A Bach Christmas

[drdoug]

Radio 3 is broadcasting A Bach Christmas until Christmas: the entire works of J. S. Bach, continuously.

This is easily the best thing Radio 3 has done since it was the Third Programme, and quite possibly before that.

It seems churlish to mention quibbles with such a cornucopia of wonderfulness, but I will anyway:

Comments

[syllopsium]

wooo! *switches on Wavefinder and tunes to Radio 3*.

Of course if I was very naughty, I *could* just set it recording to MP2 and leave it - but of course that would be bad.

[drdoug]

I'm sure that none of us would ever do anything like that, oh no.

[syllopsium]

Oops, my finger slipped..

*stares at flashing red dot on dabbar control panel*

[syllopsium]

are there, ahem, any particular pieces my finger should accidentally slip over and tragically drop onto a CDR/e-mail ?

[drdoug]

as long as I think Stokowski rather than Bach as I listen

Aha! That's the trick, I'm sure.

Messiah sung by 500 people in Huddersfield

I have a different way of dealing with that, which is to join in! Bit like my attitude to folk music: it's not something I'd pay money to listen to, but if it's me or people I know well performing then it can be a very pleasant way indeed to pass the time.

[drdoug]

Oh, and I should say I actually really quite like Fantasia. Pretty much any Disney production will be very cheesey and unchallenging but it is almost invariably extremely well produced cheese.

[drdoug]

No, I can see that.

[louis_mallow]

They're into the cantatas now. Never could abide warbling.

[drdoug]

*laughs* One thing this is making very clear to me is how much better a good Bach performance is than a bad one. In my books a bad one is one that has warbling. Overblown C19th Romantic nonsense - proper Bach should be sung in something approaching Baroque style.