The inimitable Stephen Plaistow

[Nick Armstrong]

I agree - and even tho' today's subject (Medtner etc) was not my home territory, I was entranced. I love Mr Plaistow's feline qualities - very much Shakespeare's Sonnet XCIV ["They that have power to hurt, and will do none..." ] - he is a cat with claws retracted - but you know - that shd he choose to deal a blow - it wd be deadly...

Precisely and deftly put, Monsieur V

[amateur51]

... sadly, I've never really been able to do this "lie-in" thing I hear so much praised. My inbuilt clock wakes me up at 5 o'clock, every day, did when I was a workin' man, seven days a week, weekend included: same now that I'm a genn'lman of leisure. By six o'clock it's the orange juice, slices of toast with Mme V's marmalade, and with honey, and two decent cups of serious coffee; by seven ready to face the day.

I like the idea of a lie-in : it's just that my body doesn't seem designed for it

I'm thinking of recuiting m'learned collague Rumpole to join me in running some 'Lie-in 101 Worshops', vints - would you be interested?

No replies between 16:00-17:30 please, cos that's when I have my nap (see Napping 101 Workshop)

[vinteuil]

I'm thinking of recuiting m'learned collague Rumpole to join me in running some 'Lie-in 101 Worshops', vints - would you be interested?

No replies between 16:00-17:30 please, cos that's when I have my nap (see Napping 101 Workshop)

I like it, Ams, I like it!

My inbuilt clock wakes me up at 5 o'clock, every day, did when I was a workin' man, seven days a week, weekend included

... and the odd thing is that that b****y inbuilt clock operated regardless of longitude - when I was serving overseas - in Riyadh, or New Delhi, or Kuala Lumpur, or Suva - five o'clock local time - time to get up

[Don Petter]

Heard this - enjoyed it and widened my knowledge of Caliban's Medtner........

I enjoyed this very much, as well.

I thought SP sometimes sounded a little weary with the whole thing, as though there was something else on his mind, but perhaps that's just his way. Great stuff anyway, and it didn't detract.

[BBMmk2]

Another visit to iplayer. I didn't catch this when I listened to the rest of CDR.

[Alison]

First Ive seen Mr Play-stow today - in the new Gramophone.

Rather disappointed: thought he was going to be a lot more dapper to match the voice and erudition :(

[Panjandrum]

First Ive seen Mr Play-stow today - in the new Gramophone.

Rather disappointed: thought he was going to be a lot more dapper to match the voice and erudition :(

Must be well into his seventies, SP. Never had much of a thatch. Perhaps he should invest in a toupee.

[RobertLeDiable]

I was being waspish earlier. I have come to loathe Stephen Johnson and fully endorse Mr Caliban's original post !

Mr Plaistow and Mr Johnson are both, in their different ways, excellent broadcasters - erudite and highly musical. Why anyone should want to publish to the whole world that she 'loathes' someone she has presumably never met beats me. But that's the modern blight of anonymous inter-bloggery that we must live with, I suppose.

[Barbirollians]

I think it is the Mystery Voice that has tipped Alison over the edge !

[Alison]

I think it is the Mystery Voice that has tipped Alison over the edge !

Quite.

Actually poor Mr J is simply suffering from over exposure I would suggest.

[Cassander]

Quite agree about SP's measured insight into piano interpreters periodically offered on CD review.
Went off one critic (apologies if this was wrongly attributed) after his castigation in G'phone of Piers Lane's Henselt studies, contradicted by BBCMM and IRRR reviewers. When you go out on a limb, you have to have a rationale other than a modern complete survey isn't up to Rachmanov's rattling off of 'Si oiseau j'etais' from the days of scratch and rustle.

[Alf-Prufrock]

Quite.

Actually poor Mr J is simply suffering from over exposure I would suggest.

Only with you, I should say. You are suffering from too much Radio 3, possibly. Get a life.

[Nick Armstrong]

Quite agree about SP's measured insight into piano interpreters periodically offered on CD review.

Worth bearing in mind too that SP brings to bear half a century of experience, as this post from another thread reminds us:

Interestingly, although Stephen Plaistow gave ALP1901 a very warm review in the April 1962 Gramophone, he had some reservations about the recording....

He really is someone I feel is adding enormously to my understanding and insight into music and its performance, and in a felicitous and 'listenable-to' manner.

Too often these days, on the radio, I feel I'm merely listening to someone who happens to be on the radio airing their views based on rather less experience than I have - it's mildly interesting, but not the real thing.

Stephen Plaistow certainly delivers the real thing

[amateur51]

Worth bearing in mind too that SP brings to bear half a century of experience, as this post from another thread reminds us:


He really is someone I feel is adding enormously to my understanding and insight into music and its performance, and in a felicitous and 'listenable-to' manner.

Too often these days, on the radio, I feel I'm merely listening to someone who happens to be on the radio airing their views based on rather less experience than I have - it's mildly interesting, but not the real thing.

Stephen Plaistow certainly delivers the real thing

You can't possibly mean Ed Seckerson, surely Calibs?!

[Panjandrum]

Quite agree about SP's measured insight into piano interpreters periodically offered on CD review.
Went off Bryce Morrison after his castigation in G'phone of Piers Lane's Henselt studies, contradicted by BBCMM and IRRR reviewers. When you go out on a limb, you have to have a rationale other than a modern complete survey isn't up to Rachmanov's rattling off of 'Si oiseau j'etais' from the days of scratch and rustle. Been sceptical of all his pronouncements ever since.

If that was Henselt 12 Etudes, Op 2. Poême d'amour, Op 3. 12 Etudes de salon, Op 5 Piers Lane pf Hyperion CDA67495 then the reviewer was Jeremy Nicholas, and not Bryce.