The Choir - Last straw

[vinteuil]

There is now an enormous chamber choir repertoire which encompasses, as well as Renaissance music, Baroque music, the whole Romantic repertoire, a vast amount of 20th-century music - from all over the globe, of course, and I would say that one of the BBC Singers' strengths is that they do it all.

... or one might say, one of the BBC Singers' weaknesses is that they attempt to "do it all".

[Gabriel Jackson]

... or one might say, one of the BBC Singers' weaknesses is that they attempt to "do it all".

You might, but there is a huge amount of repertoire from all periods that no one else does, because it's too hard, or they're not interested, or it's too expensive...

[James Wonnacott]

Oh no! not barber shop please!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh no! not barber shop please!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, lasted about 1.8 seconds here

And then - a much-needed chance to examine that rarity, Verdi's Requiem (it's very operatic, apparently...)

Talk about a 'no-go area' ...

[James Wonnacott]

I have an idea- rename it "Sing Something Simple"

[subcontrabass]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]Yep, lasted about 1.8 seconds here

And then - a much-needed chance to examine that rarity, Verdi's Requiem (it's very operatic, apparently...)

The whole Verdi Requiem is on tonight - first item in "Through the Night"

[Nick Armstrong]

The whole Verdi Requiem is on tonight - first item in "Through the Night"

I know. Fortunately as it's a BH tomorrow, I shall doubtless retire after it's over

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh no! not barber shop please!!!!!!!!!!!

Radio 3 is pathetic.

Really pathetic.

[DracoM]

Well, I do agree that that should be on R2, but......I'm going to defend barbershop: it is v. diff, it swings in a jazzy way, can entertain grandly, and technically speaking the harmonies are amazing and inventive and the tuning is such a high priority that it must be nerve-wrackng to sing, particularly for the stratospheric decorating top lines. And, tbh, I learnt more about how a particular genre operates from the barbershop people than I did from EH reminiscing about NCO. Talk about DID! EH got in a careful swipe at KKC in terms of how voices are produced, BUT I absolutely agree with him that it is BOYS who need encouraging, protecting, seen as endangered species in terms of cathedral / chapel etc singing these days - his talk about recent festivals with barely a lad to be seen apparently was instructive.

The stealthy, incremental leeching of funds for music out of our state schools will I hope go down in political history as one of Gove's most infamous and egregiously wrecking ball manoeuvres. And as usual with Secs of State for Education, 'initiatives' start, Sec State leaves, and five years on, the disaster they perpetrated bears blighted fruit. In this case deprived kids - OUR kids of all classes and outlooks. And that is what will happen to all manner of musics from out schools in the next 5+ years.

Woops, sorry, rant over.



PS: given that Verdi Requiem is on TTN tonight, why in heaven's name they decide to chop it to bleeding bits in a 25 min pasty mere hours beforehand beats me. Does that Choir team have the faintest idea what is going on on their OWN schedules, let alone anywhere else?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm not anti-barbershop. I sing it myself now and then. But I suspect it's only being played on Radio 3 to look cool.

I wonder when they'll decide to move Friday Night is Music Night from R2 to R3. After all they do play G & S.

[Honoured Guest]

I wonder when they'll decide to move Friday Night is Music Night from R2 to R3.

Probably on Fridays.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Today we have Allegri's Miserere. That's all the information that's available. So what are we going to be offered for the other 1 hour and 23 minutes?

[DracoM]

Tracks, tweets, emails, guff - same old, same old formula.

A weekly R2 betrayal of the choral genre.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Talking over the music too. What plebs!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Tracks, tweets, emails, guff - same old, same old formula.

A weekly R2 betrayal of the choral genre.

It's a bit like Listen with Mother.