John Suchet & Classic FM

This morning I switched on to Classic FM, despite its restricted and repetitive musical diet. I knew it should be John Suchet presenting. It was. To be honest, I was somewhat in trepidation. I have met Mr Suchet, years ago, at some function or other, and he’s a very nice man, and his fireside style no doubt has great appeal over the airwaves, but he has an irritating fault: a regular overlooking of performers. When I switched on, ‘Vltava’ (from Smetana’s Má vlast), a Classic FM staple (in other words, scheduled too often) was playing. When it finished, there was no mention of either the orchestra or the conductor (it might have been Pešek, it has been, but that’s not the point) and instead Mr Suchet went straight into reading correspondence from listeners. Although Mr Suchet is not alone among CFM hosts in this regrettable lack of information for the recording used, he is, in my experience, the worst offender. In the great scheme of things, especially in these very troubled Covid-19 times, it is hardly a crime, but I shall now avoid Mr Suchet’s programme: it’s too frustrating.