Does The Organist Entertains on Radio 2 do more harm than good?


Guest

/ #89

2014-03-12 19:07

The Organist Entertains programme is obviously aimed mostly at fans of theatre and pipe organ music, which should come as little surprise as this is Nigel Ogden's own world of music. The BBC should however expand and cover a wider picture of organ (and keyboard) music. There must be hundreds of hours of recorded material available if they could be bothered to search for it. I suggest we leave Nigel alone to mellow and bathe contentedly in his particular choice of entertainment, but instead demand a programme which is of specific interest to present day musicmakers. I, for one, would not want to wince through a lot of mothballed pipe organ stuff just to get to a few tidbits of modern electronic matter, and I'm sure there are many others out there who feel the same.
Give us a new programme...engage a new host...but at least provide SOME support in trying to keep the magnificent sounds of today's electronic organs and keyboards alive, thereby enchanting those who recognise the talents of today's musicians of modern equipment.
Organ and keyboard clubs up and down the country are slowly disbanding one by one. The media's cliched view of what organs are all about, more often than not pigeonholing the resultant music as being of an age of 60's Northern Clubs, fish and chips, and half sloshed public bar entertainers, is a joke in itself. 
So, dear Auntie Beeb, we've moved on a little now from that scene of beer stained Hammonds in the lounge bar, and asthmatic Farfisa's in the front room.
Be a sport and do something new, like we are.