The 2020 Survey of Classical Music on Radio 3

[Ein Heldenleben]

Composer anniversaries on R3 are like most things on the station, very hit and miss, depending if the composer concerned is 'in favour' with programming teams or not. There is a tendency to go with the obvious most of the time too, which I can only put down to R3 staff not having the knowledge or will/can be bothered to do the necessary research and therefore go for the easy option. There are quite a number of composer anniversaries that have been largely ignored in recent years Hindemith being one glaring example. As mentioned in my introduction, Bruch did worse in his 2020 anniversary than he did in 2019.
This year we have of course Arnold, Saint-Saens and Stravinsky. I fully expect plenty of Carnival of the Animals, Organ Symphony, Danse Macabre & that ghastly Tarentelle, as well as plenty of Firebirds, Petroushkas and Rites of Spring. I wonder how many broadcasts they'll be of Threni, Canticum Sacrum or The Flood?

All good points . I wonder why Hindemith is so out of favour ?

[jayne lee wilson]

Anniversaries can work well re. new recordings and promotions.... I had a wonderful time exploring lesser known Beethoven in 2020 (helped get me through a very bad year...), and new recordings of familiar rep (orchestral and instrumental)...

The new Nielsen Symphony sets that came out pre, through and post 2015 were marvellous, utterly changing the catalogue and the view of the music...

Hindemith was of course celebrated at his 100th, in 1995 by the BBC's Barbican weekend, "Hindemith the Rebel".... revelatory for me, a huge fan ever since....
And not completely out of favour - to wit, the outstanding new recording in 2020 of the Complete Kammermusik (in two separate volumes), with Eschenbach on Ondine....

[Suffolkcoastal]

I'm only referring to being out of favour with R3, which Hindemith has been now for many years alongside many of his composer contemporaries. Thank goodness he has been well served by recordings, if we had to only rely on R3 heaven help us. Another example of R3 favouritism concerns Poulenc who is vastly over played on R3 compared with the much more interesting Milhaud & Honegger, the latter rarely goes above 20 pieces/chunks in a given year.

[Roslynmuse]

I'm only referring to being out of favour with R3, which Hindemith has been now for many years alongside many of his composer contemporaries. Thank goodness he has been well served by recordings, if we had to only rely on R3 heaven help us. Another example of R3 favouritism concerns Poulenc who is vastly over played on R3 compared with the much more interesting Milhaud & Honegger, the latter rarely goes above 20 pieces/chunks in a given year.

I meant to include mention of the absence of Honegger and Milhaud symphonies from the list in my post about French symphonies. I see that Honegger No 2 is being broadcast one afternoon this week though. I think that the issue with Poulenc is not that he is vastly over-played but that - yet again - it is only certain pieces that get air-time. When did we last hear a complete Animaux modeles? Or La voix humaine? Or Figure humaine? - one of the great a cappella choral works. But it is a shame that the only Milhaud we ever hear is Brasiliera from Scaramouche every Saturday lunchtime!

[Ein Heldenleben]

I'm only referring to being out of favour with R3, which Hindemith has been now for many years alongside many of his composer contemporaries. Thank goodness he has been well served by recordings, if we had to only rely on R3 heaven help us. Another example of R3 favouritism concerns Poulenc who is vastly over played on R3 compared with the much more interesting Milhaud & Honegger, the latter rarely goes above 20 pieces/chunks in a given year.

Yes that’s what I meant . I wonder if the Poulenc flute sonata tops his individual list . Milhaud generally means Boeuf Sur la Toit and Honneger Pacific 231 ...

[Bryn]

Well, I can think of a Milhaud work which has been broadcast, at least in part, well over 300 times in the past year.

[french frank]

Well, I can think of a Milhaud work which has been broadcast, at least in part, well over 300 times in the past year.

[Roslynmuse]

Well, I can think of a Milhaud work which has been broadcast, at least in part, well over 300 times in the past year.

Indeed - see my #49!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Well, I can think of a Milhaud work which has been broadcast, at least in part, well over 300 times in the past year.

Yes but I bet you don’t listen to the programme that follows it. Something in me rebels against people constantly commenting over the music so it tends to be CD time for me...

[DracoM]

Well, I can think of a Milhaud work which has been broadcast, at least in part, well over 300 times in the past year.

Gosh....ignorant moi - what is it siggy tune for?

[french frank]

Indeed - see my #49!

Oh, I was thinking of King René's Chimbley.

[Roslynmuse]

Oh, I was thinking of King René's Chimbley.

Oh, yes, that one too! Gosh, Milhaud gets almost as many excerpted outings as Beethoven!

[Bryn]

Oh, I was thinking of King René's Chimbley.

Quite right, and yes, I do listen to what follows, though mainly via Sounds, after the event. The presentation is spot on, as far as I am concerned. Not too much and not too little.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Quite right, and yes, I do listen to what follows, though mainly via Sounds, after the event. The presentation is spot on, as far as I am concerned. Not too much and not too little.

I was thinking of This Classical Life! I don’t think I’ve heard any of Through The Night so had to google the King Rene’s Chimney ref. So despite his lack of plays in main programmes his estate will be benefiting massively from the 350 odd plays his music gets - unless some sort of deal has been done .

[french frank]

Quite right, and yes, I do listen to what follows, though mainly via Sounds, after the event. The presentation is spot on, as far as I am concerned. Not too much and not too little.

Funnily enough, I, as a superannuated medieval French teacher, was under the erroneous impression that the 'cheminée' here was a noun formed from the verb cheminer, (rather like allée and chaussée), meaning something like K. René's Pathway - where he liked to ride, I fondly imagined . I'm still not sure whether it simply refers to the hearth or chimney in his castle or whether it's connected with 'se chauffer à la cheminée du roi René' which sort of means sunbathing, I think - warming oneself in the sunshine.

Never too late to learn if anyone knows better!