Bring me cellos. And some cannons ...


* Media Guardian reports - 'Classic FM has signed Blur bass player Alex James to present a show looking at how classical music has influenced pop. The Britpop star turned newspaper columnist and organic farmer will front When Classic Meets Pop, a three-part series beginning on the GCap music station on August 4.

It is the latest addition to the When Classic Meets ... series, which has previously featured Rick Wakeman and Courtney Pine looking at the influence of classical music on rock and jazz music. "Why would I want to listen to Hard-Fi piffling around when there is Rossini?" said James. "Bring me cellos. Bring me French horns. Bring me a choir. And some cannons, maybe, for the end."

Classic FM, which was named station of the year at this year's Sony awards, attracted an audience of 5.71 million in the first three months of the year, according to the latest Rajars. The Classic FM managing director, Darren Henley, said: "As a founder member of one of Britain's foremost pop groups, Alex is uniquely placed to chart the influence classical music has had on the genre." When Classic Meets Pop will feature classically inspired songs such as Barry Manilow's Could It Be Magic, Eric Carmen's All By Myself and The Farm's Altogether Now.'


* BBC presenter Libby Purves writes - 'To run radio you must be like an old-fashioned publisher, a 1930s Gollancz or Faber and Faber, working on faith and idealism and wanting to share what you yourself love. All that you can do is make - and publicize - the best and most passionately well-crafted programmes you can think of. Ratings have to be watched, but calmly and with a sense of proportion. You have to believe that if even one person is swayed, or inspired, or changed, or comforted, by a programme, then that programme has been worthwhile.'

Now read about the circus opera from another member of Blur
Libby Purves quote from Radio, A true Love Story (Coronet Books ISBN 0340822422). Aa well as talking a lot of common sense this book is a wonderful chronicle of a career in broadcasting. Libby was one BBC training course ahead of me in the early 1970s. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

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