Discovering Music - axed

[salymap]

Good morning and thanks for your efforts on our collective behalf ff. I agree with all the above and have recommendedthe DM archive to several people.

Iawait the King's reply with interest but little hope.

[amateur51]

Well, there should be an informed answer soon as I've emailed Roger directly to ask. I don't think that's unreasonable given that I've tried three alternative ways of finding out to avoid bothering him

Oh, maybe not. Haven't even finished writing this and the OoO Reply has arrived from the "PA to Controller, Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms
BBC Royal Liaison Assistant" (Royal Liaison Assistant? to King Rogar? ) - inviting me to ring her on her mobile. Perhaps he now has an official triage system for unsolicited emails ...

[Belgrove]

Many thanks for your efforts ff, and for posting the link to the old programmes. I agree with you that the workshop format does not compare as favourably with the earlier programmes. I recall Gerard McBurney’s contributions on the Goldberg Variations and Appalachian Spring with particular fondness – his is a voice we do not seem to hear nowadays. The programme represents R3 at its best and ticks all the boxes for fulfilling the BBC’s Charter. It has not yet past its sell-buy date and would be a great shame to see it go.

[DracoM]

Gerard McBurney is current expert working in tandem with Don McL on COTW on Arensky.

[3rd Viennese School]

One of the best shows on Radio 3 to be axed!!?? I probably wont end up listening to Radio 3 soon!
Could someone start a petition or something?

3VS

[french frank]

Gerard McBurney is current expert working in tandem with Don McL on COTW on Arensky.

Along with Stephen Johnson and Chris de Souza, McBurney was a DM regular, as were Roger Nichols, David Fanning and Anthony Payne. This is (was) a programme for musicologists as presenters. There are so many who specialise in particular composers, those would be the ones to analyse the music. Not a question at this level of how good they are as communicators, or how populist, but what they know and have to say, even if it's sometimes a struggle for the audience. All this was overtaken by the misguided opinion that if a section of the audience is struggling to understand, it must be made easier for them. Don't they understand the satisfaction of struggling - like the physical effort of climbing a mountain?

[amateur51]

Along with Stephen Johnson and Chris de Souza, McBurney was a DM regular, as were Roger Nichols, David Fanning and Anthony Payne. This is (was) a programme for musicologists as presenters. There are so many who specialise in particular composers, those would be the ones to analyse the music. Not a question at this level of how good they are as communicators, or how populist, but what they know and have to say, even if it's sometimes a struggle for the audience. All this was overtaken by the misguided opinion that if a section of the audience is struggling to understand, it must be made easier for them. Don't they understand the satisfaction of struggling - like the physical effort of climbing a mountain?

Or taking the top off a tub of paracetamol?

[johnb]

FF,

Thanks for the link to the archives. A year ago or so you used to be able to listen to the older programmes, even though they were in Real Audio format. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

Perhaps you could 'encourage' RW to, at the very least, bring back that facility.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

if R3 was like NPR they would .... keep the archive available, the more i use their site the more i feel they make R3 appear a touch woeful ... even though they have recently upgraded the R3 site ... the NPR Music site is an exemplar ...

[amateur51]

if R3 was like NPR they would .... keep the archive available, the more i use their site the more i feel they make R3 appear a touch woeful ... even though they have recently upgraded the R3 site ... the NPR Music site is an exemplar ...

Thanks for the link to this nifty website Calum!

[Belgrove]

Gerard McBurney is current expert working in tandem with Don McL on COTW on Arensky.

Many thanks for the alert - this had passed me by.

[french frank]

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."

My reply:

"I interpret it that the regular 90-minute Sunday slot is not being found
an alternative slot (i.e. it will be axed). The replacement will be occasional
20-minute interval talks (which may be called 'Discovering Music'). This
confirms what we had already learned."

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.

[salymap]

Thanks ff. So no continuing archive which has meant a lot to me and to others. Dumbing down again.

[Chris Newman]

I too regret the deletion of archives. Sadly, too, it means that the players of the BBCNOW and BBCCO, the main providers of the service, lose a few pennies of bonus pay for replay rights. I would not mind betting that this is the "logic" (misuse of a word, sorry) behind the axe.

[french frank]

Sadly, too, it means that the players of the BBCNOW and BBCCO, the main providers of the service, lose a few pennies of bonus pay for replay rights. I would not mind betting that this is the "logic" (misuse of a word, sorry) behind the axe.

It might be part of the explanation, but I take the simpler view that Discovering Music was too high-brow for Radio 3's new target audience.

I've just been reading through the evidence of the Audience Councils to the Trust's review. They consulted many people who didn't listen to R3 (and didn't necessarily like classical music), invited them to listen to some 'selected' programmes and asked them what they thought of them. Among one of the verbatim replies was: "Some of the programmes were pitched well above my knowledge level (eg The Sunday Feature: Discovering Music) but they were nevertheless interesting, although I wouldn’t want to listen too much."

If it comes down to numbers, the people who don't listen will outvote the people who do.

(“Radio 3 comes across as very high-brow classical music. It is not reaching out to ordinary people like me. I would tend to go to Classic FM for classical music.”) Well, don't worry - Radio 3 wants to change all that!