Radio 3 Presenting - Rob Cowan's asking for your opinions.

[Nick Armstrong]

https://robccowan.wordpress.com - see the 7 January entry.

I'm sure contributions from the Forum would be useful.

[Richard Tarleton]

Indeed

In the old Third Programme days it was a question of reading scripts that were invariably written by someone else.

Really? This only applies to playlist programmes. I remember concerts being presented by presenters "in their own words" - Patricia Hughes was more than an "announcer". There were lots of great programmes about music, performance, etc. etc., which constituted my musical education at the time. There were programmes by experts with thick Mitteleuropean accents who would not be allowed near a microphone these days (Hans Keller, Peter Stadlen).

[PJPJ]

Indeed
Really? This only applies to playlist programmes. I remember concerts being presented by presenters "in their own words" - Patricia Hughes was more than an "announcer". There were lots of great programmes about music, performance, etc. etc., which constituted my musical education at the time. There were programmes by experts with thick Mitteleuropean accents who would not be allowed near a microphone these days (Hans Keller, Peter Stadlen).

I was under the impression that even if they were your own words, they needed writing down before airing. There was some ad-libbing (there is enough evidence of concerts recorded with their announcements to demonstrate this). The earliest BBC concert I went to was in 1966, and the announcer read everything from a script for the live broadcast. (It was a concert of music by Purcell and PMD.) And of course, there were plenty of live conversation programmes about the Arts in general.

I think much of this current discussion refers to presentation at live concerts rather than Rob Cowan's programmes on music and recordings for which he has particular affection.

My two bugbears are:

1. telling me as the last notes fade into the auditorium and the applause begins that the performance was wonderful;

2. grabbing the soloists or conductors as they come off the platform and shoving a mike up their noses and asking them fatuous questions as though they'd come off some c-list celebrity reality show whose name escapes me.

[DracoM]

Oh, yes, yes, YES!

WHY do they gush abut how wonderful etc etc...........they are NOT reviewers or critics, and who does it? The NEWER presenters - no names, you know who you are!

[Richard Tarleton]

I was under the impression that even if they were your own words, they needed writing down before airing. There was some ad-libbing (there is enough evidence of concerts recorded with their announcements to demonstrate this). The earliest BBC concert I went to was in 1966, and the announcer read everything from a script for the live broadcast. (It was a concert of music by Purcell and PMD.) And of course, there were plenty of live conversation programmes about the Arts in general.

Indeed (Mine was a concert in Maida Vale around the same time, BBC SO Dorati, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra - I remember the announder/presenter urging us to sound like a much larger audience than we in fact were when applauding, I'm sure that bit was ad-libbed ).

Thinking about it, and after consulting H Carpenter, I'm really not sure what era Rob is talking about - since we've had R3 since 1970.....and there was plenty of intellectual content on the old Third ....

[Nick Armstrong]

Have you all chipped in on "Rob's Blog"?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Have you all chipped in on "Rob's Blog"?

That would be telling.

[vinteuil]

I'm sure contributions from the Forum would be useful.

.

... dry, sir : - nay, - sly...

[Lat-Literal]

‘I still defy anyone to explain convincingly how they can truly enjoy such agonising random noise.’

‘Is it very sad that I am glad to have missed it? It takes so much hard work that it is as hard to appreciate it as badly written music’

I'm not so sure that these comments - or the piece in the blog - are principally about presentation.

They are principally about content - and in some ways the piece in the blog is advertising.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

They are principally about content - and in some ways the piece in the blog is advertising.

Maybe. Rob is being very positive, if a little on the defensive, which is understandable.

[antongould]

I have a, totally irrational, aversion to RC - is there a cure .... ???

[Bryn]

I have a, totally irrational, aversion to RC - is there a cure .... ???

Have you ever met him? Such a personable chap.

[antongould]

Have you ever met him? Such a personable chap.

I believe you - as I said irrational ...

[Nick Armstrong]

I have a, totally irrational, aversion to RC - is there a cure .... ???

Alker Selzer?

[Lat-Literal]

Maybe. Rob is being very positive, if a little on the defensive, which is understandable.

Yes possibly but the quotes could easily have come from the 1950s/1960s. There were letters along similar lines - ie "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" - about the Second Viennese School in the documentaries about the history of R3. I take a robust line on this matter, ie people are entitled to have their preferences but the substantial concern is whether R3 is doing what R3 should be doing. It seems to me - and some other folk - that what it is doing with this series (and the other two it has planned) is precisely what it should be doing.