Read this: 17/07/2020 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello, yes, it's the prom season but a very truncated one is there much.

Hope or in glory to look forward to a prom.

It's not just the Mews great that maybe it's the whole package the musicians and audience interacting feeding off each other this year.

I'll be talking to Alan Davie control a Radio 3 and the Proms about the challenges of a prom without the promenaders and what sort of future live music has at the BBC the Proms two weeks of Life from the Albert Hall we see as part of the way back and another landmark event Returns in which the joyful outburst of applause and music from oil drums has been replaced by the sound.

England-west Indies and so test match special is Returned and its producer has some shocking revelations about its team members is always on time is always well researched and you always after every single common system was there was alright.

It was ok, which commentator could it possibly be talking about? I was truly shocked and did we make the listeners in are out of your comfort zone feature really uncomfortable this week is talking about personally I felt disappointed.

Oh dear find out which program and the flamboyant singer of listeners were talking about a little later in feedback.

Govt has dampened.

If not drenched many of our family celebrations which have been cancelled celebrated with an a small bubble or postponed indefinitely and it has hit the Arts particularly hard with theatres and concert halls showing few signs of reopening, but the problems are taking place.

Just as they did in the Blitz albeit in an abbreviated form in the 120.

There will be a combination of archive highlights and two weeks of live concerts it all begins this weekend.

Well.

I'm delighted to join by Alan Davie control a Radio 3 with responsibility for the BBC orchestras and choirs was there ever a chance of the Proms not going ahead or back in April we just didn't know we don't know what we could expect but David Pickard now the Proms are determined that if at all possible by September there should be some live music from The Proms and that we be may be providing a platform for British orchestras.

Start playing together again and for there to be in audience the broadcast audience the radio on is the TV and online audience and that's that's a big worldwide audience and the Proms it's got an audience in the whole of 6000 or the audience of millions around the world.

It's a big platform and it's really important listener Trevor Rothwell has concerns about the lack of audience.

I worry about the proposal to end the season with two weeks of live concerts played with no audience present in the whole I don't doubt that the music will be great.

I simply feel that the atmosphere of the occasion will be completely absent this will of course come to it's climax on the last night in which the audience is matter part of the performance as are the planets is there any point in doing Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia when there's no one in the audience to say we don't know yet exactly what we be able to.

In any of the concepts, we just popping out now and in the next few weeks, so we can't say exactly what's going to be there at the last night at the Proms but as ever loving new works will be starting work the real familiar works and maybe some surprises, but what it will be will be a celebration.

It might be appointment celebration.

They're not being an audience but will also broadcast on TV and do things with TV and on the radio to surround and make sure that we we do build-up and atmosphere and how people choose to listen in their homes.

You know you can create an atmosphere that I'm sure I stop see from London I'm so happy that the problems will be going ahead I've loved each and every time.

I've been privileged that form in them but an audience is the scene of Madonna's performance the energy response in the invigorates and Performance which the audience Bentalls in town.

It's what does the performance life right now.

We're playing to virtue audiences because there's no safer alternative but I worry that old.

Will come to expect performance under these and musical conditions and that this expectation will feed into a pre-existing attitude that always displayed using it's in the face of logic musical survived matter how can you ensure that they will not be a cultural shift away from in person for Mrs Simon Davey is there a danger that is result of all this you may say will actually don't need large audiences in the whole recording we can dispense with them which is clearly what no, I don't think so, I think the audience is an essential element for the full experience of experience in classical and the kinds of music and obviously that's the ideal to get the audience back now when we did our Wigmore concerts.

There was an atmosphere.

There was an atmosphere of Direct communication between those performers in the whole the whole itself Cana responded in its sound and retransmitted that to another until waiting on every note so that is a particular kind of atmosphere, but it's still not the same as the

With an audience and I think from Radio 3 sport of you and we're going to be transmitted as much live music and making it happen as much like music as we can you know over the autumn and if we can foresee getting audiences in do you know we'll be there covering it and making sure that live music as we've always enjoyed it can enjoy a ride back and the Proms two weeks of Life from the album.

We see it as part of the way back now.

I can see how the orchestras can be spaced and play I can't see how you doing with your choirs at the moment because their peers from government regulations that they just cannot sing together in the same place.

I have you any ideas how you will overcome that we're looking at that at the moment the government tightens doesn't forbid the singer of pies, but sets out the requirements and things to think about now with the Albert Hall it is a big place.

It's all kinds of spaces and if you don't have an audience in we can put people in all kinds of interesting.

The news the hall if you like as an instrument and that's one of the exciting things about this so we're looking at how we can get some skill and some of the programs that we're thinking about do have singing voice exactly how many singers were just working out now? What can we talk about the situation of young musicians both those who are just starting on the Hill xx the profession of vows in schools because what we hear is in the autumn with the pressures on the curriculum is that what's going to get squeezed will be things like the answer you have a crisis in schools and at the same time presumably you have a crisis of young musicians were just at the start of their career and was opportunities will be severely limited to worry about how much for that.

I'm always worried about you music and the pass into being a musician that people to follow whether it's not getting the opportunities at school.

I'll just a living in the wrong part of the country and often it is an accident of dogs.

What we can do it anyone is involved in music can do their utmost to try and connect with young people give them the means to discover classical music sounds all the BBC ten pieces stuff that we can do the lockdown where about 400000 people have logged on and heard pieces and and duncannon responses to it mainly it's great to see that the problems are going ahead.

I think it will be a real morale booster for musicians and audiences.

I'd like to see some inclusion of music students and those in early career who are particularly badly hit by the current limit for example.

I wonder if for the BBC could maybe showcase or broadcasts and live performances by young musicians for example in the open air and other idea may be to include some young people as co-presenters.

Are you stupid added to that idea? I'll come the people a chance and a lot of the performers in the promise this year will be young.

Start on the first night with a work by a young composer Hannah Kendall young people are always a feature of the performers at the Proms but also I think there's a long-term thing and then Radio 3 with been giving young performers the chance to do home sessions in intune.

So they get heard and that the connect to the lord into the audience remembers their practice and find some out.

I think you know the next few months as we started emerging as a lockdown.

I think Radio 3 will be doing a lot for young performers.

I met you said I think Radio 3 has to do whatever it can to bring live music back.

Do you think therefore the BBC has a unique responsibility here? You've got a large number of orchestras you sometimes your orchestras of the only ones that play in parts of the country that have live classical music of the highest standard to think you have that responsibility.

I think we do and I think that suppress all music is not just classical you know I've been doing jazz sessions as well and

Colleagues having a sessions in the Radio Theatre and helping live music at Bath to be regular part of life.

I think that's a big responsibility for the BBC and one Radio 3, please I'm proud to be associated with in the future, Wetherby cutbacks, can you make a commitment to live classical music for the BBC will not reduce in any significant way, it's commitment to live classical music on live music of all sorts live classical music is everything that radio Three's about and I think you will always have live music at its heart.

It is something to BBC Leeds on at least one in the country in the world and it's a teapot music economy this country.

I think it's something that makes Radio 3 and Radio One and six music makes all the channels until you need I can't see a point where we would not be doing like music and contributing to the industry and that we are thanks to Alan Davie control a Radio 3 with responsibility.

Proms BBC orchestras and choirs and please do let us know your thoughts about that interview and anything else to do with BBC Radio this is how you can get in touch you can send an email feedback at bbc.co.uk or write a letter to the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London se1p 4ze you can follow activity on Twitter by using at BBC R4 feedback or you can call us and leave a phone message on 03345 standard landline charges apply, but it could cost more on some mobile network all these details are on our website for asking to BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zone's and listen to a program that isn't normally on their radar this week.

We have and a blue it from.

Twizza from London welcome to feed back now.

Just to get a sense of your listening habits.

What would be your top 3 programmes if you were stranded on the mythical desert island go for the reunion and I really enjoyed the media Show and also p.m.

And companion so number one would definitely be the Today programme number to either.

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue or Unbelievable Truth number 3 brain of Britain spoilsports with our students to a program which is not like anything on 6 Music and podcast first time in which if I quote singer Florence Welch that's a Florence and the Machine musical milestones with Matt everitt is the above description it is it is?

Turn on the TV programme where the presenter of the artist discuss the significant first moments of the Artists career so for example the first record they bought the first public performance etc, and how would you describe it? I would say that it was a brief recap of her career taking those first milestones as a kind of touchdown moments description.

I'm not so sure it kind of thing to me.

It's like the purported to be a really in-depth the real colour under the skin on this account and I felt it was actually a lot lighter than might have been expected from the description remember the tapes that I had the cause which really weird that I had a dream about this all last night.

I had a dream about all my old cause a stuck the album like a little I stuck the album sleeve on the wall the cause but I mean I did listen to No Doubt

Skate Punk duky was the first record that I bought but before that there was a bit of course in their own.

Do you feel that went pop stars are interviewed the interviewers are so scared of them.

They're not come back on the program.

They asked very how shall I put it under minding questions perhaps you know I think it depends because I'm more familiar with the radio for interviews and the contrast for me is political thinking with Nick Robinson and certainly in the political interview the relationship between the interviewer and interviewee is quite different.

There is more of a holding to account of the interviewer while in this case.

It's almost sometimes the interview I can be able to come across as a bit of a fan of the Year of the celebrity of the artist so I think that definitely does impact the way the interview transpires that is the food treat them as a family often relax and then they tell you things if

YouTube swimming get out of there any other way, do you do? What do you think of my favourite style that I wasn't a huge fan of it's completely agree that need a certain kind of Meeting of Minds as to what those more intimate and just listen to a quite a few podcast and long-form interviews and I'm used to things delivering something that I can really take away.

I'm not going to get found it for him smile, so I kind of hope to get just some of those human moments where you just think yeah, just the kind of things that there wasn't a lot of that for me and you have to be a fan Florence and the Machine to have enjoyed this program.

I say yes because I was completely unfamiliar with Florence Welch I've heard of the herb and Florence and the Machine but I think definitely you're a fan of the programme would get more out of it because I'm in the premise of the program is going through chemo Stones of the artist so in these are things that perhaps are often not touched in interviews it where.

Is promoting a new album for example and if you're a fan you know you get some insight into the early milestones of Personality or the artist but I think if you're not a fan or not familiar with the subject matter then.

It's hard to relate or even have a bit of it all Spark interest in in the interview did seem to get on very well Forest machine was laugh laughing as a great deal of the Taxes and great fun and was a drummer in a band relatively successful band himself, so there's a sense of authority there and they could compare experiences though rather different wants of Glastonbury in the mud.

Did you enjoy that I mean? I could almost feel the way they talk to you about it.

I'm sorry to say but I'm not a fan, but she's a strong pioneering women in music industry, and she has talked a lot about mental health and she's on the record as talking you know about the issues and that was in this.

For me personally I felt disappointed that again.

No no not really to be honest.

I don't really have much of a popular music but is there any chance that you want are glad that you listen to this program in fact little and Sue's you and make you want to listen to six music all these podcast again.

How about you? And I think it's the kind of thing that would be nice to have on in the background of those of no baking or something and it was an artist that was interested in then.

Yeah, I think there's definitely something if it's in there that were taken away, but it wouldn't be a priority when you switch on.

I wouldn't take it out.

No and what about you ocean is a programme about recommend to people who are interested in in Pop Culture and some of these.

Nothing, I would never go to listen to because it is a radio for my go to station as such a broad catalog of programs and even on the sounds that there's so many things that need for my ear time if you will my thanks to Argentina from London and Anna blue it from Colchester and do get in touch if you would like to be put out of your comfort zone.

Now you know summer is on the way when the cricket season starts summer has been delayed this year, but better late than never last week so exciting test match between England and the West Indies which the wind is in the last session and across test match special was there to bring it into our living rooms and I'm now joined by Adam Mountford the producer of TMS who has to give our guests and the rest of the team inline well Adam we could have help from a thrilling into the game but you must have thought on that first day when we got precious little cricket due to rain that it might have been a disaster.

Yeah.

It was really frustrating.

I think we all felt those inputs such an effort into getting this game on that despite getting the teams in this biobubble getting the broadcasters in this biobubble the expense on the effort that had taken place to get the game on and then surprise surprise will let down by the Great British weather but we were rewarded in the Empire thrilling test match and I think it it was certainly gave people a sense of other someone what they been missing.

Very difficult period I want to talk to you about what it's like making programs in the present atmosphere before that can go back to when we were all locked down and many people could see it being played at my name is Alice and I'm from Oxford me and my husband Jack have been absolutely loving the playback of the cricket world cup coverage from TMS it's been helpful in lockdown to have such brilliant commentary Andrew yeah.

I just wanted to say thank you to the BBC for re-running the whole of the Headingley test match from last year the few days.

My elderly parents are feeling lonely isolated and vulnerable at the moment and took great Solace in listening along to so when you decided to replace some of the past glories in the collection how far is it go back to my berry thing in the last 3040 years it was actually little bit frustrating because in actual fact even though we do have an awful lot of Rich archive of test match special.

It's really only around the

Two years we have for recording so 105000 hours of coverage over the years going back to 1957 of TMs and fortunately the Old reel-to-reel tapes that was stored there wasn't a room to store entire test matches going back massive in the archives.

We wanted people to be able to listen to test matches in full to have the full experience as if the matches were taking place now because in that way that sense of normality in these rather crazy and worry x know when you want.

It would be possible to cover live cricket.

Had a range of problems to overcome so just getting to the ground or rather get into the Booth what did you have to broadcast? It's all have to have covtek tests in advance of the matches.

So few days out before they even allowed on site and these tests will continue throughout the summer and how to questionnaires every single day all the commentators have individual headsets are the only people have to switch them on so I think we've had already in the series a few clunky change over as people get used to the

But that's I think people have got sympathy because they realise what we're trying to do here.

So they know cakes being passed around.

Yes unfortunately we were not allowed gifts.

So yeah, this is our first summer going back to the days of Brian Johnston come up with the idea of cakes that we we don't have listeners were not able to have listeners bringing cakes and that is a real frustration.

It is a very different at TMs and not in lots of ways to what people are used to to experience in the past but the atmosphere is certainly different because there's obviously no atmosphere in the ground because there no spectators to create it and this is what one of our listeners Susan thinks about the sound of TMS Suzanne Leicester for Middlewich I love to you and I'm listening to it as I type I find the ambient noise rather soothing although.

It's am going to cheer for a wiki to Boundary or a half of how did you select the ambient noise and why did you decide not to go as we're in the direction that?

Encourages gone with somebody and sound pressing a button with him, but there's a near miss or a goal and then trying to create an artificial atmosphere, but one that complements the common we had an awful discussions about how we were going to work with the sound of test match special in the empty stadiums.

I think what we decided was just to create a gentle conversation in the background of carpet sound and describes the Lord's hun.

He wouldn't go further than that because it is very strange at the end, wasn't it? When you need about 36 runs still going to win then suddenly the England captain comes on but you couldn't Mansion the noise and the wasn't you don't think you could have added a little little bit of a run of a massive one but a little bit of a roll the feeling was by putting in wicked cheering up putting in the barmy army singing all that sort of thing what we were.

A false atmosphere that really wasn't that we want to be as authentic as you possibly can often very different things here are two of our list and so I think taking all the different views about what they want like in TMS first house with the key to the broadcast is the commentary on the genuine banter although.

I know very little about cricket a silly mid off doesn't mean much to me, but I just like to hear the commentary its first Class Peter Gibbons in recent years.

I've become more and more stated with test match special description of the cricket seems to be far less important than the endless comment given a clear picture of the Action Hero the running to his right hand picked up left-handed transfers ball to his right and over the tops of the summer XO quickly moved to back up for such a description is usually merely defended into the off.

The detail on the picture of very rare, I could go on so there's a tension isn't that between the need to tell you exactly what is happening on the ground.

So they don't miss I don't miss a week at anything the same time.

There are people just want the battery on a good humour.

How do you get that balance right? I think test match special reflects very much the experience of watching a test match within a game where the action in the centre is absolutely critical, but let's be honest over the course of a test match.

There are quite a sessions and if they give you a supporter and you're watching the cricket streaming and exciting You Don't Take Your Eyes Off the action for a second but the other times as a supporter when they're the game drift swear.

That's the chance when you're too much to have a drink going to up at the bar.

Maybe talk to you mate.

Read the newspaper and you take it a lot more.

I think we try to reflect that on test match special appoints when the action is quiet over 5-days you can't spend 5-days talking about the forward defensive shot and that's all.

Do you have to be a bit like a headmaster that sometimes are you have some fun but I'm really and some would say occasionally bumptious people in the UK have to just down we don't want you to feel like a place where people nervous to speak we wanted to feel like a place.

They relaxed and can perform at their best of course I can offer some guidance and a couple of times.

I might point at the pitch when someone's in the middle of ever story when the quickest particularly exciting but also may surprise you about the sum of the characters.

Who are you know you would imagine might be unruly but actually would you actually referring of November I don't like people but Phil Tufnell is one of the great joys to work with he's always on time if he worries for second you won't be you call me in a panic is always well researched and he always after every single common Tristan was there was alright.

It was ok.

Has been some challenges in in the Bible that they may be don't come for the people expect.

We've had some issues with Jonathan Agnew and his ukulele playing because on the balcony and Southampton of an evening he's learn ukulele on lockdown season playing it sometimes a bit too loudly, so the England cricketers who were the floor above been complaining about that Alison Mitchell's got her guitar and there was nothing one night at an impromptu duet between Alison Mitchell and Jonathan Agnew which led to a few complaints from the teams that wasn't perhaps the unruly behaviour perhaps you'd expect to be facing with a test match special team and we found that practicing his ukulele recorded at home by his wife Emma I don't think you'll be performing at the Proms now.

Thanks to Jim

Adam Manford who has a busy summer ahead and that's it for a week in which further cuts were announced by BBC News including the ending of Radio 4 in business programme, what do you make next week? I'll be talking to Sarah Sands standing down after 3 years as editor of the Today programme to let us know which questions you would like to put her until next week keep safe keep separate to buy.