composer of the week Talk?

[ucanseetheend]

Does anyone agree that COTW these days has more of Donald MaCleod and guests talking rather than music of the composer?

[french frank]

Does anyone agree that COTW these days has more of Donald MaCleod and guests talking rather than music of the composer?

It should be possible to check by the length of the podcasts: more talk means longer podcasts since all the music is reduced to two minutes per piece, and I'd guess the talk is unedited.

[Roslynmuse]

I have to say I like Donald MacLeod's contributions more than those of any other R3 presenter, but, yes, I did wonder last week whether there was a little too much talking. Then again, it does give a context and, as I say, MacLeod is usually illuminating and interesting. His guests are more varied, admittedly.

[meles]

I enjoyed last week's series - Bridge. Nice to hear some music on Radio 3 I had not heard before and enjoy it enough to buy a CD (or two!).

[Serial_Apologist]

There is much more biography and contextualisation on COTW nowadays than there was in days of old, which is to be welcomed, but dates of pieces played are often not given and chronology is often sacrificed; and one misses the more detailed talk about musical influences, direction and structure we used to get.

I guess too much in either direction would leave even less room for representive pieces and excerpts, however.

S-A

[Chris Newman]

I know there are occasional repeats but I am sure that we all appreciate the man-hours that Donald Macleod puts into CoTW. The time he spends upon research must exceed that of any other R3 broadcaster. Indeed he must do the work of most of the others put together. To bring in experts, biographers etc must be the only way Donald can give himself a few more minutes to enjoy life and I for one think he deserves it and thank him for many years of fine broadcasting.

[french frank]

I know there are occasional repeats but I am sure that we all appreciate the man-hours that Donald Macleod puts into CoTW. The time he spends upon research must exceed that of any other R3 broadcaster. Indeed he must do the work of most of the others put together. To bring in experts, biographers etc must be the only way Donald can give himself a few more minutes to enjoy life and I for one think he deserves it and thank him for many years of fine broadcasting.

I endorse in principle what you say, Chris, though I find it hard to believe that CotW doesn't have the services of one researcher, at least.

If not, I shall begin to think I was right that in the days when DM presented Through the Night every night for months and months on end that he really was live in the studio, sitting up for six hours through the night, seven nights a week, and researching the programmes during the day time! Such a workload!