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"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
OK. Gabriel might be surprised that I'm not having a go at the BBC Singers. I admire their outreach work (some of which was featured on the programme) and they were doing a much needed job bumping up the Come and Sing choir. The Monteverdi and Schein pieces they sang on their own were safe in the hands of Robert Hollingworth. Neither am I dissing the Come and Sing Choir, which clearly had a good day out. One cannot expect an amatteur scratch choir and an orchestra with some amateur players to perform to perfection. Indeed the three pieces they gave us (extracts from Handel's 'Let thy Hand be Strengthened', and the 'fliess' chorus from Israel in Egypt plus the opening of Bach's Cantata No.65) were of a standard one might hear from the local choral society.
My big groan is the BLOODY BREAKFAST FORMAT !!!!
Alarm bells began ringing when the whole thing started with Zadok (Kings, vg performance) but it's Breakfast fodder and then Sarah M-P began her DJ thing with twitters and tweets and hash-tags and Sally from Salford texting in to say she likes this and that and....Oh God help us. Her idea of interviewing people is to put some words into their mouths (poor Robert H) and to keep on saying everything is marvellous and wonderful. As you see, words are beginning to fail me..as clearly they do her.
Please could the BBC have some new ideas about The Choir? It needs a presenter who does not patronise and infantilise its listeners and, IMO, it needs to explore more European (and other) choral traditions and repertories. It needs an authoritative presenter....
Yes, Zadok was the clue. I have a natty device on my radio that turns down the volume when I press the right button. I awaited the sanity of Words & Music - a presenter-free hour or more: bliss! I agree The Choir needs a rethink.
[Wrong thread I know....but I was looking forward to this Baroque-Thing. Early signs are that it will founder in a sea of froth.]
Perhaps "staged" is pushing it, but JEG certainly makes use of the different spaces in St Mark's in Venice to create more than a simple "concert" with the performers on one stage and audience in front.
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]
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