Radio 4 - Open Country: Music of the Gloucestershire Landscape

[Master Jacques]

3pm Thursday December 21 (and BBC Sounds)
Lovely programme, with extracts from Finzi, Gurney, Howells et al. which takes us round Gloucestershire in expert hands. It takes Radio 4 to do this sort of thing, these days!

[Serial_Apologist]

3pm Thursday December 21 (and BBC Sounds)
Lovely programme, with extracts from Finzi, Gurney, Howells et al. which takes us round Gloucestershire in expert hands. It takes Radio 4 to do this sort of thing, these days!

That being the reason those such as me totally overlooked this programme, there only being 24 hours in a day.*

Thanks for drawing the detention, MJ - link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001tj1b

*"Nonsense", Schoenberg is reputed to have told an unprepared student at one of his classes, according to John Cage; "there are as many hours in a day as you are prepared to put in!"

[eighthobstruction]

.....very well put together listened to it while driving in rural Yorks.....fab....atmospheric....just the right tone....

[Vox Humana]

I enjoyed it very much.

[smittims]

Thanks for the notice, Master Jaques; I too would have missed it otherwise.

I think this programme was in the right place on Radio 4. It's the sort of programme that can spark a lifetime's interest in a subject in someone new to it .

[Cockney Sparrow]

And Ed Balls (Labour treasury minister, Strictly....etc, of all people) chose Herbert Howells for the "Great Lives" programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0007bd2

[Sir Velo]

I think it's important that classical music isn't ghettoised and, therefore, programmes such as this on channels other than R3 are to be welcomed.

[french frank]

I think it's important that classical music isn't ghettoised and, therefore, programmes such as this on channels other than R3 are to be welcomed.

I don't think there's any objection to such programmes being on R4. It's what R3 now gets as a sort of quid pro quo. Having listeners listening to several stations rather than just sticking to one station should theoretically boost the listening figures for all the stations. But there isn't much anywhere for listeners beyond year 11.

[Ian Thumwood]

I caught about 2/3rds of this prpgramme and was interested because I used to work in Gloucester on a project with a former employer and never really considered it beyond it's Roman past which ws my main interest. I had heard of Gurney and Howells but was not aware of either's music. I always considered Gurney to have been a war poet and knew nothing of his music. Howells was interesting insofar that I had thought he was a Victorian composer and had no idea that he was around in the 20th century. The music was not to my taste but I was fascinated that this city could boast such a high musical pedigree. I was not aware of this and my perception of Gloucester had been a lot more negative - either being associated with the doctor who fell in a puddle or Fred West. Therefore, I would have to come down on the side of being a listener who found this an unexpected and interesting broadcast.

[smittims]

The cathedral is notable for its east window which fills the east wall, a feature usually associated with 20th century architecture, and for the tomb of Edward II, a rare instance of an English monarch buried in the provinces (cf. Richard III and Victoria).

The Dream of Gerontius was banned there in 1901, 1904 and 1907 by the then Dean, due to certain 'Popish' words in the text. Its first airing there was in 1910 when it was preceded by Vaughan Williams , who had of course been born in Gloucestershire but was referred to by Herbert Brewer as a 'fellow from Chelsea' conducting his Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis, the performance heard by Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells as recalled in the programme.

[Ian Thumwood]

I was aware of the fact that Edward II was buried here but this would make sense as he was murdered in nearby Berkely Castle, I believe, I am not sure how rare provincial royal burials are . William II is buried here in Winchester cathedral (and led to the tale of the original tower collapsing as a consequence of God's displeasure) and I believe that Henry II, Richard I and John are buried in Fontevauld in France - along with Eleanor of Aquitaine. Stephen is buried at Faversham and William I is interred in Caen. From recollection, the heart of Henry I was buried in Reading abbey and I have a feeling that the Empress Matilda was buried in Rouen. (I can remember seeing her tomb somehwere in France! ) Effectively, all the Norman and Plantagent kings were buried outside of London up until Henry III who rebuilt Westminster Abbey partly for this purpose. Priory to that, many of the Saxon monarchs' remains are jumbled up in the mortary chests in Winchester cathedral although King Alfred is alleged to have been buried underneath the old sports centre around what was orifinally the site of Hyde Abbey. (Outside the walls of the Roman city of Venta Belgarum.)

[smittims]

According to 'Who's Buried Where in England' (Constable , 1982) John is buried in Worcester Cathedral, and Alfred in S. Bartholomew's Church. Boadicea is said to be buried in the somewhat Harry-Potter-esque location of Platform 10 at King's Cross station. But certainly Gloucestershire is richer in musical history than they had time for in this programme.

[Nick Armstrong]

.....very well put together listened to it while driving in rural Yorks.....fab....atmospheric....just the right tone....

Really glad of the recommendations to this programme, hadn’t noticed it and will definitely listen