The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Norfolk Born]

I make that 12 items in 3 hours - and what an attractive mix! If today's 'Breakfast' offered that kind of fare, I'd be sorely tempted to desert my new-found friends on the 'Today' programme.

[arancie33]

Thursday 30 January (2003?)
Presented by Penny Gore

Thank you for that,ff.

Perhaps if "they" are reading this, they could start a new feature - repeating exactly a playlist from ,say, ten years ago. Let's call it "This Day Then"

It would beat the heck out of Tuesday's chart nonsense

[french frank]

Thank you for that,ff.

Perhaps if "they" are reading this, they could start a new feature - repeating exactly a playlist from ,say, ten years ago. Let's call it "This Day Then"

The only thing to add about that list is that 12 works for then is quite low. It may have been a provisional playlist with some fillers added. But not truncated works - well, apart from only two movements of Schubert's unfinished D615 - only 8 minutes, but I wonder if it's ever been played on Breakfast. I don't think I've ever heard it.

[antongould]

Did anyone see the Grauniad's review of John Suchet who, it would seem, is one of our leading Beethoven authorities on CFM breakfast? They suggested he said too little and was sort of mildly boring in just playing the music!

[antongould]

Yes perhaps old Abe Lincoln was right after all!

[french frank]

Did anyone see the Grauniad's review of John Suchet who, it would seem, is one of our leading Beethoven authorities on CFM breakfast? They suggested he said too little and was sort of mildly boring in just playing the music!

It was in the 'The Grauniad' but not the 'The Grauniad' view: it was one Elisabeth Mahoney expressing her own personal preference for less about the music, please (though her examples of typical Suchetisms didn't sound very taxing - and even she thought they were rather obvious), and more of the Mr Personality.

"... when the pieces of music are so substantial, you really need something between them in counterpoint, and that's a bit more personality". I think it would have been less contentious if she had been clear and used the first person singular there. I, for example, might have said:

" ...when the pieces of music are so substantial, I really need something between them in counterpoint, and that's a bit more contextualisation."

Not to mention that 'so substantial', judging from yesterday's playlist, means occasionally a little over ten minutes

[french frank]

Could I add to my previous comment that this was not a criticism of Classic FM. It was simply that when you read the 'opinions' of such as EM when commenting on Radio 3, you know where they're coming from: R3 would be better if it was more like Classic FM.

[affenkopf]

Two comments from the Guardian piece:

JS is a breath of fresh air after SB. The music on CFM is upstaged by the ads if anything rather than the links between the music. Normally a BBC R3 listener misself - but was forced to change horses in early January by the ridiculous Mozartathon.

Only just returned to Classic FM - spent January listening to Radio 3 due to the fabulous 'Mozartathon'.

[mikerotheatrenestr0y]

Between CDs in the car this morning I heard a piece of viol consort music by John Ward - and I thought... espepecially when it was followed by an obscure piece of early Sibelius [which I didn't listen to, because I wanted to hear some Ockeghem, and my ears were tuned early] - but then I checked up on the schedule: "the world, it was the old world yet, I was I, my clothes were yet, and nothing now remained to do but to begin the game anew" and listen to Vivaldi's Primavera... First signs of spring? Probably not, but very grateful to the ears for once.

[antongould]

Could I add to my previous comment that this was not a criticism of Classic FM. It was simply that when you read the 'opinions' of such as EM when commenting on Radio 3, you know where they're coming from: R3 would be better if it was more like Classic FM.

Sorry I was not aware of EM's "leanings"!

[french frank]

Sorry I was not aware of EM's "leanings"!

Well, I've had a quick scurry through her reviews and tbh she doesn't often discuss Radio 3. She has extolled the cleverness and extended, in-depth interviews of Night Waves, flagged up Composer of the Week (Sondheim), indicated that she's impressed by the typically serious Radio 3 treatment of the Charts, but mainly she's 6 Music, Radio 2 and 4 (especially The Archers), Simon Bates and that area of national radio.

[kernelbogey]

I have Breakfast on because I want to hear the music - but dear God the presenter's patronising chat is really making me feel ill.

[antongould]

An interesting Radio Review by French Frank's friend Elizabeth Mahoney in this morning's Grauniad - her review is on RC on R3 breakfast which she describes as "....a serene and civilised start to the day...". Her only moan is re the "sombre" newsreaders - no credit then for SMP reading her own, and I suppose our, news and IMHO, rather splendidly too!

[french frank]

An interesting Radio Review by French Frank's friend Elizabeth Mahoney in this morning's Grauniad - her review is on RC on R3 breakfast which she describes as "....a serene and civilised start to the day...". Her only moan is re the "sombre" newsreaders - no credit then for SMP reading her own, and I suppose our, news and IMHO, rather splendidly too!

Yes, she's a radio critic rather than a music critic and is, presumably, the kind of listener R3 is after. She embodies what Breakfast is about, while at the same time showing why there is controversy. The only difference between her and the ordinary RC fan is that she has a column in the Guardian which allows her to express her personal preferences to the world!

Quote: "Cowan's commentary on the music sometimes uses classical music terms ("If you love lieder as much as I do") but it's hard to imagine how or why it should ditch this. Classic FM, which is drippingly accessible, uses this vocabulary too.

If the music intimidates you, then you're listening to the wrong breakfast show."

Hmmmmm I wonder what we should conclude from that?

[french frank]

And to continue, quote: "The Trust recommends that the station does it all can to be "more welcoming" especially in breakfast and drive-time slots. Hmm."

That 'Hmm' seems to mean, 'I like it just as it is. Please don't make it more accessible to people who find it intimidating. Clearly this show isn't for them.' Hmm.