Charles Hazelwood on Desert Island Discs

[ardcarp]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jfnv

[Stanfordian]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jfnv

Charlie has certainly had his demons to live with! His overenthusiastic style of presenting can be difficult to take but I sense he is always sincere.

[Bryn]

Charlie has certainly had his demons to live with!

Indeed. I think his many detractors would do well to catch this programme. The television programmes he led at the time of Radio 3's 'Beethoven Experience' were very well done, especially that on Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto with Ronald Brautigam and co. I tend to watch the DVD-R of it at least yearly.

[MrGongGong]

Thanks for sharing that
I didn't notice
He is indeed a force of nature
and some great music chosen

will have a listen later

[ardcarp]

CH has never been popular with many on the Forum. I suppose that to some he comes over as a bit of a 'self-promoter', something that in the USA would be a plus point. Personally I think he is a fine musician, conductor and above all one who makes a point of communicating with his audiences on a non-specialist level.
His founding of the Paraorchestra (prompted by his having a disabled child) is terrific, as is his work in the townships of South Africa.

[Dave2002]

I have been to quite a number of events featuring Charles Hazlewood, and generally enjoyed them. He always seemed very knowledgeable, and thoroughly enthusiastic. I didn't know about the founding of the Paraorchestra until I read about this a few minutes ago.

I never quite understood why some round here wanted to put him down. I don't think he was ever promoting himself up to the highest levels, and we do need people like him, perhaps more so if we're not going to have big concert events in the next few years.

Definitely a force of nature, as mentioned above. Will make an effort to listen to his DiD.

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

PS: I think his name isn't as shown in the thread title.

[MrGongGong]

I still haven't had a chance to listen
But, Charles is the kind of musician that lots of "Classical Music Lovers" hate
just as knowledgeable about Kraftwerk as Beethoven, La Monte Young or Mahler

What on earth is an "over-enthusiastic" style anyway?
Like Tony Pappano, he is a great and enthusiastic communicator, empathetic and open and not full of the pompous BS that so often infects "Classical Music"

(but I would say that )

[Barbirollians]

I still haven't had a chance to listen
But, Charles is the kind of musician that lots of "Classical Music Lovers" hate
just as knowledgeable about Kraftwerk as Beethoven, La Monte Young or Mahler

What on earth is an "over-enthusiastic" style anyway?
Like Tony Pappano, he is a great and enthusiastic communicator, empathetic and open and not full of the pompous BS that so often infects "Classical Music"

(but I would say that )

I shall listen to this with interest but fall into the Hazlewood sceptic camp - I did not warm to him as a presenter at all and Pappano is in a completely different league both as a conductor and presenter.

[Dave2002]

I shall listen to this with interest but fall into the Hazlewood sceptic camp - I did not warm to him as a presenter at all and Pappano is in a completely different league both as a conductor and presenter.

Thanks for letting us know.

[Count Boso]

I now feel bound to listen. But what I couldn't stand was the way he was overhyped. I know PR is supposed to sell, but any notion that he was one of the most exciting young conductors of his generation - even though he had never had a (minor) major orchestral appointment was ridiculous. And he wasn't that knowledgeable, either. As a professional musician, he knew about 'music' theoretically, but his knowledge of the repertoire was as broad as it was shallow. That WAS my view. I'm prepared to reconsider.

[Dave2002]

i met him, and talked to him a few times. Very personable. I remember a performance he gave of Mozart wind music in Greenwich - well worth going to, plus several others at LSO St Lukes. Don't imagine either that all the "great" names didn't get where they are/were by being shy. In a few cases talent shines out, and just has to be picked up, but in others there is a fair bit of (self) promotion. I think in terms of wide scale promotion, that affects very many things these days.

I haven't met Pappano, but I also think he's a great communicator, and very probably very likeable too. Did you know CH?

[Barbirollians]

Thanks for letting us know.

Are we not allowed to have opinions that may differ from your own ?

[zola]

Charles Hazlewood fell into disfavour on this board when he presented the proms regularly on BBC4, mainly among those who pined for Richard Baker and fretted that he didn't wear a tie. But it now looks like something of a golden era, given presentation over the last four or five years ( It was also something of a golden era in terms of the number and variety of televised concerts covered )

He also was compared unfavourably to Stephen Johnson on Discovering Music but at least we still had Discovering Music. Be careful what you wish for !

[Dave2002]

Are we not allowed to have opinions that may differ from your own ?

Of course you are. Your comment seemed just a tad too negative, and prejudiced. A friend of mine doesn't like anything from the Guardian - he says that "he doesn't like negativity". The irony is that his own attitude in that respect is completely negative.

[Barbirollians]

Of course you are. Your comment seemed just a tad too negative, and prejudiced. A friend of mine doesn't like anything from the Guardian - he says that "he doesn't like negativity". The irony is that his own attitude in that respect is completely negative.

I have no prejudices against him I had no idea where he came from or his background. I disliked his presenting style and I found the performances I heard of him conducting ordinary. I am sorry if that is too negative for you. We cannot all like the same things or hold the same views.

I read on Wikipedia that he disclosed on Desert Island Discs that he was a victim of sexual abuse throughout his childhood which is unspeakably awful and I shall listen to the programme as I said above.