BBC Young Musician on Four

[french frank]

Her Wikipedia article says she was a 'co-founder' of the Aurora Orchestra, but I think it must mean a 'founding member' (if she was) which isn't quite the same thing. The co-founders were Nicholas Collon and Robin Ticciati. Chutzpah?

[teamsaint]

Well spotted. It just makes the whole thing so dismally depressing. 'Thing' being classical music. I'm sure that it went on in 'the Good Old Days' (whenever they were) but it didn't seem so rampant then.

But then I'm feeling a bit maudlin as the only greengrocer in the town has just closed after 20 years of trading. Malvern District Council....you are killing the town. Sorry..bit off-topic.

and to stay off topic, if anybody can afford to pay business rates, rent and make a living selling fruit and veg on a UK high st, it is a miracle.......sorry your local greengrocer has gone RM. A Big hand for all our governments.

[Chris Newman]

it makes her wide open to the charge of being the beneficiary of nepotism.

Pretty unusual in the media world

I don't know. Quite a few familiar names amongst the younger News Correspondents: Mike Sergeant and Roland Buerk to name a couple. Mind you, their dads were so charming as members of the Press Corps it is nice to see a bit of continuity.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

: - were it not for the existence of Sky, some of us would not get a digital TV or radio signal at all. It's nothing to do with what you think of News Corp, or the Murdochs, or phone hacking - it's to do with getting a picture on your TV screen, or digital radio signal, or not. It's satellite or nothing. There is no longer an analogue signal (which was crap anyway), and it's impossible to get Freeview or cable.

No, but there is Freesat, which I use without paying a penny to the Murdochs. And the digital signal is more vulnerable to weather conditions than the analogue signal ever was. We still have the analogue signal here, even though it was officially swtiched off some months ago. Most mysterious. I can only presume it's from a different region.

But getting back on topic....

[Nick Armstrong]

Calibs it's only fair to issue a Lang Lang alert...he makes a brief appearance...

.... and it seemed no accident that the youth who was emoting all over the place and pulling soulful, gurning faces (almost unwatchably so), was the one who had been tutored by 2Langs

[Panjandrum]

and is "Sky plussed" a verb ?

It's what is known as a neologism. Language evolves over time and with usage. I thought you, of all people GG, would have known that.

To Skyplus (or to V+ for us Virgins ) is what enables one to watch what one wants, when one wants, without ads, without trailers, without the gush. I find programes take half as long as advertised to watch as a result.

[VodkaDilc]

In this household, the verb "to Sky-plus" has replaced the verb "to video".

[Panjandrum]

In this household, the verb "to Sky-plus" has replaced the verb "to video".

Ah, you hyphenate it Vods? I suppose standardisation has yet to be achieved.

[ardcarp]

the youth who was emoting all over the place and pulling soulful, gurning faces

...I wouldn't mind being able to play the piano like that though, even if the trade-off was a bit of facial plasticity.

[Richard Tarleton]

.... and it seemed no accident that the youth who was emoting all over the place and pulling soulful, gurning faces (almost unwatchably so), was the one who had been tutored by 2Langs

Yes - it's the sort of thing which his regular teacher should have beaten out of him. Brendel talked amusingly about how his wife made him watch himself on film, which helped him to curb his own excesses. It's actually a misdirection of effort.

[ardcarp]

It's actually a misdirection of effort.

I'm not sure about that. Whilst 'emoting' may not be to everyone's taste, it is the musical outcome that matters, and the musical outcome is not just a load of notes in the right order. Some players may be able to achieve their fantastic sensitivity of touch and phrasing without 'emoting' but for others it is clearly a way of achieving what they want.

Leaving facial expressions aside, I do like to see musical groups (string quartets, choirs, whatever) using some body-language as they perform. It may be seen by some as 'a misdirection of effort' but I'm pretty sure it helps both the cohesion and emotional commitment of the performance.

OK tell me I'm talking b******s, someone.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm not sure about that. Whilst 'emoting' may not be to everyone's taste, it is the musical outcome that matters, and the musical outcome is not just a load of notes in the right order. Some players may be able to achieve their fantastic sensitivity of touch and phrasing without 'emoting' but for others it is clearly a way of achieving what they want.

Leaving facial expressions aside, I do like to see musical groups (string quartets, choirs, whatever) using some body-language as they perform. It may be seen by some as 'a misdirection of effort' but I'm pretty sure it helps both the cohesion and emotional commitment of the performance.

OK tell me I'm talking b******s, someone.

For me music is primarily a listening exprience - so that cuts out the whole point of opera for me - all that gurning and chest puffing stuff - unless, for me, the music stands on its feet unsupported by "visuals". And I suspect that this is the same for many.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

er you might ask the Lindsay Quartet about the first violinist? extraordinary amount of bodily expression ....

i still like the fifth pianist the most

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Clifford Curzon was dreadful to watch, but what a superb player he was.
Heinz Holliger had the control of the oboe like no other, yet he looked grotesque on occasions when he played.

[french frank]

Interesting to compare with Brendel's pupil/protégé, Kit Armstrong. Plenty of movement in the body but an unchanging facial expression.

(He's also studying pure maths ...)