Classical Music on R3 - Overall Statistics 2009-18

[Suffolkcoastal]

Well I get, on a recount, TTN shares the gold medal with EC with 6 plays each ..........

That's 12 another 19 playings to find

[antongould]

That's 12 another 19 playings to find

Indeed and I have them, as I’m sure you have, should anyone want them .........

I suppose my point is I sometimes feel TTN is looked upon as a warhorse free zone ...... when I can’t sleep, worrying about the Hangers, and I put it on at about 6, I hear quite a few old favourites ....... and to really shame myself, having owned up to liking Bolero I love Rhapsody in Blue ....... hides under bed .....

[french frank]

I would claim in the case of Bernstein that musical quality is higher on its own terms in the musicals than in the "serious" works, however.

There does begin to be distinct Mission Creep as far as Radio 3's 'classical' output is concerned, doesn't there? Gershwin and, particularly, Bernstein have classical associations, so everything they composed comes under the large umbrella of 'classical'. If the BBC were to declare that the music played on all its radio stations, with the exception of Radio 3, is ephemeral, and inferior, pop music, there would be a case for saying that Radio 3's classical programmes should be a haven for all kinds of exceptionally good music to make up for the tat. If the BBC were to declare that … But when have they ever said that what they broadcast anywhere is low quality? Yet the ever expanding contemporary pop output not only requires completely new networks (Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6 Music, Asian Network), it also starts to penetrate the output of the older stations (Radio 3 to an extent, but Radio 2 too insofar as it's the successor to the Light Programme).

[cloughie]

Indeed and I have them, as I’m sure you have, should anyone want them .........

I suppose my point is I sometimes feel TTN is looked upon as a warhorse free zone ...... when I can’t sleep, worrying about the Hangers, and I put it on at about 6, I hear quite a few old favourites ....... and to really shame myself, having owned up to liking Bolero I love Rhapsody in Blue ....... hides under bed .....

How on earth can listening to Bolero help insomnia brought on by Hanger fret? That is surely a Jonny Mac moment, anton!

[Serial_Apologist]

There does begin to be distinct Mission Creep as far as Radio 3's 'classical' output is concerned, doesn't there? Gershwin and, particularly, Bernstein have classical associations, so everything they composed comes under the large umbrella of 'classical'. If the BBC were to declare that the music played on all its radio stations, with the exception of Radio 3, is ephemeral, and inferior, pop music, there would be a case for saying that Radio 3's classical programmes should be a haven for all kinds of exceptionally good music to make up for the tat. If the BBC were to declare that … But when have they ever said that what they broadcast anywhere is low quality? Yet the ever expanding contemporary pop output not only requires completely new networks (Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6 Music, Asian Network), it also starts to penetrate the output of the older stations (Radio 3 to an extent, but Radio 2 too insofar as it's the successor to the Light Programme).

Yes. Wouldn't it be odd were Radio 3 to germinate broadcasting offshoots, one each for, eg, Renaissance music; Baroque music; Classical music; Romantic music; musical Impressionism; Late Romanticism; Atonality and Twelve-Tone Serialism; Anti-Romanticism and Neo-Classicism; 19th and 20th century Nationalism; Darmstadt, Integral Serialism and Elektronischesmusik; Post Seriality, Aleatoricism, Improvisation and Experimentalism; Minimalism; Neo-Romanticism; Trans-generic Crossover and Postmodernism? Any any other subcategories I'm unable to think up? That would probably suit a number of posters, however!

[Suffolkcoastal]

Indeed and I have them, as I’m sure you have, should anyone want them .........

I suppose my point is I sometimes feel TTN is looked upon as a warhorse free zone ...... when I can’t sleep, worrying about the Hangers, and I put it on at about 6, I hear quite a few old favourites ....... and to really shame myself, having owned up to liking Bolero I love Rhapsody in Blue ....... hides under bed .....

Yes TTN is certainly not 'warhorse' free, especially during the hour before Breakfast begins! Too much of TTN is taken up with the same recycled works and performances, some of them have been recycled on TTN for well over 10 years.

[Bryn]

Yes TTN is certainly not 'warhorse' free, especially during the hour before Breakfast begins! Too much of TTN is taken up with the same recycled works and performances, some of them have been recycled on TTN for well over 10 years.

While so many rare recordings, not least from past Proms, remain unplayed, let alone repeated, on TtN.

[Serial_Apologist]

While so many rare recordings, not least from past Proms, remain unplayed, let alone repeated, on TtN.

While 'tis true that a lot gets repeated on TTN, there is a lot more in terms of scope of musical styles, periods and national voices to be heard there than on daytime Radio 3 - like that Wolf string quartet a couple of nights ago - which is one of the reasons I have it on at nights, at low volume - as well as to counteract the repetition of negative thought processes being constantly re-broadcast in my head!

[french frank]

Pre-Renaissance? And I'm sure there would be a listener for every one (with an opt-out from the published RAJAR statistics )! The snag is: however wonderful the music was, for the BBC it would depend on how many listeners there would be. Let's say all these styles were on one single station, the funding needed would be far less than for Radio 3 if it concentrated on playing mainly recorded music, had a few presenters who, if not experts, could read liner notes or Wikipedia intelligently, with no pretence that they were experts. Such a station would be much more suited to longer programmes since it would also play full-length works. And it wouldn't be 100% necessary to stop one programme on the hour or half hour, as long as the overlaps were well-considered: the medieval programme followed by the Renaissance programme &c.

Yes. Wouldn't it be odd were Radio 3 to germinate broadcasting offshoots, one each for, eg, Renaissance music; Baroque music; Classical music; Romantic music; musical Impressionism; Late Romanticism; Atonality and Twelve-Tone Serialism; Anti-Romanticism and Neo-Classicism; 19th and 20th century Nationalism; Darmstadt, Integral Serialism and Elektronischesmusik; Post Seriality, Aleatoricism, Improvisation and Experimentalism; Minimalism; Neo-Romanticism; Trans-generic Crossover and Postmodernism? Any any other subcategories I'm unable to think up? That would probably suit a number of posters, however!