Discovering Music - axed

[Chris Newman]

Well, don't worry - Radio 3 wants to change all that!

And if Radio 3 mutates too much to resemble Classic FM I shall listen to and watch more foreign classical music channels.

[johnb]

More to the point - as Radio 3 mutates further and further towards CFM it steadily undermines its own viability.

[Nick Armstrong]

And if Radio 3 mutates too much to resemble Classic FM I shall listen to and watch more foreign classical music channels.

Me too but sadly they are not immune either - France Musique's terrific "Tribune des Critiques de Disques" (the 2 hour 'blind tasting' Building a Library equivalent, for which I have often proselytised on these boards) has been axed for being "too elitist" and will be replaced by a "lite" version apparently, to include a "celebrity" talking about his or her favourite pieces or recordings

[french frank]

to include a "celebrity" talking about his or her favourite pieces or recordings

Oh, no! Who's copying who?

There seems to be a perception among people who don't (dare to) listen to R3 that the 'knowledgeable listeners' are an elite who have had some kind of privileged 'formal training' in classical music listening. I'm sure a large proportion of us would say we've learned by just listening - often, in the past, to R3. No agenda. Play the music you believe is worth playing. And offer a few useful words of introduction. Punkt.

I think the LCD just wants another brand of easy listening. The concept of choosing the music because the presenter/guest likes it is bereft of all critical engagement. But we'll be getting it on Essential Classics and Saturday Classics. And not necessarily from anyone who knows anything about music - though they may be well-known as Big Brother contestants.

[Howdenite]

There seems to be a perception among people who don't (dare to) listen to R3 that the 'knowledgeable listeners' are an elite who have had some kind of privileged 'formal training' in classical music listening. I'm sure a large proportion of us would say we've learned by just listening - often, in the past, to R3.

This certainly applies to me, and I'll miss Discovering Music very much. I cannot believe how much I have learned in the past 7 or 8 years from listening to Radio 3 (and from these boards). Discovering Music, CD Review and the Early Music show have opened my ears to so much. It is wonderful to have (had) a free resource offering so much knowledge combined with pleasure.

[Serial_Apologist]

This certainly applies to me, and I'll miss Discovering Music very much. I cannot believe how much I have learned in the past 7 or 8 years from listening to Radio 3 (and from these boards). Discovering Music, CD Review and the Early Music show have opened my ears to so much. It is wonderful to have (had) a free resource offering so much knowledge combined with pleasure.

It chokes me up to read a message like this from a rarely-posting message boarder

[french frank]

Quite a bit of the archive is still available. If it says 'Sorry, this programme is not available to listen again but we do have this Clip' you may find the clip is the whole programme, minus the performance. But the latest programmes don't seem to have been archived yet.

[StephenO]

Discovering Music is not being axed, but will change format be targeted
more specifically at introducing music performed on air in live
concerts. It will therefore be broadcast in intervals as part of the
new autumn schedule.

And presumably it'll be presented by Katie Derham.

[salymap]

This is a very sad thread. Can't read any more, I shall even miss Annabel the Sheep who came with it on my computer.

[Word]

And presumably it'll be presented by Katie Derham.

Or, perhaps, Stephen Johnson, as per FF's post.

[doversoul1]

Well, we have the answer. I think it's only confidential and not to be disclosed if it has been sent to me in error, which it clearly hasn't so:


Discovering Music is not being axed, but will change format be targeted
more specifically at introducing music performed on air in live
concerts. It will therefore be broadcast in intervals as part of the
new autumn schedule.


I had been told that Stephen Johnson would be doing the 'occasional' 20-minute analyses, which will be better than nothing but there's no clue as to how occasional they will be.

Ah, the Proms guide. We are being prepared so when it does happen, we’ll be used to it
The thought of Stephen Johnson turned into another personality presenter…

[french frank]

Ah, the Proms guide. We are being prepared so when it does happen, we’ll be used to it
The thought of Stephen Johnson turned into another personality presenter…

There's a certain logic to the idea. Instead of a full DM analysis followed by a recorded performance, we get a shorter analysis followed by a live performance. We just don't know how often they will be on, or how long they'll last (I mean, how many there will be). If they aren't well received as concert 'features' they'll just be dropped, I suppose.

Aren't the BBC odd with their knee-jerk denials? Why can't they say, yes, DM is being dropped but we'll be introducing a new feature along the same lines?

[doversoul1]

Aren't the BBC odd with their knee-jerk denials? Why can't they say, yes, DM is being dropped but we'll be introducing a new feature along the same lines?

He obviously guessed that you were not just making an inquiry but protesting it. He guessed it probably because he was feeling, well, guilty about it. I wish they will all unite and stand up….

[french frank]

I was interested in Laura Sinnerton's new blog, where she says about learning a new piece of contemporary music:

"Sometimes when you get a new score, as a player you can feel so overwhelmed by how much is simply going on in the music, that perhaps we more than the audience itself, can be guilty of saying 'I don't get it', without really trying to. This is where a conductor like François[-Xavier Roth] comes into his own. He has a true gift for deconstructing the music in rehearsal, helping you understand how one part relates to another and creating line and direction, where previously there had just been a lot of people getting closer and closer to their music stands in an effort to read all the notes."

An edited version of such a deconstruction might be interesting to the R3 audience too as a way of 'discovering' the piece.

[3rd Viennese School]

Discovering Music wasnt an elitist thing. It dealt with technical matters but presented in a very clear laymans terms that anyone could understand!
How can they get rid of this?
I think this interval idea would be very much an overview to the work being discovered. And the concerts would always be the same old works anyway!

3VS