12815

                            Originally posted by french frank View Post
                            We are soon to get treated to a Radio 3 simulcast of Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night, complete with the Candide Overture .... It should be said that, judging from the entire programme, Candide will be one of the better pieces What they will be playing appears to be hidden in a press release (though all will presumably be revealed tomorrow (Friday) in the week's schedule. .
                            .

                            John 11 : 35

                            Comment

                            • french frank
                              Administrator/Moderator
                              • Feb 2007
                              • 30279

                              Originally posted by vinteuil View Post
                              .

                              John 11 : 35
                              Richard Dimbleby did indeed suddenly spring to mind, even as I rose to go in search of Holy Scripture.
                              It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.

                              Comment

                              • Frances_iom
                                Full Member
                                • Mar 2007
                                • 2413

                                why do folks actually believe that R3 has any future ? - sounds just like another nail in the coffin - how appropriate that KD placed in role of chief nailer

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