Classical Music Radio stations ONLINE

[Roger Webb]

As an interesting alternative to Radio 3's 'Aida' 'live' from the Met ( it's not....not even shifted by the usual half an hour - most of Europe heard it last Saturday!) there's a broadcast of Smyth's 'The Wreckers' recorded at Karlsruhe last September und November it says...and sung in English! BR-Klassik 19.03 (UK time).

[gurnemanz]

We can be grateful for the opportunity to listen to classical stations on online and are spoilt for choice. If I search the genre 'classical' from the mobile app linked to my streamer there are literally thousands and life is too short to sample more than a few to find one which suits your personal preference.

In my experience, they vary quite a lot of in what they offer. The main distinction is between pure playlist stations and channels like BBC R3, the German third channels such as Bayern, MDR, WDR or France Musique which include actual programmes with spoken text. With these latter ones it obviously helps if you can understand the language. My German is fluent, my French only passable.

Among the playlist type you can choose between stations with or without spoken announcement of the details of the piece being played. If tuning to a playlist station, I have come to prefer the stations which give you a readout of what is playing rather an announcement. That is why I now listen less often to the otherwise excellent YLE station.

Many of the stations I have sampled are not to my liking because they play tracks, which can result in truncated movements. The stations on my preset list are those which play whole works. E.g my latest discovery, the Brazilian station Radio Batuta Clássico. Another favourite is Bru Zane Classical Radio which specialises in French music.

[Roger Webb]

............ If tuning to a playlist station, I have come to prefer the stations which give you a readout of what is playing rather an announcement. That is why I now listen less often to the otherwise excellent YLE station.

It depends on how you get YLE. I have several ways depending on where I'm listening. I have a tablet (Android) plumbed into my pre amp DAC and I can either bring up the webpage which does have a 'Playing Now' feature....and a complete list, with timings ( they're two hours ahead of UK time) - if you know how to find it! Another way is to use an aggregator app. I use vRadio, the advantage over most others is that, tap on the 'digital waterfall' top right of the transmission page of the selected station, and it takes you straight to the webpage which instantly gives a (sometimes amusing) translation (via Google translate). I don't know about Apple devices - but I expect vRadio has an app. for them.

[LMcD]

We can be grateful for the opportunity to listen to classical stations on online and are spoilt for choice. If I search the genre 'classical' from the mobile app linked to my streamer there are literally thousands and life is too short to sample more than a few to find one which suits your personal preference.

In my experience, they vary quite a lot of in what they offer. The main distinction is between pure playlist stations and channels like BBC R3, the German third channels such as Bayern, MDR, WDR or France Musique which include actual programmes with spoken text. With these latter ones it obviously helps if you can understand the language. My German is fluent, my French only passable.

Among the playlist type you can choose between stations with or without spoken announcement of the details of the piece being played. If tuning to a playlist station, I have come to prefer the stations which give you a readout of what is playing rather an announcement. That is why I now listen less often to the otherwise excellent YLE station.

Many of the stations I have sampled are not to my liking because they play tracks, which can result in truncated movements. The stations on my preset list are those which play whole works. E.g my latest discovery, the Brazilian station Radio Batuta Clássico. Another favourite is Bru Zane Classical Radio which specialises in French music.

yle always gives on-screen details of what's currently playing, doesn't it? At the moment it's Dvorak's Slavonic Rhapsody No, 1.

[Roger Webb]

yle always gives on-screen details of what's currently playing, doesn't it? At the moment it's Dvorak's Slavonic Rhapsody No, 1.

Yes the webpage does, and (see my post above) a way of seeing what's coming up...do you use this?

The problem is if you're receiving the URL to a streamer or, say, a smart speaker through a third party app. They often don't have a 'playing Now'.

[hmvman]

yle always gives on-screen details of what's currently playing, doesn't it? At the moment it's Dvorak's Slavonic Rhapsody No, 1.

It does on my computer screen, but not on the internet radio screen (ours is a John Lewis 'Cello' unit).

[Roger Webb]

It does on my computer screen, but not on the internet radio screen (ours is a John Lewis 'Cello' unit).

Do you know what internet radio app. the Cello uses? Is it vTuner?

[gurnemanz]

yle always gives on-screen details of what's currently playing, doesn't it? At the moment it's Dvorak's Slavonic Rhapsody No, 1.

Maybe on a computer or TV screen but I don't usually listen to music on computer but using streamer/tuner via amp and system speakers. Most sources provide a text with details of what is playing. That screen is too small to read unless close up but the info also comes through to the very useful Undok app on my phone.

[LMcD]

Maybe on a computer or TV screen but I don't usually listen to music on computer but using streamer/tuner via amp and system speakers. Most sources provide a text with details of what is playing. That screen is too small to read unless close up but the info also comes through to the very useful Undok app on my phone.

Thanks for the explanation (I listen via my desktop).

[BillMatters]

I tuned into KWAX (University of Oregon) the other night and caught the end of Havergal Brian’s Violin Concerto. Seemed an unusual composer for a US station to play, and I don’t suppose it has been played on R3 for a long time.

The problem with KWAX is they don’t have a playlist of recordings or even what is playing now, you have to wait for the announcer to tell you. Apart from that they do play whole pieces a lot of the time.

Incidentally, I could not find HB in the Composer forum under H or B.

[hmvman]

Do you know what internet radio app. the Cello uses? Is it vTuner?

No, I don't know, Roger, but I'll see if I can find out!

[Roger Webb]

I tuned into KWAX (University of Oregon) the other night and caught the end of Havergal Brian’s Violin Concerto. Seemed an unusual composer for a US station to play...............

Not at all! Brian was extremely popular in the US, and became something of a cult figure in the 70s.....to the extent that a public performance was given from illegal recordings, and many 'bootlegs of BBC recordings appeared and were especially popular amongst West Coast students.

Members of The Grateful Dead set up The Rex Foundation (named after their roadie!) to sponsor recordings of 'unknown' composers, incl. Havergal Brian and Robert Simpson.

BTW, just having a look at the KWAX stream (playing Dances from WSS), only available in MP3 96k, which is not really good enough.

[Roger Webb]

No, I don't know, Roger, but I'll see if I can find out!

Oh, thanks HMV. I have an interest in these things at the moment as two of my streamers have become less use recently as neither now has BBC stations (does your Cello?) and one (which has the inappropriately named TuneIn app.) won't get foreign stations OR BBC ones.
It's an increasing problem, which is often discussed on other (technical) forums, but not so much on this one.

The bland assertion in the current BBC adverts that you just bark at your 'smart speaker' and it'll respond with the required BBC programme is not bourne out by the number of complaints in other forums!

[LMcD]

I tuned into KWAX (University of Oregon) the other night and caught the end of Havergal Brian’s Violin Concerto. Seemed an unusual composer for a US station to play, and I don’t suppose it has been played on R3 for a long time.

The problem with KWAX is they don’t have a playlist of recordings or even what is playing now, you have to wait for the announcer to tell you. Apart from that they do play whole pieces a lot of the time.

Incidentally, I could not find HB in the Composer forum under H or B.

According to BBC Genome, the 'Violin Concerto' was broadcast complete on 27/6/1979 and 14/5/1981. An extract was played on 7//6/2001.
The 'Violin Concerto No. 2' was broadcast on 1/2/1994.
However, the 1st Violin Concerto seems to have been lost.

[hmvman]

Do you know what internet radio app. the Cello uses? Is it vTuner?

Well, I haven't been very successful in finding out much - drilling into the menus didn't elicit any useful info. However, I managed to find the manual and it says it uses the Frontier Silicon internet radio portal. Does that tell you anything? I recall that not long after we got the Cello in 2018 I had to do a complete re-tune of the internet radio because something had changed. I can't remember what exactly though. Sorry not to be more informative at this stage.