The neglected: how to get them respected

[thalbergmad]

Much to my amazement, we had  5 minutes of Raff on Radio 3 this morning, albeit dwarfed by the usual Brahms, Beethoven and Mozart offerings.

Thal

[TerraEpon]

Was it the Cavatina, or something else?

[Mark Thomas]

It was the scherzo from the Third Symphony, in the d'Avalos recording.

[Alan Howe]

Positive: the BBC broadcast some Raff.
Negative: they only played one movement of the symphony. This is the influence of Classic FM writ large, I'm afraid.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I absolutely agree, Alan. Yet another example of dumbing down. Heigh ho!

[Mark Thomas]

As you both say.

By the way, there is an almost daily diet of Raff, and very many other unsungs on the Radio Swiss Classic station: www.radioswissclassic.ch/en. Still mostly single movements from larger works, but a satisfyingly eclectic mix of composers, both the sung and the unsung in a pretty even mix most days, and of musical eras (although mostly the 18th and 19th centuries). It's a good example of a level, unprejudiced playing field and, at the very least, it's excellent background music which provides the odd welcome discovery.

[Dr Gradus]

Thank you for that info - I have bookmarked it at once. Thank God for internet radio...

[thalbergmad]

It was nice to get a bit of Raff on Radio 3, but they then followed it by an in depth review of Rebecca Clarke's Sonata for Viola and Piano which seemed to go on for about 8 hours. The neglected do get exposure, but it appears not the ones that interest us lot.

Thal

[Alan Howe]

Well, Clarke's Viola Sonata is a fine piece. Still....

[eschiss1]

Mark, if you want a better representation than Radio Swiss Classic's, then (as I have also mentioned before), try the station once known as Radio Stephansdom (Austria) (e.g. ...). Music from 17th-20th century or so (anyone looking for a widely broadcasting station that plays only late 19th-century unsung composers for 24 hours a day, and nothing else, does not have much sympathy from me), some segments full pieces, others movements, but a wide variety (especially their night program, which occasionally will start with e.g. a run of 2nd or 3rd or 4th symphonies by a range of composers) ...

Eric

[Alan Howe]

anyone looking for a widely broadcasting station that plays only late 19th-century unsung composers for 24 hours a day, and nothing else, does not have much sympathy from me

Nor from me. But one broadcasting a range of unsung music from all eras in their wider context would be a very enticing prospect...

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks, Eric, I'll give Radio Stephansdom a try.

[Dr Gradus]

Tried it this morning and was slightly startled to hear Leroy Anderson coming out... but playlist seems nicely varied, with a fair mix of unsung as well as well sung.

[eschiss1]

Well, they're broadcasting Botstein's recording of Chausson's "Le roi Arthus" in a half-hour from now (2pm EDT)...

There's also Concertzender Netherlands which plays mostly but not entirely commercial recordings (there is a weekly "Concertzender Live" thing, I think, which is sometimes jazz, sometimes classical- and sometimes live world premieres...) and which seems to have archived almost all of their broadcasts since- 2008 or so, I think. (Not always accurately, as I found out when trying to access a Sorabji world premiere they'd broadcast/rebroadcast in their overnight slot but the link supposedly to which was to something else entirely... ah, well. Still, that's a lot of archiving, since many stations only archive the last week or month's worth of programs- or nothing; most often: nothing. More details on this sort of thing (internet radio &c &c) can be found, and I guess conversation about it should probably? ? ? ? be continued (sorry...!) in some posts in the "other" blogline - e.g. this one and this.)

[pedrito]

What I (playing mainly chamber music) try to do every time I put together a program, is to combine the sung with the unsung. (Nearly) No one is interested in a program with music which is totally unknown, but in the combining the sung with the unsung lie many possibilities: one can show influences, similarities, or just the opposite! We did a program with Schubert's first trio, and combined it with exactly the opposite: the piano trio of Catoire, a first-class masterpiece: early vs late romantic, well balanced vs turbulent, instruments in perfect harmony vs very soloistic in nature (each instrument fighting for its place), and so on. Another program included Debussy's violin sonata with the first violin sonata by the Dutch composer Willem Pijper, written 2 years after Debussy's, and clearly very influenced by it. Next month we combine Brahms' first sonata for cello and piano with the cello sonata by Gretchaninoff for a very particular reason (apart from the fact that it is a first rate work)(see my entry on this topic, reactions are welcome, since it is my first post on the website, I need some encouragement
When the public is well informed (and the programming director) they will swallow a lot :-) but they need just a bit of extra information and encouragement. I often speak to the public explaining them why I value some pieces and perform them. And the reason may be very prosaic; in our Debut program of a piano trio that I founded in my student days, we put up a program with the letter "D" from "D"ebut: violin sonata by Debussy, Dumky trio by Dvorak, along the Cantilene by Belgian composer August De Boeck (cello and piano) and the exquisite piano trio nr2 by Vincent D'Indy...
Orchestral music is a different matter, I agree, but all bits help. I try to promote good and unknown music as much as possible, albeit in small concerts with a small audience (my career is very limited :-)
cheers to all