The 2024 Survey of Classical Music on R3

[Master Jacques]

No we are the radicals.White Christmas is the essence of safe comfortable old fogeydom.

We're in one of those crossover periods, where the older generation are certainly - and demonstrably - more radical, liberal and adventurous than their children, and their children's children. Whether this is a cause of BBC Radio's and TV's failure to honour its cultural public service brief, or a symptom of it, depends on where you stand.

Symptom or cause, the result is the cultural impoverishment of at least two generations, isolated in their own little worlds with reduced imaginative means of leaving it (a problem magnified by the 'movies' these days). It is just as well that they don't read Gibbon's Decline and Fall, which would frighten them to death as to the future of their own children's children.

[Ein Heldenleben]

We're in one of those crossover periods, where the older generation are certainly - and demonstrably - more radical, liberal and adventurous than their children, and their children's children. Whether this is a cause of BBC Radio's and TV's failure to honour its cultural public service brief, or a symptom of it, depends on where you stand.

Symptom or cause, the result is the cultural impoverishment of at least two generations, isolated in their own little worlds with reduced imaginative means of leaving it (a problem magnified by the 'movies' these days). It is just as well that they don't read Gibbon's Decline and Fall, which would frighten them to death as to the future of their own children's children.

I think the decline in radicalism is more to do with the opiates of tech , gaming , streaming and the lack of any radical political ideas in the mainstream parties. I also think culturally things have never been safer and lacking in edge. The West End is full of juke box musicals whereas in the seventies there were quite a few harder edged playwrights around.

[french frank]

Whether this is a cause of BBC Radio's and TV's failure to honour its cultural public service brief, or a symptom of it, depends on where you stand.

As far as the BBC is concerned, they are surely part of the problem? There's a revealing EBU interview with Tim Davie about public service broadcasting which I thought might be interesting. In 9 minutes batting on about content, he makes no mention of the arts, culture or educational programming. He manages to declare that he's not interested in the BBC as providing 'public good' but found the decision of the founders of the BBC to focus on the public good (rather than selling radios) 'amazing', 'so inspiring'. And the big number for the BBC is that 90% of people use the BBC every week; and the aim is 'making content for everyone, not just a few'. So if you happen to be one of the few, tough - at least if you belong to the 'wrong' few. Above all, be relevant and make sure you match any competition by staying ahead, innovating, doing what you do 'flawlessly', as we do.

I've made a transcript of the main bits if you can't face watching all the hand waving:

https://www.ebu.ch/video-talks/open/2022/12/second-session-tim-david-interview-bbc-director-general

[Ian Thumwood]

This is an interesting thread.

Other than the jazz prpgrammes, i tend to listen to Radio 3 in the car. My issue is more with the presenters than the music. I have to turn the aloof Petroc off when he is on the radio and was glad to see the back of the gushing Sean Rafferty. What happened to andrew Green. Much prefer the presentation style of CofW and would say a good presenting style we make me listen to a composer i am not familiar with. I feel that i listen to Radio 4 in the morning these days and prefer to combatative style of Nick Robinson.

I agree that linear radio is on the way out but dumbing down is counterproductive. I never listen to ClassicFM as it is too resolutely focused on more typical composers. It is much too polite.

The presentation style is intriguing because there are chill zone programmes that i have enountered in Radio 3 which have their own style yet trivialise the music they play.

Some of the comments in here are amusing. There is a 'right on 'bias to female composers yet , in my opinion , these are often wlrth celebrating . I like Caroline Shaw so pleased to see her mentioned.

Some of my favourites are low on the list and i would be happy never to have to hear Mozart again. I agree about pieces beung played within a few weeks of the first performance although never encountered that.

As someone who works with maths, i applaud this survey whilst noting that the figures need to be weighted by the voulme of work composed. More chance of hearing Mozart than Lili Boulanger.

I find that commercial radio does tend to distort repertoire by selecting from a limited pool. Not sure that Radio 3 is that bad yet but feel.it should be tryung to appeal to a more informed audience.