Televised Proms

[Lento]

Perhaps we need to be more tolerant of new music rather than less, and to accept that a) new music may be harder for us to acclimatise to, and b) new music has not gone through the sieve of time, so there will probably be some "duds" among the "gems".

[MrGongGong]

Perhaps we need to be more tolerant of new music rather than less, and to accept that a) new music may be harder for us to acclimatise to, and b) new music has not gone through the sieve of time, so there will probably be some "duds" among the "gems".

"We" ?

I don't by the "sieve of time" argument at all.
Longevity isn't necessarily a mark of quality.

[Master Jacques]

Thank you Caliban for the link to such and interesting - and scary - piece.

It would be instructive, I think, to compare the quantity of music by living vs. dead composers played in the 1964 Proms, against 2014. I suspect the decline on the "living" side would not succeed in shaming the brood of time-servers, marketing suits and mediocrities currently paid to bully the long-suffering R3 employees into populist submission.

The idea of "public service broadcasting" is in really serious trouble.

[french frank]

Longevity isn't necessarily a mark of quality.

Nor necessarily a disqualification. But aren't you reversing the argument? Music that is heard and forgotten within a few months or years does have problems, if only that there may be a large quantity of similar works vying to be considered 'unjustly neglected'.

But I do think it's important that when new work is being performed, it is absolutely necessary to give it proper attention - moreso than 'classic' works that have already 'passed the test of time'.

[kernelbogey]

[...]the brood of time-servers, marketing suits and mediocrities currently paid to bully the long-suffering R3 employees into populist submission.

The idea of "public service broadcasting" is in really serious trouble.

[Lento]

Longevity isn't necessarily a mark of quality.

Agreed. And some good pieces fall out of repertory, i expect. But I still think that part of the "sieve of time" effect is to eliminate some poor works, though you could argue it's more by co-incidence/luck, I guess.

[mercia]

........ so just to recap. - "new works" have been televised, is that right? at least that seems to be the case looking at this two-page list. However most have time-expired.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b007v097?page=1

EDIT - bit confused now - Sonance Severance was available for 12 days from 20 August, so should have expired ......... but hasn't Caroline Mathilde available for 8 days from 15 August - but apparently still there.

[aeolium]

I think it may be more confusing than that, mercia. Some new works have been broadcast on TV, e.g. the Adams Saxophone Concerto which was on the live broadcast the other day, but some AFAIK have been recorded as part of a TV broadcast and not actually broadcast during the TV programme but available to watch on iplayer (like the Birtwhistle Sonance Severance).

Still confused? So am I.......

[mercia]

EDIT - bit confused now - Sonance Severance was available for 12 days from 20 August, so should have expired ......... but hasn't Caroline Mathilde available for 8 days from 15 August - but apparently still there.

just realised that 8 days means 8 days from now not 8 days from 15 August (I think)

[DracoM]

Series of letters in today's [6.9.14] Guardian on this very topic sparked by a silly interview given by a 'BBC spokesperson'.

[VodkaDilc]

Series of letters in today's [6.9.14] Guardian on this very topic sparked by a silly interview given by a 'BBC spokesperson'.

..........including an ex-BBC employee putting the boot in.

[mercia]

looks like there was an article, to which presumably the letters are responding

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/02/bbc-accused-cutting-new-music-tv-proms

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/05/bbc-proms-coverage-new-music

oh well, they seem to have put all the 'contemporary' in one place

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p025z35y

[Blotto]

A pleasant TV oddity here, compiled from three different shows - BBC Proms Masterworks: Maxwell Davies and Birtwistle.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04gwh4r/bbc-proms-2014-season-bbc-proms-masterworks-maxwell-davies-and-birtwistle

I can't find a list of the pieces anywhere so they're itemised below. All of the pieces are introduced fairly quietly by Tom Service; the PMD pieces are from the stage with the composer while the HB (from 57") are from the studio with Gillian Moore.

Maxwell Davies:

Ebb of Winter - 3' 30"
Strathclyde Concerto No 4 for clarinet - 24' 45"

Birtwistle:

Sonance Severance 2000 - 1hr 1' 45"
Night's Black Bird - 1hr 12' 30"

Maxwell Davies:

An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise 1hr 26' 45"

[maestro267]

They may have broadcast more contemporary works in the last 2 weeks, but that still doesn't change the shameful stance BBC TV took during the previous weeks of the season.

[Nick Armstrong]

that still doesn't change the shameful stance BBC TV took during the previous weeks of the season.

Yes... the priorities seem to be elsewhere...