Balls 4-8/11/24

[Nick Armstrong]

This week’s slavish build-up to one of R3’s “Days” on Friday seems to me a bit of a travesty of the programme’s purpose/format…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024dnd

[Old Grumpy]

Indeed.

[smittims]

I agree. It's frankly 'out of order', as it isn't a series of programmes about the life and work of a composer. Essentially the strand has been hi-jacked as much as if the scripts of a week of Coronation Street were an analysis of the US Presdential election. And next week (Bud Powell) seems to me a sort of pugnacious example of 'cultural relativity'. Sam is saying ' all right, who says he isn't as great as Mozart? Where's your evidence? '

I enjoyed the Liszt week, but I've said before that I think the programme is life-expired and needs replacing. It's like the later series of a once-popular TV drama where they try to rescue the ratings by suddenly including violence or sex.

[Nick Armstrong]

I think the programme is life-expired and needs replacing.

Oh I disagree with this. It seems to me a programme with pretty much endless potential, given all the composers it would be good to learn more (or even just something) about.

PS just added a post to the Margaret Bonds thread which is a good example of the above…

[Serial_Apologist]

Does this week's series mark the point at which one of the last bastions of Radio 3 As She Once Was begins to be disassembled? With regards to who comes next, I happen to be a great admirer of Bud Powell, but would even I, as an avid jazz aficionado, rate him as one of the deserving? - No. His inclusion on COTW is hardly going to win new followers for jazz, courtesy Radio 3. His place is where it has already been respected, on Jazz Record Requests and 'Round Midnight.

[Quarky]

I agree. It's frankly 'out of order',

I enjoyed the Liszt week, but I've said before that I think the programme is life-expired and needs replacing. It's like the later series of a once-popular TV drama where they try to rescue the ratings by suddenly including violence or sex.

Agreed, it needs replacing -IMV with a programme where the greater part (90%) of the programme is music, either of a single composer, or of a famous artist. It doesn't need to run to 5 episodes in the week..
As evidence, I was listening last night to a COTW podcast of Fauré, it just seemed full of salacious tit-bits of his private life (interesting though they were!).

[Serial_Apologist]

Agreed, it needs replacing -IMV with a programme where the greater part (90%) of the programme is music, either of a single composer, or of a famous artist. It doesn't need to run to 5 episodes in the week..
As evidence, I was listening last night to a COTW podcast of Fauré, it just seemed full of salacious tit-bits of his private life (interesting though they were!).

There was a beautiful programme on Fauré yesterday evening, narrated by Kathryn Stott, which I have drawn attention to on the Composers forum.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Does this week's series mark the point at which one of the last bastions of Radio 3 As She Once Was begins to be disassembled? With regards to who comes next, I happen to be a great admirer of Bud Powell, but would even I, as an avid jazz aficionado, rate him as one of the deserving? - No. His inclusion on COTW is hardly going to win new followers for jazz, courtesy Radio 3. His place is where it has already been respected, on Jazz Record Requests and 'Round Midnight.

It’s all tied in with the Friday day of dance I guess . It’s not right for COTW as there is no attempt to delve beyond the superficial .
I think Bud Powell is one of the deserving but I would want quite a bit of analysis of his piano technique and very distinctive licks ; his abandonment of stride for those off beat stabbing left hand chords which he is said to have “invented “ (but no one really knows)that in turn freed up the double bass player ; as well as his compositions . I think he’s arguably the greatest of them all (along with the very different Art Tatum and Bill Evans) and in many ways more musically significant than either .

I suspect it’s going to be the usual tale of woe though.

[AuntDaisy]

Any chance of adding the date to that gloriously RTH title?



Image from here

[Nick Armstrong]

Any chance of adding the date to that gloriously RTH title?

Your wish is my bird in the bush, Auntie

(PS: “RTH” ?? )

[vinteuil]

Your wish is my bird in the bush, Auntie

(PS: “RTH” ?? )

... I think your bird in the bush continues the Round The Horne theme nicely



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[AuntDaisy]

... I think your bird in the bush continues the Round The Horne theme nicely

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[french frank]

I enjoyed the Liszt week, but I've said before that I think the programme is life-expired and needs replacing.

Unfortunately you don't get to decide what replaces it. It remains one of the very few genuine Radio 3 programmes left. Why, in these times, would you suppose it would be replaced with something better?

[Nick Armstrong]

... I think your bird in the bush continues the Round The Horne theme nicely



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Bold.

[smittims]

My ideal would be a series called 'The Music of...(insert name of composer)' intended to provide an introduction to the output and career of a composer by playing complete pieces, preceded by short factual descriptions of each work, when it was written and any extra-musical dateils bearing on why it was written at that time , etc. So it would include some biographical detail but only such as supported the choice of music.

Only composers whose music is actually worth hearing would be included. So no Margaret Bonds, I'm afraid!