Saturday Classics/Inside Music

[cloughie]

Just listened to most of Sir Thomas Allen on Saturday ..... a good light seasonal listen for lads and lasses from the pit heaps ...... he has indicated he will finish with Finzi's In Terra Pax, so what's not to like .... I will have to hear the end in the morning as Wham and Wizard and Perry Como have taken over the kitchen .......

Now that troubles the imagination - that trio of performers on the same stage!

[antongould]

Now that troubles the imagination - that trio of performers on the same stage!

The stage comes next year cloughers .... this year was the double oven ......

[peterthekeys]

Griffes

Enjoyed this afternoon's programme hosted by Joyce DiDonato (was it a repeat? I could swear that I've heard it before.)

At one point, she played the orchestral version of Griffes' "The White Peacock", and she referred to Griffes as an American impressionist. I have a bit of an axe to grind about that: obviously he was fascinated by Debussy and his early work shows it - but later he was heading for something much more individual and original. I first came across Griffes in Wilfrid Mellers' "Music in a New-found Land" (probably still one of the best books on American music) - and was particularly caught up by the section on his last work, the piano sonata. In Mellers' view, this work was a completely new departure both for Griffes and for American music in general: his description of the sonata's disturbing power and intensity ("music of the asphalt jungle") really sparked my interest, and when I finally managed to get hold of a copy of it, I found that if anything, the description was an understatement. The tragedy was that Griffes died, aged 35, shortly after completing it (Mellers even speculates that the stress of writing it might have hastened his death.)

In 2009, I gave a kind of lecture-recital in Doncaster, in which I compared the life and music of Griffes with another composer who fascinates me and who died ridiculously young: William Baines. (Strangely enough, it's actually the 9th anniversary of the concert tomorrow.) I recorded it, and this afternoon I dug out the recording and had a listen to the Griffes sonata: the performance didn't sound quite as bad as I remembered - so I thought I would share it, just in case anyone on here hasn't heard the sonata and might like to give it a try. (There are obviously better performances out there - but the ones which I've heard seem to sacrifice some of the fury and intensity in the interests of hitting all the right notes. My main concern was trying to get at the mad desperation which seems to pervade the piece - so I just went for it (and there are some splashes!) The principal flaming hoop from the performance point of view is the presto double-octave coda - makes Islamey feel like a walk in the park.)

Griffes uses an artificial scale (Mellers calls it a raga, but doesn't say which one) and then tries to build a kind of sonata-structure based on it. The problem is that the artificial scale doesn't allow movement between key-centres, and this seems to generate almost unbearable tension, which occasionally boils over (e.g. at the end of the first main section, in which Griffes seems to want the ultimate volume of sound which the piano is capable of producing - a bit like the tam-tam crescendo in Messiaen's Et Exspecto.)

Here's the recording:

http://www.pwduffy.org.uk/owncloud/index.php/s/p84unWPGc16iCyK

(I've also included the last item on the programme - Baines' "Paradise Gardens")

Feel free to have a listen - enjoy (I hope ) The recording is very toppy - probably an idea to turn the treble down. On the subject of copyright, both works are in the public domain (according to IMSLP), and as far as I'm concerned, the recordings are now also in the public domain.

[cloughie]

The stage comes next year cloughers .... this year was the double oven ......

No George Formby grill then. At least you can have Bread and Meat Loaf baking simultaneously.

[LMcD]

Enjoyed this afternoon's programme hosted by Joyce DiDonato (was it a repeat? I could swear that I've heard it before.)

At one point, she played the orchestral version of Griffes' "The White Peacock", and she referred to Griffes as an American impressionist. I have a bit of an axe to grind about that: obviously he was fascinated by Debussy and his early work shows it - but later he was heading for something much more individual and original. I first came across Griffes in Wilfrid Mellers' "Music in a New-found Land" (probably still one of the best books on American music) - and was particularly caught up by the section on his last work, the piano sonata. In Mellers' view, this work was a completely new departure both for Griffes and for American music in general: his description of the sonata's disturbing power and intensity ("music of the asphalt jungle") really sparked my interest, and when I finally managed to get hold of a copy of it, I found that if anything, the description was an understatement. The tragedy was that Griffes died, aged 35, shortly after completing it (Mellers even speculates that the stress of writing it might have hastened his death.)

In 2009, I gave a kind of lecture-recital in Doncaster, in which I compared the life and music of Griffes with another composer who fascinates me and who died ridiculously young: William Baines. (Strangely enough, it's actually the 9th anniversary of the concert tomorrow.) I recorded it, and this afternoon I dug out the recording and had a listen to the Griffes sonata: the performance didn't sound quite as bad as I remembered - so I thought I would share it, just in case anyone on here hasn't heard the sonata and might like to give it a try. (There are obviously better performances out there - but the ones which I've heard seem to sacrifice some of the fury and intensity in the interests of hitting all the right notes. My main concern was trying to get at the mad desperation which seems to pervade the piece - so I just went for it (and there are some splashes!) The principal flaming hoop from the performance point of view is the presto double-octave coda - makes Islamey feel like a walk in the park.)

Griffes uses an artificial scale (Mellers calls it a raga, but doesn't say which one) and then tries to build a kind of sonata-structure based on it. The problem is that the artificial scale doesn't allow movement between key-centres, and this seems to generate almost unbearable tension, which occasionally boils over (e.g. at the end of the first main section, in which Griffes seems to want the ultimate volume of sound which the piano is capable of producing - a bit like the tam-tam crescendo in Messiaen's Et Exspecto.)

Here's the recording:

http://www.pwduffy.org.uk/owncloud/index.php/s/p84unWPGc16iCyK

(I've also included the last item on the programme - Baines' "Paradise Gardens")

Feel free to have a listen - enjoy (I hope ) The recording is very toppy - probably an idea to turn the treble down. On the subject of copyright, both works are in the public domain (according to IMSLP), and as far as I'm concerned, the recordings are now also in the public domain.

Yes, it was first broadcast not that long ago.

[antongould]

No George Formby grill then. At least you can have Bread and Meat Loaf baking simultaneously.

Indeed

[peterthekeys]

Here's the recording:

http://www.pwduffy.org.uk/owncloud/index.php/s/p84unWPGc16iCyK

I've added the rest of the items from the Baines/Griffes lecture recital. Feel free to have a listen.

[LMcD]

We've just spent a very pleasant 2 hours or so in the company of Roderick Williams - a wonderful host. Anybody new to the world of classical music would have been made to feel welcome and made some enjoyable discoveries, while those more familiar with it would in no way have felt patronised. It was nice to be reminded of the Lone Ranger and the smell of napalm in the morning. AND...he played a Vaughan Williams piece I'd never heard before ' 'A Vision of Aeroplanes'.

[LMcD]

Currently playing: the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th symphony - what a relief - I was getting worried at its prolonged absence from the airwaves.

[Serial_Apologist]

Currently playing: the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th symphony - what a relief - I was getting worried at its prolonged absence from the airwaves.

It's a shame there's no heavy irony emoticon available...

[peterthekeys]

Radio 6 taster again

So yet again we have Saturday Classics as a kind of sampler for Radio 6. Why? We're listening to Radio 3 (last time I looked, at any rate.) What are they trying to do - convince us that Radio 6 is better, and we might like our classical music listening even more pixillated and dumbed-down than currently on R3?

If so, then so far, for me at any rate, it doesn't appear to be working!

[LMcD]

So yet again we have Saturday Classics as a kind of sampler for Radio 6. Why? We're listening to Radio 3 (last time I looked, at any rate.) What are they trying to do - convince us that Radio 6 is better, and we might like our classical music listening even more pixillated and dumbed-down than currently on R3?

If so, then so far, for me at any rate, it doesn't appear to be working!

Surely it's not impossible that Radio 3 listeners might like - or might like to investigate - the output of other BBC channels?
The 'Today' programme on Radio 4 has a regular feature on classical music that is clearly aimed at encouraging listeners to try Radio 3.
I recently enjoyed an excellent feature on Radio 4 Extra on Sibelius's 8th symphony.
...and I'd rather listen to Cerys Matthews than be lectured/hectored by SK, thank you!

[french frank]

Surely it's not impossible that Radio 3 listeners might like - or might like to investigate - the output of other BBC channels?
The 'Today' programme on Radio 4 has a regular feature on classical music that is clearly aimed at encouraging listeners to try Radio 3.
I recently enjoyed an excellent feature on Radio 4 Extra on Sibelius's 8th symphony.
...and I'd rather listen to Cerys Matthews than be lectured/hectored by SK, thank you!

On the other hand, Cerys Matthews (to feature in the new Music Planet, which is probably why she's appearing on this programme), Elizabeth Alker (w/e Breakfast and the new late night Unclassified), Mary Anne Hobbs, Stuart Maconie &c seem to get a regular look-in on Radio 3. Which of Radio 3's presenters get regular slots on 6 Music?

Radio 3 wisdom(?) is that Radio 3's new audience probably lies among the 6 Music-type audience, so lure them over to Radio 3 with their familiar, popular presenters. Evidence is that this imports 6 Music content over to Radio 3, and inasfar as it tempts new listeners over, they're only interested in the 'Best of Radio 3' - Late Junction, the old Mixing It (of which Unclassified seems to be an updated version), in his day Andy Kershaw. No evidence that it converts them to Radio 3's standard content.

If, as a Radio 3 listener, I was keen to investigate the output of other BBC channels, I would tune in to them rather than wait for bits and bobs to turn up for me on Radio 3. But that's just me and my penchant for the obvious.

[french frank]

And as Saturday Classics is on its way out of the back door, this is the menu for Inside Music, 8 April:

The first edition of Inside Music, a series in which each week a musician reveals a selection of music from the inside.

Today, world-renowned percussionist Colin Currie’s music choices include Mozart’s powerful Requiem, a dramatic work for four hands at one piano by Schubert, and Steve Martland’s outrageous Horses of Instruction.

And 15 April:

Today, solo violinist and chamber musician Tamsin Waley-Cohen is inspired by conductor Carlos Kleiber’s rehearsal technique, and uncovers the eerie sounds of strings combined with wine glasses.

Tamsin’s musical choices range from a number by Irving Berlin sung by Billie Holiday to a keyboard concerto by J.S. Bach’s most iconoclastic son.

[doversoul1]

And as Saturday Classics is on its way out of the back door, this is the menu for Inside Music, 8 April:

The first edition of Inside Music, a series in which each week a musician reveals a selection of music from the inside.

Today, world-renowned percussionist Colin Currie’s music choices include Mozart’s powerful Requiem, a dramatic work for four hands at one piano by Schubert, and Steve Martland’s outrageous Horses of Instruction.

And 15 April:

Today, solo violinist and chamber musician Tamsin Waley-Cohen is inspired by conductor Carlos Kleiber’s rehearsal technique, and uncovers the eerie sounds of strings combined with wine glasses.

Tamsin’s musical choices range from a number by Irving Berlin sung by Billie Holiday to a keyboard concerto by J.S. Bach’s most iconoclastic son.

So what is the difference between this new Saturday afternoon programme and the one we have now? The new one sounds just as much about I/Me as the current one. The I being a musician doesn’t make the programme music-based/related etc..

What was his name who presented a programme about music in the Renaissance time? His style was idiosyncratic but he talked about the music and not how he was inspired by this statue or that painting. It was all about the music and its context, and that’s how I expect a programme on Radio3 with a name like Inside Music to be.