Nesrallah helms watered-down Tempo by Richard Todd
Source : Ottawa Citizen
But CBC's best classical offerings on the Net
September 6, 2008
What a relief! When CBC Radio 2's new classical music program, Tempo, premiered this week, you might have thought you would have to endure long stretches of serious stuff, complete symphonies perhaps, for the next five hours.
But no, most of the items on offer were either short pieces to begin with, or selections from longer ones.
Even when there were complete major works, host Julie Nesrallah jumped in around midpoint to remind you what you were hearing and perhaps to offer a comment. Between the second and third movements of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, she hummed the principal subject of the fourth movement and urged the listener to pay particular attention to it.
Nesrallah's speaking voice is almost as pleasant as her singing, and her humming isn't bad either. And on Tempo, you never have to wait long to hear it. Nor is your attention span unduly taxed. The script is chock-full of useful observations. Remarking one day that the lunch hour had come, our charming host advised us to "save some room for a king-size concerto." Another time, after playing the Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Wagner's Das Rheingold, she explained that it was from the Ring Cycle and added, "That's the Ring Cycle, not the rinse cycle." The countless housewives who were doubtless listening must have appreciated the clarification.
All in all, this is one slick show, a few glitches notwithstanding. It's also pretty insipid. No, there's nothing wrong with a Brahms symphony or a movement from some Bizet incidental music. In fact, most of the music is pretty good -- but so much on the beaten path. So much so that virtually any classical fan will recognize it within a few measures.
There was a time when CBC Stereo, as it was called then, led and did not condescend. Listeners tuned it in to hear what they could not readily hear anywhere else. Now the programmers are chasing after some imaginary "demographic." They've dumped most of the classical music and watered down what's left.
To be fair, the CBC provides a lot of classical music on the Internet, including recordings of recent live performances available on demand. Most of us will have to invest some time and money in order to get our listening facilities connected, and this listener has been less than blown away by the audio quality so far, but that's the way the world is turning now.
The promotional spots that pepper the program frequently refer the listener to the online programming, though the promos for the more pop-oriented programs before and after Tempo can be a little jarring when they suddenly pop up.
One welcome feature is the daily Download Lowdown that provides information about a concert or musical program from a non-CBC source. On Tuesday, for example, Nesrallah suggested a rendition of Elgar's Enigma Variations by the Philharmonia Orchestra. She remarked that each variation is available separately, but advised downloading them all. "Better to buy your Elgar in bulk," as she put it.
The format and content of Tempo reflect a deplorable, and possibly willful, disregard for the discursive nature of classical music. If the program has any value at all, it is as a turnstile for the CBC's more satisfying Internet programming.
Tempo airs on CBC Radio 2 (101.3 FM in Ottawa) weekdays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
© Ottawa Citizen
But no, most of the items on offer were either short pieces to begin with, or selections from longer ones.
Even when there were complete major works, host Julie Nesrallah jumped in around midpoint to remind you what you were hearing and perhaps to offer a comment. Between the second and third movements of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, she hummed the principal subject of the fourth movement and urged the listener to pay particular attention to it.
Nesrallah's speaking voice is almost as pleasant as her singing, and her humming isn't bad either. And on Tempo, you never have to wait long to hear it. Nor is your attention span unduly taxed. The script is chock-full of useful observations. Remarking one day that the lunch hour had come, our charming host advised us to "save some room for a king-size concerto." Another time, after playing the Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Wagner's Das Rheingold, she explained that it was from the Ring Cycle and added, "That's the Ring Cycle, not the rinse cycle." The countless housewives who were doubtless listening must have appreciated the clarification.
All in all, this is one slick show, a few glitches notwithstanding. It's also pretty insipid. No, there's nothing wrong with a Brahms symphony or a movement from some Bizet incidental music. In fact, most of the music is pretty good -- but so much on the beaten path. So much so that virtually any classical fan will recognize it within a few measures.
There was a time when CBC Stereo, as it was called then, led and did not condescend. Listeners tuned it in to hear what they could not readily hear anywhere else. Now the programmers are chasing after some imaginary "demographic." They've dumped most of the classical music and watered down what's left.
To be fair, the CBC provides a lot of classical music on the Internet, including recordings of recent live performances available on demand. Most of us will have to invest some time and money in order to get our listening facilities connected, and this listener has been less than blown away by the audio quality so far, but that's the way the world is turning now.
The promotional spots that pepper the program frequently refer the listener to the online programming, though the promos for the more pop-oriented programs before and after Tempo can be a little jarring when they suddenly pop up.
One welcome feature is the daily Download Lowdown that provides information about a concert or musical program from a non-CBC source. On Tuesday, for example, Nesrallah suggested a rendition of Elgar's Enigma Variations by the Philharmonia Orchestra. She remarked that each variation is available separately, but advised downloading them all. "Better to buy your Elgar in bulk," as she put it.
The format and content of Tempo reflect a deplorable, and possibly willful, disregard for the discursive nature of classical music. If the program has any value at all, it is as a turnstile for the CBC's more satisfying Internet programming.
Tempo airs on CBC Radio 2 (101.3 FM in Ottawa) weekdays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
© Ottawa Citizen
