Billy the Kid

[ardcarp]

OK I know Radio 4's Page to Performance (Tuesday 1.30pm) isn't the same as Talking About Music. But today's edition was a surprisingly detailed talk, with musical illustrations, of Copland's Billy the Kid. At times it almost amounted to analysis, with experts showing some of the harmonic techniques Copland employed. There was little sense of 'dumbing down' even though the programme was intended for a lay audience, so well done Radio 4.

Avbailable on LA

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b0150p61

[makropulos]

OK I know Radio 4's Page to Performance (Tuesday 1.30pm) isn't the same as Talking About Music. But today's edition was a surprisingly detailed talk, with musical illustrations, of Copland's Billy the Kid. At times it almost amounted to analysis, with experts showing some of the harmonic techniques Copland employed. There was little sense of 'dumbing down' even though the programme was intended for a lay audience, so well done Radio 4.

Avbailable on LA

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b0150p61

I heard this too and enjoyed it very much - a nice mixture of serious discussion of the music and comments by players. But yes, "bare, open fifths" is not a phrase that you necessarily expect to hear in a programme going out at lunchtime on R4. But we did today. Good stuff.

[mercia]

and, like the previous programme about Mahler 10 Adagio, it was tied-in with a performance in the afternoon on Radio 3, clever eh?

[makropulos]

and, like the previous programme about Mahler 10 Adagio, it was tied-in with a performance in the afternoon on Radio 3, clever eh?

A cunning plan!