Times row over new music

[french frank]

Has anyone been following this? Most of the leading composers in the country signed what was (as I read it) an attempt to defend Radio 3, with Charter review now launched, a government apparently unsympathetic to the BBC and a Culture Secretary who's a heavy metal fan and has probably never heard of classical music (both he and his son enjoyed the Ibiza Prom, though).

The letter was greeted by Richard Morrison with an extraordinary attack, saying they were trying to turn the clock back and that the public wanted hummable tunes, not music that sounded like a 'car crash played backwards'. (Shades of Bernard Ingham and his attack on modern opera - 'like the Rite of Spring').

Letter today from Sally Cavender of Faber Music, pointing out that these composers had produced some of the most innovative work - far from trying to 'turn the clock back'. Yes, as Morrison had said, Radio 3 needs to provide 'stimulating programmes for young people', to 'open young ears'.

It seems to me that the BBC's solution is to give 'young people' (under 50?) the popular music they already like with a bit of 6 Music modernity = "classical music in 2015". Which neatly sidelines the original letter's signatories:

Sir Harrison Birtwistle; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; George Benjamin; Thomas Adès; Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music; Oliver Knussen; Sir James Macmillan; Lord Berkeley of Knighton; Mark-Anthony Turnage; Mark Simpson; David Matthews; Colin Matthews; Simon Holt; John Woolrich; Tansy Davies; Professor Julian Anderson; Professor Alexander Goehr

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I would have expected better of Richard Morrison, who is often a most perceptive critic (though JLW is far better).

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I would have expected better of Richard Morrison,

I wouldn't - the "people want hummable tunes these days" runs through his writings and opinings like a diarrhoetic fugue subject.

who is often a most perceptive critic.

Is he??? Classical Music's answer to Alison Graham in my experience of his opinings.

[french frank]

I would have expected better of Richard Morrison, who is often a most perceptive critic (though JLW is far better).

People have been kindly feeding me the Times stuff, so I've followed with some bemusement. Sally Cavender said she was 'amazed': "His implicit attack on their music — music which he himself has praised many times in your pages — is unworthy."

I can't believe a sub-editor would have so wrecked his article as to produce this. 'Hummable tunes' was exactly what Bernard Ingham wanted

[MrGongGong]

Nothing wrong with "hummable tunes"

http://humming-project.donotworkhere.org

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Is he??? Classical Music's answer to Alison Graham in my experience of his opinings.

I thought that was Norman Lebrecht.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I thought that was Norman Lebrecht.

Fair point.

(RM when analysing and pointing out the discrepancies between what politicians say about Arts funding and Arts education and what they actually "deliver" is admirable.)

[french frank]

Nothing wrong with "hummable tunes"

Mozart wrote a fair few. That wasn't the main point, though, was it?

[johnb]

Perhaps RM was merely doing his master's bidding - after all, he does work for the Murdoch press and it is vehemently anti BBC.

[Richard Tarleton]

John, much as I hate having to take issue with a fellow-plucker I doubt "his master" will be conversant with the issues raised in the piece, he's unlikely to be familiar with the signatories of the letter (even if he managed to untangle the dangling participle at the heart of the letter which RM starts out by taking issue with), and I don't think he micro-manages the Times's Comment pages in this way - in fact as a regular Times reader I'm certain he doesn't.

[MrGongGong]

Mozart wrote a fair few. That wasn't the main point, though, was it?

So did Webern IMV

[Frances_iom]

So did Webern IMV

but he grew out of it.

[Serial_Apologist]

Free market apologists really are getting on with their job of trashing what's left of modernism's progressive spirit, now that such historical shibboleths as "degeneracy" and "formalism" fade into some distant mythologised past. It's all very time(s)ly.

[Lento]

sounded like a 'car crash played backwards'. (Shades of Bernard Ingham and his attack on modern opera - 'like the Rite of Spring').

How about the Rite of Spring backwards?

[Anna]

In the article about turning the clock back he says “… Radio 3 controllers saw their main task as introducing the backward British public to avant-garde continental music from the likes of Stockhausen and Boulez. The internet has rendered that unnecessary” Well I cannot agree with that regarding the internet. The other day I happened across a double bill of Birtwistle and found (to my great surprise as a non-Birtwistle fan!) that I actually enjoyed it and listened to the end and in fact made a comment about it here whereas I switched off the recent Boulez. Never would I have searched the net for Birtwistle but the fact that Radio 3 played it gave me the choice – listen or switch off until it’s over. But at least I get the chance of hearing it. If however a programme is all hummable tunes then I switch off indefinitely and Radio 3 loses another listener.

At the end of the article he does have a view which I agree with entirely. “Radio 3’s biggest weakness is very different. It plays almost no part in classical music’s biggest challenge: enticing youngsters with no exposure to symphonic or operatic music. Where are its youth-orientated programmes?” I would add to that why are the very interesting short programmes about music that are aired on Radio 4 (and often commented about here), also not on Radio 3? Indeed any programmes that explain to us non-instrument playing listeners the technicalities of music?

And I still don’t know what a dangling participle is.