BaL 15.10.22 - Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I’m not anti Tom Service...

I wish I could see life with your goodness.

[Mal]

Andrew on Twitter 2hrs ago : "Morning all! I’m stuck at home with the dreaded Covid

[ucanseetheend]

50 minutes for a Lark Ascending review.. a Mahler 80 minute symphony should get...... 80 minutes at least .

[Serial_Apologist]

50 minutes for a Lark Ascending review.. a Mahler 80 minute symphony should get...... 80 minutes at least .

- Much though I do love this work. And I rather think a certain famous composer who also hailed from your neck of the woods would also have agreed.

[mikealdren]

Verbal diarrhoea in the extreme. A powerful argument for pre-recording the programme, note the section where TS gets in a knot about Janine Jansen and the RPO, none of which was needed. Edited properly it would have made a good programme!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Rather chuffed that a massive investment a few years ago has paid off
I heard Jansen play it somehow, presumably on R3 when her recording came out and was very struck by her performance, particularly the opening. Later I found her CD in a cardboard box (with nothing else classical IIRC) in a small local-charity shop in Honiton. I snapped it up for about 50p. Now I see it's deleted

[mikealdren]

Rather chuffed that a massive investment a few years ago has paid off
I heard Jansen play it somehow, presumably on R3 when her recording came out and was very struck by her performance, particularly the opening. Later I found her CD in a cardboard box (with nothing else classical IIRC) in a small local-charity shop in Honiton. I snapped it up for about 50p. Now I see it's deleted

And the whole CD is excellent, a very special debut that she's followed up with more excellent discs

[DracoM]

Verbal diarrhoea in the extreme. A powerful argument for pre-recording the programme, note the section where TS gets in a knot about Janine Jansen and the RPO, none of which was needed. Edited properly it would have made a good programme!

Totally agree. Crikey!

[Nick Armstrong]

Mentally prepare yourself - Tom Service is in the "making lots of comments and asking a few questions" chair today.

And at about 9.30, I turned it off as an overloud, compressed sounding "BBC advert" (for something) crashed in......... (my days of live listening to BBC radio are progressively coming to an end - BBC Sounds on a tablet or laptop is a boon - I can fast forward through these offensive interrruptions).

Just deleted the bedside DAB recording without listening, not even going to bother navigating on Sounds with him at the helm

[Stanfordian]

Mentally prepare yourself - Tom Service is in the "making lots of comments and asking a few questions" chair today.

And at about 9.30, I turned it off as an overloud, compressed sounding "BBC advert" (for something) crashed in......... (my days of live listening to BBC radio are progressively coming to an end - BBC Sounds on a tablet or laptop is a boon - I can fast forward through these offensive interrruptions).

Lots of stuttering too from TS as well as those worthless interrruptions. From what I hear, one can make a case for most accounts of the Lark.

[ardcarp]

1. Agree about verbal diarrhoea from TS. He's a knowledgeable bloke, but I'm afarad I've got a 'thing' about his gushing yet halting, stuttering delivery and his efforts to make everything sound more intense than it really is by over-use of meatphor, usually inappropriate.

2. I adore Lark Ascending. (It was also what one of my grand-daughters, aged between 5 and 7 chose (Kennedy/CBSO) as her favourite bedtime music...which makes it special for me.)

3. While I liked Janine Jansen's performance very much (from the tiny extracts we heard) no-one, IMVHO, gets inside the music as well as Nigel Kennedy, in spite of his his hippified dress and speech. But why should that matter? A pity his CBSO/Rattle CD (with a picture of a bulldog on the front) is now unavailable. I heartily recommend snapping up a 2nd hand copy on the internet, if one is available.

Just one e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204121119...BoCaLAQAvD_BwE

[Pulcinella]

1. Agree about verbal diarrhoea from TS. He's a knowledgeable bloke, but I'm afarad I've got a 'thing' about his gushing yet halting, stuttering delivery and his efforts to make everything sound more intense than it really is by over-use of meatphor, usually inappropriate.

2. I adore Lark Ascending. (It was also what one of my grand-daughters, aged between 5 and 7 chose (Kennedy/CBSO) as her favourite bedtime music...which makes it special for me.)

3. While I liked Janine Jansen's performance very much (from the tiny extracts we heard) no-one, IMVHO, gets inside the music as well as Nigel Kennedy, in spite of his his hippified dress and speech. But why should that matter? A pity his CBSO/Rattle CD (with a picture of a bulldog on the front) is now unavailable. I heartily recommend snapping up a 2nd hand copy on the internet, if one is available.

Just one e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204121119...BoCaLAQAvD_BwE

Quite a few available here (including a new one):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Concerto-Vaughan-Williams-Ascending/dp/B000002RYN/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2Z6JSL3WHHMIV&keywords=Elgar+kennedy&qid=1665834415&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjU3IiwicXNhIjoiMS41NiIsInFzcCI6IjAuOTcifQ%3D%3D&s=music&sprefix=elgar+kennedy%2Cpopular%2C94&sr=1-2

[Goon525]

1. Agree about verbal diarrhoea from TS. He's a knowledgeable bloke, but I'm afarad I've got a 'thing' about his gushing yet halting, stuttering delivery and his efforts to make everything sound more intense than it really is by over-use of meatphor, usually inappropriate.

I believe TS is working on a vegan version of ‘meatphor’!

[jonfan]

A brilliant BAL. I’ve no problem with TS. He can do the programme every week for me.

[smittims]

These comments about Tom Service remind me of a thought that occurred to me some years ago with regard to another Radio 3 presenter who shall remain nameless but whom I shall call K----e D----m.

I don't criticise the presenters themselves ( I had similar problems with the two star presenters of 'Woman's Hour' who have moved on). I think they do their best at what they believe they've been paid to do. But I do criticise the BBC for spending so much of our money (I believe they are very highly paid) on them when I'm sure there are many genuinely-knowledgeable young graduates who would be willing and able to do the job for much less.