The glory of Gershwin got me through the ironing
Donald Macleod, talking about George Gershwin, Radio 3’s Composer of the Week, came on Friday to his 1933 musical, Pardon My English. He said it was a rare Gershwin failure and the songs from it would be, therefore, unfamiliar. Expectantly, I sat my iron on its heel. (Note to fellow ironers: there’s nothing like the right Composer of the Week to get you through to the very bottom of the dried-up pile of washing where the Christmas tablecloth has sat sullen for months.) On came The Lorelei.
I sang along. I know (almost) every word of that one. Then came Isn’t It a Pity?, one of Ira Gershwin’s most delicate lyrics, with George Gershwin’s tune its perfect frame. I can’t sing that because it brings sudden interruptive tuggings on the heartstrings. I forgave Macleod for not picking more Fred Astaire versions of great Gershwin songs. I didn’t mind Harry Connick Jnr’s off-key Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off and his liberties with the lyric because he made it sound as if the words were what he was thinking. Ella Fitzgerald on Wednesday, singing I’ve Got a Crush On You with the impeccable Ellis Larkins on piano, was more than enough to compensate. My neighbours will be glad that I’m not up to singing along with this week’s composer, Giovanni Paisiello. The ironing pile, however, rises again. If you’re feeling argumentative try
The Listening Service (Radio 3, Sunday afternoons), Tom Service’s guide to how to listen. I listen to this show because I like to argue with him. Service is a Radio 3 regular, a Scot with a tendency to gabble as if hurrying to get the words out before the next thought overtakes him. He’s slowed enough here to foster the essential radio illusion, that this is more of a conversation than a monologue.
National anthems were his subject last Sunday, in advance of this weekend’s celebration of the Queen’s official 90th birthday when we will hear ours many times, ahead of the Euro 2016 football tournament in France, when we will hear lots of others. He was joined by author Alex Marshall, who knows them all and soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, who sang us through some favourites including her own, the Welsh. Service isn’t keen on the English national anthem and gave his reasons, “not an inspiring melody,” “no climax,” “dirgelike platitudes,” while nodding to its historic source in the Jacobite rebellions. His most passionate advocacy came for a world anthem, Hymnen, a two-hour Stockhausen composition. “Maybe I’m crazy,” he said. Only, I thought, if you go into any pub this weekend and try out this “teeming kaleidoscope” of fractured nationalities on the assembled gathering. Don’t do it, Tom.
Do listen all week to Radio 3’s The Essay. Yes, it clashes with Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime but this series really is worth catching. Disregard the annoying imperative overall title, Get Playing, and just hear five people describing the unexpected joys of learning a musical instrument. On Monday, impressionist Alistair McGowan talked about going back to the piano; last night novelist Joanne Harris told the story of her grandfather defying a Gestapo officer to keep possession of his double bass and how he gave her a lifelong passion to play, to tell stories, to remember. On Friday, be sure to listen to author Alexander McCall Smith’s tale of how he fell in love with the saxophone. It is truly magical.
Last Friday I went in to the BBC to record a tribute to Alan Devereux for Radio 4’s obituary programme, Last Word. Devereux played Sid Perks in
The Archers for decades and, although Sid died in 2010, Alan in real life was as unlike the narrow-minded side of Sid as could be and lived longer. On the way to the studio I said to the PA how difficult it must be to do an obituary show that has to keep pace with the news from Friday transmission through to its Sunday repeat. Yes, was the reply, and we’ve just heard Muhammad Ali has gone into hospital.
Early on Saturday I turned on 5 Live and heard the news of Ali’s death. Adrian Goldberg and Charlie Charlton did a superb job of covering the story, bringing in tributes, taking calls, doing interviews live on air. Goldberg’s conversation with George Foreman was very good indeed. The whole story took over the network, overflowing into regular shows, punctuating the live sports coverage all day. Saturday’s last two hours played Michael Parkinson’s famous TV interviews in full, every nuance clear. Yes, this is what a news and sports network is there for. But it’s marvellous to hear it so well done.