THE CRITICS: RADIO - Come over here and sing that ; Late Junction BBC Radio 3 Today BBC Radio 4 FOREIGN Edition

Which makes me wonder about the limits and purpose of criticism, for I listened to them again (all apart from the Sweeney Todd, which I admit I didn't hear in the first place); and lo, they were better than I thought. Well, somewhat better. The cash-register carol was from the BBC Radiophonic w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Independent on Sunday
Main Author Lezard, Nicholas
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London (UK) Independent Digital News & Media 21.12.2003
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Summary:Which makes me wonder about the limits and purpose of criticism, for I listened to them again (all apart from the Sweeney Todd, which I admit I didn't hear in the first place); and lo, they were better than I thought. Well, somewhat better. The cash-register carol was from the BBC Radiophonic workshop and in the 1960s had accompanied a broadcast about the commercialisation of Christmas, so was witty in an obvious kind of way, but cleverly done with the available technology. The arrangement of "Away in a Manger" had discovered some rather interesting new harmonies - it turned out it was by Anthony Pitts of Tonus Peregrinus, who has remarkable ways with music, and the jazz, by some trio with a funny name, Espion Spensen or something, may have gone on for ages but some of it was superb. There was even a guitar with feedback in it, and no song with feedback in it is worthless. The Oxford Waits had better stay in Oxford for the time being, though.