BaL reviewers - a question of taste?

[amateur51]

There have been comebacks from Richard Osborne, Robert Phillip and Geoffrey Norris -
so why not Nicholas Anderson too ?

I'm so glad that you mentioned Robert Philip, Alison. For me he's streets ahead of Richard Osborne because he seems to be able to take on a lot of recordings and make his way through them making sensible points either for or against as he goes wheras recently RO has rather loftily dismissed some recordings without a reasonable explanation as to why. I prefer RP's broadcasting voice too but that's a personal preference (actually it's an aversion to RO )

What about Stephen Plaistow, a piano specialist and a rather good broadcasting style, I've always thought.

Who else remembers & misses Joan Chisell the Schumann specialist?

[Alison]

I like Stephen Plaistow - and rather wish his repertoire extended to orchestral stuff too.

Different class to Stephen Johnson and (especially) Edward Seckerson.

Again he has the ability to talk and write interestingly about the music under review.

So he reviews a batch of six piano discs - and I probably end up buying all of them !

[aeolium]

Who else remembers & misses Joan Chisell the Schumann specialist?

Me for one, am51. And what about Misha Donat (who doesn't seem to review that much on radio these days) and Jan Smazcny?

I thought Michael Oliver was the nonpareil - incredible how R3 could have sidelined him.

[Parry1912]

I prefer RP's broadcasting voice too but that's a personal preference

Am I the only one then who thinks he sounds like Victor Meldrew?

I keep expecting him to say: "No exposition repeat! I don't believe it!"

[rauschwerk]

I thought Michael Oliver was the nonpareil - incredible how R3 could have sidelined him.

Surely you know he died in 2002?

[verismissimo]

Of the younger generation, Peter Quantrill is surely the most promising.

[aeolium]

Surely you know he died in 2002?

rauschwerk, I did know Michael Oliver died in 2002. I was referring to the way he was sidelined in the 1990s (as mentioned in Alan Blyth's obituary and earlier in this thread).

[Alison]

Of the younger generation, Peter Quantrill is surely the most promising.

He's so good I struggle to keep up sometimes !

[Karafan]

Edward Greenfield did the odd spot, as did Michael Kennedy - and they were always a treat. In fact is the former still with us? I do hope so....

K.

[Alison]

Both are still with us I believe.

Ted is always good at conveying what a performance is actually like
and cuts out all pseudo-intellectualism.