BaL 4.05.19 - Beethoven: Piano Trios Op. 1

[edashtav]

If that is the intention, they should script it.

Technically, this twofer was a unrehearsed car-crash between Andrew McGregor on autopilot and a thoughtful Helen who was ready and able but found difficulty in responding to his unexpected and ill-timed moves. It could have been a spoof created by For3 boarders to demonstrate what is wrong with the new format. A complete disaster, finished in near record time despite having three works to dissect.
When I was allowed to concentrate, I found Helen to be a thoughtful guide and unafraid to apply a splash of colour e.g. "All fur coat and no knickers".
Records are rarely the products of single takes; broadcasting twofers without sufficient rehearsal or editing undermines the authority of experts and insults the audience.

[Mal]

Did you agree with HW's choice? Do you agree that BA2 were unfairly called pedestrian in Op.1/3/2? Are the Florestan strings really lacking? Was Barenboim at the peak of his form here? Why did Pressler "go extreme"?

[Keraulophone]

Technically, this twofer was a unrehearsed car-crash between Andrew McGregor on autopilot and a thoughtful Helen who was ready and able but found difficulty in responding to his unexpected and ill-timed moves. It could have been a spoof created by For3 boarders to demonstrate what is wrong with the new format. A complete disaster, finished in near record time despite having three works to dissect.
When I was allowed to concentrate, I found Helen to be a thoughtful guide and unafraid to apply a splash of colour e.g. "All fur coat and no knickers".
Records are rarely the products of single takes; broadcasting twofers without sufficient rehearsal or editing undermines the authority of experts and insults the audience.

Spot on, sadly.

[underthecountertenor]

a bit like the "comments bank" statements AC-12 used when communicating with the OCG in Line of Duty).

Definately (sic)

[french frank]

Any chance of a discussion on the music, the versions, the result?

Hosts: isn't it time for a separate thread for criticisms of the BaL format and AMcG? To be frank, I find the highly predictable re-iterations every week extremely tedious.

The problem seems to be that for many (most?) people the format is so annoying that it's impossible to concentrate on the substance. If people are able to comment it might be possible to copy the criticisms to the existing thread and leave the 'relevant' ones. But if no one offers to discuss the review … ?

[edashtav]

Did you agree with HW's choice? Do you agree that BA2 were unfairly called pedestrian in Op.1/3/2? Are the Florestan strings really lacking? Was Barenboim at the peak of his form here? Why did Pressler "go extreme"?

Quick answer: Y;N;N;Y;?

[Keraulophone]

Hosts: isn't it time for a separate thread for criticisms of the BaL format and AMcG? To be frank, I find the highly predictable re-iterations every week extremely tedious.

The re-iterations are unsurprising because some of us feel that we have effectively lost a programme that we have valued and been devoted to for decades.

[visualnickmos]

Technically, this twofer was a unrehearsed car-crash between Andrew McGregor on autopilot and a thoughtful Helen who was ready and able but found difficulty in responding to his unexpected and ill-timed moves. It could have been a spoof created by For3 boarders to demonstrate what is wrong with the new format. A complete disaster, finished in near record time despite having three works to dissect.
When I was allowed to concentrate, I found Helen to be a thoughtful guide and unafraid to apply a splash of colour e.g. "All fur coat and no knickers".
Records are rarely the products of single takes; broadcasting twofers without sufficient rehearsal or editing undermines the authority of experts and insults the audience.

Quite right 'Ed' I felt completely short-changed, at the end of what potentially could have been a very absorbing and detailed BaL, if only the reviewer (I thought she was excellent in the face of adversity) could have been allowed to have the field to herself, to get to the 'nitty gritty' ; I felt as if I'd learned nothing from this BaL.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Technically, this twofer was a unrehearsed car-crash between Andrew McGregor on autopilot and a thoughtful Helen who was ready and able but found difficulty in responding to his unexpected and ill-timed moves. It could have been a spoof created by For3 boarders to demonstrate what is wrong with the new format. A complete disaster, finished in near record time despite having three works to dissect.
When I was allowed to concentrate, I found Helen to be a thoughtful guide and unafraid to apply a splash of colour e.g. "All fur coat and no knickers".
Records are rarely the products of single takes; broadcasting twofers without sufficient rehearsal or editing undermines the authority of experts and insults the audience.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Definately (sic)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The re-iterations are unsurprising because some of us feel that we have effectively lost a programme that we have valued and been devoted to for decades.

The responses to the "re-iterations" could themselves be described as "highly predictable" and "extremely tedious", although, of course, I would not dream of doing so myself. The comments made on the presentation of this week's BaL are specific to this week's BaL - they belong here, I think, not on some special Thread.

[DracoM]

The responses to the "re-iterations" could themselves be described as "highly predictable" and "extremely tedious", although, of course, I would not dream of doing so myself. The comments made on the presentation of this week's BaL are specific to this week's BaL - they belong here, I think, not on some special Thread.

[sidneyfox]

The re-iterations are unsurprising because some of us feel that we have effectively lost a programme that we have valued and been devoted to for decades.

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.

[soileduk]

I suspect that as A McG has ‘lost’ a half hour of his programme to more important things they are compelled to make up his contracted time by superimposing him onto the BAL section. I think A McG is a good presenter, just not in the BAL section.

[DracoM]

Record Review was how - in mid-teens - I became fascinated that a piece I thought I knew could be so differently and revealingly performed.
To do that, IMO you need a steady, single voice with an unfolding series of statements / illustrations / comparisons. You do NOT want a semi-scripted twofer that can veer off course and lose the thread, and get threatened by competing voices.

For me, BEETHOVEN was the huge loser in this segment.

And THEN, they did it again with Kenyon - just a small item - on a very complete edition of a minor composer's oeuvre - Haydn symphonies! ALL of them. So in one RR, two giants of the genre's core, in the very core of R3 listening / programming.

So if I was coming to classical music early, largely uninitiated and wanted guidance, would EITHER of these two sections in their methodology of the recent prog have been sufficiently helpful and instructive?

If R3 is frantically searching for a new audience - as it manifestly is - is this the way to do it? A high-profile Saturday a.m. - potential and young listeners NOT at school, possibly wanting to dip toes in waters...etc.

That is what scares me: I desperately want RR and BAL to score high, to do the job of recruiting the new listener of any age, but to do it like this is IMO to run the serious risk of confusing issues and blurring arguments and evaluations. I simply cannot for the life of me see how they justify it.