Post by Teddy Bear on Apr 25, 2014 17:53:26 GMT
There's a saying in Good Morning Vietnam where the general says to one of his underlings 'you don't know if you're shot, fucked, powder burned or snakebit'.
The following story puts me in mind of it with regard to the BBC. They want to appeal to everybody, and all they're doing is alienating most.
No doubt the executives will award themselves more money to give themselves the illusion that they're worth it.
The following story puts me in mind of it with regard to the BBC. They want to appeal to everybody, and all they're doing is alienating most.
No doubt the executives will award themselves more money to give themselves the illusion that they're worth it.
Now BBC takes Proms further down market: Corporation under fire for including Pet Shop Boys and Match of the Day theme in this year's line-up
By Alasdair Glennie
Mention the Proms to most music lovers, and they will call to mind the orchestral strains of Elgar and Beethoven.
But it seems the BBC has now decided to stretch the definition of classical music… to include the Pet Shop Boys and the Match of the Day theme tune.
The corporation has come under fire for further ‘dumbing down’ the annual festival by booking a string of pop acts in a bid to attract younger audiences.
Last year’s schedule was criticised for including two rappers and a punk band, and it seems this year the programme has strayed even further from its traditional remit.
It will include concerts by 32-year-old pop singer Paloma Faith – whose music is normally played on Radio 1 – and American rock star Rufus Wainwright.
One of the highlights of the summer schedule will be electronic pop duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe who form the Pet Shop Boys.
The pair – who have won three Brit Awards - are best known for 80s dance hits. But their latest outing will see them perform a new work based on the life of codebreaker Alan Turing alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers.
Other Proms will include one based entirely on sport. Hosted by presenter Gabby Logan, 41, it will feature well known tunes such as the themes from Match of the Day and Ski Sunday.
And there will two concerts aimed at pre-school children with CBeebies characters set to introduce snippets of classical music designed to appeal to the under-fives.
This year's festival will include concerts by 32-year-old pop singer Paloma Faith and 80s duo the Pet Shop Boys
Last night, veteran art critic Brian Sewell, 82, accused the BBC of taking the Proms further downmarket.
He said: ‘This is tragic. I can’t think of any other word for it. Classical music may need to draw in the younger generations, but I’m not sure having the Pet Shop Boys is going to do the trick.
‘You will end up with very successful pet Shop Boys concert, but it doesn’t mean the audience is going to come back to listen to Beethoven or Wagner.
‘Dumbing-down just doesn’t work, and I should have thought the bloody minded BBC would have worked that out by now. They always have to back-track because they begin to lose their core audience.’
‘The most successful prom I ever witnessed was a night devoted entirely to Stephen Sondheim. It was pure, unadulterated punishment for me.
'I do not suppose for one moment that the people sitting there will ever go again to a Prom concert. They went because it was Sondheim and will not be seduced into watching Beethoven.
Mr Sewell added: ‘I would rather a Proms that was true to itself but which sold fewer tickets. The size of the concert is unimportant.
‘The actual experience of going to the Albert Hall for a concert is deeply unpleasant. It is hot, the acoustics are not nearly as good as they ought to be, and if you want a glass of water or a sticky bun it costs you a small fortune. It is not a great experience in itself.
‘So there is no point getting more people through the door unless they are genuinely interested in classical music.’
Other star performers at this year’s Proms – which run from July 18 to September 13 – are the puppets from West End theatre hit War Horse, which will star alongside a Military Wives choir assembled by Gareth Malone.
The season will feature orchestras from dozens of countries, including Chine, Singapore, Iceland and South Korea. Several prominent British conductors will mark their birthdays with performances, including Sir Neville Marriner, who turned 90 last week, conducting his first prom since 1997.
It is not the first time the Proms have been accused of dumbing down in a bid to be inclusive.
Last year’s schedule featured rappers Fazer and Maverick Fazer, punk veterans The Stranglers. Other years have featured a Comedy Prom and a Doctor Who Prom, while the 2007 festival was criticised for having a show-tunes evening with Michael Ball.
Proms director, and Radio 3 Controller, Roger Wright – who is stepping down this summer - defended the schedule yesterday.
He said: ‘We should put it in context. They are just a few out of 90-plus events. This is about introducing new people to the Proms and the notion this is something brand new is totally wrong.
‘We want people to feel connected to the Proms. It is about making sure they are there, they have a good time, they know howto get in, where to queue, how to pay.
‘All of those things are a key part of opening it up. We have anecdotal evidence that they come again. They start to put their feet very gently in other more popular elements of the programme.
‘You can’t just sit there in the Albert Hall or Radio 3 and simply expect audiences who have no experience of this music to find you.’
- Last year corporation blasted for rap and punk performances
- Paloma Faith and the Pet Shops Boys will play at this year's festival
- Two concerts will feature CBeebies characters for listeners under five
By Alasdair Glennie
Mention the Proms to most music lovers, and they will call to mind the orchestral strains of Elgar and Beethoven.
But it seems the BBC has now decided to stretch the definition of classical music… to include the Pet Shop Boys and the Match of the Day theme tune.
The corporation has come under fire for further ‘dumbing down’ the annual festival by booking a string of pop acts in a bid to attract younger audiences.
Last year’s schedule was criticised for including two rappers and a punk band, and it seems this year the programme has strayed even further from its traditional remit.
It will include concerts by 32-year-old pop singer Paloma Faith – whose music is normally played on Radio 1 – and American rock star Rufus Wainwright.
One of the highlights of the summer schedule will be electronic pop duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe who form the Pet Shop Boys.
The pair – who have won three Brit Awards - are best known for 80s dance hits. But their latest outing will see them perform a new work based on the life of codebreaker Alan Turing alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers.
Other Proms will include one based entirely on sport. Hosted by presenter Gabby Logan, 41, it will feature well known tunes such as the themes from Match of the Day and Ski Sunday.
And there will two concerts aimed at pre-school children with CBeebies characters set to introduce snippets of classical music designed to appeal to the under-fives.
This year's festival will include concerts by 32-year-old pop singer Paloma Faith and 80s duo the Pet Shop Boys
Last night, veteran art critic Brian Sewell, 82, accused the BBC of taking the Proms further downmarket.
He said: ‘This is tragic. I can’t think of any other word for it. Classical music may need to draw in the younger generations, but I’m not sure having the Pet Shop Boys is going to do the trick.
‘You will end up with very successful pet Shop Boys concert, but it doesn’t mean the audience is going to come back to listen to Beethoven or Wagner.
‘Dumbing-down just doesn’t work, and I should have thought the bloody minded BBC would have worked that out by now. They always have to back-track because they begin to lose their core audience.’
‘The most successful prom I ever witnessed was a night devoted entirely to Stephen Sondheim. It was pure, unadulterated punishment for me.
'I do not suppose for one moment that the people sitting there will ever go again to a Prom concert. They went because it was Sondheim and will not be seduced into watching Beethoven.
Mr Sewell added: ‘I would rather a Proms that was true to itself but which sold fewer tickets. The size of the concert is unimportant.
‘The actual experience of going to the Albert Hall for a concert is deeply unpleasant. It is hot, the acoustics are not nearly as good as they ought to be, and if you want a glass of water or a sticky bun it costs you a small fortune. It is not a great experience in itself.
‘So there is no point getting more people through the door unless they are genuinely interested in classical music.’
Other star performers at this year’s Proms – which run from July 18 to September 13 – are the puppets from West End theatre hit War Horse, which will star alongside a Military Wives choir assembled by Gareth Malone.
The season will feature orchestras from dozens of countries, including Chine, Singapore, Iceland and South Korea. Several prominent British conductors will mark their birthdays with performances, including Sir Neville Marriner, who turned 90 last week, conducting his first prom since 1997.
It is not the first time the Proms have been accused of dumbing down in a bid to be inclusive.
Last year’s schedule featured rappers Fazer and Maverick Fazer, punk veterans The Stranglers. Other years have featured a Comedy Prom and a Doctor Who Prom, while the 2007 festival was criticised for having a show-tunes evening with Michael Ball.
Proms director, and Radio 3 Controller, Roger Wright – who is stepping down this summer - defended the schedule yesterday.
He said: ‘We should put it in context. They are just a few out of 90-plus events. This is about introducing new people to the Proms and the notion this is something brand new is totally wrong.
‘We want people to feel connected to the Proms. It is about making sure they are there, they have a good time, they know howto get in, where to queue, how to pay.
‘All of those things are a key part of opening it up. We have anecdotal evidence that they come again. They start to put their feet very gently in other more popular elements of the programme.
‘You can’t just sit there in the Albert Hall or Radio 3 and simply expect audiences who have no experience of this music to find you.’