h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Andy et al

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Several people make this point on the TCIY MB but I wonder how true it is. I suspect you'd either have to tune in at just the right time or sit through hours of boring and/or annoying rubbish to chance upon the odd gem. You could, of course, just do a programme of out-takes; but knitting them together would be problematic, as, I suspect, would copyright.

I liken 'Down the Line' to 'The Sunday Format', a brilliant series that gets repeated on BBC 7 now and then. Basically, you can plough through the Sunday supplements thinking "god, this is pretentious tosh" - and be bored sick - or you can listen to 'The Sunday Format' with its ever so slightly exaggerated take on the style and laugh yourself silly. At least I can! I think only fourteen episodes of 'The Sunday Format' were made and that was probably wise. Having listened to 'Down the Line' first time round I'm not sure a second series would be a good idea (MJ, of course, thinks it would have better as a 3-minute sketch!). But the first series was a good laugh. Did you get as far as the man from Barbuda? If not, an idle moment would be well spent finding that bit on LA (I think it's about half way through).

back later

H

Ah, now, The Sunday Format was brilliant, H!

Yours agreeably,

MJ

PS Andy's goading us with his LAed so I'm not rising to the bait!

Hi MJ

Glad we agree about 'The Sunday Format'. Perhaps you're just not familiar enough with phone-ins to recognise the targets of 'Down the Line'. I'm a bit like Andy in that I tend to avoid them, but sometimes they're just on in the background or on the car radio. Do you remember my story on WoM - the one that ended "I think you're meant to suck, not blow"? I heard that on a phone-in. And didn't 'The News Quiz' read out a transcript of a phone-in about wind farms instead of the more usual press-cutting? "I don't know why they're building a wind farm. It's windy enough around here as it is" The best one I've heard recently was on Five Live's '6-O-6' programme. Arsenal had just signed Jose Antonio Reyes and he'd had a particularly good game. A gooners fan called the radio station and said "of course you know what Jose means means in Spanish, don't you mate? It means king, mate, that's what Jose means in Spanish" Priceless! The presenter didn't even pick him up.

Must dash..missing Howard Goodall on harmony

back later

H

I'm listening to Don G - some of the singing's a little wayward but I do like a live performance (or at least a live recording). And someone's told Steph H at last that Giovanni isn't Gee-oh-vanni! Love the last act...

Ah..back to disagreeing! 3 hours+ of Mozart is not my idea of fun. I might catch the last 30 mins though. As luck would have it, what you're missing right now is Goodall explaining the use of dissonance in early music. Or should I not have told you that?

Oh drat! No you shouldn't! But where is this H G?

Channel 4 2030-2130. I'm teasing a bit. He just mentioned deliberate dissonance while going from 'diabolus in musica' to Jimi Hendrix and back to the middle ages in a matter of a few minutes. I think I've mentioned before that this series is one of the few that C4 don't seem to repeating on their digital channels any time soon. Maybe HG has the rights to it and wants too much for repeats. It's been quite an informative series so far, but maybe a bit simplistic for you or Andy. The last programme is next Saturday at 2000. I'm sure the C4 website can give you advance info if you want to check it out.

Yes you probably have told me about this series before but I didn't pay sufficient attention! As for it being too simplistic for me - I'm not at all knowledgable on early music so it wouldn't have been too simplistic at all if it was of interest to you.

I meant with your greater theoretical knowledge, MJ. Remember I can't read music and I only have a rough understanding of simple concepts like chords and major & minor keys. Anyway, the programme wasn't specifically about early music; it was about harmony. Next week's seems to be about bass:

http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/H/how_music_works/index.html

H

Leporello was sung by a bass-baritone with an interesting name:
Ildebrando d'Arcangelo

Thanks for link H. That could be interesting. I've just shown my 12 year old L as he's learning bass guitar. And my 13 year old D has taught himself loads of bass lines on L's bass so he should watch too.

He's in the Naxos film of Don G.

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/movie/star/1150718/a/Ildebrando+D

And, according to this, he has quite an amazing range!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vivaldi-Bajazet-Ildebrando-DArcangelo/dp/B00022LE38

H

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Glad to be of service, MJ

H

Re amazing range - LOL!!!

Here's a picture of Biber I found for you:
http://www.kinder-tierlexikon.de/b/biber.jpg

Good evening MJ

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That goes some way towards explaining the dissonance.

Didn't Mimi say she used to go to his shop in the King's Road?

I watched the Joan Sutherland prog last night. It concentrated on 'Lucia di Lammermoor' so it would have been more to your taste than mine. No mention of ‘Lakmé’ but I discovered she spent several years singing Valkyries and Rhinemaidens in anticipation of a Wagneriam career that never materialised. I hadn't known that, though I did once have a vinyl LP of her singing Wagner - "Du bist der Lenz" etc.

H

Good afternoon all

I hope you had a good time with E - ooh that's a bit ambiguous, isn't it?

If you read this before going to WoM, have a close look at Sir Gar before getting involved in any discussions. Obviously I wouldn't want to make your mind up for you; but this is a troll if ever I saw one. I fear there's going to be a fair bit of this with the restructuring of the 'Today' boards.

Hi MJ

You'll no doubt have worked out by now that the last message was mainly for Mimi. Have you noticed that Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings is on Performance on 3 tonight. It's scheduled for the 2nd half but I'm going to check the order hasn't been changed as they've had to call in Mark Padmore because the wonderful Ian Bostridge is indisposed. I don't know if you know this piece - all I know is that you contrive to miss it every time I draw a performance of it to your attention! - but imho it's well worth a listen.

H

Only just seen this H so I've switched it on - there's something stringy on but no sign of a tenor nor horn. Oo a woman's just started to sing... I certainly don't recognise it.

Hi MJ

I think it will be in the second half, as programmed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/performanceon3/pip/z8f0c/

I just advised caution as when there is a change of personnel there is, as you know, often a change of order.

Just heard it announced: Lachrymae and the Serenade I mentioned follow after the interval, presumably in the order stated.

H

So that was Phaedra - so I haven't missed that Serenade - yet!

Just seen that the horn player's my old friend Richard Watkins. Just joking - not really a friend but he played in the Merton Youth Orchestra - he was a superstar but I was chugging along on the back desk of the violas (drafted in as they were desperate for violas). My only claim to fame is that I carried Richard's wine back from France for him (the orchestra played in Angers)as he was under-age but I was older and I hadn't reached my limit!