Televised Proms

[french frank]

I think someone mentioned that the live golf was on immediately before the BBC Two broadcast of the First Night, possibly causing a delay. The good news is that there won't be any unexpected delay as the concert begins at 7.30pm and the golf is already scheduled to go on until 8pm. IOW, it looks as if the Prom wasn't even scheduled to be a 'live' broadcast in the normal sense of the word.

Fewer mainstream concerts
Many of them hacked about so that they aren't complete
And possibly only the Last Night 'live' - though one can't even be sure of that.

Someone ought to be raging behind the scenes at this. But, probably they'll be relieved just to keep their jobs

[Richard Tarleton]

This may be heresy, but downloading it to my satellite box hard disc and watching at a time to suit me doesn't bother me. Not watching in real time at least gives the opportunity to fast forward through all the "curating". I really have very low expectations of the BBC these days.

[gradus]

Many thanks for posting the Enigma video, I always find it fascinating to hear orchestras and conductors in unfamiliar (to them ) repertoire, especially in matters of balance and the emergence of lines not always given prominence in more familiar performances and of course vice versa. The woodwind players in particular seemed to enjoy Elgar's writing.

[french frank]

This may be heresy, but downloading it to my satellite box hard disc and watching at a time to suit me doesn't bother me. Not watching in real time at least gives the opportunity to fast forward through all the "curating". I really have very low expectations of the BBC these days.

Well, as far as I can see from the published information, only 4 of the televised 'mainstream' orchestral concerts are actually complete: the first night, the last night, the West-Eastern Divan Orch (44) and the COE with Haitink and Pires (and I'm not 100% sure of that one). The rest of the 'classical' Proms are either 'selected pieces' only (12 of them) or the solo Bach (piano, cello and violin). The two John Wilson Proms (Sinatra and Bernstein) seem complete, the Story of Swing, and the Eric Whitacre.

[Richard Tarleton]

I hadn't appreciated all that from the Radio Times listing - hadn't looked at the (even smaller) print - that really is appalling.

The meaning of "curated" just got clearer.

[french frank]

I hadn't appreciated all that from the Radio Times listing - hadn't looked at the (even smaller) print - that really is appalling.

This is where I got the information. If you do a page search on 'selected', there are 12 Proms which are listed as having 'selected pieces' on the televised broadcast, though the 'information' about the concerts is complete, so you have to guess which pieces have not been 'selected.

But what does this mean, please? 'All untelevised music performed in these Proms will be available to watch online.'?

They include in the shorter list of broadcasts all the 'watch online' Late Night radio Proms (Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6 Music and Asian Network); so what's the difference between 'watch online' for these four, and then saying it will all be available to watch online?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But what does this mean, please? 'All untelevised music performed in these Proms will be available to watch online.'?

I don't know, but I hope that it means that all the works in the concert will be recorded/filmed but that some of the works will be available on the i-Player only. The Beeb has started making quite bit of "i-Player only" content (some of which later appears on "real" telly) - perhaps this is what's going to happen here?

[french frank]

I don't know, but I hope that it means that all the works in the concert will be recorded/filmed but that some of the works will be available on the i-Player only. The Beeb has started making quite bit of "i-Player only" content (some of which later appears on "real" telly) - perhaps this is what's going to happen here?

I see. In other words, it'll be a bit like the new pieces that are cut from the main televised Proms and stitched together later in a late night 'New Music' programme: you'll be making an effort to seek it out, rather than having it served up on a plate?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I see. In other words, it'll be a bit like the new pieces that are cut from the main televised Proms and stitched together later in a late night 'New Music' programme: you'll be making an effort to seek it out, rather than having it served up on a plate?

And when, as a consequence, fewer people watch it, the BBC will abandon the idea.

[MrGongGong]

I see. In other words, it'll be a bit like the new pieces that are cut from the main televised Proms and stitched together later in a late night 'New Music' programme: you'll be making an effort to seek it out, rather than having it served up on a plate?

Not again?

They did that last time
Surely one of the defining things about the Proms IS the new work commissioned?

We could easily afford to lose a bit of Beethoven to hear Shiori's new piece IMV (but I'm biased )

[french frank]

We could easily afford to lose a bit of Beethoven to hear Shiori's new piece IMV (but I'm biased )

You can HEAR it on Radio 3 - that concert isn't being televised anyway

I don't know what gives me the impression you're not very interested in 'classical music' :-)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I see. In other words, it'll be a bit like the new pieces that are cut from the main televised Proms and stitched together later in a late night 'New Music' programme: you'll be making an effort to seek it out, rather than having it served up on a plate?

As I say - I don't know if this will be the case, but if it is, then "yes"

So far the "i-Player-only" content has been (AFAIK) BBC3-type material: short sketches by new comedians, and Peter Kay's rather delightful "Car Share" - although that was also "terrestrialised" within a matter of days.

Transmitting BBC4-type material this way might be seen by the Beeb as a compromise: making the content available, but keeping the terrestrial channels "free" for the history programmes that now take up the majority of BBC4 airtime. Far from ideal, but at least available - I'd much prefer to see a whole concert in the programme that the artists have prepared, rather than this Pick'n'Mix attitude, but better this than nowt.

By the way - is it so much of an "effort" as frenchie and alpie suggest? About half of my viewing and more than three-quarters of my listening is done via i-Player/Listen Again these days. Am I the only one?

[Cockney Sparrow]

You can HEAR it on Radio 3 - that concert isn't being televised anyway

I don't know what gives me the impression you're not very interested in 'classical music' :-)

[MrGongGong]

You can HEAR it on Radio 3 - that concert isn't being televised anyway

I don't know what gives me the impression you're not very interested in 'classical music' :-)

It would be good to see and hear some of the newly commissioned works IMV

[french frank]

By the way - is it so much of an "effort" as frenchie and alpie suggest? About half of my viewing and more than three-quarters of my listening is done via i-Player/Listen Again these days. Am I the only one?

No, I didn't mean that. It's no effort if you know what you want to watch, but it's putting an obstacle in the way of people who would probably not bother if they had to make a bit more effort.

The whole point of adding the new pieces to selected (?) Proms is that people will hear them without making a special effort, if they're at, or watching, the concert anyway.