- Bolero, Houston, R&B, The Office and Pop Idol
Sunday was a great day for stumbling across interesting shows. First, I came across a programme on Radio 4 that was nothing but orchestral musicians and conductors talking about playing Ravel's Bolero, intercut with relevant snippets of the music. I love hearing musicians discuss playing (like Alan Rusbridger's 2002 article on playing the piano) and this didn't disappoint: a slew of performers who dread playing the piece; how to get it to build in pace imperceptibly; and especially the percussionist who found it easier to play the repetetive beat with only one hand before dashing off for beers when it was all over. Unfortunately the show doesn't seem to exist on Radio 4's site.
In Television on 6 January 2004. 1 comment. Permalink
- The Sky at Night
That'll teach me to write stuff past midnight. In my previous ramble about Sunday's TV I completely forgot to mention The Sky at Night, which I stumbled onto at the end of the evening. I'm ashamed to admit that in its decades of broadcasting, and my decades of television viewing, I've never once watched it. It's quite something, and made me realise how few elderly people you see on TV. Not one — Patrick Moore — but also two colleagues, each of whom not only had wild white hair, but a bow tie. How often do you see three snowy-headed old men wearing bow ties on TV, eh? And how often do you see one of them get up and start singing, huh? So I probably shouldn't have kept thinking of The Fast Show's Bob Fleming, but I'll be tuning in again for sure.
In Television on 6 January 2004. 1 comment. Permalink
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