Roger Wright moves to Aldeburgh Music

[Bryn]

I wouldn't; I'd have thought that operas on TV would provide an ideal introduction - they require no financial outlay (beyond the licence fee), they can be broadcast an act a night, thereby not requiring an entire evening to be devoted to it; a well-directed broadcast can compensate for the lack of the visceral excitement of being at a live performance; and subtitles can be used more effectively (&, as in the early days of Channel 4 & their weekly opera broadcasts, TV broadcasts can provide subtitles that weren't available in the theatre). A TV broadcast could also be top & tailed by discussion about the work & the composer (ie background information) and comments from members of the audience (who could be carefully selected to demonstrate that it's not just toffs & poofs who go to the opera.

Going back to those earlier days of Channel 4, they even commissioned opera
That's how Robert Ashley's
'Perfect Lives' came to be broadcast in seven half-hour episodes. It was repeated a few months after the initial run and gained something of a cult following.

[Maclintick]

Sorry, I missed your reply. This is the relevant post:


I am not really sure whether Maclintick would use the word to express his own view or whether it's rather what he thinks Whitehall is probably thinking.

Possibly he'll explain.

Problematic concept "upmarket", but in this context I think if Lord Hall's announcement means more Shakespeare, opera, ballet etc and fewer game shows, cookery programmes and reality TV, then this might be considered to be re-positioning upmarket as perceived by many licence-fee payers. In this scenario the BBC might hope for a more favourable charter renewal settlement, though of course the strategy could backfire horribly, as well, in terms of reduced audience numbers.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Going back to those earlier days of Channel 4, they even commissioned opera

... and a group of British composers were commissioned to write a work with a group heading of "The Call" (Philip Wilby had a piece called The Call of Iona, and IIRC, Steve Martland's Albion was there, too?) Quite a few documentaries, too; including the best programme yet devoted to Birtwistle. Cage and Cunningham, Boulez discussing post WW2 Music (IN FRENCH, with subtitles ... in fact, there was also a series [??Strange Days??] of documentaries in French on post-War French philosophers: highly critical of them all.)

And, of course, Beckett on Film ...

C4 used to be such a great channel

[Honoured Guest]

Do you remember the early days when much programming was so unpopular that commercial breaks contained no commercials?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Do you remember the early days when much programming was so unpopular that commercial breaks contained no commercials?

Do you know those people who behave in a puerile and embarrassing way because they are desperate to be popular?

[amateur51]

Do you remember the early days when much programming was so unpopular that commercial breaks contained no commercials?

Now I rather enjoyed that ...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you remember the early days when much programming was so unpopular that commercial breaks contained no commercials?

No, I don't, actually. I do remember such stories appearing in certain newspapers, but the programmes that I watched between c1985 - 2000 all had irritating adverts breaking them up (including Sawallisch's Ring Cycle, when Alberich's stealing of the Rheingold was followed by a quartet of mechanics assuring me that I couldn't fit quicker than a Kwik-Fit fitter). All the programmes I mentioned in #273 had commercial breaks; as some of them were broadcast late at night, I still have these adverts on the videos (do you remember videos?) I made of the programmes - I cannot now think of Foucault without feeling an almost irresistable urge to wash my hair with Tinnotet. Do you remember hair?

But I'm not certain - beyond a private little chortle at C4's expense - what the intended purpose/relevance of your comment is here. Do you mean to suggest that making good quality programmes that will be attractive only to tens of thousands of viewers is a risible idea?

[Flay]

Do you remember hair?

Brilliant post, ferney.

Wasn't it Timotei?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Brilliant post, ferney.

Wasn't it Timotei?

I dunno - it made my ears buzz, though.

[amateur51]

No, I don't, actually. I do remember such stories appearing in certain newspapers,

Around the same time as the mock outrage about the staging of Birmingham's Winterval instead of a Christmas festival I seem to recall

Bent cucumbers anyone?

Where's Simon got to these days?

[Flosshilde]

Brilliant post, ferney.

Wasn't it Timotei?

Didn't the advert for that involve a forest glade, a lady with very little on, a waterfall & a white horse (or a unicorn?)?

Or was it Alpine meadows?

[amateur51]

Didn't the advert for that involve a forest glade, a lady with very little on, a waterfall & a white horse (or a unicorn?)?

Or was it Alpine meadows?

Sounds like a Saatchi Bros Tory party reject - ooops politiks on the main board

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Didn't the advert for that involve a forest glade, a lady with very little on, a waterfall & a white horse (or a unicorn?)?

Can't say I noticed, Flossie. <butterwouldn'tmeltemoticon>

Or was it Alpine meadows?

Good heavens! I didn't know EA hired out his house & grounds to film companies!

[Flay]

Didn't the advert for that involve a forest glade, a lady with very little on, a waterfall & a white horse (or a unicorn?)?

Or was it Alpine meadows?

How memory fades... No she was fully clothed

http:// https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO7zGCsemiY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[cloughie]

Do you remember the early days when much programming was so unpopular that commercial breaks contained no commercials?

I also remember the days when BBC did not have its phoney commercials blowing its own inadequate trumpet!