BBC Radio 3 Beethoven Project

[jdidlock]

Both on this board and that on BBC 3 (see http://tinyurl.com/867jx ), the forthcoming full week of Beethoven is being greeted with resounding disinterest! Why?

[Peter]

I admit it's something I find rather hard to get excited about and I suspect it's because many of us here are already familiar with a vast quantity of Beethoven and have been for many years (I have the complete works and I'm sure many others do here as well). I never listen to the radio anyway, preferring to hear the music I want to hear, performed by musicians I choose and when I want to hear it! I am not convinced either of the sense of airing a complete week of Beethoven - to what end? I'd much rather see a television broadcast dealing in depth with Beethoven, that would be far more fascinating and might even achieve something. Sorry to be so downbeat about it!

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'Man know thyself'

[Uniqor]

I think it would gather much more attension if the project only concentrate on the less well know work of Beethoven, and name as something like this: Beethoven Like You Have Never Heard Before.

[jdidlock]

Not downbeat at all, I think the whole idea is utterly daft though I will record it all partly because it will being something of a challenge, but why Beethoven who gets plenty of airing on radio? Probably the most interesting part will be the spoken links and interviews etc. I'll comment further in about a year's time when I have worked my way through it all on my trusty Creative mp3 machine in the car.

I think the nearest BBC Radio 3 have got to this sort of thing previously was a "Berlioz Day" about 18 months ago which *was* very interesting.

[Peter]

Originally posted by jdidlock:
Not downbeat at all, I think the whole idea is utterly daft though I will record it all partly because it will being something of a challenge, but why Beethoven who gets plenty of airing on radio?

Nice to hear you agree. Perhaps Uniqor's suggestion would work better. I'd be interested to know the logic behing this project!

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'Man know thyself'

[Chris]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
I think it would gather much more attension if the project only concentrate on the less well know work of Beethoven, and name as something like this: Beethoven Like You Have Never Heard Before.

Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea.

[Geratlas]

Perhaps, there would be an idea to have a 'Beethoven Program' two times a week, instead of this monstruous non-stop music-marathon running almost an entire week. However ambigious I am about the scheme for this project, I can not help being swept away by the fact that the general public will soon be given the oppertunity to experience most of LvB's music through radio broadcast covering thousands and thousands of households (alas, none of them are mine! ). Anyhow, here I take the liberty to present to you the complete program for tomorrow. And remember: Enjoy!
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JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 09.oo - 13.oo --- Rob Cowan
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Overture: Egmont, Op 84 ::: Chamber Orchestra of Europe ¤ Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor)
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Mir ist so wunderbar, Fidelio, Act I ::: Irmgard Seefried, Leonie Rysanek, Friedrich Lenz, Gottlob Frick, ¤ Bavarian State Orchestra ¤ Ferenc Fricsay (conductor)
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Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93 ::: Orchestra of the 18th Century ¤ Frans Bruggen (conductor)
Introduced by Roger Norrington
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Piano Sonata in C sharp m, Op 27/2, Moonlight ::: Emil Gilels
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Piano Trio in E flat, Op 70/2 ::: Jascha Heifetz ¤ Gregor Piatigorsky ¤ Leonard Pennario
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Overture, Leonore No II, Op 72a ::: Berlin Philharmonic ¤ Wilhelm Furtwangler (conductor)
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An die ferne Geliebte, Op 98 ::: Gerard Souzay ¤ Dalton Baldwin
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Piano Concerto in E flat, Op 73, Emperor ::: Mindru Katz ¤ Halle Orchestra ¤ John Barbirolli (conductor)
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Credo, Missa solemnis ::: Lois Marshall ¤ Nan Merriman ¤ Eugene Conley ¤ Jerome Hines ¤ Robert Shaw Chorale ¤ NBC Symphony Orchestra ¤ Arturo Toscanini (conductor)
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Symphony No 5 in Cm, Op 67 ::: LSO ¤ Antal Dorati (conductor)
===========================================
JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 13.oo - 16.3o --- Sarah Walker
===========================================
String Quartet in B flat, Op.18/6 ::: Talich Quartet
Introduced by Peter Cropper
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5 Pieces for a musical clock, WoO.33 ::: Simon Preston (organ)
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String Quartet in E flat, Op.127 ::: Vegh Quartet
Introduced by Peter Cropper
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Grosse Fuge, Op.133 ::: The Lindsays
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Three Songs, Op.83;
Vita felice, Op.88;
Der Kuss, Op.128;
Schilderung eines Madchens, WoO.107;
Seufzer eines Ungeliebten, WoO.118;
Ich liebe dich, so wie du mich, WoO.123;
La partenza, WoO.124;
Opferlied, WoO.126;
Der Wachtelschlag, WoO.129;
Als die Geliebte sich trennen wollte, WoO.132
song recital ::: baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who celebrated his 80th birthday last week. ¤ Jorg Demus (piano)
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JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 16.3o - 17.oo --- (Adrian Dickson)
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Wellington's Victory, Op 91 ::: BBC Concert Orchestra ::: Brian Wright (conductor)
Presented by Adrian Dickson
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JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 17.oo - 19.3o --- Sean Rafferty
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Overture: Coriolan, Op.62 ::: ECO, Benjamin Britten
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Piano Sonata in C, Op.2/3; Piano Sonata in E flat, Op.27/1 ::: Peter Donohoe
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String Quartet in F, Hess.32 (original version of Op.18/1) ::: Hagen Quartet
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Variations on a theme from Handel's 'Judas Maccabaeus', WoO.45
Duet 'with two obbligato eyeglasses', WoO.32
Cello Sonata in C, Op.102/1 ::: Alice Neary (cello), David Adams (viola), Gretel Dowdeswell (piano)
===========================================
JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 19.3o - 21.3o --- Petroc Trelawny
===========================================
Symphony no.7 in A, Op.92 ::: Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber
Introduced by Roger Norrington
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Symphony no.9 in D minor, Op.125 ('Choral') ::: Camilla Nylund, Iris Vermillion, Jonas Kaufmann, Franz-Josef Selig, ¤ Gachinger Kantorei Stuttgart, Stuttgart Radio SO, Roger Norrington
Introduced by Roger Norrington
===========================================
JUNE 5 ~ SUNDAY ::: 21.3o - 24.oo --- Verity Sharp
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Overture: King Stephen, Op.117 ::: Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
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Piano Sonata in E, Op.109 ::: Alfred Brendel
Introduced by Alfred Brendel
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String Quartet in C sharp minor, Op.131 ::: Hungarian Quartet
Introduced by Peter Cropper
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Piano Sonata in A flat, Op.110 ::: Alfred Brendel
Introduced by Alfred Brendel
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Bagatelles Op.126 ::: Olli Mustonen
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Piano Sonata in C minor, Op.111 ::: Alfred Brendel
Introduced by Alfred Brendel

[Amalie]

I found the Beethoven experience on Radio 3 to be interesting, but not enthralling.
It is very difficult I think, for real Beethoven lovers, such as ourselves, who have such an intimate knowledge of pretty much everything he wrote to get enthusiastic about an all day broadcast of the maestro's mainstream output by interpreters who would not perhaps be our first choice.
The Lindsay's performed the Grosse Fuge, but I am biased here, because that my favourite recording of this monumental, almost Himalayan work.
I was quite impressed by the Russian pianist, Mindru Katz , playing the 'Emperor' piano concerto no.5, and conducted by Barbirolli. a 1959 recording.
The Battle symphony was very good from its open air playing at Wellington's Arch, in London.
On the whole a very enjoyable listening day, and giving credit to the BBC and radio 3, what other radio station in the world would put on Beethoven music all day.
I thought wall to wall Beethoven would be perhaps a bit too much, but I must say we have thoroughly enjoyed it !.




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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~

[Droell]

Originally posted by jdidlock:
Both on this board and that on BBC 3 (see http://tinyurl.com/867jx ), the forthcoming full week of Beethoven is being greeted with resounding disinterest! Why?

I am listening online from faraway Maryland. It's a week of nice music, whatever else may be true. Lovers of Beethoven should be thankful.

It would be nice to see innovative, challenging analysis of the music. When I lived in London, 1979-81, Radio 3 was the only station I listened to. There was an intermission feature one evening, the subject was Bach's Toccata & Fugue in d minor, for organ. The analysis sought to demonstrate that it wasn't a toccata, it wasn't for organ, it wasn't in d minor & it most likely wasn't written by J.S. Bach. At the end, there was a performance of the resulting Preludium & Fugue in a minor, for solo violin, and it was convincing.

I don't think anything attributed to Beethoven can be deconstructed in quite such devastating fashion, but there is a lot that can be said of the old staples. Bernstein once recorded his analysis of the construction of the first movement of the 5th symphony, illustrated with fragments B deleted from the final score. That would be fun to hear. So would a reconstruction of the first movement of the never-completed 6th piano concerto.

[Patboy]

Yes,
I must say that I have enjoyed what I have been able to hear so far. At the same time I have been enjoying the break from jazz and world music!

[waldstein]

it was really a deception when i heard the piano sonata cycle.the pianist was talking about the difficulty of playing such music and his playing wasn't good if the bbc has choose bareboim or kempf it would be more interisting.

[alex ovenden]

Originally posted by Peter:
I admit it's something I find rather hard to get excited about and I suspect it's because many of us here are already familiar with a vast quantity of Beethoven and have been for many years (I have the complete works and I'm sure many others do here as well). I never listen to the radio anyway, preferring to hear the music I want to hear, performed by musicians I choose and when I want to hear it! I am not convinced either of the sense of airing a complete week of Beethoven - to what end? I'd much rather see a television broadcast dealing in depth with Beethoven, that would be far more fascinating and might even achieve something. Sorry to be so downbeat about it!

Wow, do I feel sorry for you Peter and the other negative people replying to this post. Please read the second para on the home page, and then also please reflect on how your preference for this or that recording came about: it was surely by listening to many. Open your heart a little. This Beethoven week is a fantastic gift horse for all. Why must you people check the teeth!? If you note the extremely positive public reaction -via the discussion forum on the BBC-to a whole week of every note of LvB, you would realize that thousands of us love the idea. At last, people who know almost nothing about LvB can hear much much more than the Moonlight Sonata. And the weblogs show that for many people, it is like that: a revelation. It is my dream come true. Gees, there is an all-Beatles internet radio station, 24/7, all year. We get, for one measly week, an all-Beethoven radio station and you people have complaints to make. Really? Do you do it out of habit? Got to think of the bad thing? Please, please celebrate instead: this is the best thing to ever hit the soundwaves. Surely you should encourage readers of your forum -to which there is a link on the BBC's website- to get into it while they can. It will only be on for a short while. Of course, if your site is getting a lot more traffic at the moment, you might figure that a lot of people are hitting on that BBC link. What sort of impression are you going to make on them with your negative attitude? Please... get into it, there is so much to hear that most people know nothing of. A golden opportunity not to be missed. Regards, Alex

[Peter]

Originally posted by alex ovenden:
Of course, if your site is getting a lot more traffic at the moment, you might figure that a lot of people are hitting on that BBC link. What sort of impression are you going to make on them with your negative attitude? Please... get into it, there is so much to hear that most people know nothing of. A golden opportunity not to be missed. Regards, Alex

Well Alex I'm pleased it is a success and that you are enjoying it - I was speaking from a personal veiwpoint (admittedly rather selfish) as I already have the complete works and have listened to many different recordings. You are right that it is a great opportunity for people to discover this music as are the tv programmes which I am very much enjoying - you can read about this in another post.

Hopefully other people who have come to this forum will read more than this post and discover a community of passionate Classical music lovers. Hopefully they will be a little more positive themselves in reaction to this Beethoven site in general which I think you'll find has plenty to offer besides the forum.

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'Man know thyself'

[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 06-09-2005).]

[Michael]

Originally posted by alex ovenden:
[/b]

Wow, do I feel sorry for you Peter and the other negative people replying to this post. Surely you should encourage readers of your forum -to which there is a link on the BBC's website- to get into it while they can. It will only be on for a short while. Of course, if your site is getting a lot more traffic at the moment, you might figure that a lot of people are hitting on that BBC link. What sort of impression are you going to make on them with your negative attitude? Please... get into it, there is so much to hear that most people know nothing of. A golden opportunity not to be missed. Regards, Alex[/B][/QUOTE]


Have to agree with you, Alex. The Beethoven Experience seems to have been greeted by a resounding yawn on this forum. I am in the fortunate position of being able to listen to a great deal of it -while recording the night-time programmes - and I regard it as one of the greatest events in Beethoven history - and classical music in general. I admit I was unsure of how this marathon would be received by the listening public - but just look at the Radio Three website - 8 or 9 pages of emails and 95 per cent of them positively glowing with praise.
As you rightly point out, there is a link to this website available to the thousands who visit the "Beethoven Experience" site. I know from my own experiences of the past four or five years that the Beethoven Reference Site is the best there is, manned and visited by people who have enormous enthusiasm for and knowledge of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Let's show it to all the welcome new visitors who might now log on to us!

Michael



[This message has been edited by Michael (edited 06-09-2005).]

[Amalie]

I would like to share with members these wonderful humerous clips as part of the Beethoven experience : Beethoven as you have never heard him before.

My favourite clip is the hilarious - Beethoven in a modern-day music shop.

I love the sound of Beethoven's clompy footsteps as he is walking in the music shop towards the end. So wonderfully Ludwig !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/makingtracks/ludwig.shtml
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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~



[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 06-10-2005).]