The Emperor's new clothes

Falter impaste contend proctor ironic river cube. Is that literature? Is that poetry? No, it's simply a collection of words. You may find something to admire in it - probably not, but to pretend it is anything other than a collection of words would be presumptuous. And yet, there are those who claim that Karlheinz Stockhausen composes music. He doesn't. He simply arranges collections of sounds. Again you may find something to admire in what he produces - I don't, but that's just my opinion. But to pretend it is music is just presumptuous.

Classical radio

Up until just over ten years ago, if you wanted to listen to classical music on the radio here in the U.K., you basically had only one choice - B.B.C. Radio 3 (formerly known as the Third Programme). Like most monopolies, over time Radio 3 had become very introverted and disinterested in what its listeners wanted - it decided what they should have, and in the case of Radio 3 this tended to be complete works either of the established "great" composers, or of the more way-out modern composers. Anything even vaguely tuneful written since about 1920 had little chance of being played.
Then along came Classic FM - a commercial station, whose mission statement was to give the average lover of classical music what he or she wanted to listen to - which, at least during the day, they felt was relatively short pieces, or excerpts, of - above all - tuneful music. One of their first successes was to introduce the listening public to Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 (the so-called "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs") - the sort of thing Radio 3 wouldn't touch with a barge-pole. Most people (including, I have to say, me - though I desperately hoped I was wrong) didn't give this new station much of a chance of survival, but, not only did it survive, it became the biggest commercial station in the country, and, more to the point, as its ratings went up, Radio 3's came down.
So - panic stations at Radio 3. What to do? There were letters in "The Times" decrying the "populist" approach of Classic FM and suggesting that it would produce a generation of semi-literate listeners, with an attention span of no more than five minutes, who would never have heard a complete performance of anything, and counter-letters saying that this was simply snobbishness, and that Classic FM had introduced thousands of listeners to classical music who would never have gone anywhere near Radio 3.
Me - I think the argument is pointless. Radio 3 and Classic FM are addressing different audiences, and there is nothing to be gained by suggesting that one is "better" than the other. To the extent that it has forced Radio 3 to consider the views of its listeners, the competition from Classic FM has been a good thing, but I think the worst thing that Radio 3 could do is to try and imitate Classic FM in the hope of regaining its lost listeners. As a non-commercial station, it doesn't have to chase ratings, and should concentrate on providing what its core audience want - as Classic FM do.
I'm a devoted Classic FM listener, but I wouldn't want to see Radio 3 go to the wall, and equally I wouldn't want to see it become a Classic FM clone. There's more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to listen to classical music.

Simply the best.....(again)

The other day, a friend and I were having a discussion (more of an argument, really), about who we considered had the finest voices of all time. So - how do you rate my choices?
First and easiest - contralto. No contest, has to be Kathleen Ferrier. No one else comes close.
Next - bass. Bearing in mind that we are just considering the voice, not the technique, again for me pretty easy - Paul Robeson. I had an uncle who was into voice training, and he always maintained that the two most perfect voices in the world were Robeson and Bing Crosby, both of whose singing voices were, as he saw it, just extensions of their speaking voices, and they could slip from one into the other without any apparent conscious effort.
Tenor, and now it becomes more difficult, not least because there are two distinct sorts of tenor voice. You have the full-blooded powerful "Italian" type tenor voice which is always forced, even when singing pianissimo (think Harry Secombe - of beloved memory) and the purer "head" type tenor voice epitomised by such as Heddle Nash, Peter Piers etc.. I go for the one man who seemed capable of producing both to the highest quality - Bejamino Gigli.
Most difficult - soprano. There are so many top class sopranos to choose from, and I had big problems in defending my choice to my friend, because she was a performer who was eminently capable of producing a BAD performance, and did so on many occasions. But, when everything was right with her (which wasn't all that often) she had a voice which was in a different street from all the rest. If you can accept the blemishes, then my choice is Maria Callas.
So that's my opinion - what do you think?

Rachmaninov 1 - part 2

Just come across a stunning recording of Rachmaninov's piano concertos 1 and 2. Leif Ove Andsnes - a pianist I haven't come across before - with the Berlin Philharmonic. Well worth consideration. EMI Classics 4 74813 2.

Simply the best.........

Caught a program on the life of Ella Fitzgerald on satellite TV the other day - what a talent! I remember as a young lad being captivated by her voice, and being amazed when I eventually saw pictures of her. In my naivity I had assumed that such a wonderful sound must come from a person of rare beauty, and yet here she was, rather plain and overweight. And so I learned that most important lesson - that outward appearances count for little, and that true beauty has nothing to do with looks.

Rachmaninov 1

If you see a programme containing a Rachmaninov piano concerto, chances are it will be No. 2. If not, then No. 3, or possibly but more rarely No. 4. What you will almost never see is No. 1. But why? If you like No. 2 you will love No. 1, which is full of the most gorgeous melodies. Why doesn't it get played more often? I don't know - it's a mystery, but if you've not come across it, please try it - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.