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76  MEMBERS' CORNER / Miscellany / Re: BBC is to scrap CBBC, BBC Four on: May 27, 2022, 04:09:29 am
BBC is to scrap CBBC, BBC Four and its regional TV news programme in Oxford as it announces it will cut up to 1,000 jobs over the next few years

The BBC has announced major plans to save £500m including cutting 1,000 jobs
Corporation said it will axe channels including CBBC, BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra
It says £200m savings to help with funding gap caused by licence fee settlement
 
And bad news for fans of traditional radio like me! Goodbye Radio 4 on 198 khz longwave! I also listen to Ireland's Rte Radio 1 252 khz (A sort of cross between Radio 4 & Radio 2 how it was years ago!) which has been 'saved' twice by a fierce campaign by the Irish diaspora (mostly,elderly population living in the uk) Only a few years ago they switched off France Inter on 162 khz,wich used to broadcast a wide variety if interesting music,unlike the crappy pop music on most of our radio stations. (It fair,blasted into West Wales,throughout the day!) How long before long wave is mere static?! I find it interesting that they intend to remove the opt out content first! (The Shipping Forecast,Morning Service,Cricket)! A predictable tactic. You thereby remove the main reason why any remaining listeners would bother to listen to it,so the remaining audience dwindles away,and it's okay to dump it! Of course,another reason why the Long Wave frequency has been kept going is because of the Radio Teleswitch Service',whereby a signal broadcast alongside the Radio 4 signal is used to switch domestic electricity meters on and off! This is due to end in 2023,when meters using the Teleswitch service will be replaced by smart meter! Or,at least,that's the plan! Of course,there's this idea (urban myth) that the commanders of our Royal Navy submarines use the longwave signal to check that dear old blighty is still functioning in the event of a surprise,nuclear strike. If they can't hear the cricket or the morning service,they know we've all been blown up! 8)
77  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 27, 2022, 01:49:43 am
Anton Rubinstein: Piano Sonatas No 1 in E minor,op12 & Piano Sonata No 3,op 41 in F major     Leslie Howard (piano)     Hyperion



Well,after lisztening to Liszt (gedditt?! ::)) the piano music of the next greatest pianist "and first great Russian teacher",obviously,makes intriguing listening! Albeit,I find it,somewhat,shocking to read (in the accompanying booklet) that the recording's on this cd were the first recording's of any of his major works for solo piano!! How the mighty fall,eh?! According to the booklet notes by Leslie Howard,his "methods and administration are still echoed in the Russian musical institutions". Referring again to the booklet notes,again! The First Sonata (dating from 1847-48) " is probably the first Piano Sonata to be composed by a Russian"!
As to the music itself! (I have also been listening to the cd of Piano Sonatas 2 & 4,as well!) I need to listen a bit more;but it all sounds very enjoyable to my ears! Although,after listening to Années De Pèlerinage (see previous post) it's pretty obvious that Rubinstein isn't an innovator like Liszt! Rubinstein's muse is a more conservative one! I'll need to listen a bit more and to the 2 cd set of solo piano pieces (still in the post!) before I can really make my mind up about what's on offer here! The good news is I didn't once get an urge to turn it off or look at the track timing's to see how much more I had to endure? Which is usually a good sign! :)

The painting on the front of both cd's is 'Anton Rubinstein playing for Count Tolstoy" by Leonid Pasternak. Yep! He does look like Beethoven! And who do I look like? Well,I've got a date with a girl called Esmeralda tonight! But,I might have to delay it until I've seen my GP about the ringing in my ears!! :o
78  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 25, 2022, 12:37:41 pm
Liszt: Années De Pèlerinage    Lazar Berman (piano)         Deutsche Grammophon 3 cd's



I love Liszt & I love all these character's from the romantic era of the 19th century! Such a contrast to the drab,homogenised culture we live in now! Albeit,I wouldn't be posting here! I'd be sat rownd fire wi' t'other poor folk i' work hoose oop top o' hill! (Although,it's currently burnt down! So better bring waterproofs & an umbrella!) Unable to upload a 'write protected' file,I uploaded a photo of my own set,with the nice artwork on the front! (Taken with a camcorder! No! I haven't got a smart phone! ::)
I received the two Hyperion cd's of Anton Rubinstein's Piano Sonatas in the post today,performed by Leslie Howard (One heavily bronzed! :o ::)). It will be interesting to compare (hear) the pianistic inspiration of these two formidable keyboard wizards! I think Liszt will win;but Rubinstein's effort's in composition should be one of the following! 1) Interesting! 2) Intriguing! 3) Enjoyable 4) Better than you might expect! 5) Very good! 6) Excellent! 7) In-c-c-c-credible! ) 8) Cr*p! :( Hopefully,1,3 & 7?! :)
79  Assorted items / Individual composers / Re: Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on: May 24, 2022, 07:18:55 pm
I'll have to look out for those,Santo! I just,this last week,bought the Hyperion cd's of his solo piano music,which appear's to have some admirer's,online!

Some people may think I'm just wasting my time with the music of this man. Yet,there's no doubt he was a very important figure in music,during his lifetime. He was,indeed,considered the greatest pianist,next to Franz Liszt. And his music was widely performed! The fact that the music of such a great musician has attracted so much bile makes him all the more intriguing as far as I'm concerned. And,there's no doubt,that some of his music is rated highly,in some quarters. For example! The Fourth Piano Concerto has had it's champions. And there are those who think it's up there with the best! I'm not sure I agree with that? But,I did enjoy listening to it recently. And I can certainly think of Piano Concertos that are allot worse! (A really knock out tune might have helped?!) I actually preferred his first two Piano Concertos,when I listened to them,this last week! And then there's The Demon,which is generally considered his greatest work. Indeed,there are some who regard it as a masterpiece! Unforunately,I haven't heard it,so I can't comment! And judging by some of the reviews I read,there are some who regard his solo piano music very highly indeed! I haven't received the cd's I bought,so I can't comment,as yet! But some of it is very,ambitious,and some of the reviews I have read make me very keen to hear it! The sub-standard quality of some of the recordings of his orchestral music don't exactly help! The MDG recording of his "Ocean" Symphony,which I received last week,shows what a difference a decent recording can make! Fortunately,the Marco Polo performances of his Piano Concertos appear to be allot better. There is also a very good recording of the Fourth Piano Concerto on the Decca label,played by Cherkassky. (I haven't heard the Hyperion recording!) The Centaur cd of Symphonies 3 and 5 struck me as a tad better than the one on the Marco Polo label;and is worth getting hold of if you can find a cheap copy (as I did!) But,the symphonies really do need first rate recordings from a top-notch label,like Cpo or Hyperion (or MDG?). Cpo do seem to be showing some interest in his music,of late,so there is some reason to remain hopeful!
80  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 24, 2022, 06:46:32 pm
Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony (Symphony No 1) & Symphony No 2       Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Lan Shui    BIS



The lovely Rustic Wedding Symphony,again! This time in absolutely,gorgeous state of the art sound! And the good news is it's a very good performance. One critic (I forget who!) described it as "one of the loveliest pieces of music I know!" This cd pairs it with the less well know Symphony No 2. There's no doubt it's a step down after the glorious RWS,but in this recording it all sounds very enjoyable & the third movement has the most gorgeous trumpet solo! (It sound's glorious here!) In fact,in terms of enjoyment level's,the two symphonies make a winning pair! Lovely artwork on the front! :)
81  Assorted items / Individual composers / Re: Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on: May 21, 2022, 04:00:17 pm
Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concertos 1 & 2    Janoseph Banowetz (piano) Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice / Alfred Walter    Marco Polo



Well,I'm obviously very easily pleased;but I think these two Piano Concertos make very pleasant,if not,delightful listening. I'm also not sure if ,like one or two other music lovers on some forums I have visited (not "that" one!) in search of opinion's on the music of this once very famous musician,I don't prefer these two earlier concertos to the more famous Fourth Piano Concerto! (Not that I don't like that one!). It's just that the music-making here seems a tad more spontaneous,less pompous and intend on grandliquotent gestures! Nevertheless,for lovers of keyboard wizardry there's some spectacular keyboard pyrotechnics here & the Second Piano Concerto has a quite,lovely slow movement. It's true that there's no big tune of the kind you might find in a Tchaikovsky concerto;but it's all very melodious and I can think of allot of music I enjoy that isn't exactly full of the kind of tunes you'll hum in the bath or over a washing-up bowl! The sound quality is also one of the best I've heard from this label. Joseph Banowetz is also,obviously,a very talented pianist. Nice artwork,too! :)
82  Assorted items / Individual composers / Re: Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on: May 21, 2022, 12:39:16 pm
Anton Rubinstein: Symphonies 3 & 5 Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra / Barry H Kolman      Centaur



Anton Rubinstein fever continues! ("Shouldn't that be Saturday Night Fever?!!?" ed. ;D) This arrived today! Apparently,this was the first ever recording of No 3! The same orchestra as used in allot of those Marco Polo recordings of obscure & neglected repertoire. The recording quality for the third symphony does seem a tad better than on the Marco Polo & the playing a little sprightlier. To my ears these are pleasent,undemanding scores and,in their own way,very enjoyable. Nice cover art! I can remember walking into a wood one evening. It was almost dark & the rooks were returning to their roost's. The sound above my head was deafening and,what with all the fluttering of wings and only being aware of massed shapes whizzing around my head,not only awe inspiring but a little frightening!

I'm letting Lionel into all my dark,family secrets! We had our own version of Alf Garnett!! :o ;D
83  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 21, 2022, 12:51:59 am
Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet,Piano Quintet,Complete Piano Trios     Beaux Arts Trio       Philips Duo  2 cd's

More lovely chamber music by Schumann! :)

No,actually,not that old! I just remember my grandmother (the English one! My mother's mum! My father's Welsh  side of the family,being more into welsh hymns!) had a 78 of Charlie Kunz,which she used to play on her big old radiogram (Remember those?! A lovely one! It played Lp's & 78's! Huge! Like a big,polished wooden chest,with a lid on top! When they moved to Wales from London,it mysteriously,stopped working! The crappy one with the crackly knobs surviving the arduous journey! ::) :()
I was going to put that a little more politely;but I had to rush out! Apologies,for that! ::)

Apologies not needed but thanks anyway.  ;D Yes, I remember radiograms. My parents had one that also played LPs and 78s. Now that LPs (and even cassettes, I understand) are coming back into fashion, one can only ask if 78s might be next. I shall have to rush out (rush? chance'd be a fine thing) and buy a wind-up gramophone and a Jack Russell to sit in front of the horn!
I'm a cat man meeself! ;D I'm not sure it would say & listen,though?!! (The famous HMV logo would have looked a bit different!) I remember our late cat was fascinated by the tv when it was a kitten. I remember he was sitting on the tv watching the titles scroll at the end of a program. He seemed puzzled as to where the lettering went as it rolled out of sight & he kept twisting his head around the back of the tv,as if he was trying to see where it was going.
84  Assorted items / Individual composers / Re: Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on: May 20, 2022, 09:16:42 pm
Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No 4 (+ assorted solo piano pieces by various composers)  Shura Cherkassy (piano) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Ashkenazy    Decca



Rubinstein's once famous & much performed Fourth Piano Concerto seems to have dwindled away,along with the rest of his music,after his death! Although,it still had it's champions!  According to The 1951 Collins Record Guide,“the swelling introduction promises great things, but what emerges is perhaps only a rather large mouse”!
Rubinstein's Fourth,like allot of his music,tends to get less than rave reviews! Nevertheless,there always seems to be the odd enthusiast who thinks that Rubinstein's Fourth is an unjustly neglected masterpiece! I certainly enjoyed listening to in this performance. The fact that it doesn't seem to last too long & I didn't keep looking at the track timing's to see how much is left,is always a good sign. (Although,I am in a different room to the hi-fi & wearing wireless headphones,do I was unable to! :() A really good tune might have helped,but it's all very enjoyable. I think the slow movement was the best part of it. It's all very redolent of that era! The glitter,the elegance,the keyboard pyrotechnics and showmanship. Nothing terribly deep,but not bad for a big mouse,imho! ;D
85  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 20, 2022, 09:06:08 pm
Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No 4 (+ assorted solo piano pieces by various composers)  Shura Cherkassy (piano) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Ashkenazy    Decca



Rubinstein's once famous & much performed Fourth Piano Concerto seems to have dwindled away,along with the rest of his music,after his death! Although,it still had it's champions!  According to The 1951 Collins Record Guide,“the swelling introduction promises great things, but what emerges is perhaps only a rather large mouse”! Perhaps the big mouse is like the one on the old MGM Tom & Jerry cartoon which the BBC used to put on in the early evening,years ago,after the News & Nationwide! Very funny,too! I seem to recall that un-beknown to Jerry & the,hapless,Tom,the mouse was actually a kangaroo?!
Rubinstein's Fourth,like allot of his music,tends to get less than rave reviews! Nevertheless,there always seems to be the odd enthusiast who thinks that Rubinstein's Fourth is an unjustly neglected masterpiece! I certainly enjoyed listening to in this performance. The fact that it doesn't seem to last too long & I didn't keep looking at the track timing's to see how much is left,is always a good sign. (Although,I am in a different room to the hi-fi & wearing wireless headphones,do I was unable to! :() A really good tune might have helped,but it's all very enjoyable. I think the slow movement was the best part of it. It's all very redolent of that era! The glitter,the elegance,the keyboard pyrotechnics and showmanship. Nothing terribly deep,but not bad for a big mouse,imho! ;D
86  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 20, 2022, 08:33:33 pm
Gerwyn Parry?! Yes,maybe?!! My grandparents always bring to mind Alf Garnett & his long suffering wife! Not,quite as loud,but the same ranting,opiniated often ludicrously,ill informed views!
87  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 20, 2022, 06:38:39 pm
No,actually,not that old! I just remember my grandmother (the English one! My mother's mum! My father's Welsh  side of the family,being more into welsh hymns!) had a 78 of Charlie Kunz,which she used to play on her big old radiogram (Remember those?! A lovely one! It played Lp's & 78's! Huge! Like a big,polished wooden chest,with a lid on top! When they moved to Wales from London,it mysteriously,stopped working! The crappy one with the crackly knobs surviving the arduous journey! ::) :()
I was going to put that a little more politely;but I had to rush out! Apologies,for that! ::)

Apologies not needed but thanks anyway.  ;D Yes, I remember radiograms. My parents had one that also played LPs and 78s. Now that LPs (and even cassettes, I understand) are coming back into fashion, one can only ask if 78s might be next. I shall have to rush out (rush? chance'd be a fine thing) and buy a wind-up gramophone and a Jack Russell to sit in front of the horn!
;D Yes,and they don't use electricity,so economical to run! (Great during a power cut!) The Jack Russell might cost a little more to run! When I called on my grandparents I used to play records on the crappy radiogram that survived. Everytime you adjusted the volume there was a horrible,loud crackle! Even the slightest turn!! ::) :( My grandfather believing in the old waste not want not,converted the defunct radiogram into a clothes chest! They were the hi-fi of their day!! Incidentally,my grandfather (the black sheep of the family until I came along! ;D) didn't like any 'modern composers! Even Sibelius was too 'modern'! Your life would not be worth living if you put on any classical music dated later than 1900! Does that sound familiar?!! ;D
88  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 20, 2022, 04:59:39 pm
No,actually,not that old! I just remember my grandmother (the English one! My mother's mum! My father's Welsh  side of the family,being more into welsh hymns!) had a 78 of Charlie Kunz,which she used to play on her big old radiogram (Remember those?! A lovely one! It played Lp's & 78's! Huge! Like a big,polished wooden chest,with a lid on top! When they moved to Wales from London,it mysteriously,stopped working! The crappy one with the crackly knobs surviving the arduous journey! ::) :()
I was going to put that a little more politely;but I had to rush out! Apologies,for that! ::)
89  Assorted items / Individual composers / Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) on: May 20, 2022, 04:55:13 pm
Anton Rubinstein: Symphony No 2,Ouverture triomphale Op.43,Sérénade russe No.1,Valse caprice (arr. Karl Müller-Berghaus),Trot de cavalerie (arr. ?)  Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra / George Hanson    MDG



Well,what a difference a decent recording & performance make! :o :) I've always rather like the "Ocean" Symphony,since I first heard it as a youngster,on an old Turnabout Lp,borrowed from my local library ( sadly,never reissued on cd!) and I profess to enjoy some of his other music! For some reason I had overlooked this cd,which arrived today! Finally,the "Ocean" Symphony played decently & in really good sound quality! And the other pieces sound lovely too. In fact,in their own,un demanding way they all sound quite delightful,here. (And the Overture is great fun!) It's almost as if a veil has been lifted! The horns,the strings,the playing! Ooooh! :) The opening to the "Ocean" Symphony sounds quite lovely here! There is simply no comparison with those effort's on Russian Disc and Marco Polo! Poor old Anton Rubinstein! He really does deserve better! What a pity MDG didn't record some more of the symphonies! (Come on Cpo,Hyperion!) Of course,others may (will! Rubinstein must be one of the most rubbished composers in music history);but hearing these orchestral works in performances as good & well recorded as this surprised,even,me!
90  Assorted items / General musical discussion / Re: What are you currently listening to? on: May 20, 2022, 02:01:36 pm
No,actually,not that old! I just remember my grandmother (the English one! My mother's mum! My father's Welsh  side of the family,being more into welsh hymns!) had a 78 of Charlie Kunz,which she used to play on her big old radiogram (Remember those?! A lovely one! It played Lp's & 78's! Huge! Like a big,polished wooden chest,with a lid on top! When they moved to Wales from London,it mysteriously,stopped working! The crappy one with the crackly knobs surviving the arduous journey! ::) :()
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