Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[Andrew Slater]

You (anyone) can do this for themselves, rather than rewarding anton's marvellous work by asking him to do more.

Go to the Database here:

https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/pl.php?composer=*&title=*&prog=*&latest=yesterday&days=30

Scroll down past the instructions to "Search the Database"
Fill in the name of the composer in the "Composer" field.
Fill in the name of the work you wish to research in the "Work Title" field.
Put the name of the programme in the "Programme" field IF REQUIRED (leave/make sure it's blank otherwise).
Make sure "yesterday" (without the inverted commas) is entered in the "Latest Date" field
Put "365" (or whatever - but without inverted commas) in the "Days to Search" field
Scroll to beneath the turquoise examples list and click on "Submit"
Give the logorithms a couple of seconds to sort themselves out.
"Hey, Mum! It's your brother Robert!"


(In this instance "3 Results found", so The Lark Ascending was broadcast 3 times on EC in 2019)

Thanks for saving me a job, ferney!

Just one little correction: put 2019-12-31 as the latest date if you want to see the whole of 2019.

[antongould]

Yes, thank you very much for that, Anton. Without wishing to add to your labours I'd be interested to know, out of the total playings per composer, how many were of the same work. So, to use your RVW example, how many of the 59 playings were of "The Lark Ascending"?

This may be of use and get somewhere close ……… my usual Bonkers Formatting the first word is a concatenation of the composer and piece as enter by the staffer - I had to do this to get around the stabat mater/lullaby problem ; and then we have the count.

No Lark it came up as 2 but I did spot a third entered as Lark Ascending Choral Arrangement


Repeater CountC
George GershwinRhapsody in Blue 6
Thomas TallisSpem in alium 6
Bedrich SmetanaPrague Carnival 5
Claude DebussyDanse sacrée et danse profane 5
Claude DebussyFeux d'artifice (Preludes, Book 2) 5
Claudio MonteverdiZefiro Torna 5
Francisco TárregaRecuerdos de la Alhambra 5
George ButterworthThe Banks of Green Willow 5
Ludwig van BeethovenEgmont, Op 84 (Overture) 5
Michael TorkeJavelin 5
Padre Antonio SolerFandango 5
Aaron CoplandBuckaroo Holiday (Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo) 4
Anton BrucknerLocus Iste 4
Antonín DvořákPrague Waltzes 4
Antonín DvořákSlavonic Dance in F major, Op 46 No 4 4
Béla BartókHungarian Sketches for orchestra 4
Benjamin BrittenFour Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (Dawn) 4
Camille Saint‐SaënsAfrica Fantasie, Op 89 4
Camille Saint‐SaënsHavanaise, Op 83 4
Camille Saint‐SaënsPhaëton, Op 39 4
Carl Maria von WeberOberon (Overture) 4
Charlotte BrayAgnus Dei (a reflection on Byrd's Agnus Dei from the Mass for 5 voices) 4
Claude DebussyClair de lune (Suite bergamasque) 4
Claude DebussyDanse sacrée et danse profane 4
Claude DebussyMazurka 4
Francis PoulencFlute Sonata 4
Franz SchubertString Trio in B flat major, D 471 4
George Frideric HandelZadok the priest, HWV 258 4
Gioachino RossiniThe Barber of Seville (Overture) 4
Hector BerliozLe carnaval romain 4
Henryk Mikolaj GóreckiTotus Tuus 4
Igor StravinskyScherzo fantastique, Op 3 4
Jean SibeliusFinlandia, Op 26 4
Jean SibeliusThe Swan of Tuonela (Lemminkainen Suite) 4
Johan SvendsenRomeo og Juliet, Op 18 4
Johannes BrahmsIntermezzo in A major, Op 118 No 2 4
Joseph HaydnSymphony No 6 in D major, 'Le matin' (1st mvt) 4
Maurice RavelIntroduction and Allegro 4
Maurice RavelLa valse 4
Maurice RavelPiano Concerto in G major (2nd mvt) 4
Mikhail Ivanovich GlinkaSouvenir d'une nuit d'été à Madrid 4
Mily Alexeyevich BalakirevIslamey orch Lyapunov 4
Morten LauridsenO nata lux (Lux aeterna) 4
Orlando GibbonsO clap your hands together 4
Peter Maxwell DaviesFarewell to Stromness 4
Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyValse-Scherzo in C major, Op 34 4
Ralph Vaughan WilliamsThe Running Set 4
Ralph Vaughan WilliamsThe Wasps (Overture) 4
Reynaldo HahnA Chloris 4
Richard StraussRomanze, TRV 80 4
Sally BeamishSeavaigers (Haven) 4
Steve ReichNagoya Marimbas 4
Witold LutosławskiVariations on a theme of Paganini for two pianos 4
Wolfgang Amadeus MozartThe Magic Flute (Overture) 4

[Ein Heldenleben]

You can look anything up you're curious about on the database, for example:

https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/pl.php...12-31&days=365

Andrew I’ve posted my thanks for your (and Anton’s ) excellent work on the radio lists on the not the Suffolk coastal thread but as this concurrent discussion has sprung up I would like to add them here . I also set the RVW hare running and have had my suspicions re the relative lack of symphonic plays (IMHO obvs.) confirmed by your (and Anton’s) Herculean labours.

[antongould]

Andrew I’ve posted my thanks for your (and Anton’s ) excellent work on the radio lists on the not the Suffolk coastal thread but as this concurrent discussion has sprung up I would like to add them here . I also set the RVW hare running and have had my suspicions re the relative lack of symphonic plays (IMHO obvs.) confirmed by your (and Anton’s) Herculean labours.

No thanks to me are necessary - it was selfish …. as ferney can verify I was worried that the Suffie seemed to be disappearing, which I felt was very sad for the Forum …. but thanks to Andrew for saving the day …..

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... as ferney can verify ...

- and would that all "selfish" acts had such benefits for others!

I was worried that the Suffie seemed to be disappearing, which I felt was very sad for the Forum ….

Indeed - as anton can verify, I expressed a hope that Suffy is in the best of health and happiness, having cocktails brought to him by friendly and very well-paid waiting staff, on a Caribbean beach.

but thanks to Andrew for saving the day …..

- something that happens with far greater regularity than perhaps most Forumistas might know.

[Andrew Slater]

Andrew I’ve posted my thanks for your (and Anton’s ) excellent work on the radio lists on the not the Suffolk coastal thread but as this concurrent discussion has sprung up I would like to add them here . I also set the RVW hare running and have had my suspicions re the relative lack of symphonic plays (IMHO obvs.) confirmed by your (and Anton’s) Herculean labours.

Most of the thanks are due to anton - I've just supplied the links to the database which is populated automatically.

Note my caution on the other thread - the lack of registered symphonic plays might be due to the BBC playlists not including them. However, I've done a quick search on all the weekly schedules for 2019 (there are a few missing) on my computer, which should show up any R3iC / Aft on3 performances, as they're usually announced in advance, but haven't found any other than those already in the database. As a member of the RVW Society, I'm

[Ein Heldenleben]

Most of the thanks are due to anton - I've just supplied the links to the database which is populated automatically.

Note my caution on the other thread - the lack of registered symphonic plays might be due to the BBC playlists not including them. However, I've done a quick search on all the weekly schedules for 2019 (there are a few missing) on my computer, which should show up any R3iC / Aft on3 performances, as they're usually announced in advance, but haven't found any other than those already in the database. As a member of the RVW Society, I'm

Your membership of the RVW Soc. is a happy coincidence ! There was another coincidence yesterday : a rare performance of RVW 4 on Afternoon on Three - whereas Larks appear to be thriving everywhere save the British countryside..

[antongould]

Most of the thanks are due to anton - I've just supplied the links to the database which is populated automatically.

Note my caution on the other thread - the lack of registered symphonic plays might be due to the BBC playlists not including them. However, I've done a quick search on all the weekly schedules for 2019 (there are a few missing) on my computer, which should show up any R3iC / Aft on3 performances, as they're usually announced in advance, but haven't found any other than those already in the database. As a member of the RVW Society, I'm

Suffie used to produce a summary of all symphonies played ...... helped by his daily study of the playlists and his deep knowledge .... looking at the data as a mass I am struggling to think of a way to attempt it given
a) the non standard formatting of the titles
b) the difficulties of using title and duration given the length of Prokofiev 1 against some of Mahler’s movements

Bright ideas much appreciated ........

[antongould]

Suffie used to produce a summary of all symphonies played ...... helped by his daily study of the playlists and his deep knowledge .... looking at the data as a mass I am struggling to think of a way to attempt it given
a) the non standard formatting of the titles
b) the difficulties of using title and duration given the length of Prokofiev 1 against some of Mahler’s movements

Bright ideas much appreciated ........

We have the best solution of all the Suffie will arrive in the coming weeks …… see the Suffie thread …..

[antongould]

As to the most commonly played pieces across the whole of R3 in 2019 we have ……….

Conc Countc
John AdamsShort Ride in a Fast Machine 24
Maurice RavelLa valse 20
Maurice RavelJeux d'eau 19
George GershwinRhapsody in Blue 18
Ralph Vaughan WilliamsFantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis 18
Darius MilhaudScaramouche 16
Johann Sebastian BachToccata in D minor 16
Ralph Vaughan WilliamsThe Lark Ascending 16
Samuel BarberAdagio for Strings 16
Astor PiazzollaLibertango 15
Hugo WolfItalian Serenade 15

[Andrew Slater]

I've just done a quick RVW count (as I just happened to have an RVW database page open on my machine): are you sure Tallis Fantasia total isn't 24? (There are 65 entries with "for double string orchestra" appended and one entitled "Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis")

There's also the choral arrgt of the Lark and two excerpts "arr. Pioro".

[antongould]

I've just done a quick RVW count (as I just happened to have an RVW database page open on my machine): are you sure Tallis Fantasia total isn't 24? (There are 65 entries with "for double string orchestra" appended and one entitled "Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis")

There's also the choral arrgt of the Lark and two excerpts "arr. Pioro".

No I am sure you are correct Andrew and I am the opposite of that happy state - in ten minutes I have found there are eighteen occurrences of that exact concatenation ......... it was only meant to give a flavour and I should have trotted out the caveats ........ you can’t go far wrong with a Short Ride In A Fast Machine ..... if you get my meaning .......

[Andrew Slater]

No I am sure you are correct Andrew and I am the opposite of that happy state - in ten minutes I have found there are eighteen occurrences of that exact concatenation ......... it was only meant to give a flavour and I should have trotted out the caveats ........ you can’t go far wrong with a Short Ride In A Fast Machine ..... if you get my meaning .......

I wasn't intending to be critical - it does demonstrate the difficulties you've mentioned!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Despite the completely understandable counting discrepancy it’s revealing that RVW ‘s showing focuses so much on two very popular (and possibly overplayed ?) works when so many riches (Job, Pilgrim’s Progress , 3 of the symphonies) barely feature . Time to widen the playlist? - I think there was only one complete 5th symphony last year ..that can’t be right.

[Andrew Slater]

Despite the completely understandable counting discrepancy it’s revealing that RVW ‘s showing focuses so much on two very popular (and possibly overplayed ?) works when so many riches (Job, Pilgrim’s Progress , 3 of the symphonies) barely feature . Time to widen the playlist? - I think there was only one complete 5th symphony last year ..that can’t be right.

I make the totals of RVW and Mahler complete symphony broadcasts during 2019 as 8 and 43 respectively .....