Lopa's Music Planet

[johncorrigan]

Great to hear Uncle Max on this week's show talking about his friend, the Algerian pianist and composer Maurice El Médioni, who died recently. Also on the show was a great piece recorded by, who else, Ian Brennan in Rohingya Refugee Camp, and a very fine piece of music it was.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001zggq

[johncorrigan]

I was interested to hear Music Planet's Road Trip to Goa. To my ears the music sounded like it had come from much further east...Pacific Islands kept springing to mind - that sort of romantic sound of warm beaches, sunshine and Ocean.
I enjoyed AC BC Project featuring the excellent voice of Zoumana Tereta. Enjoyable show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001znsr

[LeWoiDeWeigate]

Full deets of all the changes here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/new-classical-music-programming-tv-radio

Watch out for Jools H. on a Sat. afternoon. I shall be watching a fascinating shade of paint harden.

So I'm not the only one who thinks Jools H is a vacuous, mediocre nobody? The programmes so far have been beyond awful....

Really concerned that the one outing of non WAM/Jazz on R3 is now possibly at an even worse time than the previously worst Friday evening. What would Charlie make of it???

[eighthobstruction]

....his manner of introducing music is extremely vacuous [as said]....he limps with his mouth when intruducing and uses the same adjectives often; and cliche adjectives at that....Saturday is spoiled from 9.00am onwards....Jules tosses words with little regard [as do I] ....he is a ......

A regular [sic] presenter would announce "this piece by Bach is such and such".....Jules feels the need to say "Here's a marvellous piece by the wonderful composer Bach"

However that news flash of which you speak is from several months ago...

[johncorrigan]

On Saturday evening's 'Music Planet', Lopa took us to the Druga Godba Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, for its 40th anniversary. A thoroughly enjoyable show, from the madness of Kimmo Pohjonen & Mats Gustafsson to the gentle lyrical beauty of Georgia's Pankisi Ensemble. There was also a guy playing what is reckoned to be the oldest musical instrument known to have been made by a Neanderthal, which was found in Slovenia. Very enjoyable programme and Lopa seriously enjoying herself. Sounded great there.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00209mn

[Globaltruth]

I’m tempted JC… do you get a reward for dragging in extra listeners?

[johncorrigan]

I’m tempted JC… do you get a reward for dragging in extra listeners?

I tell you what ,GT; she had me thinking that this was the festival to go to if you were looking for such an outing. For an old codger like me, no mean feat, I can assure you. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

[johncorrigan]

Not sure if this is some kind of record, but I enjoyed this week's 'World Planet'...that makes two in a row. Very interesting and moving to hear about the plight of the Yazidi people, many still living in camps in Kurdistan, ten years after they fled Daesh. The Yazidi Women's Choir performed a half dozen songs recorded in Maida Vale. Some other fine tunes in there including some excellent Tarantella.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020hv6

[Globaltruth]

Not sure if this is some kind of record, but I enjoyed this week's 'World Planet'...that makes two in a row. Very interesting and moving to hear about the plight of the Yazidi people, many still living in camps in Kurdistan, ten years after they fled Daesh. The Yazidi Women's Choir performed a half dozen songs recorded in Maida Vale. Some other fine tunes in there including some excellent Tarantella.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020hv6

Whilst I appreciated their plight I found their songs repetitive - maybe I just have a low tolerance. Lopa is better when she has something meaningful to talk about, and their story was.

[johncorrigan]

I got a bit caught out yesterday as there was an hour and twenty-nine minutes for Lopa's Music Planet instead of the usual fifty-nine. It was a WOMAD spesh. Terrific to hear the Gnawa of Asmâa Hamzaoui - bet that was great to see live - she sounds brilliant. I keep thinking she sounds Ethiopian, funnily enough. Lopa also played a recording of Toumani performing 'Alla Lake' from a few years back at WOMAD - a wonderful tribute to the great man. She also nicked a recording of Pat Thomas from Cerys' programme last Sunday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021jp2

[LeWoiDeWeigate]

it was a WOMAD spesh. Terrific to hear the Gnawa of Asmâa Hamzaoui - bet that was great to see live - she sounds brilliant. I keep thinking she sounds Ethiopian, funnily enough.

It was amazing to see live but there was also an outing from Simo Laganwi's latest collaboration the Gnawa Blue's All-Stars. Don't know if that will make it to an MP edition...

WOMAD this year really was quite something though and the Beeb could fill their boots with recordings if they wanted to. The Pankisi Ensemble are def worth an aural squint as are Lina, Sauljaljui and Mestizo.

What I thought was very sad to see though was that the BBC had absolutely no presence on site other than the most interesting stage is named after their most high-profile World Music proponent (although it used to be called the 'Radio 3 Charlie Gillett stage' and the Radio 3 has been dropped). There was no Radio 3 studio, no live OB, no BBC Introducing, no publicity tent. And we're down to a handful of R3 programmes instead of live coverage from site. For the past few years Lopa has been MC on the MainStage and we've lost the knowledgable presenters on the R3 stage (used to be MAK, Lopa, Max Reinhardt and Lucy Duran - now it is Lula Mebrahtu...).

[johncorrigan]

It was amazing to see live but there was also an outing from Simo Laganwi's latest collaboration the Gnawa Blue's All-Stars. Don't know if that will make it to an MP edition...

WOMAD this year really was quite something though and the Beeb could fill their boots with recordings if they wanted to. The Pankisi Ensemble are def worth an aural squint as are Lina, Sauljaljui and Mestizo.

What I thought was very sad to see though was that the BBC had absolutely no presence on site other than the most interesting stage is named after their most high-profile World Music proponent (although it used to be called the 'Radio 3 Charlie Gillett stage' and the Radio 3 has been dropped). There was no Radio 3 studio, no live OB, no BBC Introducing, no publicity tent. And we're down to a handful of R3 programmes instead of live coverage from site. For the past few years Lopa has been MC on the MainStage and we've lost the knowledgable presenters on the R3 stage (used to be MAK, Lopa, Max Reinhardt and Lucy Duran - now it is Lula Mebrahtu...).

Thanks for that LeWoi. Cerys Matthews did a bit of WOMAD for her programme on the 28th July but it seemed to consist of recordings made on the hoof on the Saturday with Saigon Soul Revival, The Allergies among others. She did have a Ghana Special, Kwashibu Area Band, Pat Thomas & Charles Amoah live from Maida Vale which was very enjoyable. But I completely agree - I always used to enjoy the live broadcasts from WOMAD on Radio 3, but looks like the Beeb put lots of their festival eggs into the Glasto basket these days. Thanks for the recommendations, by the way - I'll look those out. Sounds like you had a grand time.