Proms afternoon repeats...

[Nick Armstrong]

Is it normal that R3 stops repeating the Proms concerts on weekday afternoon once the actual season is over? I could have sworn that the afternoon repeats carried on until all concerts had been re-broadcast.

This year, at any rate, they seem to be cutting and pasting various performances in ways which make no sense to me, unless it is at the behest of the 'schedulers'.

I was looking forward to hearing again the Howells/Elgar prom I attended, largely so I can record it from DAB and compare the quality with the iPlayer version.

One finds that the concert has been sliced in two, and the two halves paired up with other BBC performances.

On Monday at 2pm is this programme:


Episode 1 of 4, BBC Orchestras - Summer Sounds
DURATION: 2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES
Penny Gore launches Afternoon on 3's new season with summer sounds from BBC Orchestras. Featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's concerts at the 2012 Edinburgh International Festival; a sultry live concert from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; a British blockbuster Prom from the BBC Symphony Orchestra; and an expedition with several of the orchestras into the countryside and mountains of central Europe. The week also sets the scene for a particular focus on British music and British performers all winter in Afternoon on 3, culminating in special weeks focusing on the music of Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten in March and June 2013.

We begin today with a second chance to hear Martyn Brabbins conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (among others) in what was, remarkably, the first-ever Proms performance of Herbert Howells' masterpiece Hymnus Paradisi. Then the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Josep Pons take over the stage - or should that be 'pit'? - for a complete performance of Tchaikovsky's great Nutcracker ballet, given a couple of weeks ago at the Edinburgh Festival.

Howells: Hymnus Paradisi
Miah Persson (soprano),
Andrew Kennedy (tenor),
London Philharmonic Choir,
BBC Symphony Chorus,
BBC Symphony Orchestra,
Martyn Brabbins (conductor).

c. 2.45pm
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (complete ballet)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra,
Josep Pons (conductor)

Then two days later, on Wednesday at 2pm, the Elgar crops up alongside some Bloch:

Episode 3 of 4, BBC Orchestras - Summer Sounds
DURATION: 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES
Penny Gore launches Afternoon on 3's new season with summer sounds from the BBC Orchestras. Today there's a second chance to hear Martyn Brabbins conduct Elgar's First Symphony at the 2012 Proms, plus cellist Natalie Clein joins the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for a brand-new recording of one of Ernest Bloch's Jewish-inspired masterpieces.

Elgar: Symphony no. 1 in A flat major
BBC Symphony Orchestra,
Martyn Brabbins (conductor).

c. 2.55pm
Ernest Bloch: Voice in the Wilderness
Natalie Clein (cello),
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra,
Ilan Volkov (conductor)

Anyone see any logic in reworking the (presumably thoughtful) programming of the original concerts?

[aeolium]

Anyone see any logic in reworking the (presumably thoughtful) programming of the original concerts?

Not really, although it has been going on with other concerts on Ao3 (outside the Proms season) for a long time now. This year the practice has also crept into the lunchtime concerts, e.g. with recordings of the Cheltenham Festival concerts, three concerts would be spliced up and mixed together to make four lunchtime broadcasts. There is slightly more justification in doing that in that the 1-hour lunchtime slot is not long enough for a normal 90-minute concert, but I can't really see why in those circumstances the start of Ao3 could not be put back. It does seem to be part of a move towards a more pick-and-mix schedule on R3 - the only slots than can now be generally relied on to broadcast whole concerts are the Monday Wigmore Hall lunchtime recital and the evening Po3.

I hate this practice but it is all part of Delivering Quality First, I suppose

[french frank]

Is it normal that R3 stops repeating the Proms concerts on weekday afternoon once the actual season is over? I could have sworn that the afternoon repeats carried on until all concerts had been re-broadcast.

Not last year, anyway. The first Monday featured:

"From this autumn, Afternoon on 3 features enhanced coverage of the BBC's orchestras and the BBC Singers - launched this week by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. They start with a performance celebrating Sir Henry Wood in the wake of the BBC Proms..."

[Roehre]

Is it normal that R3 stops repeating the Proms concerts on weekday afternoon once the actual season is over? I could have sworn that the afternoon repeats carried on until all concerts had been re-broadcast.

For at least the last four years the last seven or so concerts were not repeated the week following the LNOTP.

This year, at any rate, they seem to be cutting and pasting various performances in ways which make no sense to me, unless it is at the behest of the 'schedulers'.

At least some of it is repeated, which is more than we got the last couples of years. Then we had to wait until the festive season, especially the week before and following New Year's day to have them repeated (unless there is a Mozart fest going on, that is )