Robin Ray on R3 in the 70s

[savoir_faire]

Does anyone here remember Robin Ray's regular music programme on R3 in the 70s? I used to listen to it avidly as a teenager, and seem to remember it was on a Saturday or Sunday, an hour of his favourite pieces. The introduction music was Francaix's l'Horloge de Fleur played by John de Lancie, but the name of the programme eludes me!

[Bryn]

Does anyone here remember Robin Ray's regular music programme on R3 in the 70s? I used to listen to it avidly as a teenager, and seem to remember it was on a Saturday or Sunday, an hour of his favourite pieces. The introduction music was Francaix's l'Horloge de Fleur played by John de Lancie, but the name of the programme eludes me!

Genome implies it may have been simply called "Robin Ray". I don't recall it but do remember his "The Tingle Factor" on Radio 4.

[johncorrigan]

Genome implies it may have been simply called "Robin Ray". I don't recall it but do remember his "The Tingle Factor" on Radio 4.

I spotted him as the floor manager in 'A Hard Day's Night' last week...then Mrs C and I had a conversation about the guy who used to play the silent piano on 'Face the Music', which we both reckoned was the best bit of the programme.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Amongst The many talents displayed by Robin Ray on Face The Music Was his encyclopaedic recall of Kochel numbers . The silent pianist was Joseph Cooper - a very good concert pianist as well as one of the best dummy keyboard players in the business.

[french frank]

Genome implies it may have been simply called "Robin Ray". I don't recall it but do remember his "The Tingle Factor" on Radio 4.

Yes, the first programme of the series at midday on September 27, 1975 (post-Proms new season), and it ran through until 1979.

[Cockney Sparrow]

The Tingle Factor had a guest - Beryl Bainbridge, Alan Ayckbourne etc and occasionally crops up on Radio 4 Extra. I don't recall another radio programme but that's probably because its not lodged in my memory. Face the Music and the dummy keyboard - those were the days, simple pleasures (it seems, compared with today....).

Ever helpful Wickipedia :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ray

So - latterly he worked with Classic FM but I've never listened regularly to a specific programme there (or much at all....). I also remember his wife Susan Stranks from Childrens TV IIRC.

[gradus]

Robin Ray loved the piano and once on TV essayed the first of the Chopin op12 studies (or something equally fiendish) modestly stopping after the first few bars as he said he couldn't get any further; hardly surprising since he was sitting by Michael Ponti who proceeded to fly through it, graciously complementing Robin on his brief but perfect playing of the opening.
Whither Michael Ponti?

[Petrushka]

I remember that programme very well and it was one of those that proved an excellent entry point for the tyro music enthusiast.

Recall bumping into Ray (almost literally) in the Albert Hall corridor during a Prom interval a year or two before his death at the ridiculously early age of 64.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Robin Ray loved the piano and once on TV essayed the first of the Chopin op12 studies (or something equally fiendish) modestly stopping after the first few bars as he said he couldn't get any further; hardly surprising since he was sitting by Michael Ponti who proceeded to fly through it, graciously complementing Robin on his brief but perfect playing of the opening.
Whither Michael Ponti?

I think Robin also once said that the first time he played that study all the way through he thought his hand was going to drop off. In that same programme you mention Ponti also Brilliantly demonstrated the right hand octave glissando in either the Waldstein final movt or the rondo of Beethoven PC 1 - the one that if you miscue can lead to a cut little finger! After playing he said something like ‘simple really “ to which Robin replied “ speak for yourself Michael Ponti.”
I don’t know what happened to him but he was a mighty fine pianist.

[Padraig]

Well done all! I now remember a couple more things about the Robin Ray era other than R R being able to rattle off opus numbers to general admiration.

[cloughie]

Well done all! I now remember a couple more things about the Robin Ray era other than R R being able to rattle off opus numbers to general admiration.

...and of course he was the architect of the Classic fm playlist - he’s the one who we should blame for all the bleeding chunks that not are a firm part of the R3 output!

Oh and did his dad actually play the violin?

[Ein Heldenleben]

...and of course he was the architect of the Classic fm playlist - he’s the one who we should blame for all the bleeding chunks that not are a firm part of the R3 output!

Oh and did his dad actually play the violin?

Pretty sure he did ... but I think I only heard Jack Benny play it once....

[french frank]

Oh and did his dad actually play the violin?

There were a few comedians who used to play at one time, play a snatch or two to show they could and then stop and crack a few jokes. Ray, Benny, Jimmy Wheeler were three.

Robin's BBC obituary mentions Face the Music 1966-69, but not his Radio 3 programme 1975-79. Not unusual: they didn't mention it when R3 won the Sony UK Station of the Year - a bit of a blow for them as they preferred R1, R2 or R4 to win as they made more of a 'story'.

PS I think they did mention it, but not in the usual spot of opening paragraph. Just an afterthought.

[Roslynmuse]

Does anyone here remember Robin Ray's regular music programme on R3 in the 70s? I used to listen to it avidly as a teenager, and seem to remember it was on a Saturday or Sunday, an hour of his favourite pieces. The introduction music was Francaix's l'Horloge de Fleur played by John de Lancie, but the name of the programme eludes me!

Like you I was a youngster listening in the mid-70s and enjoyed those Saturday lunchtime programmes. They were a part of the R3 output that was also broadcast on R4 at the same time, like the Tuesday (latterly Thursday) evening concert. I was particularly keen on Chopin at that time and Robin Ray would play a recording of something by Chopin fairly regularly. That Saturday lunchtime slot was also hosted by James Galway and Jack Brymer for short periods.

Re Michael Ponti, I think I read somewhere that he had a stroke a few years back and lost the use of his right arm. He recorded prolifically for Vox (amongst others) and there were a lot of UK releases on Turnabout, including the complete Tchaikovsky piano music which has been released on CD and is well worth exploring.

[BBMmk2]

If my memory serves me correctly, I do remember. He had the charm and wit about him, all the time.