BBC R3

[kiteless]

Anyone else, or am I alone

I discovered ClassicFM in 2002, and was hard-wired to it for a number of years.

Then Simon Bates got the Breakfast Show with his dribbling inanities, Nick Bailey was axed from the 2 o'clock slot, and the station generally embraced the "jolly-hockeysticks-lashings-of-ginger-beer" style of classical broadcasting (the theme to Raiders of The Lost Ark played in the "School Run" section was particularly annoying).

Then, 6 months ago, I tried BBC R3.

Difficult to begin with, what with week long interrogations of the music of Schoenberg and Shivanovsky (sic). But, my word, it gets better with listening.

Drove home last Friday with a full rendition of Beethoven's Symphony No.3 blasting out, the Lunchtime Concert for the last month or so has been chamber music (which I love), and this weeks "Composer of The Week" is Dizzy Gillespie with Charlie "Bird" Parker".

Happy fking days.

Really, I am loving R3.

[Eric Mc]

Although I like clssical music, I have yet to become a convert to R3. I don't listen to Classic FM either however. I generally listen to classics from my CD collection.