Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[mercia]

Sir R

oh very clever

[Don Petter]

It was correct - Sir R(obin/obert) Cowan - knighted for getting up early a lot

Sounds like a punishment to me (a bit like being gated).

[antongould]

It takes a little time Anton, I've known the 3rd symphony for 30 years and the 7th for a little less, but it was only after about 10 years of knowing the 7th and studying the score that I realised it was the greater work. The same is true for William Schuman's 3rd, it makes the biggest impact, but ultimately it is the 6th & 9th symophonies that are the better works. Incidentally Anton did you know quite a considerable amount of Harris 3 started life as a Violin Concerto for Heifetz, it still exists in piano/violin form and just really needs orchestrating. In many respects Harris was like Handel, in that he borrowed bits and pieces from his other works to help create new ones, though he is often so successful at integrating them you wouldn't be aware that he's done so! Was it the Naxos versions of 7 & 9 you were listening to Anton? You need to find the Ormandy 7 and the Albany 9 to get a real feeling for both works, though its a pity that Kubelik's 9th with the Bavarian RSO was never recorded commercially, the performance is stunning!

No I did not know the, to me fascinating, Heifetz connection and sadly haven't got another 30 years to get my Harrises in order or, also sadly, the ability to study the scores - don't forget I am a Radio 3 morning listener. I have the Naxos recording and will try to hunt down the recordings you recommend. Any Harris 3s to recommend?

[Suffolkcoastal]

No I did not know the, to me fascinating, Heifetz connection and sadly haven't got another 30 years to get my Harrises in order or, also sadly, the ability to study the scores - don't forget I am a Radio 3 morning listener. I have the Naxos recording and will try to hunt down the recordings you recommend. Any Harris 3s to recommend?

The Koussevitsky and Bernstein (CBS/Sony) recordings are the best (Bernstein's 2nd DG recording is rather two drawn out for my liking), though both of these, as do most recordings, incorporate a series of tiny cuts in the 'pastoral' section. The only recordings to give the symphony complete are the Ormandy (I'm not sure if this is available), Mata and Alsop recordings, the latter two are rather weak and unsatisfying performances. The tiny cuts came about owing for the need to fit the Symphony on to 4 78rpm sides for its 1st recording, and were never officially sanctioned by the composer, the published score has the symphony complete.

Incidentally Harris's 1st symphony was the first American symphony to be commercially recorded in 1934, in spite of this there has only been one rather unsatisfying recording by the Louisville Orchestra (1978) made since. Here is one work in urgent need of a new recording.

Perhaps R3 should invite me to do a Building a Library feature on Harris symphonies.

Happy listening Anton.

SC

[Bax-of-Delights]

For those of you who didn't know that the composer of Hansel und Gretel was a pioneer in colour photography you may like to check out Essential Classics playlist today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016vn65

pip pip!

[Norfolk Born]

You might like to have a look at the 'Website for Radio 3' thread, which also picked up on this.

[barber olly]

R1 + R2 decided to chase the younger audience - R1 for teens and R2 for the mid20's (remember maturity comes much later than in past and these strata of society have generally high levels of spending on inessentials and are thus chased by marketeers)- thus we saw Kershaw dumped onto R3 in the 1st clear out of R1, now the older listeners of R2 are being 'dumped' onto what was R3 - I presume the BBC needs to ape the commercial stations in order to gain respectable listening figures to keep the bean counting politicians happy.

We complain of being given Radio 2.5, Radio 2 is now, with the likes of Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley giving us a diet of unpleasant music with little from before 1980. The 'popular' Radio 6 seems to have evaded the axe - why? it is an extension of Radio 2 for 30-40s which is more than adequately catered for over the airwavwes.

[kernelbogey]

I don't normally have the opportunity to listen to Essential Classics. However, I caught Professor Tom Wright talking to Sarah yesterday and was deeply impressed by the way he talked about the Durham mining community as background to his choice of a piece for brass band (Robert Saint, Gresford: The Miners’ Hymn). He spoke movingly of communities' grief over mining accidents and fury over betrayal by politicians. I was shocked to the core by his statement, in the context of the actions of politicians in the eighties and nineties, that there is more coal under Durham today than has ever been excavated.

[barber olly]

I don't normally have the opportunity to listen to Essential Classics. However, I caught Professor Tom Wright talking to Sarah yesterday and was deeply impressed by the way he talked about the Durham mining community as background to his choice of a piece for brass band (Robert Saint, Gresford: The Miners’ Hymn). He spoke movingly of communities' grief over mining accidents and fury over betrayal by politicians. I was shocked to the core by his statement, in the context of the actions of politicians in the eighties and nineties, that there is more coal under Durham today than has ever been excavated.

...and yet the 'powers that be' are buying ever more expensive gas to burn in generation of electricity!

[Shahrazad]

Yes, I had the chance to catch a bit of Professor Tom Wright this morning and was also impressed by the discussion - worthy of Private Passions - of Tomkin's anthem' When David heard'. I didn't know this piece and the pleasure it gave reminded me of the sort of moments I used to have listening to 'Breakfast'. If the presenters can invite guests who can talk perceptovely about music, maybe this feature has some mileage.

[barber olly]

Yes, I had the chance to catch a bit of Professor Tom Wright this morning and was also impressed by the discussion - worthy of Private Passions - of Tomkin's anthem' When David heard'. I didn't know this piece and the pleasure it gave reminded me of the sort of moments I used to have listening to 'Breakfast'. If the presenters can invite guests who can talk perceptovely about music, maybe this feature has some mileage.

Whereas I still have reservations about the gimmicky format of the programme, Sarah and Rob are delivering a really good selection of music, mostly full works and the well-known works are usually well-chosen versions. Breakfast is Radio 2.1, EC is Radio 2.8! The values of presenters makes the difference.

[Barbirollians]

I heard that ridiculous Who am I this morning again - Stephen Johnson hamming it up desperately as the mystery voice .It makes me cringe.

As for Breakfast - it is atrocious . If I wanted to listen to presenters talking drivel I would have become a regular Classic FM listener.

[Nick Armstrong]

I heard that ridiculous Who am I this morning again - Stephen Johnson hamming it up desperately as the mystery voice .It makes me cringe.

It's a ******g disgrace isn't it? And the title's even cr*p.... it's not a mystery voice, it's Stephen Johnson - the 'mystery' is who he's talking about.

Desperately needs to be axed immediately.

[Nick Armstrong]

And the patronising repetition of the clue... as if he's patiently talking (with forced, infantile inflection) to a roomful of halfwits.

I don't listen to Breakfast any more. This 'mystery voice' b*ll*cks is the worst thing on R3 these days, from my point of view.

Doesn't anyone know Stephen Johnson? Can't we get him to refuse to do it? He must know it's crap.

Compare him, reduced to this, with the insights of the axed Discovering Music... It really makes one want to weep. Pitiful.

[Norfolk Born]

Reproduced without comment from p. 136 of the new Radio Times:
7.45 Sunday Feature: Shostakovitch: a Journey Into Light
Radio 3 presenter Stephen Johnson has been diagnosed with serious near-fatal clinical depression, and he claims the music of Shostakovitch has helped him to survive.