The slow death of classical threads.....

[jayne lee wilson]

Its almost over isn't it?
A few Listening diehards (including me sometimes, but losing heart...) otherwise it's Complaints (usually about the BBC or its presenters, doubtless often deserved, but...) and Covid, the Weather and The Weekly Jazz.....

All good things....!
Little point in starting new Classical Threads now....sparse responses....
Sad....nice while it lasted....

In the Autumn of its Life....

[Bryn]

Its almost over isn't it?
A few Listening diehards (including me sometimes, but losing heart...) otherwise it's Complaints (usually about the BBC or its presenters, doubtless often deserved, but...) and Covid, the Weather and The Weekly Jazz.....

All good things....!
Little point in starting new Classical Threads now....sparse responses....
Sad....nice while it lasted....

In the Autumn of its Life....

Maybe other fora, such as FB groups, are a destination of migration for such matters.

[french frank]

A few Listening diehards (including me sometimes, but losing heart...) otherwise it's Complaints (usually about the BBC or its presenters, doubtless often deserved, but...) and Covid, the Weather and The Weekly Jazz.....

Very true, though this is a Radio 3 forum, and Radio 3 has never been A classical music stattion. It has been THE classical music station for the BBC, meaning the BBC seldom broadcasts it anywhere else. But Ideas & Theory and discussion have always been a lifeblood of the station. I suspect the 'relegation' here of classical music threads simply reflects the death of serious classical music broadcasting on Radio 3. It's sad for me that the classical music programmes which were what I listened for have deteriorated in a way that the other genres haven't.

[Petrushka]

Very true, though this is a Radio 3 forum, and Radio 3 has never been A classical music stattion. It has been THE classical music station for the BBC, meaning the BBC seldom broadcasts it anywhere else. But Ideas & Theory and discussion have always been a lifeblood of the station. I suspect the 'relegation' here of classical music threads simply reflects the death of serious classical music broadcasting on Radio 3. It's sad for me that the classical music programmes which were what I listened for have deteriorated in a way that the other genres haven't.

That might well be part of it but I'm afraid it's more likely to be down to the loss of several valued members in recent weeks with those such as JosephK, Richard Barrett, Pulcinella and others further back in time who could be relied upon to keep the music threads flowing. It's most unfortunate that one or two troublesome posters resulted in the departure of these members. Have efforts been made to woo them back? Do Hostly responsibilities extend to keeping activity moving along?

Speaking for myself, prolonged but temporary ear problems have meant the curtailment of much musical activity for a good part of the year and hence posting on here as much as I'd like.

[Serial_Apologist]

Its almost over isn't it?
A few Listening diehards (including me sometimes, but losing heart...) otherwise it's Complaints (usually about the BBC or its presenters, doubtless often deserved, but...) and Covid, the Weather and The Weekly Jazz.....

All good things....!
Little point in starting new Classical Threads now....sparse responses....
Sad....nice while it lasted....

In the Autumn of its Life....

One does one's best to keep interests afloat, occasionally by trying to broaden them (within the remit) by introducing (to me) several unjustly neglected personalities.

[oddoneout]

And I'm afraid that much as I like reading such material I am unable to contribute it myself, lacking the necessary knowledge.

[antongould]

One does one's best to keep interests afloat, occasionally by trying to broaden them (within the remit) by introducing (to me) several unjustly neglected personalities.

You do a sterling job IMVVHO S_A …. I feel, again only my VVHO, that people hereabouts are a lot loss tolerant of the views of others than they used to be ….

[antongould]

Maybe other fora, such as FB groups, are a destination of migration for such matters.

I am not impressed with Rescue Radio 3 …… or whatever …

[Mario]

Maybe we could all, individually and collectively, make a concerted effort only to contribute to those threads about, erm, you know, music and ignore totally any other contentious thread, in the hope that it dies a slow, and very painful drawn-out death…

Mario

PS except for football, natch!

[Cockney Sparrow]

And I'm afraid that much as I like reading such material I am unable to contribute it myself, lacking the necessary knowledge.

Same here. I don't have a music degree, nor am I sufficiently qualified by experience. Life's been too busy to even read every edition of Gramophone - far from it. (It has been pointed out to me that I spend a lot of time travelling to rehearsals and concerts to sing, which I have done since I was a teenager, only interrupted by illness; but I am not a musician).

I have wondered if some threads are for those who have a music qualification, whether formally of by experience. And that seemed to develop into tensions and departures recently. Maybe not all of the departures.

Yet others seemed to be troubled by "direct" exchanges (there have been some which qualify as brutal and frank). Yet, on the whole, this is a lot more polite and civilised a place than many on the internet - worth valuing, in my opinion. And Radio 3, the BBC and culture needs defending (pointed out on the Culture secretary thread today........).

If there are changes, perhaps all registered members should be messaged and invited to express an opinion.

[mikealdren]

Hopefully a new season of Record Review and the Autumn weather will rekindle our interest and we can drop our obsession with politics and other general interest threads.

[teamsaint]

Hopefully a new season of Record Review and the Autumn weather will rekindle our interest and we can drop our obsession with politics and other general interest threads.

A hell of a lot has happened, or been done to us, in the last 18 months.
Changes are inevitable. On non music, for example I have found my interest, my lifelong deep interest in football and the team whose games I have attended for half a century have been seriously compromised, not least by the madcap antics of the premier league.
Concert going habits have been hit for six, and have been turned into a privilege not a right.
Trusted institutions have failed us time and again.

We need to stand up for ourselves, but we also need a break. i take Jayne’s point, but, but the world has changed, and we are learning new rules, habits, and have strange situations to deal with.
The new world will take time to adjust to.And it won’t always be pain free. Escape come in different forms for each of us.

[Barbirollians]

Well nobody else bought the Zimerman/Rattle/Beethoven … so I was talking to myself .

[jayne lee wilson]

Well nobody else bought the Zimerman/Rattle/Beethoven … so I was talking to myself .

A shame it came out after all the 2020 Beethoven releases (including at least three sets of the Piano Concertos, even I needed a break at some point...), and it took me till earlier this year to catch up with Savall's Symphonies 1-5, and the continuing, very splendid, HM 20/27 series.....

But I hearted it on Qobuz a few weeks ago, and may get around to it yet..... patience now......

[Petrushka]

A hell of a lot has happened, or been done to us, in the last 18 months.
Changes are inevitable. On non music, for example I have found my interest, my lifelong deep interest in football and the team whose games I have attended for half a century have been seriously compromised, not least by the madcap antics of the premier league.
Concert going habits have been hit for six, and have been turned into a privilege not a right.
Trusted institutions have failed us time and again.

We need to stand up for ourselves, but we also need a break. i take Jayne’s point, but, but the world has changed, and we are learning new rules, habits, and have strange situations to deal with.
The new world will take time to adjust to.And it won’t always be pain free. Escape come in different forms for each of us.

All good points, ts. It's coming up to two years since I retired in December 2019 and the world I expected to retire into just vanished, almost overnight, and it doesn't look like coming back in the foreseeable future, if ever. The concerts I had lined up post-retirement simply disappeared and I've not been to a concert since Haitink's Proms farewell with the VPO in September 2019 and seriously doubt whether I have the will or desire to go again. This is something I never, ever thought I'd be saying and it's a measure of the massive change that has taken place but I've been attending classical concerts since 1972 and now I don't want to go any more!