A new low? I actually turned off R3 on the way to work....

[Suffolkcoastal]

We'll have to agree to differ on this one Roehre (though its not many times we do). I've loathed the work from childhood and my loathing seems to have gotten steadily worse (if that's possible) the older I've got. I just find the material totally and utterly dull. Some of the Waltzes such Kaiserwaltz and Tales from the Vienna Woods I find much more interesting and to my taste. For me though the waltz king has always been Tchaikovsky, infinitely more memorable tunes IMO.

[Richard Tarleton]

There's a barnstorming rendition of Schulz-Evler's "Arabesques on An der schönen, blauen Donau" by Jorge Bolet from his 1974 Carnegie Hall recital on the Great Pianists series - great fun and the sort of thing that would liven the journey to work...Lasts 11.25, so perhaps a bit on the long side for Breakfast

"Tales" has had a couple of outings on R3 lately - a favourite of mine.

[cloughie]

We'll have to agree to differ on this one Roehre (though its not many times we do). I've loathed the work from childhood and my loathing seems to have gotten steadily worse (if that's possible) the older I've got. I just find the material totally and utterly dull. Some of the Waltzes such Kaiserwaltz and Tales from the Vienna Woods I find much more interesting and to my taste. For me though the waltz king has always been Tchaikovsky, infinitely more memorable tunes IMO.

The Marmite factor clearly lives on - one person's Blue Danube is my 'Bolero'. I tend to side with Roehre on this one provided I'm not exposed to it too often. Familiarity can sometimes induce

[Serial_Apologist]

SC, I'm afraid we disagree here.
The full Blaue Donau score as composed by Johann II (therefore without all the usual cuts, like the intro and the other non-3/4 parts, and then lasting approximately 15 minutes) is a well orchestrated and fine symphonic-poem like work. it is not by chance that Brahms wrote the opening bars of the work onto a fan of one of Stauss' daughters' accompanied by the words "Unfortunately not by Joh.Brahms" ("Leider nicht von Joh.Brahms"). The 2nd Vienna School thought high of its qualities - and made reductions of i.a. this score.

I can never hear the Schoenberg version without also hearing the sound of tongue firmly in cheek, though.

[Roehre]

I can never hear the Schoenberg version without also hearing the sound of tongue firmly in cheek, though.

That makes two of us then

[David-G]

(The sound of rapid back-pedalling)


If it's a 'fine piece of music' & it's just the 'hotch-potch' programming you dislike, why not object to Monetverdi's Beatus Vir being included? It too is a fine piece of music, & programming it is just as 'hotch-potch'.

One of the vitues of 'hotch-potch' programming (the only virtue?) is that if a piece of music is played that you don't like you know that it won't last long & something else that you do like (you hope) will be along soon.

I'm not sure who is back-pedalling - not me! I don't object to the Blue Danube and I don't object to Beatus Vir. But I don't think they have very much in common. Except that I don't like listening to either in a hotch-potch of miscellaneous unrelated music.

[AjAjAjH]

a hotch-potch of miscellaneous unrelated music.

Isn't that what most classical concert programmes are?

[Resurrection Man]

Isn't that what most classical concert programmes are?

Ah, but most classical concerts play the complete work!

[Old Grumpy]

Except that I don't like listening to either in a hotch-potch of miscellaneous unrelated music.

I quite like that - which is why I like Breakfast (as a Drivetime experience), I guess!

Horses/courses etc.

OG

[David-G]

Isn't that what most classical concert programmes are?

Not good ones! The best concert programmes have some connection, theme, relation between the pieces, so that the programme can be perceived as a coherent whole. In my view.

[teamsaint]

Beatus Vir and Blue Danube do at least pass the "Complete Works" test !

"Breakfast" may be a dogs dinner, but it IS just a morning radio show. Personally, just personally mind, an eclectic mix of shorter bits and bobs is fine...just not the same ones over and over and over again.

[jayne lee wilson]

.....when PT played 'The Blue Danube'. Oh, per-lease!! If it had been Strauss's centenary or something I might possibly have forgiven it.

Yes, quite - and exactly how many of the live evening concerts have you listened to in the past 2 or 3 weeks? Here we are in 2012, Radio 3 live from the concert halls of GB every weekday eve, in webstream sound of a quality beyond all but the finest, long-obsolete less-compressed FM ever offered, and better than most of Europe - - and hardly a soul ever notes their reactions to it on the Performance thread.

No - they moan, with lofty disdain, about Blue Danube being played in the morning...

[David-G]

Yes, quite - and exactly how many of the live evening concerts have you listened to in the past 2 or 3 weeks? Here we are in 2012, Radio 3 live from the concert halls of GB every weekday eve, in webstream sound of a quality beyond all but the finest, long-obsolete less-compressed FM ever offered, and better than most of Europe - - and hardly a soul ever notes their reactions to it on the Performance thread.

No - they moan, with lofty disdain, about Blue Danube being played in the morning...

You do have a point, Jayne!

[Northender]

.....when PT played 'The Blue Danube'. Oh, per-lease!! If it had been Strauss's centenary or something I might possibly have forgiven it.

Perhaps they'd been flooded with requests - possibly from people who'd mislaid the contact details for Classic FM?
I was fascinated to learn from PT this morning that William Boyce was buried in St Paul's Cathedral after he - Boyce, that is -died (as against.....)

[Sir Velo]

You do have a point, Jayne!

Actually,with all due respect to Jayne, I think she is missing the point. Firstly, for many of us, the morning is the preferred time for listening to music. Sadly, R3 can now no longer be relied upon to serve up any fare which can sustain one through the day. As to the evening concert, firstly not every programme appeals - far too limited a menu on offer; moreover, not everyone has set up their hi-fi to take the HD feed, and the alternatives do not provide an audiophile experience to compare with the best CDs and downloads.