Ooh blimey, it's all kicked off here since I last looked in! 
Well the selection of the 6 or 7 versions which feature in the programme is (I agree with Barb) in a sense the Achilles Heel of the format - but as ammy says, it's an unavoidable limitation really. The programme is already 2 hours long, and the advantages of the substantial extracts, the blind comparisons and hence lack of preconceptions, are key and for me outweigh the limitation. It can't hope to be a definitive guide - but we've seen the same problem with BAL: there has to be some pre-selection from the now-extensive catalogue. TCD started in 1946 or 1947 I think and at that stage, presumably the limited catalogue did allow the programme to consider all or most of the then-available readings. Things have moved on.
The art of the producers of the programme is to produce a group of recordings which is somehow representative - and they don't always do a good job. Usually they include a couple of 'catalogue classics', a couple of newcomers, and often a wild card or two, usually French But of course there are massive gaps. The current series has I think been a bit more eccentric and less satisfactory, on occasion.
The Alpensinfonie programme was a case in point - I didn't think the 6 versions pre-selected constituted a particularly representative group. But then again, it gave an opportunity to get away from the tried-and-tested, to hear off-piste or alternative performances - the programme is nonetheless fascinating, and one has to be prepared to learn something new (cf: the Japanese pianist referred to by ostuni in relation to Estampes, above).
And for Beefy and other franglicistes - I would recommend trying it! You don't have to understand all the bla-bla-bla - at least it will give you a chance to hear for yourself and try to compare in your own mind the lengthy extracts 'blind' - and you can hear at least the names of the eliminated as each round finishes, and of the final choice. And your French will improve! Caution - French pronunciation even of names can be tricky, I remember never managing to work out who they were talking about when they praised "Oyn Yom"...
.... I had to resort to the webpage to realise that's how they pronounce...
...
wait for it...
...
Eugen Jochum!!!
Bonne écoute!
PS I tried a bit of research to see if there was an answer to ammy's question, as to whether the "selection" argument has raged in the French sections of the internet - but in fact, there doesn't seem to be much debate about it. While doing so, I noticed that the Japanese pianist referred to by ostuni above has made a nice modest reference to the programme on his blog: http://kotarofukuma.blogspot.co.uk/2...isques_25.html
Well the selection of the 6 or 7 versions which feature in the programme is (I agree with Barb) in a sense the Achilles Heel of the format - but as ammy says, it's an unavoidable limitation really. The programme is already 2 hours long, and the advantages of the substantial extracts, the blind comparisons and hence lack of preconceptions, are key and for me outweigh the limitation. It can't hope to be a definitive guide - but we've seen the same problem with BAL: there has to be some pre-selection from the now-extensive catalogue. TCD started in 1946 or 1947 I think and at that stage, presumably the limited catalogue did allow the programme to consider all or most of the then-available readings. Things have moved on.
The art of the producers of the programme is to produce a group of recordings which is somehow representative - and they don't always do a good job. Usually they include a couple of 'catalogue classics', a couple of newcomers, and often a wild card or two, usually French
But of course there are massive gaps. The current series has I think been a bit more eccentric and less satisfactory, on occasion. The Alpensinfonie programme was a case in point - I didn't think the 6 versions pre-selected constituted a particularly representative group. But then again, it gave an opportunity to get away from the tried-and-tested, to hear off-piste or alternative performances - the programme is nonetheless fascinating, and one has to be prepared to learn something new (cf: the Japanese pianist referred to by ostuni in relation to Estampes, above).
And for Beefy and other franglicistes - I would recommend trying it! You don't have to understand all the bla-bla-bla - at least it will give you a chance to hear for yourself and try to compare in your own mind the lengthy extracts 'blind' - and you can hear at least the names of the eliminated as each round finishes, and of the final choice. And your French will improve! Caution - French pronunciation even of names can be tricky, I remember never managing to work out who they were talking about when they praised "Oyn Yom"...
.... I had to resort to the webpage to realise that's how they pronounce......
wait for it...
...
Eugen Jochum!!!
Bonne écoute!
PS I tried a bit of research to see if there was an answer to ammy's question, as to whether the "selection" argument has raged in the French sections of the internet - but in fact, there doesn't seem to be much debate about it. While doing so, I noticed that the Japanese pianist referred to by ostuni above has made a nice modest reference to the programme on his blog: http://kotarofukuma.blogspot.co.uk/2...isques_25.html
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