Wright or Wrong? RW blogs about the cuts....

[rank_and_file]

Osborn

You bemoan: “ It seemed so much better on the old BBC boards”

I forget how long ago the BBC Radio 3 Message Board started. However, I am fairly sure I was woken up by the dulcet tones of Penny Gore normally playing complete works, and between 10 to 12 there were Rob Cowan/Jonathan Swain presenting an interesting and stimulating programme up to 12 noon when Composer of the Week started.

Quite frankly, there was little to complain about in the early days - at least for this listener, and the default setting for all my radios was Radio 3.

However, we soon started to get the full blast of the Roger Wright effect - and message board readers know what that has achieved: certainly up until 12 noon it is comparing chalk to cheese.

I only wish that we did have an excess of really wonderful music, orchestras, conductors, singers, instrumentalists, drama and poetry to comment and discuss, but inspiring programmes now seem very rare.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Actually arancie extracts from the Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream have been among the most broadcast items this years, more than twice as many times as Billy the Kid and Rodeo combined. On the cuts, how much would giving Roger the boot save? Those pointless 'celebrities' must cost a fair bit and I'm sure a decent website could be run on half the budget and be free of the endless errors. How many extra researchers are needed for the likes of KD?

Comparing the current schedule with 20 years ago was plainly stupid. There is absolutely no contest between 20 years ago and today, the 1991 schedulewas far more satisfying than the majority of the current one. As for only 139 comments, I expect the vast majority of us now know that RW would basically ignore them, even if there were 139,000 comments so I expect that the majority ase starting to feel it is a waste of their time.

[johnb]

I thought RW came over as devious, duplicitous and all together loathsome. I rarely get angry even when listening to politicians - but I did in this case.

Previously I had some sympathy for the man assuming he was doing a difficult job attempting to hold the line but now I can see that he is eager to take R3 in the CFM direction.

It isn't only the pre-noon schedule that is dumbed down (yes I know that many people detest the expression, but I think it applies) but the rest of the schedule is almost entirely dominated by mid nineteenth to (the easily accessible) mid twentieth century 'warhorses'.

It is so very, very sad.

[teamsaint]

I thought RW came over as devious, duplicitous and all together loathsome. I rarely get angry even when listening to politicians - but I did in this case.

Previously I had some sympathy for the man assuming he was doing a difficult job attempting to hold the line but now I can see that he is eager to take R3 in the CFM direction.

It isn't only the pre-noon schedule that is dumbed down (yes I know that many people detest the expression, but I think it applies) but the rest of the schedule is almost entirely dominated by mid nineteenth to (the easily accessible) mid twentieth century 'warhorses'.

It is so very, very sad.

well it would be interesting to see if you are right. (though I am not doubting it).

perhaps SuffolkCoastal (for it is he who does these things I think?) can verify that variety of the "playlists" is suffering. Sure feels like it.

[arancie33]

Actually arancie extracts from the Mendelssohn Midsummer Nights Dream have been among the most broadcast items this years, more than twice as many times as Billy the Kid and Rodeo combined.

Then I must have missed them! But, and for me it's a big but, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra played all the music, with Shakespeare's text interwoven, and that made a big difference. It was not just an excerpt between blather and prattle.

[Bryn]

Then I must have missed them! But, and for me it's a big but, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra played all the music, with Shakespeare's text interwoven, and that made a big difference. It was not just an excerpt between blather and prattle.

Damn it! The iPlayer is yet again only offering the low data rate version, with no 192kbps aac option.

[Ventilhorn]

He completely missed the point about celebrities on Breakfast raised late on in the programme by one of the listeners. That listener argued against the trend on both TV and radio to have celebrities brought on to talk about things that were outside their main field of knowledge (e.g. the mathematician du Sautoy). Wright did not understand that the point at issue was not whether these were celebrities or not but whether they had anything useful to say about the music. The listener had pointed out rightly that in the past R3 had not used celebrities (or public figures) in this way but now it was becoming increasingly frequent.

A quite feeble performance, flustered, petulant and dismissive.

When we were informed that Roger Wright was to take over the stewardship of Radio 3, nobody told us that his middle name was "Always"

VH

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm much with Ventilhorn & probably some others, disappointed that ex Proms, there is so little interest in discussing the content of programmes, the live performances, personal experiences & recommendations etc. There's just so little enthusiasm here now (except the FoR3 agenda). It seemed so much better on the old BBC boards.

Bowing to your superior knowledge of the listening habits of "average wrinkled 60-year-olds", I concede the point that (in my case at least) valid and proportionate crticisms of the dire and risible content and presentation of the Morning programmes ( or, if you prefer, "day-in, day-out, all day moaning" ) has overshadowed enthusiasm for the many excellent things that R3 does. Music Matters, The Early Music Show, Hear & Now, Discovering Music ( ... ooops!)Composer of the Week are all superb programmes in the best traditions of Radio 3: and there have been many splendid afternoon and evening broadcast concerts that have been neglected on these Boards. (Mea culpa: I had intended to start one on the Belcea Quartet concert broadcast on Monday night.)

But this "negative" emphasis is surely understandable at a time when the Controller of R3 is about to "answer" his critics (135, I would submit, can be regarded as "many") - albeit on R4!
And his manner of responding entirely merits the dismay and anger expressed on this Thread. What else would you have us do? Disrupt Live concerts with shouts of "Reform the Morning schedules"? Chain ourselves to the railings of RW's house? Keep quiet and let the BBC think that everyone is happy?

So ....

did you hear the Belceas? Pretty damn good, but so disappointing that they didn't give Op 130 its "proper" finale, didn't you think?

Best Wishes.

[french frank]

I enjoyed this contribution - apparently from a fellow cit of mine - suggesting that if R3's news snippets are placed at regular intervals to remind R4 listeners of what might be available on the other side for them to investigate, R4 might reciprocally have similar snippets at 15-minute intervals to inform their R3 listeners as to what is available on this side.

I liked the next comment too, suggesting that a Radio 3 Extra might broadcast Roger's schedules from 20 years ago!

[Ariosto]

did you hear the Belceas? Pretty damn good, but so disappointing that they didn't give Op 130 its "proper" finale, didn't you think?

Best Wishes.

I also heard it and was waiting for someone to start a thread about the concert.

Unlike you i was very dissapointed with the performances, and I've heard them in the recent past live (though never convinced about their Beethoven). I though Ms Belcea had a really off night, and unusually so did the viola - and I've never liked the cellist.

It's probably a bit much to expect a programme to end with the Grosse Fugue (Grocer's Fudge - Bryn!) -especially after Op 18 No 3 D major (sometimes called No 1) - quite a challenge in itself, and then followed by Op 74 the Harp, followed by Op 130 all mvts and then the GFudge.

I can tell you that the demands made by 2 hours of music with these quartets are extreme, and the technical and musical difficulties are pretty demanding. So it would have been foolish in my opinion to do this. (Include the GF -Apparently they were considering it but gave in to common sense).

I liked the playing of the new second fiddle a lot, and he is a huge improvement on the previous member. I wish they had the original cellist - he was so much better too.

[french frank]

It's probably a bit much to expect a programme to end with the Grosse Fugue (Grocer's Fudge - Bryn!) -especially after Op 18 No 3 D major (sometimes called No 1) - quite a challenge in itself, and then followed by Op 74 the Harp, followed by Op 130 all mvts and then the GFudge.

I am confused This is Monday's evening concert? They announced it as, Beethoven: String Quartet in B flat, Op.130 Op.133. And I thought that was the point of having Stephen Johnson talking about Op 133 beforehand in the interval? Or did he discuss the Finale: Allegro instead?

[Off topic here - no wonder Ossie thinks no one ever discusses the performances: they do, but under the thread called, My Favourite Beetroot Recipe, or How Often Do You Clean Your Shoes? &c &c]

[tony yyy]

According to the programme on the iPlayer, they decided to play the second finale at the last moment. An earlier performance of Op 133 was broadcast separately after the concert.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It's probably a bit much to expect a programme to end with the Grosse Fugue (Grocer's Fudge - Bryn!) -especially after Op 18 No 3 D major (sometimes called No 1) - quite a challenge in itself, and then followed by Op 74 the Harp, followed by Op 130 all mvts and then the GFudge.

I can tell you that the demands made by 2 hours of music with these quartets are extreme, and the technical and musical difficulties are pretty demanding. So it would have been foolish in my opinion to do this. (Include the GF -Apparently they were considering it but gave in to common sense).

Oh, yes; my "so disappointment" arose only because of the advertised "finale" - I've never heard the Grocer's Fumes played as originally intended except on records: I was looking forward to see if it could be pulled off successfully. (Poor choice of expression: it was "pulled off"!) The "compromise" of playing the Belceas in Op 133 afterwards worked well, especially after a particularly good Discovering Music.

By the way, Ari, did you hear the Brentano's cheeky performance of Op59, no3 on Thursday lunchtime?

Best Wishes.

[aeolium]

I'm glad to hear the replacement finale to op 130 - it's hard to find any quartet willing to play it these days.

[teamsaint]

Oh, yes; my "so disappointment" arose only because of the advertised "finale" - I've never heard the Grocer's Fumes played as originally intended except on records: I was looking forward to see if it could be pulled off successfully. (Poor choice of expression: it was "pulled off"!) The "compromise" of playing the Belceas in Op 133 afterwards worked well, especially after a particularly good Discovering Music.

By the way, Ari, did you hear the Brentano's cheeky performance of Op59, no3 on Thursday lunchtime?

Best Wishes.

sorry to butt in here, but I caught the last movement of op59 no3, and was absolutely blown away by it. \i happily admit to being no kind of an expert, but this rendition certainly got me "into " the work. i have a version which hasn't been out of my Cd player since.

Did you rate this performance?