New BBC4 Series on the Symphony

[Michael]

It was more or less what I expected when you try to fit Stamitz, Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven into one hour but I rather enjoyed it and, for newcomers, it probably took a lot of the stuffiness out of the subject.

[Peter]

It was more or less what I expected when you try to fit Stamitz, Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven into one hour but I rather enjoyed it and, for newcomers, it probably took a lot of the stuffiness out of the subject.

Well I wonder just how many 'newcomers' actually watched it hidden away on BBC4 at 9.00pm? Perhaps I was expecting too much because Simon Russell Beale had previously done a much more comprehensive programme on choral music. I thought the performances were excellent, but we could have done with longer excerpts and perhaps the BBC should have thought about a longer series to do the subject more justice. Still I'll be watching next Thursday!

There was as I mentioned a very enjoyable series on the symphony a while back but I simply can't remember the details of it.

[Michael]

And don't forget, the following Friday, Simon Rattle's Proms Beethoven Ninth is being shown on BBC 4 - around 7pm or so.
Regarding an older series on the symphony, you wouldn't be thinking of the seven- part Great Composers which the BBC did about twelve years ago?





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[Peter]

And don't forget, the following Friday, Simon Rattle's Proms Beethoven Ninth is being shown on BBC 4 - around 7pm or so.
Regarding an older series on the symphony, you wouldn't be thinking of the seven- part Great Composers which the BBC did about twelve years ago?





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Michael, just recovering from being overwhelmed by the 9th - you know I can't understand why people carp at that exhilarating finale - take it for what it is, exuberant joy!

No I saw the Great composer series (frightening to think that was about 12 years ago) in fact I still have it as I recorded it - this was something else even further back in the last century from the 80s I think.

[Michael]

There was a series called "Music in Time", presented by James Galway back in the 80s but it didn't deal exclusively with the symphony.

I didn't get to see the 9th tonight - it was on at a very bad time but I recorded it. This, along with the other later symphonies, is featured in this week's "Symphony". Beethoven of course straddles the first two programmes.





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[Peter]

There was a series called "Music in Time", presented by James Galway back in the 80s but it didn't deal exclusively with the symphony.

I didn't get to see the 9th tonight - it was on at a very bad time but I recorded it. This, along with the other later symphonies, is featured in this week's "Symphony". Beethoven of course straddles the first two programmes.





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No it wasn't Galway - Actually I think it dealt solely with the Classical symphony.

[Peter]

Saw the last episode last night and I thought it was the best of the lot, though of course limited by the time.

[Michael]

On the whole, I enjoyed the series although a lot of composers had to be ditched (Schumann and Mendelssohn didn't even get a mention.) A lot of time was spent on the hugely entertaining Ives but I thought Mahler might have got a bit more exposure.
The presenter, Simon Russell Beale, is a huge Beethoven fan and he dropped that composer's name continually throughout the series.
(Not a criticism - from me, anyway).