Perhaps I should pitch my Top 6 feature to Radio 3 and see if my pension can be augmented with the rights to it.The idea occured to me when bracing myself to find the Top 6 Buxtehude from the Opera Omnia.
As you will see, below, the discs there come in colour-coded categories- organ music, vocal works, harpsichord and chamber music. I thought it best to represent Buxtehude by allocating the six in an appropraite allocation of six pieces from the four categories.
With Buxtehude being best known as an organ composer, there should be two of those, and with one from the harpsichord discs and one chamber piece, that leaves two from the choral section. Or, does it. The chamber music is perhaps so little regarded and there is so much more choral work that perhaps one should go 2 organ, 3 choral, 1 harpsichord and leave the chamber music out, except my very favourite piece is a trio sonata. We will see, but it leads on to a panel game, or discussion, for 45 minutes, on a different composer each week that goes something like this.
One of the R3 presenters is the chairperson- Suzy Klein or Tom Service, say, and three guests are a conductor, a musician and an amateur enthusiast. Let's say the first show is on Beethoven and we can get Kirill Karabits, Tasmin Little and anybody but Alan Titchmarsh. It won't be long before Stephen Fry wants to be on but he can wait for Wagner so we'll have Johnny Sessions.
They first need to decide on how to allocate the six pieces. Should it be 2 symphonies, 2 concertos, a choral piece and a string quartet. Ah, but, what about the piano sonatas.
Well, I can't sacrifice either the Emperor concerto or the violin concerto.
So, we can't have Missa Solemnis or Fidelio, then. You've got to have a late quartet.
And no Diabelli Variations?
No, probably not.
But we are going to need three symphonies.
And have nothing to represent Beethoven's choral music?
That'll be in the ninth symphony.
Okay.
So it's 3 symphonies, 2 concertos, a string quartet and a piano sonata until they realize that's 7 altogether. A symphony or a concerto has to go with it already implicitly agreed that Symphony no. 9 is playing an all-rounder role in two categories.
They do the relatively easy bit first by going for the Hammerklavier over the Moonlight or Appassionata sonatas. The Grosse Fuge is the chamber music.
Four choices remain from symphonies and concertos with Symphony no. 9 apparently given a bye.
So, we must have Fifth Symphony, Emperor Concerto and Violin Concerto.
And no Eroica? No Triple Concerto?
I think the Violin Concerto has to go.
I'd like to make a case for the Seventh Symphony.
It's a bit late now.
And so on, with the radio audience making astute points via the website and saying things like they don't even want any Karajan recording of the ninth at the expense of Carlo Maria Giulini's Pastoral, and it's me that said that.
It is a sure-fire hit, bringing all the partisan acrimony of Question Time to the civilized sanctuary of Radio 3 in place of one of its interminable jazz programmes on Saturday tea-time.
And here's my Top 6 Beethoven, for the record,
Symphony no. 5
Symphony no. 6
Violin Concerto
Emperor Concerto
Moonlight Sonata
Grosse Fuge
because I'll misrepresent him and include no choral music at all, if only because it's not to Beethoven I go for singing.