The 2018 Survey of 'Classical' Music on Radio 3

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you not agree, though, that 97 for Haydn is a tad excessive when it could be 77 and not a lot would be lost?

No, I don't, Lats. Of course, if those 97 broadcasts are all of, say, Symphony #104, then you have a point. But even if it referred to 97 different symphonies, that would still mean that ten very good (at the very least) Symphonies had been neglected .

But the main point I would say I need to stress is that it isn't the number of Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven/Bach/Bruckner/Brahms/et al symphony broadcasts that should be reduced to make room for unfamiliar works - get rid of all the chatter, the tweets from Mrs Trellis from North Wales, the trailers for other programmes, the repetitions of the same "light" pieces, and every week you have time for an unfamiliar Symphony (or two) in addition (rather than "instead of") the big names.

I took Walpurgis. Honestly it was the first and the only one I chose. Then I Googled. Pardon my ignorance here but who is Walpurgis or is this some sort of reference to Goethe via Mendelssohn or something similar?

I don't know a composer Walpurgis, but St Walburga was a (IIRC) * Century Saxon woman from a wealthy and powerful South-Eastern England, who introduced Christianity into parts of Germany. Her Saints Day is (or was) very important there - hence the fascination with Walpurgisnacht. (There's a local Primary School called St Walburga's where I used to do quite a bit of Supply Teaching - that's how I got to know the story.)

* - I missed out "Seventh", but I hadn't RCed - she was Eighth Century (and South-Western):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Walpurga

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Maria Antonia Walpurgis, Princess of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony - 1724-1780.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RogpXMHDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5dZ_uNzVjo

The David Bedford symphony is only 20 minutes long. With Brian the majority of the 32 symphonies are less than 30 minutes long, No 22 at 9 minutes could easily fit into Breakfast or EC.

[Richard Barrett]

it isn't the number of Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven/Bach/Bruckner/Brahms/et al symphony broadcasts that should be reduced to make room for unfamiliar works - get rid of all the chatter, the tweets from Mrs Trellis from North Wales, the trailers for other programmes, the repetitions of the same "light" pieces, and every week you have time for an unfamiliar Symphony (or two) in addition (rather than "instead of") the big names.

Quite. Why such emphasis on symphonies though?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Quite. Why such emphasis on symphonies though?

Oh, simply because that was the focus topic in Suffy's #54. The freed time could be for any Music that might reward a listener's attention, but which receives little airtime (or none).

[french frank]

I am just wondering because I don't have a general "feel" for these things, do forum members believe that Haydn and Mozart justify three times as many as almost anyone else?

(Or that CPE Bach needs 26 times more than, say, Hindemith and Barber?)

What is the logic?

Isn't the logic that a wide spread of listeners to classical music doesn't particularly want to hear lesser known works by lesser known composers? Leaving aside any question of which are the "great" composers/works, the "best known" composers (whoever they happen to be) will always predominate because that's why they're the "best known". It would take a universal decision (radio stations, record companies, concert promoters, performers …) to alter this balance substantially (how? who is to benefit?). The number of 'seldom heard' composers/works is so numerous you would need to choose them all the time to 'do justice' to all the composers who someone 'rates'. One outing, every now and again - how could it be otherwise? Similarly, Bach (I believe) tops the list of Composer of the Week subjects, with Mozart, Schubert &c following; others get an occasional outing.

Nevertheless, "Could do better" might well apply.

[Lat-Literal]

Thank you to all contributors above for clarifications.

One person's Walpurgis is another person's Tcherepnins I suppose. I'm still not quite sure how Suffy undertakes this mammoth task each year. Is it by listings? And I just wonder if something similar could be done for Classic FM. My expectation is that the same top figures would occur - if so, I am far from convinced that the similarities would be all for the good.

(Actually, whatever earlier comments, I don't think R3 does an awful job - can't please everyone all of the time - but it is not easily steered out of some obvious comfort zones)

[Suffolkcoastal]

Isn't the logic that a wide spread of listeners to classical music doesn't particularly want to hear lesser known works by lesser known composers? Leaving aside any question of which are the "great" composers/works, the "best known" composers (whoever they happen to be) will always predominate because that's why they're the "best known". It would take a universal decision (radio stations, record companies, concert promoters, performers …) to alter this balance substantially (how? who is to benefit?). The number of 'seldom heard' composers/works is so numerous you would need to choose them all the time to 'do justice' to all the composers who someone 'rates'. One outing, every now and again - how could it be otherwise? Similarly, Bach (I believe) tops the list of Composer of the Week subjects, with Mozart, Schubert &c following; others get an occasional outing.

Nevertheless, "Could do better" might well apply.

COTW and Anniversary years are ideal opportunities for lesser known composers/works to be given more 'airtime'. There are still so many composers that have never featured individually as COTW and R3 is not the best in giving 'airtime' to anniversary composers that are not on their list of current favourites - Magnard in 2014, Hindemith in 2015 & Berwald in 2018 for example.

As I've suggested before, a series of programmes mixing the familiar & unfamiliar in both devoted to various different musical genre (symphonies, concertos, chamber music, choral music etc), that provides straightfoward information would be ideal.

[Serial_Apologist]

COTW and Anniversary years are ideal opportunities for lesser known composers/works to be given more 'airtime'. There are still so many composers that have never featured individually as COTW and R3 is not the best in giving 'airtime' to anniversary composers that are not on their list of current favourites - Magnard in 2014, Hindemith in 2015 & Berwald in 2018 for example.

As I've suggested before, a series of programmes mixing the familiar & unfamiliar in both devoted to various different musical genre (symphonies, concertos, chamber music, choral music etc), that provides straightfoward information would be ideal.

I couldn't agree more! I've often gone on here about a whole raft of virtually neglected French composers of a sub-generation betwixt the "Les Six" lot and the group "La Jeune France", contemporaries of Messiaen but not associated either with it nor with Messiaen's pupils of the late 1940s. Which reminds me to get on with the thread on them I started last year.