In Tune

[ChrisBennell]

What about this new In-Tune Mixtape?

To displace the Composer of the Week repeat, and substitute "piped-music" for 30 minutes, is a complete turn-off in my opinion. Whoever thought this was a good idea? No structure to the programme, no theme, no idea.

Although some of the music is attractive, it darts across the repertoire from Baroque to 20th century with no clue as to what is coming next. I can only think that this is intended to put out something (anything) at minimum cost. It's treating classical music as background rather than something to be given intelligent attention.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

What about this new In-Tune Mixtape?

To displace the Composer of the Week repeat, and substitute "piped-music" for 30 minutes, is a complete turn-off in my opinion. Whoever thought this was a good idea? No structure to the programme, no theme, no idea.

Although some of the music is attractive, it darts across the repertoire from Baroque to 20th century with no clue as to what is coming next. I can only think that this is intended to put out something (anything) at minimum cost. It's treating classical music as background rather than some to be given intelligent attention.

Or, possibly, an attempt to recreate the conditions of Homeward Bound in response to those listeners who have requested the return of such a format?

[french frank]

Although some of the music is attractive, it darts across the repertoire from Baroque to 20th century with no clue as to what is coming next.

That's pretty much the same as Breakfast and Essential Classics. Even with (usually) an announcement beforehand, it's still a take it or leave it gambol over the repertoire, changing style and mood every six minutes or so.

The mixtape may be a response to those who complain about excessive presenter input. I think this is a reprise of the 'River of Music' idea from a year or so back.

[cmr_for3]

The repeat of CotW has been moved around since Nicholas Kenyon introduced it in the mid-late 1990s and it was on at about midnight. RW moved it to 10pm and it's only been on at 6.30pm for six years (spring 2011?). It may have been a convenient time for those who couldn't listen at midday, but it was always 5 hours dead weight on the Monday-Friday evening schedules, particularly from the time it started repeating the programme from earlier the same day. With the iPlayer there will be no one here (at least) who needs to miss a programme, so it's just the disruption to a fairly recently adopted routine.

I listened to one of KD's Sound of Dance programmes some weeks back and although it didn't interest me (I didn't expect it to), she did seem to have prepared her material much better, and I couldn't fault her delivery.

I agree with this. I prefer to listen to COTW on demand and it used to annoy me if I happen to catch the middle of it at that time in the evening. This along with the extended lunch time concert, mean I will give radio 3 a prolonged listen live in the afternoon, especially when I'm back at work next week

[Nick Armstrong]

I agree with this. I prefer to listen to COTW on demand and it used to annoy me if I happen to catch the middle of it at that time in the evening. This along with the extended lunch time concert, mean I will give radio 3 a prolonged listen live in the afternoon, especially when I'm back at work next week

I'm with you on this, purely because of personal routine. For some reason, 4.15 - 4.30 is often the time it's convenient to have a bit of live R3 - a great pleasure today to click on and have Philippe Cassard playing Mozart PC No 22 for half an hour. Like you, I listen to COTW on catch-up/podcast so its scheduling is immaterial here.

[Anastasius]

Hope so. In Tune should be a corner stone of good scheduling, and it does already have some things going for it.

No chance. 24 hours is all it took for her to become her usual sycophantic, fawning self. I thought Sean Rabbity was bad enough ...KD takes it to a whole new level. And for what? Absolutely SFA.

Bring back the evening CotW..but they won't 'cos Perfect Curve riles the roost.

Ooops...predictive text. I meant 'rules' but 'riles' fits just as well.

[Anastasius]

.....but it was always 5 hours dead weight on the Monday-Friday evening schedules, particularly from the time it started repeating the programme from earlier the same day. With the iPlayer there will be no one here (at least) who needs to miss a programme, so it's just the disruption to a fairly recently adopted routine......

You are making a massive assumption here which is unlike you ! Definitely NOT dead weight. Many of us commute in the car...so to be able to listen to the repeat at 6.30pm is perfect timing. I can't get iPlayer when I'm in the car and neither can most others. My ethernet cable doesn't stretch that far !

[french frank]

You are making a massive assumption here which is unlike you ! Definitely NOT dead weight.

I didn't mean that no one ever listened to it at that time. Looking at it from the point of view of those who listen to it at midday, 6.30pm becomes dead time on Radio 3, because who's going to listen to the identical programme twice in one day, five times a week? All you're saying is that it suited you to listen in the car at that time and at that time you couldn't listen to iPlayer in your car (but you could listen to iPlayer, presumably once you got home?). As a techie, you will know (as I didn't until yesterday when Caliban explained to me) that you can download it for 30 days on a smartphone too and listen to it when convenient, perhaps even in your car?

All you're really saying is that it suited you to listen to it in your car at 6.30pm and now you can't. That may be disappointing but it isn't something which, objectively, Radio 3 can be criticised for.

[oddoneout]

I found the evening COTW repeat useful as I'm generally more likely to be able to listen then than at midday, and iPlayer isn't an option for me as yet. I haven't heard the mixtape thing yet - I must have misunderstood its placement, for some reason I thought it was at 4-30. The fact that I keep reading it in my head as 'mixed ape' suggests that subconsciously I'm not positively predisposed towards it......

[Anastasius]

I didn't mean that no one ever listened to it at that time. Looking at it from the point of view of those who listen to it at midday, 6.30pm becomes dead time on Radio 3, because who's going to listen to the identical programme twice in one day, five times a week? All you're saying is that it suited you to listen in the car at that time and at that time you couldn't listen to iPlayer in your car (but you could listen to iPlayer, presumably once you got home?). As a techie, you will know (as I didn't until yesterday when Caliban explained to me) that you can download it for 30 days on a smartphone too and listen to it when convenient, perhaps even in your car?

All you're really saying is that it suited you to listen to it in your car at 6.30pm and now you can't. That may be disappointing but it isn't something which, objectively, Radio 3 can be criticised for.

Nothing ANY of us says about Radio3 can be said to be 'objective' unless we are correcting a fact such as an incorrect composer, say. I would posit that all the comments regarding the new schedule are subjective and so all carry equal weight. Yes...it IS convenient to be able to listen to CotW during our 'dead time' when we are commuting, say. It is NOT convenient to go through all the faff of recording it, transferring it and then finding time to be able to listen to it with all the other pressures on ones time. Yes, I guess I could burn it to CD then take said CD into my car, put it in the player etc etc.

But then again, I used to be able simply to turn on the radio. I know what is easier.

Anyway, for me, Radio 3 is a dead duck these days. And many like me.

[french frank]

Nothing ANY of us says about Radio3 can be said to be 'objective' unless we are correcting a fact such as an incorrect composer, say. I would posit that all the comments regarding the new schedule are subjective and so all carry equal weight.

I don't quite agree with that. One can say, objectively, that Essential Classics no longer has a full-length work and that, objectively, this makes the programme more like John Suchet's programme on Classic FM in having shorter works on CD. And I don't think it's at all subjective to remark that if someone is in the habit of listening to CotW at 12pm they won't want to hear it again at 6.30 each day from Monday to Friday. Or to say that the repeat has only been on at 6.30pm since 2011 - before that it was at 10pm and before that it was even later.

Of course, with each change it will be better for some people and worse for others.

[Ein Heldenleben]

What about this new In-Tune Mixtape?

To displace the Composer of the Week repeat, and substitute "piped-music" for 30 minutes, is a complete turn-off in my opinion. Whoever thought this was a good idea? No structure to the programme, no theme, no idea.

Although some of the music is attractive, it darts across the repertoire from Baroque to 20th century with no clue as to what is coming next. I can only think that this is intended to put out something (anything) at minimum cost. It's treating classical music as background rather than something to be given intelligent attention.

I think I'm right in saying that the cheapest music programmes are those with presenter links as that cuts down the PRS / broadcast costs of the recorded music . Live relays - Proms , Opera on 3 are the most expensive because of the substantial additional performer costs and the Outside broadcast equipment and staff. The mix tape at 7.00 is likely to be cheap but cheaper than a linked programme - not so sure . It did occur to me that axing the quiz sections of Essential Classics might well be a cost saving as devising the questions particularly Imperfect harmony would soak up a lot of producer time.

[french frank]

It did occur to me that axing the quiz sections of Essential Classics might well be a cost saving as devising the questions particularly Imperfect harmony would soak up a lot of producer time.

I didn't think of that . Choose a piece of music and leave the rest to the listeners.

I think I'm right in saying that the cheapest music programmes are those with presenter links as that cuts down the PRS / broadcast costs of the recorded music .

I remember doing a cartoon for the website, on that assumption, in which RW was persuading a Morning on 3 presenter to cram as many little announcements between each piece of music as possible in order to cut down the music played. The mixtape would require a bit more production time. So I understand, in a way, but it wouldn't really be how I "consume" music.

[gingerjon]

What about this new In-Tune Mixtape?

It's very strange in that it's not really a mixtape as I'd understand it. A mixtape being something those of us of a certain vintage would put together to either impress girls with our sensitivity or boys with our in-depth knowledge of indie bands so obscure even its own members must have doubted their existence. They also call it 'curated' without saying who curated it or why, unlike the other 'playlists' that populate the far reaches of the iPlayer and social media.

But, leaving that aside, I was quite prepared to dislike it but I find that I quite enjoy it. It very much is background music which flips between moods and styles quickly, and obviously it is over and done inside 30 minutes so it's not going to provide any great depth on anything. It is quite a nice buffer between In Tune and the upcoming concert. Filler, yes, but not a bad example of what to do when your new schedule has a spare 30 minutes.

[cloughie]

It's very strange in that it's not really a mixtape as I'd understand it. A mixtape being something those of us of a certain vintage would put together to either impress girls with our sensitivity or boys with our in-depth knowledge of indie bands so obscure even its own members must have doubted their existence. They also call it 'curated' without saying who curated it or why, unlike the other 'playlists' that populate the far reaches of the iPlayer and social media.

But, leaving that aside, I was quite prepared to dislike it but I find that I quite enjoy it. It very much is background music which flips between moods and styles quickly, and obviously it is over and done inside 30 minutes so it's not going to provide any great depth on anything. It is quite a nice buffer between In Tune and the upcoming concert. Filler, yes, but not a bad example of what to do when your new schedule has a spare 30 minutes.

Does the idea, by the remotest of chances, come from CFM's Smooth Classics?