Essential Classics??

[Roehre]

One thing that does intrigue me in this "debate" and I refer to Old Grumpy's fine post on the other, parallel, thread - do none of the Anti Breakfast/Essential Classics brigade "listen" to music while they spend, what must be a not inconsiderable amount of, time on these Boards?

I certainly don't.
I have to plan (i.e. fitting in the agenda for the day) time I reserve for listening to music, either from R3 or from my own collection. Just "checking" this board when I'm behind the computer, and reply when I've got the time.
But even before the necessity of "planning" arose, I hardly listened for more than 2 hours a day anyway, which most of the time is what I am listening now as well.

[antongould]

I certainly don't.
I have to plan (i.e. fitting in the agenda for the day) time I reserve for listening to music, either from R3 or from my own collection. Just "checking" this board when I'm behind the computer, and reply when I've got the time.
But even before the necessity of "planning" arose, I hardly listened for more than 2 hours a day anyway, which most of the time is what I am listening now as well.

I suspected as much Roehre it must be wonderful to have such an organised life.........one day perhaps! But for the moment I catch what I can when I can and that means shamefully listening to R3 when I work, build Star Wars spaceships, do chores for Lady Gould etc. etc. Can I say finding out what you have been listening to each evening is part of this, (well it hardly be called) routine - thank you for sharing it.

[mercia]

off with the radio and on with the CD player

judging by the number of threads and posts on this forum about CDs and people's impressive CD collections I would say that the majority of members don't listen to Radio 3 anyway

[Roehre]

I suspected as much Roehre it must be wonderful to have such an organised life.........one day perhaps! But for the moment I catch what I can when I can and that means shamefully listening to R3 when I work, build Star Wars spaceships, do chores for Lady Gould etc. etc. Can I say finding out what you have been listening to each evening is part of this, (well it hardly be called) routine - thank you for sharing it.

I am afraid that just "marking" time for listening is the only way to make sure that I will be able to do so. Otherwise Mrs Roehre's and my work would completely drown us and suck up all our "quality time" .
Or: basically it is creating some space in an ungoing chaos

[Dave2002]

I have no choice for music but Radio 3 but there's nothing now that has enough depth to tempt me. If I just want a bit of music, I might as well put on a CD of my own. The whole point about Radio 3 was that it was part of catering for all audiences. But it no longer does.

ff

Have you really no other choices? For radio can't you pick up many of the foreign radio stations via t'Internet? What do you want radio for anyway? Is it to listen to music you know already, when it's on? If so, you could listen to CDs, or use Spotify, Napster or classical.com to find the music and even performances which you yourself don't have on CD or other media. Is it to discover new music, or performances unknown to you? Again, there are perhaps other ways than listening to the radio, though maybe you feel that listening to presenters such as Andrew McGregor, Rob Cowan etc. is more likely to get to performances/pieces which you'd like to hear, rather than asking the first man in the street.

I was surprised a couple of days ago while trying to set up Spotify playlist sharing for someone else, that another member of our music society who has become a Spotify enthusiast has been listening to pieces by Peter Maxwell Davies. This from someone who I suspect didn't listen to much modern music before I subjected her, and others, to Xenakis and George Crumb. I was very surprised at how quickly she took to Spotify, and more so to the fact that she has been actively looking out for modern music I've not yet found. So social networking sites (including of course this one) can also be a way of finding new material.

Back to the radio questions .... Is it because there are informative programmes on radio which are difficult to get any other way? Perhaps, though often the material is available in books, magazines and journals.

Unfortunately I also think that radio may be an age related medium. Many of the young people I know don't listen to radio, and actually many say that they don't watch TV either.

Back to your personal needs - I'd guess that access to some Internet stations would really fill in some of the gaps, though obviously if all stations go the way that you may feel the BBC is going, then in the long run that will not be possible. The news from Canada suggests that this might be a problem. In the meantime Australian radio, France Musique and some other Belgium and German stations are still worth listening to, and some do have critical analysis content too, though obviously you need a knowledge of languages to be able to enjoy some of the talk shows. the music can however be enjoyed. Try SR P2, Norwegian Radio, or Dutch R4 for some really good music. There are even some from the USA :) , though the sound quality here is not always so good.

Radio is becoming a social medium - perhaps it always was- but now it clearly is, with differentiated social groupings. It's not just about you knowing what you want and radio providing a delivery vehicle, as there are now more and more ways of achieving that. It provides some form of interaction between "you" and society.

PS: For those interested (Anton ...), on this occasion I am "listening" to CD Review on my iPad in a hotel room as I type this. Normally I don't think I multi-task this way, and often type without any background noise/music. The choral piece now - around 10.10 am is striking. - I might try to listen to it again - Florent Schmidt - serendipitous find.

PPS: You can see my current Spotify playlists by typing spotify:user:dave2010uk into the search box in the full version of Spotify - doesn't work AFAIK in the mobile versions.

[Panjandrum]

You're wasting your time, Barber-Olly. It's already been decided that this is dumbing-down, ahead of the actual broadcasts.

Do I need to watch EastEnders to know it's going to be a complete load of !@%£! ?

[antongould]

Dave
Funnily enough I was/am listening to the same thing while I try to amuse a grandson and tidy the bleeding kitchen - needs must but a fascinating post - cheers.

[french frank]

Have you really no other choices?

The point, though, isn't it, is that the BBC isn't offering anything. And it certainly isn't offering what it used to. And traditional 'linear' radio is quite different from the 'pick 'n' mix' of internet listening. No sitting downstairs in comfort (CDs are better). And if international stations can provide such programmes online, why can't the BBC? And a very important part of Radio 3 was the 'added value' of the words surrounding the music. Now it's the 'subtracted value' of triviality. And my Hungarian and Swedish isn't really up to coping with any interesting background information.

Popular radio always has been a 'social medium'. I remember Sunday afternoons when I was a child, half listening to the Light Programme with my family, not knowing that the Third Programme even existed, and not having the background to have appreciated it if I had found it.

The whole point about it being the BBC is that the BBC has such a vast portfolio of radio and television but its 'mission' to reach everyone by being 'accessible' means it doesn't begin to reach the audience for whom 'accessibility' means starting the 'journey' from the beginning - at best; at worst it means triviality and easy listening.

[Al R Gando]

at worst it means triviality and easy listening.

Do you really call Sibelius 2 "trivial"? In a rare recording which is inaccessible to many? Methinks thou dost protest too much!

[french frank]

Do you really call Sibelius 2 "trivial"? In a rare recording which is inaccessible to many? Methinks thou dost protest too much!

No, but I'm not talking about Sibelius 2. How can you possibly detach one tiny detail and present it triumphantly as evidence that a whole argument is flawed?

[french frank]

The 'guest's questionnaire' is what I meant by triviality:

The Essential Classics Questionnaire

1 - What was the first piece of classical music you can remember hearing?
2 - What piece first stimulated your interest in classical music
3 - What was the first classical record/CD you bought yourself?
4 - Do you have a favourite performer, and what piece would you choose to hear him/her/them play?
5 - If you could choose to be a virtuoso on any instrument, what would it be, and what piece would you like to play?
6 - Is there a piece you can play, or would like to play yourself?
7 - Do you have a favourite composer – and a favourite piece by him/her?
8 - What piece of music do you use to relax to?
9 - What piece of music makes you glad to be alive?
10 - What piece of music would you listen to on a journey (car/train/plane)?
11 - Is there a piece that you find particularly moving?
12 - Is there a piece that reminds you of a particular place?
13 - Is there a piece that makes you laugh?
14 - Can you work while listening to music, and what piece would you choose, and why?
15 - If you are entertaining friends, is there a particular piece you would put on?
16 - Is there a piece that you think should be more widely known – a hidden gem?
17 - Is there a piece of film or TV music that has particularly affected you?
18 - If you could step back in time to hear a great performer who’s no longer with us, who would it be, and what piece would you choose to hear?
19 - If we gave you an orchestra/choir/soloists, what piece would you choose to conduct?
20 - What piece of music do you want played at your funeral/to be remembered by?

[Dave2002]

. And my Hungarian and Swedish isn't really up to coping with any interesting background information.

http://www3.surrey.ac.uk/languages/R...es/swedish.htm for example. Bet there's something near you.

Hungarian is a harder proposition, but also possible.

French and German and perhaps Spanish are easier for many, though in the UK we maybe pride ourselves on not being able to speak or understand any foreign languages. I'm sure it doesn't apply to you.

[Serial_Apologist]

If I just want a bit of music, I might as well put on a CD of my own. The whole point about Radio 3 was that it was part of catering for all audiences. But it no longer does.

If this is not too personal, French frank, one might well ask rhetorically what CD of your own you might be considering putting on, were it not for the informative role R3 in the past played in informing your Cd/LP collection?

[Al R Gando]

18 - If you could step back in time to hear a great performer who’s no longer with us, who would it be, and what piece would you choose to hear?

Trivial? Really?

# Perotin performing "Viderunt Omnes" at Notre Dame on Christmas Day 1198
# Corelli playing his own Concerti Grossi
# Senesino singing the title role in Handel's "Radamisto"
# Beethoven playing the Hammerklavier sonata
# Schubert accompanying "Der Hirt am Felsen"
# Cardew's "The Great Learning"
# Donnerstag from "Licht" (now that's one I actually attended!)
# The premiere of "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk"
# The opening night of "Seven Deadly Sins Of Ordinary People"

Why should the pleasure and delight we gain from engaging with music be trivial? Surely it's at the very heart of what R3 is supposed to be doing?

[french frank]

If this is not too personal, French frank, one might well ask rhetorically what CD of your own you might be considering putting on, were it not for the informative role R3 in the past played in informing your Cd/LP collection?

S-A, Well, as I'm not imposing my views on the Radio 3 radio audience

One of the memorable Private Passions was with Frances Partridge (of the Bloomsbury group). After that I bought Strauss's Metamorphosen which I'd never heard of, and the batty Nadia Boulanger Monteverdi madrigals, which I still love.

I don't think I'd ever really discovered chamber music at all until I started listening to R3. Now I much prefer it to orchestral/symphonic works.