BBC4 "Symphony" with Simon Russell Beale

[Barbirollians]

I am looking forward to the BBC4 programme - I enjoyed the Sacred Music series presented by Simon Russell Beale - a good musician and probably the best actor of his generation.

[french frank]

There was a press release with more details last Friday.

[Chris Newman]

Simon Russell Beale does make the prospect extremely enticing. He is very musical as a singer; as endearing as the thought of Dudley Moore and George Solti.

[Nick Armstrong]

BBC4 "Symphony" with Simon Russell Beale

Have people noticed that Simon Russell Beale is moving from sacred music to considering the development of the Symphony in a 4 part series starting this Thursday at 9pm on BBC4 TV.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016vgw7/episodes/guide

[Roehre]

Have people noticed that Simon Russell Beale is moving from sacred music to considering the development of the Symphony in a 4 part series starting this Thursday at 9pm on BBC4 TV.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016vgw7/episodes/guide

If he presents that Symphony-series the way he did the sacred music ones, it might be good.
We'll wait patiently.

[gamba]

Wot ! no Charles Hazlewood !

[Nick Armstrong]

Wot ! no Charles Hazlewood !

[french frank]

Wot ! no Charles Hazlewood !

He's just finished a 6-part series of The Charles Hazlewood Show on Radio 2. I'm sort of half interested in what connections he makes between Elbow's Lippy Kids and Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, but not enough to listen to the programme.

(Isn't this Talking About Music rather than Arts and Ideas?)

[Barbirollians]

Not a bad programme but rather odd to see Sir Mark Elder conducting the OAE from the fortepiano. Felt perhaps too much Haydn and too little Mozart . I trust we will be getting the rest of Beethoven next week .

[Bryn]

He's just finished a 6-part series of The Charles Hazlewood Show on Radio 2. I'm sort of half interested in what connections he makes between Elbow's Lippy Kids and Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra, but not enough to listen to the programme.

(Isn't this Talking About Music rather than Arts and Ideas?)

Indeed frenchie, which is why I have had so much trouble finding it (the search 'facility' here I find pretty useless) in order to report that the Beeb appear to have changed the coding for iPlayer "Listen Again" offerings on BBC4. They can no longer be captured by programs such as HiDownload Platinum Edition. Indeed, merely trying to watch via the iPlayer while HiDownload is running (even if no attempt is made to save the programme being played back) can crash the latter.

[salymap]

I just wish he would stand still and talk to camera more. It was too early to see Simon talking while approaching the White Cliffs of Dover, and then various diners and London streets.

I shall try again later but I found it difficult to concentrate on the music.

[french frank]

I'm merging this thread with the one on Talking Abiut Music - but keeping the title.

[gingerjon]

Enjoyed the programme although I imagine that if you already had some knowledge on the subject it might have been a little lightweight.

Had the pleasure of being at St Pancras for the BBCSO performance of Ode to Joy as well which SBR introduced.

[Tapiola]

I agree, gingerjon. I found the programme interesting but thought that the explanation of the origins of the symphony was very sketchy. I look forward to the next instalments though.

I also found intriguing the anecdote about Beethoven weeping during an 1808 performance of Haydn's "Creation". I wonder how much of the music he could actually hear.

[Donnie Essen]

Thought it sucked. A man works hard all day, then he tries to better himself through television on a Thursday evening, he wants to learn about the symphony, but all he gets to see is a big excuse to go on a jolly to foreign towns and chef's houses. Too much on the lives, not enough on the form and such, 'cept the most basic mentions. I don't know squat and I still didn't learn nothin'. I liked seeing Mark Elder, though, and I enjoyed the music, but the musical content there woulda filled like a page and half in a music book.