Schubert on 3

[MrGongGong]

I will be escaping a good portion of the Dispirited Schubert by hoping a coach to Glasgow at 11 pm Saturday to hear Feldman's SQ2 (Smith Quartet) from 2pm Sunday, followed, perhaps, by a performance of Riley's In C, then back on a coach to London at 10.30 pm Sunday.

Sounds like a good day out to me
I'm a big fan of the Smiths (Panic was a great piece at the Proms or am i a little confused ???)

[Bryn]

Sounds like a good day out to me
I'm a big fan of the Smiths (Panic was a great piece at the Proms or am i a little confused ???)

Just noticed they've moved the start of Feldman's SQ2 on to 3 pm, so the Riley looks a little risky if I am to get across to the coach boarding point by 10.30.

[Oh, and Charles Mutter has now filled the gap left by Darragh Morgan's departure from the Smith Quartet.]

[kernelbogey]

[...] a few years back when we had all Haydn's symphonies in chronological order for a whole year (when mornings on R3 were still listenable). Or, further back in the mists of time, when they did all Bach's cantatas on Sunday mornings [...]

Ah yes, I remember it well...!

This sounds so obvious that I'm almost embarrassed to post it. I can't conceive of any circumstance in which I'd be likely to sit through a whole day of one composer, let alone five. I love Gerald Finzi, and guess you could play his entire output in less than a day, but - and here's the thing - why on earth would you want to? What could possibly prevent your senses becoming sated by such a very limited range of styles? The later pieces broadcast would become little more than muzak as they flow over you.

But we no longer appear to have people running the station who consider that the tastes, appetites and aural stamina of music-loving listeners is of any consequence. This thing is being driven by marketing.

[Pabmusic]

...But we no longer appear to have people running the station who consider that the tastes, appetites and aural stamina of music-loving listeners is of any consequence. This thing is being driven by marketing.

The more important criterion, I suppose, is what looks good, and I suppose that a 'Schubert week' does. Odd that success on radio lies in what looks good.

[Bax-of-Delights]

I don't know why anyone would think wall-to-wall Schubert for a whole week was a good idea. Its not so much the actuality of all that Schubertian material being vomited out in a tidal wave that swamps the airwaves its the damned hyper-ventilating excitement of the trailers and presenters that does most to put me off going anywhere near the R3 station during that week. I think it odd that having dreamed up this venture the producers see fit to pepper the preceeding weeks with a fair amount of Schubert's music as well.

I think a more adventurous (and perhaps enlightening) exercise would be to broadcast a week of music composed, as an example, just by women. Huge scope for variety and discussion one might think.

[aeolium]

I think a more adventurous (and perhaps enlightening) exercise would be to broadcast a week of music composed, as an example, just by women. Huge scope for variety and discussion one might think.

Yes, or a whole week of works that have never before been broadcast, unlike Schubert's many of which have been broadcast hundreds if not thousands of times.

[kernelbogey]

I think a more adventurous (and perhaps enlightening) exercise would be to broadcast a week of music composed, as an example, just by women. Huge scope for variety and discussion one might think.

Or composers who influenced each other around the same time: e.g. (randomly) - CPE Bach > Mozart; Schumann > Brahms; and the lesser-known baroque and classical composers that we hear rarely, and mostly on TTN.

[DracoM]

I think I'll just be away from R3 for a week. How to Disembowel a Composer? Was it scheduled by someone who really, really, hates Schubert and thought this might be a great way to live out that hatred?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think a more adventurous (and perhaps enlightening) exercise would be to broadcast a week of music composed, as an example, just by women.

They did this a few years ago, but only for one day. It was most interesting.

On the more general topic, when I bought complete CD collections of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, I spread listening to them over many weeks. Even that was an aural challenge.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Can you imagine a week devoted exclusively to Stockhausen or ... Rebecca Saunders?

Actually, HS, the Saunders idea is pretty inspired: as her total output so far doesn't take 24 hours to perform, then in an entire week, each piece could get 8 or more "airings". This would mean that the works could be heard sufficiently often for them to be adequately assessed. AND, everybody could hear every work, rather than missing them because they were broadcast at 3.45 am.

I think this is a brilliant idea, HS: I'll be sure to mention you when I suggest it to RW!

[rank_and_file]

DracoM

I agree vaguely with your sentiments.

I think this is being done mainly as an idea from the Marketing hacks so the Controller gets some newspaper column inches. I see the Director General is leaving and I only wish it were Wright instead!

Radio 3 have already done the same to Bach and Mozart, and there has not been any original scripted follow-up programmes on either composers output covering say, choral, sacred, opera, orchestral, or instrumental music. For original and thoughtful programming in depth Radio 3 has become a desert.

Time to dust off yet more CDs.

[Roehre]

Actually, HS, the Saunders idea is pretty inspired: as her total output so far doesn't take 24 hours to perform, then in an entire week, each piece could get 8 or more "airings". This would mean that the works could be heard sufficiently often for them to be adequately assessed. AND, everybody could hear every work, rather than missing them because they were broadcast at 3.45 am.

I think this is a brilliant idea, HS: I'll be sure to mention you when I suggest it to RW!

[David-G]

I have not read every post on this thread, but there seems to be an overwhelming body of negative opinion. Is there nobody else who, like me, is looking forward to the Schubert? I greatly enjoyed the Mozart last year, and expect to enjoy this also. I certainly did not tire of having a "continuous Mozart channel" for a week. I find that these events have a sort of festival-type excitement which encourages listening. During the Mozart week I was unfortunate enough to have a bad flu; and sleeping rather poorly one night, and needing the comfort of the radio, I listened to continuous Mozart for over 24 hours. Wonderful! I can understand that people might take an opposite view. But that everyone is cynical about this I find rather surprising.

[Hornspieler]

I have not read every post on this thread, but there seems to be an overwhelming body of negative opinion. Is there nobody else who, like me, is looking forward to the Schubert? I greatly enjoyed the Mozart last year, and expect to enjoy this also. I certainly did not tire of having a "continuous Mozart channel" for a week. I find that these events have a sort of festival-type excitement which encourages listening. During the Mozart week I was unfortunate enough to have a bad flu; and sleeping rather poorly one night, and needing the comfort of the radio, I listened to continuous Mozart for over 24 hours. Wonderful! I can understand that people might take an opposite view. But that everyone is cynical about this I find rather surprising.

I would not describe my attitude as cynical. I'm very fond of Schubert's writing - vocal, orchestral and chamber music (and a lot of worthy light music). What concerns me is that, having delivered more than anyone can possibly listen to 24/7, Schubert's music will be virtually non-existant for the remainder of 2012.

I cannot see the point of that.

HS

[salymap]

Speaking personally, it's not Schubert I dislike, it's the way the BBC present the programmes -'Play Schubert for Me' etc.
With one composer all the week, the nanny style of presenters somehow seems more unbearable.