The Listening Service - Maconchy quartets

[rauschwerk]

Just listened to about 20 minutes of today's edition - the first I have heard for some time. Couldn't see the slightest point to it! These pieces will surely be quite unfamiliar to most listeners, yet all we got was a monologue over the music. I doubt whether more than a dozen bars could be properly heard. Antony Hopkins was surely turning in his grave! I gave up some time before the end.

[oddoneout]

Just listened to about 20 minutes of today's edition - the first I have heard for some time. Couldn't see the slightest point to it! These pieces will surely be quite unfamiliar to most listeners, yet all we got was a monologue over the music. I doubt whether more than a dozen bars could be properly heard. Antony Hopkins was surely turning in his grave! I gave up some time before the end.

And given there were 20 snippets in a 30 minute programme a dozen bars wasn't far off the sum total anyway?

[french frank]

And given there were 20 snippets in a 30 minute programme a dozen bars wasn't far off the sum total anyway?

I get the impression they've all lost their enthusiasm.

[Sir Velo]

These pieces will surely be quite unfamiliar to most listeners, yet all we got was a monologue over the music.

Ah but this is one of Britain's best loved voices, don't you know!

[DracoM]

Tom Service's 'commentary' was ladled with exaggeration, OTT and embarrassing emptiness.
Crikey - I like McC's quartets, but, honestly..............do they deserve that kind of end-of-world exaltation. Yu

[smittims]

This is sad to hear. Elizabeth Maconchy's music deserves advocacy, her quartets are often praised, and when eventually we get a programme about them , this happens! Another triumph for the cult of the presenter.

[Serial_Apologist]

This is sad to hear. Elizabeth Maconchy's music deserves advocacy, her quartets are often praised, and when eventually we get a programme about them , this happens! Another triumph for the cult of the presenter.

[DracoM]

[Ein Heldenleben]

I know some on this forum have an inexplicable aversion to Tom Service but he has gone to the trouble of writing and presenting a very rare programme on an almost completely and unjustly ignored composer and I think he’s to be congratulated for that . I didn’t time the length of the clips but I’m pretty sure I heard more than a dozen bars on occasion. Even if they were short at least “attention was paid “ and that’s important. Perhaps the commenters who haven’t heard the programme might like to give it a listen.

PS Yep well Rauschwerk is totally right and I’m totally wrong . 15 minutes in and there hasn’t been more than 3 seconds of music that isn’t voiced over. It just doesn’t work . Given the claims the programme makes about Maconchy’s sexist treatment isn’t there something rather ironic in a male voice “explaining “ a woman’s music over that very music?

Come on guys let the lady speak for herself unhindered …she’s got a pretty powerful voice.
ok 15 mins in and finally a long clip - 33 secs of unvoiced over music . Hurrah !

[Serial_Apologist]

I know some on this forum have an inexplicable aversion to Tom Service but he has gone to the trouble of writing and presenting a very rare programme on an almost completely and unjustly ignored composer and I think he’s to be congratulated for that . I didn’t time the length of the clips but I’m pretty sure I heard more than a dozen bars on occasion. Even if they were short at least “attention was paid “ and that’s important. Perhaps the commenters who haven’t heard the programme might like to give it a listen.

PS Yep well Rauschwerk is totally right and I’m totally wrong . 15 minutes in and there hasn’t been more than 3 seconds of music that isn’t voiced over. It just doesn’t work . Given the claims the programme makes about Maconchy’s sexist treatment isn’t there something rather ironic in a male voice “explaining “ a woman’s music over that very music?

Come on guys let the lady speak for herself unhindered …she’s got a pretty powerful voice.
ok 15 mins in and finally a long clip - 33 secs of unvoiced over music . Hurrah !