Jane Erb responds to me:

>> ... that part of Rachmaninov's First Symphony used to be
>> used as the theme music to the BBC's current affairs programme
>> Panorama.
>
> I am sure you are aware that the theme music for BBC's Third Programme,
> as BBC3 was known when it first went on the air, was the March from Dag
> Wiren's Serenade for Strings?  I've always wondered why they chose not
> to use music by a native composer.

For "lighter" programming they definitely did.  I recall when I met
Ernest Tomlinson some years back, he told me that the BBC would regularly
call and ask if he had anything suitable for X type of show.  Much British
Light Music is familiar to those of us of a certain age from listening
to the BBC in our childhoods.

Oh, and M. le Pedant points out that BBC3 is a tv channel, what you
meant was BBC Radio 3.

deryk barker
[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************
The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R)
list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability
Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery.  For more information,
go to:  http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html