Simon Heffer presenting British music throughout June: Saturday Classics

[french frank]

Do soloists not want to play stuff like the Bate viola concerto, or do the promoters always hold sway?

If you mean concert promoters, they shy away from unknown names because they don't sell tickets. But you only have to have a name like Benedetti, and (I'm sure) they will pretty soon sell Szymanowski or anything (cf my point abut CFM and Górecki). Familiarity is all, seemingly.

[vinteuil]

I really do wonder if the way that the BBC marketed this series (and the choice of presenter) adds to or reduces audience numbers.

... in my case, certainly reduces.

I am up for being surprised by good music which I might not have expected. But the heavy handed, flag waving, over trailered approach here means I have been avoiding the radio. And enjoying some Brahms with Haitink and the Concertgebouw...

[teamsaint]

If you mean concert promoters, they shy away from unknown names because they don't sell tickets. But you only have to have a name like Benedetti, and (I'm sure) they will pretty soon sell Szymanowski or anything (cf my point abut CFM and Górecki). Familiarity is all, seemingly.

yup, I meant concert promoters. As you suggest, surely the bigger name soloists are able to have an input into programmes.?Clearly most shows need a big name work to sell the tickets. I suppose if you are paying a big name soloist (to fill the seats) the one work they usually play needs to be a big name too.

amateur and semi pro orchestras can and sometimes do step up to the plate here. I feel certain there are opportunities. I do think that the big orchestras could, (if they wished) find ways of using their skills and commercial clout to bring more interesting repertoire to the concert platform in association with local orchestras and choirs. Perhaps more flexible ways of performing and presenting music.
Or perhaps not.

[french frank]

I agree. And in fairness, part of the rationale of the BBC performing groups is to trial/champion new and lesser known works. But they could surely do more. (Thought: who at the BBC manages the performing groups?) .......

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There are problems with programming works by lesser-known composers, in that young performers aren't made aware of a lot of repertory (they're being guided by teachers who - rightly - feel a greater obligation to concentrate on the core repertoire that will earn their students a basic income!). And if they do wish to attempt unfamiliar pieces, it's easier for them to concentrate on Chamber Music (as they do: a glance at the programmes for two local Music Clubs shows a healthier range of works from all periods and most styles than is offered by the bigger "International Orchestral Concert" series in either Leeds or Bradford). For a young, unknown Soloist to ask a professional Symphony Orchestra to learn, say, a "new" work by Gipps or Bowen, which might probably attract only a third-full Hall, is asking them to risk considerable financial losses.

Amateur orchestras might be more willing, if their conductor knows the repertory, and doesn't want to live out his (and it is usually a "he") fantasies of conducting the Brahms Symphonies with the Berlin Phil. But hire fees for such repertory can be phenomenally prohibitive - it's much cheaper to hire the 19th Century blockbusters, which will probably get a bigger audience and take less rehearsal time as the players will at least know how the works should "go"! It's also easier to access the scores and parts in time for the rehearsals - there are many stories about publishers having works in their hire catalogues without knowing where they've stored them: hire material can arrive a few days before the billed concert.

The real solution, as frenchie suggests, is for the "big names" to "adopt" a work (and there aren't that many Viola Concertos going round!) to create a "demand" and for charities like the RVW Trust to make funds available to orchestras so that they don't have to worry about lost revenue.

[amateur51]

Saturday 15 June 2013 Simon Heffer presents his third out of four programmes ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x91m5

[EdgeleyRob]

Saturday 15 June 2013 Simon Heffer presents his third out of four programmes ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x91m5

An interesting looking selection,including some George Lloyd

[amateur51]

An interesting looking selection,including some George Lloyd

I thought that might catch your ear/eye ER

[BBMmk2]

People should get to know his music for brass band, especially, my favourite work, English Heritage.

[Andrew Slater]

A note of caution re. programme 3: the piece announced as Walton's Johannesburg Festival Overture was in fact Capriccio burlesco - a track out on my copy of the RLPO / Groves recording.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Shell-shocked" - is that an acceptable word for Heffer to use today in describing George Lloyd's condition?

[Anna]

"Shell-shocked" - is that an acceptable word for Heffer to use today in describing George Lloyd's condition?

I guess, as it was WW2, it should have been 'combat stress reaction' as 'shell-shocked' usually means the trenches and WW1, but he was shelled in the Navy and it's a term that everyone understands, we still use it all the time for WW1, not sure how it was officially described in WW2

[Suffolkcoastal]

A note of caution re. programme 3: the piece announced as Walton's Johannesburg Festival Overture was in fact Capriccio burlesco - a track out on my copy of the RLPO / Groves recording.

Yes I noticed that, they clearly played track 2 rather than track 1. Doubly embarrassing for Mr Heffer as he said it was a favourite work of his, either he doesn't know his favourite works very well or the commentary is put together completely separately from the music. Clearly no-one noticed, par for the course on R3 these days I'm afraid.

[EdgeleyRob]

A nice selection of music though.

[BBMmk2]

It's 'shell shock', to be more preicse. But these days would peobably come under post traumatic stress disorder?