Category: Radio 3
Date: 27.05.2005
Printable version
Listeners will be able to download live performances of Beethoven's nine symphonies from next month, as part of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3's Beethoven Experience.
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All Beethoven symphonies, performed by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Philharmonic in Manchester and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, will be broadcast during the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s Beethoven season and then made available as mp3 files at bbc.co.uk/radio3.
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The one-off project aims to gauge audiences' appetite for music downloads and their preferred content, and will inform the development of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ strategy for audio downloads and on demand content.
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"We hope this experiment brings more people into contact with Beethoven's work and encourages them to explore it further themselves," said Roger Wright, Controller, Radio 3.
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"Radio 3 is delighted to offer innovative ways of experiencing classical music."
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Simon Nelson, Controller of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio and Music Interactive, explained: "Downloading technologies can transform the value we deliver to listeners and make our programmes more accessible for both new and existing audiences."
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The downloads will be available for one week after broadcast, with dates as follows:
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Symphonies 1 to 5 (broadcast in Afternoon Performance, 2.00-3.40pm): Nos. 1 and 3 on Monday 6 June and nos. 2, 4 and 5 on Tuesday 7 June;
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Then symphonies 6 to 9: no.6 on Monday 27 June, no. 7 on Tuesday 28 June, no. 8 on Wednesday 29 June and no. 9 on Thursday 30 June.
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Listeners should visit bbc.co.uk/radio3 for more details.
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The Beethoven season is the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s largest ever focus on a single creative artist, with output across ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio, Television and Interactive.
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In an unprecedented event, Radio 3 will clear its schedule to broadcast The Beethoven Experience (5-10 June) - the complete works of Beethoven in one week - and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Television will mount its biggest retrospective devoted to the works of one composer, taking viewers on a journey through Beethoven's dramatic life and greatest music.
