I would pay good money for a decent classical music programme during the mornings....

[Bax-of-Delights]

Thanks for the nudge Caliban. I had no idea I could access Itunes without the necessary Apple hardware (OK - I'm not quite up to speed on these applications).
The choice is all a bit mind-boggling although I think one can avoid anything which says "smooth" or "essential" (Radio 3 please note) or "relaxing".

At present enjoying very good sound on Venice Classical Music with Handel Concerto Grosso No.6 (although I noticed that this started a nano-second after the end of an Albinoni piece so there is a tendency towards wallpaper music here).
Will certainly experiment with others on the list.

[mw963]

Although I know quite a bit about satellite, the whole business of itunes etc scares me witless and having googled itunes radio I'm not really any the wiser.

Could some kind "geek" please explain - do I need to download an itunes operating system before I can access this thing caliban has recommended? I can't see a direct link to radio (classical or otherwise) and just feel completely helpless. I certainly am put off by a program which wants to "reorganise" my music, been there, done that, wasted hours undoing the damage.... (RealPlayer, Windoze Media Player and others take note).

Beginners guide please.....

[JanH]

Jan

Do you use iTunes?

I've started using the 'Radio' facility a lot - an amazing resource: down the sidebar on the left hand side is "Radio" - click on that and a gallimaufry of stations of all genres is made available to you. Click to open the 'Classical' menu and you have an instant choice of (currently) 190 classical music stations around the world. I just chose one at random - Classical Minnesota Public Radio, sounding awesome at 128kbps, a terrific recording of a live Sibelius 6 from the Minnesota Orchestra under Vanska

As astounding free resource, when one thinks about it, almost unbelievable.

Thank you for the iTunes info, Caliban. We had no idea there was such a huge collection of classical music available there. I shall need to buy a small internet radio for 'downstairs' as the computer is permanently 'upstairs! JanH.

[JanH]

Although I know quite a bit about satellite, the whole business of itunes etc scares me witless and having googled itunes radio I'm not really any the wiser.

Could some kind "geek" please explain - do I need to download an itunes operating system before I can access this thing caliban has recommended? I can't see a direct link to radio (classical or otherwise) and just feel completely helpless. I certainly am put off by a program which wants to "reorganise" my music, been there, done that, wasted hours undoing the damage.... (RealPlayer, Windoze Media Player and others take note).

Beginners guide please.....

I am certainly not a technical wizz. I do have to ask MrH about everything technical, SO...... click on iTunes, then find Radio in the lefthand lisitings that pop up and click on it, then click on 'Classical' on next display and then the whole gamut of classical music listings appear...hundreds of them!!!

JanH

[mw963]

You're going to think me terribly slow here, but where are you when you "click on iTunes" and how did you get there?

[Nick Armstrong]

You're going to think me terribly slow here, but where are you when you "click on iTunes" and how did you get there?

I wish I could help with any confidence, mw963 - I have Mac computers and iTunes comes as part of the package.

Sounds as if Bax-of-Delights might have more idea, avoiding the Apple software route...

But I think (if you are using Windows XP, Vista or 7) you can download the software free by clicking here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Then just follow the instructions to install it, I guess

[Nick Armstrong]

Thank you for the iTunes info, Caliban. We had no idea there was such a huge collection of classical music available there. I shall need to buy a small internet radio for 'downstairs' as the computer is permanently 'upstairs! JanH.

Glad to help Jan!

Hope you enjoy! The American classical stations are surprisingly good if you can stand the pronunciation of certain European composers' names...

[mw963]

Ah, thank you Caliban. So I *do* need the software. On my connection it's just told me it's going to take 20 minutes to download, so I'll report back some time next year....!

You can perhaps see why I prefer satellite - at least it runs just as fast regardless of whether one is in a large town or like us at the end of a very long length of telephone cable....

[Bax-of-Delights]

Thanks for the nudge Caliban. I had no idea I could access Itunes without the necessary Apple hardware (OK - I'm not quite up to speed on these applications).
The choice is all a bit mind-boggling although I think one can avoid anything which says "smooth" or "essential" (Radio 3 please note) or "relaxing".

At present enjoying very good sound on Venice Classical Music with Handel Concerto Grosso No.6 (although I noticed that this started a nano-second after the end of an Albinoni piece so there is a tendency towards wallpaper music here).
Will certainly experiment with others on the list.

The Venice Classical Music quickly went downhill with wild juxtapositions of totally inappropiate styles of music all bumping into one another with hardly a breath between them (a bit like Breakfast on R3 but without the endless wittering around THE TORCH).
Can anyone tell me if the piece of torch music chosen for its sojourn in and around Cromer/Norwich today was VW's Norfolk Rhapsody? It would seem to be the least inspired (and bleedin' obvious) choice...
I ddidn't listen beyond the excitable King's Lynn councillor on your call.

[JanH]

You're going to think me terribly slow here, but where are you when you "click on iTunes" and how did you get there?

oopsadaisy!! As Caliban advises, 'google' iTunes or click here

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Once on the iTunes homepage you can download iTunes onto your computer, either Mac or Pc, both FREE. Once there you can do all the clicks! Radio appears on lefthand side in listings, as does Classical in the listings...
Enjoy your listening, the only difficulty is choosing, there's so much of it.

GOOD LUCK! JanH.

[Nick Armstrong]

Can anyone tell me if the piece of torch music chosen for its sojourn in and around Cromer/Norwich today was VW's Norfolk Rhapsody? It would seem to be the least inspired (and bleedin' obvious) choice...

Yes the NR No 1.... I rather like it. But it was preceded by Moeran's Lonely Waters and William Byrd's Domine, secundum actum meum the latter being particularly gorgeous and AMcG's 'request' (I think I caught from the bathroom).

Are you able to reply to mw963 and corroborate or otherwise my faltering attempt to assist?

[JFLL]

Ah, thank you Caliban. So I *do* need the software. On my connection it's just told me it's going to take 20 minutes to download, so I'll report back some time next year....! .

I think you have to be very very careful when installing iTunes, because, as I understand it, if you don't watch it the software will 'organize' your music library, i.e. overwrite all the tags on any MP3 files you may have. I did this once years ago and didn't want to repeat the experience. Can anyone confirm whether this is still the case, please, as the radio streaming sounds rather attractive, and I might try again with iTunes IF I knew of a cast-iron way of avoiding the overwriting business?

[JanH]

Glad to help Jan!

Hope you enjoy! The American classical stations are surprisingly good if you can stand the pronunciation of certain European composers' names...

Hello again, sounds as though MW963 is well on the way to listening to classical music on iTunes now.

Re pronunciation, we have some UK/Italian family living in Italy, including Giovanni, now 21. Whenever the BBC presenters announce that we shall be listening to Don Geovarrni we flinch! I'm sure that when I was young, some time ago now, the BBC had a department purely to deal with pronunciation, no more by the sounds of everything.

JanH.

[Nick Armstrong]

Hello again, sounds as though MW963 is well on the way to listening to classical music on iTunes now.

Re pronounciation, we have some UK/Italian family living in Italy, including Giovanni, now 21. Whenever the BBC presenters announce that we shall be listening to Don Geovarrni we flinch! I'm sure that when I was young, some time ago now, the BBC had a department purely to deal with pronounciation, no more by the sounds of everything.

JanH.

Fair enough - agreed that lapses occur everywhere - especially when it comes to Reg Varney's brother G. O. Varney !

[mw963]

Are you able to reply to mw963 and corroborate or otherwise my faltering attempt to assist?

Well I've downloaded the necessary software and am about to install it, but paying particular attention (as I feared and as JFLL confirms) that it doesn't then scurry round my computer *****ing up all my settings. It is quite beyond me why all these programs want "control" of everything, I thought I myself was a control-freak but honestly.....

Tiny bit laters - my goodness it takes a long time to install. For something that just is required to play the radio it appears to be extremely bloated!!