Spare me another newsreader given privileged access to programming

[eighthobstruction]

I was once interviewed by Clive Myrie back in his Radio Bristol days and I stopped the recording right at the beginning to register an objection. Can't explain here, not just at the moment

....stopped the anecdote right at the beginning too, you tease....

[Retune]

The latest is Clive Myrie and his Christmas music specials. I’m sure Mr.Myrie is a very pleasant individual, and after all it does does take a lot of effort reading text off an auto cue, but for a Radio 3 audience this is one dumbing down step too far.

Clive Myrie is a serious journalist, who has reported from scores of countries as a foreign correspondent, has put his life on the line in war zones including Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and was recently very lucky to escape worse when involved in an armoured vehicle crash in Ukraine that left one of his colleagues unconscious for weeks with permanent brain injuries. If the BBC wants to invite him to play a few records over the festive season in slots that would be devoted to popular repertoire anyway (his first programme has some interesting choices), then good luck to him. Merry Christmas!

[french frank]

I think that might stretch the criteria for choosing presenters for Radio 3 quite a bit: i.e. it's for the presenter's benefit. I have this feeling that jazz tends to get jazz specialists to present, world/folk music gets world/folk specialists. Only classical music gets 'names'

[Ein Heldenleben]

Clive Myrie is a serious journalist, who has reported from scores of countries as a foreign correspondent, has put his life on the line in war zones including Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and was recently very lucky to escape worse when involved in an armoured vehicle crash in Ukraine that left one of his colleagues unconscious for weeks with permanent brain injuries. If the BBC wants to invite him to play a few records over the festive season in slots that would be devoted to popular repertoire anyway (his first programme has some interesting choices), then good luck to him. Merry Christmas!

Completely agree. He is a tremendous asset to the beleaguered organisation. I also think he is resilient enough not to be too worried about criticism of his music choice.

[french frank]

I also think he is resilient enough not to be too worried about criticism of his music choice.

Who wouldn't be in his position? We know the BBC takes no notice of dissident views from mere licence fee payers.

[oddoneout]

Clive Myrie is a serious journalist, who has reported from scores of countries as a foreign correspondent, has put his life on the line in war zones including Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and was recently very lucky to escape worse when involved in an armoured vehicle crash in Ukraine that left one of his colleagues unconscious for weeks with permanent brain injuries. If the BBC wants to invite him to play a few records over the festive season in slots that would be devoted to popular repertoire anyway (his first programme has some interesting choices), then good luck to him. Merry Christmas!

I don't dispute his many qualities, nor why it might perhaps be nice for him to do something less stressful, but why does yet another "my fave toons" have to be on R3? The slot he is occupying is used for a repeat of the Lunchtime Concert, so not

slots that would be devoted to popular repertoire anyway

[oddoneout]

Three, apparently:

https://nosweatshakespeare.com/blog/...and-christmas/

This "creation of the Christmas myth" issue was covered in one of the CotW episodes I think - I caught snatches of the explanation but wasn't in a position to stop and listen properly. Something to do with what happened to music of the time when it was found by later generations?

[Serial_Apologist]

I think that might stretch the criteria for choosing presenters for Radio 3 quite a bit: i.e. it's for the presenter's benefit. I have this feeling that jazz tends to get jazz specialists to present, world/folk music gets world/folk specialists. Only classical music gets 'names'

At this rate the "demographic" the BBC is targetting to interest in Radio 3 will only have jazz and world/folk musics to go to to find authoritative information. Ironic in view of the late jazz pianist Keith Tippett being asked by a Radio 3 interviewer, may years ago, if he also composed "serious" music. To which Keith replied, "I regard ALL my music as being 'serious'".

[LMcD]

Completely agree. He is a tremendous asset to the beleaguered organisation. I also think he is resilient enough not to be too worried about criticism of his music choice.

'tis the season of good will, is it not?

[Aotearoa]

Perhaps bringing an audience to R3 would be better served if these shows appeared on Radio 1 or those other BBC youth channels, so that our potential audiences were exposed without having to find our little ghetto.
Perhaps a classical evening at Glasto rather than the Proms having to accommodate popular themed evenings? Take Mohammed to the mountain.
The traffic seems to be one way with the Beeb.

[oddoneout]

Perhaps bringing an audience to R3 would be better served if these shows appeared on Radio 1 or those other BBC youth channels, so that our potential audiences were exposed without having to find our little ghetto.
Perhaps a classical evening at Glasto rather than the Proms having to accommodate popular themed evenings? Take Mohammed to the mountain.
The traffic seems to be one way with the Beeb.

Well you would think so, and it's a perennial plaint on here, but Aunty seems convinced that her way is the only way...

[LMcD]

Well you would think so, and it's a perennial plaint on here, but Aunty seems convinced that her way is the only way...

ENO's bleeding chunk from The Valkyries in 2004 reportedly went down a storm at Glastonbury, but I doubt that it had any marked effect on the listening habits of those who saw it.
Christopher Hogwood's The Young Idea ran for 10 years, but I gained the impression that it usually had difficulty attracting responses from listeners. If memory serves, much of one of the later episodes was devoted to The Return Of The Giant Hogweed.

[smittims]

Yes, I think there's no easy answer. I've been cynical about attempts to popularise classical music, but I have to remember there are people there who are trying hard to do their best to encourage new listeners. There's BBC4 and SkyArts with wall-to-wall pop, programme after programme, in the evenings, and classical gets a brief rare look-in sometimes. The people who chose Clive Myrie probably have the financial tough guys at their back saying, in effect, 'if you want the money to broadcast classical you've got to convince us you're doing something to justify it.'

Those who know and love classical music know that such satisfaction comes from long patient listening to whole works, giving them time to soak in, rather than dressing it up as pop. How to encourage that is the problem. I'm sure it won't come from coy childish chumminess at the microphone. We had a glimpse of how it used to be done with Gerald Moore's friendly but informative introductions to the Joan Sutherland and Victoria de los Angeles items recently repeated. I can't begin to imagine what would interest young people today. But there are a lot of young people who do love and care for classical music. Maybe they should be given more TV time to show their peers in the audience how rewarding it is.

[LMcD]

Yes, I think there's no easy answer. I've been cynical about attempts to popularise classical music, but I have to remember there are people there who are trying hard to do their best to encourage new listeners. There's BBC4 and SkyArts with wall-to-wall pop, programme after programme, in the evenings, and classical gets a brief rare look-in sometimes. The people who chose Clive Myrie probably have the financial tough guys at their back saying, in effect, 'if you want the money to broadcast classical you've got to convince us you're doing something to justify it.'

Those who know and love classical music know that such satisfaction comes from long patient listening to whole works, giving them time to soak in, rather than dressing it up as pop. How to encourage that is the problem. I'm sure it won't come from coy childish chumminess at the microphone. We had a glimpse of how it used to be done with Gerald Moore's friendly but informative introductions to the Joan Sutherland and Victoria de los Angeles items recently repeated. I can't begin to imagine what would interest young people today. But there are a lot of young people who do love and care for classical music. Maybe they should be given more TV time to show their peers in the audience how rewarding it is.

The other night, I decided to re-watch Ken Russell's 1962 Monitor film about Elgar. If asked to name a single experience that encouraged me to investigate the world of classical music (I was 18 when I first saw it) that's the one I would pick. A little time later, I heard the 2nd symphony for the first time - possibly on Radio 2 or 4? - and then discovered Sibelius 2. My musical journey was underway, and continues to this day. The only recent example of a similar TV programme that comes to mind is the one (recently repeated) on BBC4 about Holst and Vaughan Williams.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The other night, I decided to re-watch Ken Russell's 1962 Monitor film about Elgar. If asked to name a single experience that encouraged me to investigate the world of classical music (I was 18 when I first saw it) that's the one I would pick. A little time later, I heard the 2nd symphony for the first time - possibly on Radio 2 or 4? - and then discovered Sibelius 2. My musical journey was underway, and continues to this day. The only recent example of a similar TV programme that comes to mind is the one (recently repeated) on BBC4 about Holst and Vaughan Williams.

There are plenty of classical music programmes on the BBC . The number has substantially Increased since Suzy Klein took over . This Sunday there’s a Bernstein marathon on BBC Four with 7 and a half hours of Lenny related docs. The problem is that the programming is virtually all repeats albeit ones made to a standard rarely matched these days. Another problem is that Ken isn’t around any more and , for all his extravagances , self indulgences and general waywardness no one has made music biogs that come close to his best. Finally the reason few classical music docs get made is they are so expensive they tend to be multi Nation co productions which are very time consuming to put together and are so risk averse the Ken Russell’s don’t get a look in.

My other thought is that there are no classical music presenters around these days who get within a mile of Lenny’s tv presenting abilities and his deep knowledge - he really was a once in a lifetime all round talent.