Breakfast hijacked by Private Eye?

[french frank]

I was going to expostulate over the apparent "33 pieces" in 150 minutes - surely a record (in fact many). But it just looks a lot when they print it out twice (albeit with slight variation).

[Ferretfancy]

calum

Here are some very good Copland pieces we never hear.

Clarinet Concerto
Dance Panels
Statements for Orchestra
Symphonic Ode
Vitebsk
Our Town
Quiet City (well we do hear this one sometimes!)

[kernelbogey]

calum Here are some very good Copland pieces we never hear.[....]

I find that Copland just doesn't speak to me: so when I read a post like this I feel mildly guilty. I guess I just have blind spots about some composers whom others revere: Delius is another, and so is most of Britten's music. (Some - such as Bernstein - provoke strong feelings of distaste.) I think my guilt arises from the assumption that others hear something that I don't. But as there's plenty of other music for me to enjoy I try to ignore these guilty feelings.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

there is a boodleful bountiful cornucopia of great music we never or scarce hear as many hereabouts have noted ...[Britten is my worst aversion by a long chalk]

it is the repetition of populist pieces that maddens me .... how can any one think it is at all interesting to hear that piece five time a decade never mind a month ...

[Carmen]

I put the Breakfast programme on every morning now. I don't always care for the txtweet stuff but I find Sara quite inoffensive. She doesn't gabble and between washing, stretching, cleaning my teeth, breakfasting, I often find myself pleased by the music. I have to say the unexpected modernist pieces are always a surprise and treat.

How have people felt listening to things like the Schubert week when evidently intelligent, sometimes unexpectedly elderly, folk have texted and emailed their enthusiasm and pleasure, even memories of, for example, hearing performances in the 30s? Do these communications seem unimportant? The utterances may be ordinarily expressed but I felt respectable people were approaching the schemes positively and perhaps the humour and eloquence which can be displayed here might be put to good use in 'toning up' the programme's audience participation?

My flatmate and I emailed John Peel one evening about some dreadful racket, asking why he played it. The reply came back, "They rock!" This may not seem very significant (or interesting, for that matter) but Peter was really quite amazed that Peel - a hero of his - had spoken directly to him.

Call me old-fashioned, but once upon a time, people were content with a presenter (with a nice voice) giving a bit of background about the music and simply playing it - no gushing DJ with their endless news updates, texts, tweets, trailers, Your Calls and discussions on sheds, kippers or whatever. Waking up on a dark morning, just me and the presenter and the music, were happy days. I felt I was participating in something that was not just entertaining and educational, but also seemed a beautiful and meaningful way to start my day. The difference between R3 then and now is that no one needed to have such participation relayed to the rest of the world. I think you'll find, hackneyvi, that you're in a minority on these boards about Sarah Mohr-Pietsch being inoffensive and about the 'importance' of hearing listeners' opinions and recollections. My overriding sense is that such listeners do it for the 'thrill' of having their 15 minutes of fame.

So glad to see the comments on this thread about Martin Handley. I too only listen to weekend Breakfast on the increasingly rare occasions he's on, having long ago fled the unspeakably awful Clemency Burton-Hill. Although I've noticed Martin's clearly been told to gush more, there's no getting away from the fact he has a nice voice. One clings onto these vestiges of the good old days!

[kernelbogey]

Call me old-fashioned, but once upon a time, people were content with a presenter (with a nice voice) giving a bit of background about the music and simply playing it - no gushing DJ with their endless news updates, texts, tweets, trailers, Your Calls and discussions on sheds, kippers or whatever. Waking up on a dark morning, just me and the presenter and the music, were happy days. I felt I was participating in something that was not just entertaining and educational, but also seemed a beautiful and meaningful way to start my day[....]

I totally agree with the above part of Carmen's post.

[...] I think you'll find, hackneyvi, that you're in a minority on these boards about Sarah Mohr-Pietsch being inoffensive[....]

I was a genuine fan of SMP when she started on Breakfast. I now feel like she's one of those girls who's got in with the wrong crowd.

So glad to see the comments on this thread about Martin Handley. I too only listen to weekend Breakfast on the increasingly rare occasions he's on, having long ago fled the unspeakably awful Clemency Burton-Hill. Although I've noticed Martin's clearly been told to gush more, there's no getting away from the fact he has a nice voice. One clings onto these vestiges of the good old days!

I also agree with every word of the above. (Although I haven't noticed that he's been to gush school, he does seem to make a good fist of introducing some of the old tat he's obliged to present.)

[french frank]

Ed reardon's week's satire of the absurdities of Breakfast and Essential Classics was magnificent - I particularly liked the " Mystery Instrument" .

Can be found here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...British_Drama/

Mmmmmm. I'm sensing a sinister plot here. Radio 2 and Radio 5 Live Breakfast hosts participate in Radio 3's Schubertathon (sorry, Mary!). Robert Snell of The Archers (Radio 4) is featured as listening to Radio 3. A high profile/popular Radio 4 comedy show features ... yes, Radio 3.

It's marketing, isn't it? It's Mr Pepsi-Cola at work.

And the comedy show may be satirising (aka ridiculing) Radio 3, but - it doesn't matter. Just as it doesn't matter that people hate trails (in general or in particular). If you hate them and grumble it shows you've noticed them and they're therefore 'doing their job', according to the BBC (official). The 'great majority' (as Lord Patten terms them) are alerted to the existence of Radio 3. They will obediently flock over to listen. Quick, better introduce our lively features to appeal to them. Kippers, sheds, sandwich fillings, favourites smells ...

Sic transit gloria ...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i had that gloria in the back of my van once, she didn't honk tho .....

i dunno, sheds, transits, is nothing sacred any more .....

[Serial_Apologist]

i had that gloria in the back of my van once, she didn't honk tho .....

i dunno, sheds, transits, is nothing sacred any more .....

Gloria in Excelsis is said to be...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well if you will drive a Vauxhall you have to expect that don't you ......

[Serial_Apologist]

well if you will drive a Vauxhall you have to expect that don't you ......

[Bax-of-Delights]

I had been wondering what it is that I find so tedious about R3's presentational style and Carmen's post absolutely nailed it for me. I don't want to be part of the R3 "gang" (a R1 institution) - oh here comes Rob, I wonder what he's got from his shed today? - where they are all trying so desperately to make me feel included. You know what? It works in precisely the opposite direction. I don't care a fig about anyone else's shed, kipper or musical tastes. All I want is the presenter to be talking to me alone. What is it they tell television presenters - just think that you are talking to one person.
And of course the more they want us all to be included the more the same music gets trotted out - the LCD of musical broadcasting.

[eighthobstruction]

Ed Reardon did in fact visit and post on the old R4 Choice is Yours Board....and was in fact one of the last people to post on it before it was closed....I wonder if he might be amongst us now....

[Black Swan]

I don't know why everyone is so wound up by R3. I like sitting in my garden shed asking my cat what her favorite piece of music is so that I can request it as a your call or even better a 7:21 a.m. wake up call. Sadly, I have to wait for the cat to listen to Essential Classics to have Rob Cowan recommend in some great boring detail which recording of her favorite piece of music we should request.

What happened to just and introduction and music. Alas, this is gone from R3.

John

[eighthobstruction]

Yep , they can stick their hash-tag up their cough ahem....*