Breakfast: rules for producers and presenters

I'm happy with the programme going on until 10, I usually listen all the way through.
I would love longer pieces, which would cut down on the inevitable repetition of certain works that fit the time limits.

News bulletins could be hourly as far as I'm concerned, people who want more frequent news can easily access elsewhere.

I'm happy enough with Rob,Sara & Martin Handley at weekends, but there are a couple of other weekend presenters I can't tolerate.(PT & the ex newsreader)Fortunately they rarely present.

This programme gets a lot of stick, but if only the music was played more and less was said it would be perfect for the start of my day.

x Jan x

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ditch the news completely.

Well, they could ask us to text in the news we want to hear.

BoD, the programme is called "Words and Music" and currently runs for 75 minutes on Sunday night. A stimulating and unusual juxtaposition of words and music: recent highlights have included "The Ancient Greeks", the programme starting with Ravel's depiction of sunrise from "Daphnis" and a reading of "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer".

Bax-of-Delights and Panjandrum

I have tried to enjoy “Words and Music”, and, to me, it never really comes off - but tries. Now, you try to get the right visual effects as well, all with good continuity!

I think what they are trying to imitate vaguely, or are inspired by is the 1977 BBC TV film “The Queens Realm” running about 55 minutes which I happen to have recorded on VHS from a BBC 2 repeat many years ago. The tape went round to many cousins to identify 95% of the poets to the poetry, and I was also helped out on some of the music, and by Radio 3, 21 and 23 - list below!

Betjeman Video

MUSIC

1. George Butterworth “The Banks of Green Willow”
(Elegiac and ends wistfully)
2. Shepherds Hay arranged by Percy Grainger (Morris dancing)
3. Tippett - Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli (to Gerard Manley Hopkins poem - in the orchard).
4. Vaughan Williams “The Lark Ascending” (With horse on Downs)
5. Benjamin Britten Pizzicato from “A Simple Symphony” (Steam Tractors)
6. Elgar - Symphony No 1 - At very start of video
7. Elgar - The Serious Doll from the Nursery Suite ( Dolly suite) (Narrow boats)
8. Elgar - Introduction & Allegro for Strings - (Flying Scotsman)
9. Elgar - Opening of Part 3 of Caractacus - Woodland Interlude (Water Mill, Cotswold town to rowing boat - Trentham Gdns?)
10 Britten - “Sunday Morning” or/from Interludes 111 to Act 2 from opera “Peter Grimes”
11 Purcell - Chaconne in G (Castle Howard)
12 Vaughan Williams - Symphony No 2 (London) last movement - Bridge & stream, Mountain top scene, snow - “Sunbeam - be happy”.
13 Vaughan Williams - Symphony No 3 “Pastoral” 2nd mov (bugle calls) - “When I have seen by Times Fell hand defaced etc Will S sonnet etc.
14 William Walton - 1st sec. of Suite No 1 Facade.- Polka (Married quarters
also Butlins)
15 Elgar - Grania and Diarmid (traffic queued and stationary - Wheel me to the garage)
16 Vaughan Williams “Sinfonia Antartica” (no 7) (Lifeboat, fishing boat, seals)
17 Britten - Sinfonia da Requiem (Milton & the satanic furnaces.)
18 Bliss - Colour Symphony (Limestone cliffs etc - Audan)
19 Vaughan Williams Symphony No 8 (Fox hunting scene, falls off - end)
20 Britten - Symphony for Cello & Orchestra (TS Eliot, Tipping ore into sea)
21 Alwyn - Symphony No 5 (Hydriotaphia) end of last movement (snow, walking dog etc. Penultimate piece of music)
22 Vaughan Williams - Job, a masque for dancing: “Pavane of the suns of the Morning” (Larkin’s “Trees” & last piece of music & end of video)
23 Britten - Concerto for Cello (Railway freight-yard)

Lo and behold, quite a bit of it - 70%? - has been posted on YouTube by ta455driver:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NY-CdkfHhs&NR=1

The visual quality is not that great, but I rather like the comments many people have made. In my view an absolutely wonderful way to mix poetry and classical music and English scenes.

[Suffolkcoastal]

You did indeed hear La Valse again yesterday evening BoD, its 32 appearence of the year, the moment Rafferty announced it the off switch was pressed, Mind you I think that the Debussy Danse sacre et profane has had nearly double the amount of broadcasts, a few weeks ago it occurred 5 times in a week!

[Bax-of-Delights]

Ah yes, Words and Music. Sunday evenings here at Bax Towers is busy with dinner and imbibing so I miss this delightful programme.
Would it work at "Breakfast" in one form or another - perhaps from 7 to 8? Pre-recorded and then poor old Rob can stay in bed for an extra hour!

There was an oocasion in the last year when there was a run of R3 programmes which consisted simply of a mixture of poetry and music. I can't recall its title but I have a feeling it was run from about 5p.m. - the Sean Rafferty slot. Neither the poetry nor the music was of great length but I found the programmes fascinating and exceedingly well thought out with poetry and music linked and complementing each other. One could drop in and out of the programme and still pick up threads. It would take a little more work than simply dropping a CD of Ravel's La Valse (did I really here that AGAIN yesterday evening?) into the player and burbling on about a picture in the Times that none of us can see and the ratio of poetry/prose to the music may have to be balanced more in favour of the music but it has to be an improvement on the dog's breakfast (!) we have now. Or is that all a little too elitist? The down/up side is that there's no need for a "presenter"!

Ditch the news completely.

BoD, the programme is called "Words and Music" and currently runs for 75 minutes on Sunday night. A stimulating and unusual juxtaposition of words and music: recent highlights have included "The Ancient Greeks", the programme starting with Ravel's depiction of sunrise from "Daphnis" and a reading of "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer".

[Nick Armstrong]

Bax - yes, they re-ran a lot of repeats of Words & Music (usually on latish Sunday evenings)... was it in the summer or last Christmas? (I lose track of time).

Incidentally, I thought of you just now and hoped you'd found your way here, when posting about one of your namesake's masterpieces on the Advent Carols thread ;)

[Bax-of-Delights]

There was an oocasion in the last year when there was a run of R3 programmes which consisted simply of a mixture of poetry and music. I can't recall its title but I have a feeling it was run from about 5p.m. - the Sean Rafferty slot. Neither the poetry nor the music was of great length but I found the programmes fascinating and exceedingly well thought out with poetry and music linked and complementing each other. One could drop in and out of the programme and still pick up threads. It would take a little more work than simply dropping a CD of Ravel's La Valse (did I really here that AGAIN yesterday evening?) into the player and burbling on about a picture in the Times that none of us can see and the ratio of poetry/prose to the music may have to be balanced more in favour of the music but it has to be an improvement on the dog's breakfast (!) we have now. Or is that all a little too elitist? The down/up side is that there's no need for a "presenter"!

Ditch the news completely.

Good idea, BBM. I cannot see why we can't have some longer pieces in the morning programme. For those people who are only half listening whilst getting up or driving or dealing with matters various, it wouldn't make much difference if their attention comes and goes in three minute spans. But for those who want to have 20-30 minutes of devoted coffee-pot listening, the opportunity for a longer work would be warmly welcomed.

[BBMmk2]

In between the news etc, there i9s usually just under half an hours worth of music in total, so perhaps have a work of that length? :)

[Suffolkcoastal]

That is what my survey this year seems to be bearing out ofcachap. There is a certain group of composers and works that seem to turn up very regularly, even TTN is starting to be invaded by more 'mainstream' repetoire. The only area that seems to be well balanced is pre-1700 repetoire where the balance of composers seems to be good with only Monteverdi and Byrd being rather overplayed. Whilst the post 1700 repetoire is being dominated by a select group of composers. In terms of items broadcast for example there is over twice as much Debussy and nearly twice as much Ravel as there is Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Whilst extracts from the Jazz Suites account for over 10% of the Shostakovich broadcast and Romeo & Julet extracts and the Classical symphony account for over a quarter of the Prokofiev broadcast!

There also seems to have been a steady increase in the average number of items in 'Classical Collection', with a corresponding reduction in the average time. I also detect a shift towards might fairly be described overall as a safe mainstream repertoire.

Yes, good idea ff - or even 1 hour!!

[french frank]

First step might be to reduce it to 2 hours. I can't see any justification for 'breakfast rules' to continue until 10am.

Maybe the Breakfast programme should be replaced with a proper R3 programme. Better than just messing with a failed format.