The 2018 Survey of 'Classical' Music on Radio 3

[antongould]

We'll have Mr Lockley over soon saying 'With Friends Like You &c' (Don't blame the messenger!)

When have I ever blamed you for anything ...... ?????

[Serial_Apologist]

It is typical of the current R3 however that it is very selective on which women composers it chooses to promote, Lutyens [...]for example [...] hardly featured at all.

Unsurprising given her habit of foregoing those predictable resounding dominant-tonic resolutions that so well reflect the positivity of the times we are living through.

Thanks again Suffy, as always, for this magnificent summing up of the range of Radio 3's composer output coverage, notwithstanding that it benchmarks the continuing story of declining standards and cultural aspirations now long dominating the BBC.

[oddoneout]

What you mean the BBC R3 management don't have this data already? They certainly should!


There are certainly some surprises for me such as Ravel being as high 11, L. Boulanger being as high as 62, F. Mendelssohn being as high as 77, Gounod only 75, Bruch only 93, Delius only 96, Beach being as high as 101, Rodrigo only 129.

Popular in the morning schedules.....

[french frank]

Popular in the morning schedules.....

I was suddenly struck by the BBC's official explanation for why Radio Wales had replaced R3 on FM: more people listen to Radio Wales. So, nothing to do with what you're broadcasting, everything to do with how many listeners you can attract.

[oddoneout]

I was suddenly struck by the BBC's official explanation for why Radio Wales had replaced R3 on FM: more people listen to Radio Wales. So, nothing to do with what you're broadcasting, everything to do with how many listeners you can attract.

Well obviously...
Like I've said before us inferior folks who listen before midday might just have some use. I'd be mildly interested to know if the purists consider that the morning schedules is the best place for Amy Beach's output; CFM write very positively about her,https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/amy-beach/ so I imagine the answer would be in the affirmative.

[Serial_Apologist]

Well obviously...
Like I've said before us inferior folks who listen before midday might just have some use. I'd be mildly interested to know if the purists consider that the morning schedules is the best place for Amy Beach's output; CFM write very positively about her,https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/amy-beach/ so I imagine the answer would be in the affirmative.

Well you could I suppose describe her music as amiable and thus suitable for light morning broadcasting.

[Lat-Literal]

Well you could I suppose describe her music as amiable and thus suitable for light morning broadcasting.

Talk about brexit

[cloughie]

Well obviously...
Like I've said before us inferior folks who listen before midday might just have some use. I'd be mildly interested to know if the purists consider that the morning schedules is the best place for Amy Beach's output; CFM write very positively about her,https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/amy-beach/ so I imagine the answer would be in the affirmative.

Her Gaelic Symphony would be ideal for morning scheduling but at 40 minutes we are unlikely to get more than a snippet!

[antongould]

As a tangent on Rhapsody in Blue - using Andrew’s search I found that half a dozen of the plays were on Through the Night. In fact 4 of the 6 were the last piece before the Squire - twice in October ........ imaginative programming from the producer/presenter ..... ????

[cloughie]

As a tangent on Rhapsody in Blue - using Andrew’s search I found that half a dozen of the plays were on Through the Night. In fact 4 of the 6 were the last piece before the Squire - twice in October ........ imaginative programming from the producer/presenter ..... ????

You’ll be telling me next the pianist was called Dawn!

[antongould]

You’ll be telling me next the pianist was called Dawn!

Close cloughers - Les Dawson .......

[Lat-Literal]

Suffolkcoastal

This again is an extraordinary piece of work - I don't know how you do it - for which thanks and appreciation are merited. There are some individual points. I am disappointed with the reduction in the Delius which I suppose might be slightly linked to the increase in RVW and am wondering if the Gipps release had the coverage it deserved. But in previous years I have taken up on your offer to ask about individual composers. I won't trouble you with that sort of request this time around. However, taking what is nearly a decade now in the round, what is striking is that the names on the list have been more or less the same from the beginning to the end. Fair enough to an extent. But what might be worthwhile doing some time - I don't know how easy this would be for you and it is entirely up to you - is to see if there are any trends in terms of shift in numbers for specific composers below the levels cited.

What I have in mind here is the sort of composer who might at the start of the decade have been having 1-3 pieces played every year and in the past few years might have consistently achieved, say, 15-20 or 30-40 plays. I mention this because the breadth of the station is arguably in these lower numbers but where the numbers are very small what they equate to is novelty. In contrast, somewhat higher numbers (a) enable the greater possibility of exposure at some point during the year by more people to what might be for them a new composer and (b) provide the scope for those people who listen extensively to comprehend better a relatively little heard composer so as to decide whether they wish to explore that composer in more depth. Just a thought. No problem if you can't or won't or don't want to do so. We are lucky to have had such information from you. The station should by rights find it useful too.

[Suffolkcoastal]

That's no problem at all, I can easily supply the figures for any composer by year since 2009 so you can see the trends for those who regularly fall below the 50 threshold. I'm looking at the best way to show these in graph format as well, please ask away.

[pastoralguy]

Fantastic work!

Alas, no George Lloyd!

[Suffolkcoastal]

Fantastic work!

Alas, no George Lloyd!

The total for George Lloyd in 2018 was 4.