Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[Serial_Apologist]

Well, I can't stand much more talking over BCs and just now when I switched on SW was asking a silly question about food and music. Furthermore, I have two more chances.

What has happened to the lovely channel we had in the past. I feel really sad about it.

It's been tunnelled under...

[teamsaint]

I actually stayed tuned until 10.30 yesterday..RC somewhere near form...it was listenable at least. then the interview.....oh dear. Gave up then.

Incidentally, i ended up listening to CFM for an hour or two yesterday tea time, due to being in a loan car and not really being up to wagner. Pretty much as expected,bland and uninspiring but I was shocked at how it compared to Breakfast..made me realise, If I didn't already, how poor Breakfast is now.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was determined to give it another chance this morning.
Big mistake. It just made me angry, with all this irrelevant patronising twaddle about texting and e-mailing.
And now we have "The Lark Ascending" - a wonderful work, but again...?

[Ferretfancy]

I was determined to give it another chance this morning.
Big mistake. It just made me angry, with all this irrelevant patronising twaddle about texting and e-mailing.
And now we have "The Lark Ascending" - a wonderful work, but again...?

Eine Alpensinfonie,

I've noticed during the half hour slot at 1030 that the more boring the interviewee, and the less they have to say, the more mushy the pieces played. So, this morning we did get The Lark Ascending complete, but this was followed by the slow movement only of the Ravel G major Piano Concerto. The producers love to find people whose favourite piece is Blow the Wind Southerly sung by Kathleen Ferrier or today's dickie bird, both nice pieces it's true, but the overall effect is suffocating.

[Northender]

Just after 0900 I found myself enjoying what I took to be a rather jolly chamber work by Haydn. It turned out to be the Piano Trio No. 1 by Richard Strauss. (Oh yes, and it sounded as if they played ALL of it). A lovely surprise musical snack, especially after the almost completely nourishment-free tidbits on offer between 0630 and 0900.

[Lateralthinking1]

Clive Swift was on Essential Classics today. I could have sworn it was Charles Collingwood. Don't they sound similar!

Collingwood may have been on the programme before. I have a vague memory of it but I might be wrong there.

The Chopin choice was good but I felt that Swift was not at home with music.

He dislikes opera and described the aforementioned piece, admittedly positively, as "a waif - almost as if it isn't there".

[JFLL]

Clive Swift was on Essential Classics today. .......I felt that Swift was not at home with music.

Not so sure about that -- I once sat behind him at the RFH at a performance of Shostakovich's 10th, so he does seem to have a real liking for music. But are they ever going to have some musicians in this slot?

[Don Petter]

Clive Swift was on Essential Classics today. I could have sworn it was Charles Collingwood. Don't they sound similar!

Collingwood may have been on the programme before. I have a vague memory of it but I might be wrong there.

The Chopin choice was good but I felt that Swift was not at home with music.

He dislikes opera and described the aforementioned piece, admittedly positively, as "a waif - almost as if it isn't there".

I got in the car today to hear part of Act 2 of Aida, which was apparently chosen by him. Was this therefore to illustrate what he didn't like about opera?

(I switched to a CD just after RC had mentioned it to be a choice of Clive Swift. Who is he, by the way?)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Clive Swift. Who is he, by the way?)

Hyacinth Bucket's husband; father of gardener Joe Swift; Hotspur's father in the old BBC Shakespeare Henry IV pt 1 (Jonathan Miller directing).

[Don Petter]

Thank you. An ac-tor, then.

[cloughie]

Thank you. An ac-tor, then.

Why do they have to have celebrity presenters when there are any no of regular R3 persons underused?

[french frank]

Hyacinth Bucket's husband.

His previous marriage was to Margaret Drabble, of course

[Lateralthinking1]

I got in the car today to hear part of Act 2 of Aida, which was apparently chosen by him. Was this therefore to illustrate what he didn't like about opera?

(I switched to a CD just after RC had mentioned it to be a choice of Clive Swift. Who is he, by the way?)

He started with 'Guys and Dolls', moved on to the Mazurka and then finally chose Aida. He then said he would only consider attending the opera featuring elephants. Don't get me wrong. I quite like him. Absolutely astonished that Joe Swift is his son, and indeed the son of Margaret Drabble, but that is another matter. It just felt a bit loose as in not very thought about beforehand. I am though convinced that Rob C would be a terrific presenter of Desert Island Discs. Plomley-esque in those moments or what?

[Don Petter]

I am though convinced that Rob C would be a terrific presenter of Desert Island Discs.

That brings to mind the old school report chestnut: 'Should go far!', but I realise that wasn't your intent.

[cloughie]

Why do they have to have celebrity presenters when there are any no of regular R3 persons underused?

I misunderstood - from the tone I thought Clive Swift was in the presenter role taken over from Rob!