Radio 3: new music commissions

[french frank]

Radio 3's service licence includes an annual commitment to commission a certain number of new pieces. The previous licence set the number at 30 and in 2011/12 commissions actually totalled 52. The current licence has reduced the commitment to 20 works each year.

Does anyone know where there is a published list of the annual commissioned pieces?

[heliocentric]

Radio 3's service licence includes an annual commitment to commission a certain number of new pieces. The previous licence set the number at 30 and in 2011/12 commissions actually totalled 52. The current licence has reduced the commitment to 20 works each year.

Does anyone know where there is a published list of the annual commissioned pieces?

I got a bit tired of seeing this post languishing without a reply... I would also be interested to see a published list, but I wasn't aware that there was such a quota of new pieces. Do you know anything more about it? it seems strange that it takes that form rather than a budget, since commission fees for orchestral music would be considerably higher than those for solo pieces, for example. The steep reduction in the quota is quite worrying, given that the BBC is one of the most enlightened commissioning bodies in the UK on account of the contemporary music producers at Radio 3 having such a breadth and depth of knowledge and enthusiasms between them.

[Serial_Apologist]

it seems strange that it takes that form rather than a budget, since commission fees for orchestral music would be considerably higher than those for solo pieces, for example.

Hmmm. Time methinks for MrGG to start work on his Symphony of the Cosmos - or Ahinton to begin work on an orchestral and choral setting of the entire Bible.

[ahinton]

Hmmm. Time methinks for MrGG to start work on his Symphony of the Cosmos - or Ahinton to begin work on an orchestral and choral setting of the entire Bible.

What on earth makes you think that I would ever contemplate such a project? I am reminded in so saying of Delius's remark about how Parry, had he not died when he did, might have set the whole Bible to music, but I am neither Parry nor dead...

[MrGongGong]

What on earth makes you think that I would ever contemplate such a project? I am reminded in so saying of Delius's remark about how Parry, had he not died when he did, might have set the whole Bible to music, but I am neither Parry nor dead...

I'm washing my hair tonight

[ahinton]

I'm washing my hair tonight

Then watch for the split ends and don't forget the conditioner...

[french frank]

I would also be interested to see a published list, but I wasn't aware that there was such a quota of new pieces. Do you know anything more about it? it seems strange that it takes that form rather than a budget, since commission fees for orchestral music would be considerably higher than those for solo pieces, for example

I don't know anything else about it except what's in Radio 3's current service licence, and in the previous issues.

The BBC Trust have just closed a public consultation on service licences. I responded saying the 'numeric condition' for new commissions was pretty pointless. This year's Proms have had a 2-minute piece by Mark Simpson, a 3-minute piece by Turnage, a 19-minute piece by Goehr and a 35-minute piece by Simon Bainbridge.

The number of actual commissions always exceeds the commitment (there seem to have been 27 at this year's Proms: 'There are 17 major BBC commissions, as well as an additional 10 short compositions commissioned as part of the John Cage celebration'). So that comfortably passes the 2012/13 commitment.

But I know of no annual published list so there could be a couple of major works by established composers (or none at all) and 30 extremely short works by students. However, I imagine asking under the Freedom of Information Act would get the usual BBC reply: it comes under the heading 'journalism, art and literature' and is therefore exempt.

Remember also under recent Radio 3 cuts: "Less specially recorded contemporary music for Hear and Now" (we complained about that too!).

[heliocentric]

Changing the subject somewhat from commissions, I can remember a time when performers or ensembles doing a concert with new compositions would only have to phone the Radio 3 people to be invited to go to Maida Vale and record some or all of the programme there for broadcast. Nowadays they'll just send a team to record the concert, and I have the impression that this becomes less frequent too. And of course the BBC will have to make more cuts in coming years, though I dare say not in the fees paid to their celebrities. And so on. Of course, commissioning and performing new musical works is fairly insignificant in the overall BBC scheme of things, but everywhere such little things are being chipped away until we'll wake up one morning and the BBC will no longer be worth saving.

[3rd Viennese School]

I haven't completed a new 12 note pop tune for yonks.

Been running to and fro Wales all year!

3VS

[heliocentric]

I haven't completed a new 12 note pop tune for yonks.

Fascinating, but I imagine that goes for most members of this forum, doesn't it?

[ahinton]

Changing the subject somewhat from commissions, I can remember a time when performers or ensembles doing a concert with new compositions would only have to phone the Radio 3 people to be invited to go to Maida Vale and record some or all of the programme there for broadcast. Nowadays they'll just send a team to record the concert, and I have the impression that this becomes less frequent too. And of course the BBC will have to make more cuts in coming years, though I dare say not in the fees paid to their celebrities. And so on. Of course, commissioning and performing new musical works is fairly insignificant in the overall BBC scheme of things, but everywhere such little things are being chipped away until we'll wake up one morning and the BBC will no longer be worth saving.

I hope that you're wrong about that; sadly, however, I fear that you are right...