The new schedule - Saturdays and Sundays

[Nick Armstrong]

I like him. He is an intelligent and thoughtful presenter, who allows guests time to develop their ideas without allowing his ego to dominate.

Agreed, there's a hell of a lot worse out there.

But I've not been following, is this film music slot a permanent weekly feature? ...or just during the current cinematic omni-shambles?

[french frank]

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But I've not been following, is this film music slot a permanent weekly feature? ...or just during the current cinematic omni-shambles?

"Each week, Matthew Sweet’s new film music programme takes music from a new movie release of the week as a starting point to explore a narrative of great film scores. In the first edition at 4pm on Saturday 28 September, Matthew bases his show on the forthcoming re-release of Robin Hardy's cult British film The Wicker Man. On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, Matthew looks back at the film's imaginative score and takes it as a springboard to explore film music which evokes the uneasy and sometimes sinister side of English rural life, as portrayed on the screen.

Featured scores include Sir Gawain And The Green Knight from 1973 with music by Ron Goodwin; Witchfinder General from 1968 with music by Paul Ferris; James Bernard's music for the 1957 Hound Of The Baskervilles; Eric Korngold's music The Adventures Of Robin Hood; Patrick Doyle's Music for Brave; and Jim William's Music for the 2013 film A Field In England. Radio 3 will be asking the audience to join the conversation via #bbcsoundofcinema."

[DracoM]

They axed an almost identical programme some five years ago, IIRC? Edward Seckerson? It got the most fearful bird on this and other R3 forums, and anyway, is directly descended from a R2 programme also axed. So what R2/CFM do yesterday, R3 does tomorrow? Hmm.

Hours and hours of totally undemanding music that almost inevitably invites VISUAL memories?

[Quarky]

Matthew Sweet hosted rather a diverting little Proms Plus discussion on the musical depiction of Space in films, and, periodically, discusses premieres of operas and other matters of musical moment in Night Waves. I like him. He is an intelligent and thoughtful presenter, who allows guests time to develop their ideas without allowing his ego to dominate.

Not familiar with Matthew Sweet, but if his programme is up to the standard of H&N last night (Music Concréte - Walter Murch!), then it will be well worth listening to.

[french frank]

Well, I see that in the first week of the Third Programme, a performance of Sartre's Huis Clos was broadcast starting at 10.00 pm

With Alec Guiness, Donald Pleasence and Beatrix Lehmann! If that was on at 10pm in 1946 I suppose it could be claimed as an 'established' slot if it went on for a year or two.

Mmmm - Huis Clos and Don Pasquale on the same day - and only 6 hours of broadcasting in all.

[Alain Maréchal]

A reminder that Live from the Met is syndicated across the USA, so if you are able to listen online to a station such as the excellent Minnesota Public Radio (and there are many similar) then you will be able to continue to listen. That does not excuse the BBC', but may have had a bearing on their decision. I also am surprised that more use is not made of the output from european stations, except on Through the Night.

[hmvman]

Further news of commissioning for 2014-15:

"Radio 3 will not be commissioning the Music Feature in this round."

I assume that's the excellent Saturday morning strand. Back to an extended CD Review, I suppose.

That's very disappointing. The Music Feature was, for me, one of the most interesting and entertaining programmes on R3.

Most weeks I find at least one item of interest on Music Matters so I hope that programme will fill the Feature slot. I love CD Review but when it was extended to 4 hours a few years ago I thought it was too long and was quite glad when they cut it back and ditched "The Listening Booth" slot.

[mercia]

confusing names
I'm not sure whether Music Matters is the same as Music Feature. They separate them here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0081wb1/episodes/player

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnvx/episodes/player

not to mention the Sunday Feature

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnwp/episodes/player

[french frank]

They are different - Music Matters is an in-house production with a number of short topical items, usually, these days, with Tom Service. The Music Feature is normally an independent production, commissioned after tender, and focusing on one single topic, once a month.

Interestingly, the guide price for the Music Feature for 2009/10 was £3000-£5000 for 44 minutes - once a month. It was specified that it should focus on classical music (not jazz or world) and should not involve travel abroad - hence what was a comparatively low price.

Interesting to compare with the Sunday Feature, which was and is regarded as core arts output (of which there isn't much). That guide price was then (and I think still is, 4-5 years later) either up to £8,500 or up to £10,000 for 44 minutes weekly (price depending on the amount of travel abroad, which was regarded as necessary in many cases. The Sunday Feature continues, the Music Feature doesn't.

It will be interesting to see whether they opt for a weekly in-house Music Matters or an - I would guess - rather cheaper return to the extended CD Review. In a survey we did, most people said they weren't too bothered about the length of CD Review being cut as they tended to listen to specific items rather than the whole programme.

I seem to remember that CD Review was only extended fairly recently, when Music Matters was on later in the day. Then it was cut when MM occupied the pre-lunch slot.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm not sure whether Music Matters is the same as Music Feature.

Music Matters is the weekly (actually, three times a month) magazine programme usually presented by Tom Service. It most regularly consists of three or four items, but occasionally a programme is devoted to a single issue/topic, discussed from different viewpoints.

Music Feature occupies the same Saturday afternoon slot as MusMatt, but is produced independently of the MusMatt team. Feature focuses on a single Music-related topic, with a different writer/authority/performer presenting the main discussion.

Sunday Feature is on Sunday evenings, and isn't confined to Music topics.

Presumably, the new schedules will simply mean an extra edition of Music Matters every month (with, perhaps, an increase in the number of "single issue" programmes)?

EDIT: Snap (-ish), if not snappish enough! Cross-post without the money details frenchie supplies.

[hmvman]

It will be interesting to see whether they opt for a weekly in-house Music Matters or an - I would guess - rather cheaper return to the extended CD Review. In a survey we did, most people said they weren't too bothered about the length of CD Review being cut as they tended to listen to specific items rather than the whole programme.

I seem to remember that CD Review was only extended fairly recently, when Music Matters was on later in the day. Then it was cut when MM occupied the pre-lunch slot.

It would seem a bit odd to have an extended CD Review once a month - unless they were able to incorporate a kind of feature element into that extended edition. The session reports that they sometimes do are often interesting or they could return the guest interview slot that has been dropped over the last few years.

I'm clearly an atypical CD Review listener as I usually listen to the whole programme - albeit time-shifted as I record it to my MP3 player and listen on an as-and-when basis.

[Miriam]

One other point about the opera changes is that pretty well all the Met Saturday matinee operas, the ones R3 used to take, are now being broadcast live to cinema so those interested in them can go and see them not just hear them on R3 (though of course at a cost of £15 or so). I won't be unhappy at the dropping of the Met transmission on R3 if we get a more varied mix of operas from the European houses, and the switch from Saturday to Monday is of no concern for me.

"pretty well all" the matinees are not broadcast to cinemas, they are only doing ten in the whole of this season which is a fairly small proportion. And not everyone lives near a cinema showing them. Having said that I am not over-concerned whether it would be a broadcast on Saturday or Monday as long as the total amount of opera broadcast is not reduced.

[amateur51]

"pretty well all" the matinees are not broadcast to cinemas, they are only doing ten in the whole of this season which is a fairly small proportion. And not everyone lives near a cinema showing them. Having said that I am not over-concerned whether it would be a broadcast on Saturday or Monday as long as the total amount of opera broadcast is not reduced.

Welcome Miriam!

[french frank]

Hello Miriam!

Welcome, and thanks for the info. No, it doesn't much matter whether opera is on Mondays or Saturdays. Though I can't see how the Monday 'Live in Concert' slot will remain live if it's devoted to opera. If some Saturdays will be editions of Opera on 3 it doesn't look as if there will be less opera overall, especially if they have the odd 'Opera Matinee' on weekday afternoons.

Ten per season sounds a fair amount - how many operas does the Met put on per season?

[aeolium]

You're right, I hadn't looked closely at this season's cinema broadcasts which are fewer than last year's. Not all of them were broadcast on R3 either though. I hope there will be a more varied selection from different opera houses in the coming season.