The Listening Service - Brahms: Symphony no 4

[JasonPalmer]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001rhxh

Tom Service explores one of the most popular, played, and performed works of all time - Johannes Brahms's Symphony No 4 in E minor.

interesting stuff, very enjoyable

[AuntDaisy]

It would be, but I'm not keen on TS - bit light & fluffy.

I used to enjoy the old "Discovering Music" series, often with specially recorded musical examples, e.g. Brahms 4. The Goldberg Variations programme was particularly interesting from the way GM pulled the music apart.
Some of the more recent programmes are available as heavily cut podcasts, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00...pisodes/player

[JasonPalmer]

It would be, but I'm not keen on TS - bit light & fluffy.

I used to enjoy the old "Discovering Music" series, often with specially recorded musical examples, e.g. Brahms 4. The Goldberg Variations programme was particularly interesting from the way GM pulled the music apart.
Some of the more recent programmes are available as heavily cut podcasts, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00...pisodes/player

Wow, great link, looks like a treasure trove, thanks very much

[smittims]

Well, maybe today's equivalent appeals more to young people wanting to learn about Classical music. But I hark back even earlier, to Antony Hopkins' 'Talking about Music'.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Well, maybe today's equivalent appeals more to young people wanting to learn about Classical music. But I hark back even earlier, to Antony Hopkins' 'Talking about Music'.

Agreed. I can’t imagine TS appealing to young people at all.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Talking of Brahms 4, does anyone remember a Desert Island Discs guest in the 1960s, Sir Harry Whitlohn.

Sir Harry recalled his childhood visit to Germany, when he had been lucky enough to meet Brahms. His parents had shown the great man a short piece of music that he young Harry had written, and Brahms had liked it and incorporated it into his 4th symphony.

This revelation caused quite a stir at the time, until the BBC pointed out that the broadcast had been on 1st April.

From Wikipedia:
Sir Harry Whitlohn was a spoof character who appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs and was interviewed as though he were real, by the presenter Roy Plomley, on 1 April 1963 - April Fools' Day.[1][2]

Whitlohn was variously presented as a "man of affairs, musician, mountaineer, and mystic", an "88-year-old mountaineer, mystic and spy" and "the only man living who had collaborated with Brahms".[2][3]

In reviewing the book "Desert Island Discs: 70 Years of Castaways" by Sean Magee for The Guardian in 2012, Stephen Moss wrote:[4]

Plomley's strong suit was his sense of the absurd, and his encounter with theatrical manager Sir Harry Whitlohn is especially memorable.

The role of Whitlohn was played by the actor Henry Sherek, himself a former castaway on the programme.[5] The character was originally to be called "Harry Whitlow".[5]

[richardfinegold]

Wow, great link, looks like a treasure trove, thanks very much

Yes, programs look fascinating, although can they be played?

[hmvman]

I used to enjoy the old "Discovering Music" series, often with specially recorded musical examples, e.g. Brahms 4. The Goldberg Variations programme was particularly interesting from the way GM pulled the music apart.
Some of the more recent programmes are available as heavily cut podcasts, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00...pisodes/player

GM? I'm trying to puzzle out who that is (was). I remember Stephen Johnson (SJ) doing the programme but can't remember who it was before him.

[smittims]

Thanks, Alpie; I hadn't heard of the Whitlon spoof. It ranks with the 'spaghetti harvest' on Panorama , and of course, our old friend Piotr Zak.
I've always been a Plomley fan; in my view he was the only presenter of DiD who really understood what the programme was meant to be.

[BillMatters]

I can’t remember the format for Discovering Music, but if you want to hear pieces analysed try Joshua Weilerstein’s Sticky Notes podcast.

[AuntDaisy]

GM? I'm trying to puzzle out who that is (was). I remember Stephen Johnson (SJ) doing the programme but can't remember who it was before him.

Gerard McBurney - apologies, I should have put his full name in. (Genome's OCR had McBumey)
Leonard Slatkin, Anthony Payne, Chris de Souza, Roger Nichols, David Fanning, Sarah Walker, Ivan Hewett, Charles Hazlewood, Iain Burnside, David Owen Norris, Catherine Bott, Andrew Manze, William Mival and Alwynne Pritchard have also presented (there may be others). Who they, Sam J?

[Update: I'd missed Mark Elder, Nishat Khan, Julian Joseph, Martyn Brabbins, Robert Walker, Geoffrey Smith, Robert Hollingworth, Martin Handley, David Robertson, David Nice, Alyn Shipton and Tom Service.]

Well, maybe today's equivalent appeals more to young people wanting to learn about Classical music. But I hark back even earlier, to Antony Hopkins' 'Talking about Music'.

Yes, Antony Hopkins' music programmes were excellent (not to mention has acting output ).
I wish Auntie would rebroadcast some - there are a surprisingly large number listed in the Archives (inc. TS).
What we need is a Radio 3extra channel!

[hmvman]

Gerard McBurney - apologies, I should have put his full name in. (Genome's OCR had McBumey)
Leonard Slatkin, Anthony Payne, Chris de Souza, Roger Nichols, David Fanning, Sarah Walker, Ivan Hewett, Charles Hazlewood, Iain Burnside, David Owen Norris, Catherine Bott, Andrew Manze, William Mival and Alwynne Pritchard have also presented (there may be others). Who they, Sam J?

[Update: I'd missed Mark Elder, Nishat Khan, Julian Joseph, Martyn Brabbins, Robert Walker, Geoffrey Smith, Robert Hollingworth, Martin Handley, David Robertson, David Nice, Alyn Shipton and Tom Service.]

Thanks for the clarification, AuntDaisy. Gerard McBurney isn't a name familiar to me at all. I also hadn't realised so many had done the analysing. When Discovering Music was, ahem, 'rested' I seem to recall that we were promised that there would analysis of works during the intervals of concerts. Wonder what happened to that...

[AuntDaisy]

Thanks for the clarification, AuntDaisy. Gerard McBurney isn't a name familiar to me at all. I also hadn't realised so many had done the analysing. When Discovering Music was, ahem, 'rested' I seem to recall that we were promised that there would analysis of works during the intervals of concerts. Wonder what happened to that...

GM did ~33 programmes* and, I have to admit, other than DM, he was new to me as well.

DM was usually an interesting programme with decent presenters & a good length (45, 60 & 90 mins). 30 mins of fluffiness just doesn't have the same appeal.

[* Genome duplicates a lot of programmes with its abysmal search facilities.]

[JasonPalmer]

Discovering music comes up when you know to search for it, surprised cost cutting radio 3 does not just rebroadcast the archive.