Radio 3: the harpsichord’s worst enemy?

The harpsichord under threat: how do music-lovers hear of instruments and performers, and develop an interest in an unfamiliar area of music?

The BBC’s charter stipulates that the organisation shall seek a balanced output. This crucial characteristic of good broadcasting is lacking from music scheduled on the BBC’s “flagship” culture station, Radio 3. Despite a campaign over several years, the station continues to offer a highly selective “sound-world”, giving disproportionate airtime to world music and jazz, while consciously neglecting many musical genres or instruments which are considered “minority interests”, or which are out of favour for reasons known only to BBC producers. My own complaint focuses, of course, on their treatment of my own instrument, the harpsichord, but those keen on (for example) the sound of the guitar, the organ, or the trio sonata, will find themselves in a similar plight.

Look at the schedules for Radio 3 from daybreak to midnight during one week recently. They’re quite typical:

Sunday: Three Scarlatti sonatas, played by Nina Milkina, piano.

Monday: Corelli violin sonata in D minor, played by violin and piano.

Tuesday: Veracini: violin sonata in B minor played by violin and piano.

Wednesday: (from the Lufthansa festival of Baroque Music!) Bach: Partita 1, and English Suite 2, played by Martin Helmchen, piano.

Thursday: Bach: Concerto in the Italian Style, played by Andras Schiff, piano; Vivaldi: violin sonata in A, played by violin and piano. Couperin: 6 pieces, played by Alexandre Tharaud, piano.

You won’t find any harpsichord performances this week, to balance these. And to round the week off nicely:

Friday: Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, played by Samuil Feinberg, piano; Plus three Bach preludes and fugues, played by Alfredo Peri, piano.

If you want to check the validity of this critique, have a look at Radio 3 schedules. If you don’t like what you find, write to Controller, Radio 3, BBC Broadcasting House, London W1A 1AA, or email the BBC. If people don’t tell him how they feel, the present bias will not be changed.