What's happened to Stephen Johnson?

[Guest]

I've noticed that Stephen Johnson, whose talks on Radio 3 I always thoroughly enjoy, seems to have been missing from the station's output recently - does anyone know why? He is a great loss in my opinion. I was hugely disappointed when Discovering Music was axed from its Sunday afternoon spot a while ago but at least we had the odd 20 minutes from him during some of the evening concerts. His programme about Sibelius a few years ago was absoultely stunning and I would like to hear much more of him in the future.

[french frank]

According to his website, he's still busy giving talks on music all over the place. But not for Radio 3.

[JoeG]

Yes ff I had noticed that - I was very glad to discover he is presumably still in good health as my first fear was that he was unwell.

[Padraig]

Talking of S.J. I once recorded a broadcast - I think Radio 2, it was a long time ago - of a Christmas concert. From it I extracted one carol for my infamous compilations of carols on cassette tape. The carol was the Animal Carol from The Wind In the Willows sung by a delightful school choir, with a reading from the book by Stephen Johnson - I'm sure it was his voice. It is the only version of that carol that I have heard. Of course I became very familiar with the voice on Radio 3 for many years after that. I don't suppose anyone else would recall that concert?

[Barbirollians]

Don't tell me has been sacked as the voice of the brainteaser on Essential Classics too ?

[Roehre]

I'm afraid his knowledge and musical intelligence has made him persona non grata at R3.
His generally excellent talkes were entertaining and educating. As the former is now prevalent and the latter seemingly a no-go-area, they have been reduced adn cut first and scrapped now altogether, I'm afraid.

[Barbirollians]

He is slated to appear with Jonathan Swain in a retrospective of recent romantic orchestral recordings on CD Review next week so rumours of his demise seem a little premature.

[JoeG]

Thanks - I will listen out for that - it will be good to hear him again

[mercia]

meanwhile you could listen to all those Discovering Music programmes again

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tn54/episodes/player

[JoeG]

meanwhile you could listen to all those Discovering Music programmes again
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006...pisodes/player

:-) :-)

[mercia]

....... or indeed watch him

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rs4yq/clips

[teamsaint]

meanwhile you could listen to all those Discovering Music programmes again
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006...pisodes/player

Thanks Mercs, didn't know they were still available..
Brilliant.

[mercia]

strictly off-topic but I've just totted up the number of times DM (discovering music) appears next to works in this list

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnxf/features/composer-a-z

and it came to approximately 365 which is obviously more than the 97 contained in the "available now" of the link I gave before - I can't explain this discrepancy, but to say I think the true "available now"s can be found under "clips"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tn54/clips

which again is very un-userfriendly, not being in alphabetical order

[Barbirollians]

I accept his knowledge but his style grates for me . Discovering Music with Jonathan Swain now there would be a programme .

[mercia]

I hadn't realised that Discovering Music was originally intended for teenagers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3226888/BBC-Radio-3-tries-to-woo-teenagers.html