This week on BBC Radio 3 presenters Suzy Klein, Sara Mohr-Pietsch, Jez Nelson and Tom Service will embark on a battle of classical prowess for Comic Relief, competing against each other to be crowned Top of the Baroque. The presenters will be roping in their celebrity friends and presenting a series of comical stunts designed to convince listeners to support their choice of Baroque work.
So here to state their cases are the presenters themselves, as they try to convince you why they deserve the title Top of the Baroque!
Sarah Walker explains why you should support her choice for Top of the Baroque
Sarah Walker – When I am Laid in Earth from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
“You don't have to be a feminist to wonder if Dido's demise is a little unconvincing: from Queen of Carthage to tragic victim in the course of an hour or so, and all because of some Trojan bloke! Could it be that there's another explanation behind her emotional breakdown? Well, for Red Nose Day, I've ventured deeply into the background of the opera, and have found compelling musicological evidence that other forces were at work: feline forces! With the help of a leading Baroque musicologist and an animal trainer specialising in preparing cats for Baroque opera performances, I'll be explaining how Dido's Lament is underpinned by a different sort of betrayal, and my cat Basil is going to illustrate this with the help of the electronic keyboard (I applied for the Radio 3 harpsichord, but it had already been nabbed by one of the other presenters). By doing this, I promise to reveal some exciting sounds that have never before been aired on BBC Radio 3! ”
“You don't have to be a feminist to wonder if Dido's demise is a little unconvincing: from Queen of Carthage to tragic victim in the course of an hour or so, and all because of some Trojan bloke! Could it be that there's another explanation behind her emotional breakdown? Well, for Red Nose Day, I've ventured deeply into the background of the opera, and have found compelling musicological evidence that other forces were at work: feline forces! With the help of a leading Baroque musicologist and an animal trainer specialising in preparing cats for Baroque opera performances, I'll be explaining how Dido's Lament is underpinned by a different sort of betrayal, and my cat Basil is going to illustrate this with the help of the electronic keyboard (I applied for the Radio 3 harpsichord, but it had already been nabbed by one of the other presenters). By doing this, I promise to reveal some exciting sounds that have never before been aired on BBC Radio 3! ”
Sara Mohr-Pietsch explains why you should support her Top of the Baroque choice.
Sara Mohr-Pietsch – Pachelbel’s Canon
“I'm a world-class cellist. Well, actually, I'm a radio presenter, but for Red Nose Day I've set myself the challenge of learning 8 notes on the cello in 7 days! You can hear the result in The Comic Canon, my mega mash-up of Pachelbel's Canon, which I've made with the support of my outstandingly musical friends. This one-hit wonder is music at its most versatile: it sounds great gargled, played on the kazoo, and as an accompaniment to a bridal saunter down the aisle. That's why I'm counting on YOUR support for Comic Relief! (If we raise enough money I might even promise never to scrape at a cello in public again...)”
“I'm a world-class cellist. Well, actually, I'm a radio presenter, but for Red Nose Day I've set myself the challenge of learning 8 notes on the cello in 7 days! You can hear the result in The Comic Canon, my mega mash-up of Pachelbel's Canon, which I've made with the support of my outstandingly musical friends. This one-hit wonder is music at its most versatile: it sounds great gargled, played on the kazoo, and as an accompaniment to a bridal saunter down the aisle. That's why I'm counting on YOUR support for Comic Relief! (If we raise enough money I might even promise never to scrape at a cello in public again...)”
Jez Nelson
Jez Nelson – Bach’s Goldberg Variations
“The Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations, my choice for Top of the Baroque, is perfectly conceived, a piece of very simple beauty. But there’s even more to it. I think it shares something with the music I’ve always loved – jazz. Unlike most Baroque pieces (there are 4 in particular I could mention), you can have a bit of fun with the Goldberg Variations without committing crimes of musical indecency, and over the years a wealth of musicians have added their own interpretations, from DJs, to string quartets, to vocal groups and now, especially for Comic Relief, a big band! This Friday on BBC Radio 3 I’ll be enlisting the help of some very special musicians to help me prove how endlessly inspiring this piece of music is. The Goldbergs just keep giving, and so should you – please support me and donate to Comic Relief!”
“The Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations, my choice for Top of the Baroque, is perfectly conceived, a piece of very simple beauty. But there’s even more to it. I think it shares something with the music I’ve always loved – jazz. Unlike most Baroque pieces (there are 4 in particular I could mention), you can have a bit of fun with the Goldberg Variations without committing crimes of musical indecency, and over the years a wealth of musicians have added their own interpretations, from DJs, to string quartets, to vocal groups and now, especially for Comic Relief, a big band! This Friday on BBC Radio 3 I’ll be enlisting the help of some very special musicians to help me prove how endlessly inspiring this piece of music is. The Goldbergs just keep giving, and so should you – please support me and donate to Comic Relief!”
Suzy Klein explains why you should support her Top of the Baroque choice: Hallelujah!
Suzy Klein – The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah
“There are not many pieces of Baroque music that are as at home in the church or concert hall as they are on the football terraces. It’s one of those tunes that everybody knows - whether you’ve sung it or not – because as soon as you hear it, it will be zinging round your brain for the rest of the day. The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah is not only the greatest, most joyful piece of Baroque music, it’s also perfect for Red Nose Day. Handel was a great believer in charity, giving money raised from performances of the Messiah to the Foundling Hospital in London. So, there is no other choice when it comes to raising money for Comic Relief, support me in my choice of Top of the Baroque.”
“There are not many pieces of Baroque music that are as at home in the church or concert hall as they are on the football terraces. It’s one of those tunes that everybody knows - whether you’ve sung it or not – because as soon as you hear it, it will be zinging round your brain for the rest of the day. The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah is not only the greatest, most joyful piece of Baroque music, it’s also perfect for Red Nose Day. Handel was a great believer in charity, giving money raised from performances of the Messiah to the Foundling Hospital in London. So, there is no other choice when it comes to raising money for Comic Relief, support me in my choice of Top of the Baroque.”
Tom Service explains why you should support his Top of the Baroque choice...
Tom Service - François Couperin’s Mysterious Barricades
“Top of the Baroque: there can be only one! Surely. For I will answer the greatest riddle of the entire Baroque era. Just what in the name of all that’s Baroque and holy are François Couperin’s Mysterious Barricades? I refer of course to that micro-masterpiece from Couperin’s Sixième Ordre of Pièces pour Clavecin – his sixth book of keyboard pieces to you and me – Les Baricades Mysterieuses. For nearly three centuries since he wrote it, scholars have deliberated and cogitated over that title. Is it an 18th century euphemism for lingerie? A metaphor for the threshold between life and death? A poetic whimsy based on the way the music traps you in its miniature vortex of repetitions, an infectiously hummable sequence of harmony and melody that you will never tire of? That’s a guarantee, by the way, or your money back: this little piece is the essential distillation of the Baroque’s pleasure principle. It’s sensual, it’s suspense-ful, it’s witty, it’s charmant, it’s a concentrated and addictive shot of compositional genius. It is, in other words, my Top of the Baroque! And, if you’ve any taste, it is yours too – not that I needed to say that, naturally…”
“Top of the Baroque: there can be only one! Surely. For I will answer the greatest riddle of the entire Baroque era. Just what in the name of all that’s Baroque and holy are François Couperin’s Mysterious Barricades? I refer of course to that micro-masterpiece from Couperin’s Sixième Ordre of Pièces pour Clavecin – his sixth book of keyboard pieces to you and me – Les Baricades Mysterieuses. For nearly three centuries since he wrote it, scholars have deliberated and cogitated over that title. Is it an 18th century euphemism for lingerie? A metaphor for the threshold between life and death? A poetic whimsy based on the way the music traps you in its miniature vortex of repetitions, an infectiously hummable sequence of harmony and melody that you will never tire of? That’s a guarantee, by the way, or your money back: this little piece is the essential distillation of the Baroque’s pleasure principle. It’s sensual, it’s suspense-ful, it’s witty, it’s charmant, it’s a concentrated and addictive shot of compositional genius. It is, in other words, my Top of the Baroque! And, if you’ve any taste, it is yours too – not that I needed to say that, naturally…”
Now you’ve heard their initial pitches, make sure to tune into Radio 3 every day this week as the competition is sure to hot up, before the final showdown on Red Nose Day itself on Friday 15 March!
To support your chosen presenter and donate to Comic Relief right now just text SARAMP, SUZY, JEZ, TOM or SARAHW to 70005 and Comic Relief will get £5 to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people, all over the UK and across Africa. Texts cost £5 plus your standard network message charge and the whole £5 goes to Comic ReliefYou must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payers permissionFor full terms and conditions and more information on how to donate online go to bbc.co.uk/rednoseday.