A selective tour of Europe’s radio orchestras — persuasive in parts, over-engineered in others
Eurovision Classical Concerts is an intriguing four-part series of classical TV programmes featuring radio orchestras from selected European broadcasters. Drawing on the Eurovision network’s history of cultural exchange, the series shines a light on corners of the continent’s classical concert-going that newcomers may not yet be aware of. By showcasing the BBC Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, WDR, and Gulbenkian orchestra, the series celebrates radio orchestras while illustrating the role public service broadcasting has played in extending the life of classical music over the past century.
One episode, in particular, reveals how the UK is currently attempting to reframe classical music.
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra principal Nicholas Collon introduces the four-part series. As conductor of one of the featured orchestras and a recognisable presence in the UK through his work with Aurora Orchestra, his appointment is an inevitable choice — even if he doesn’t quite light up the screen.
Collon cuts an elegant, late-Romantic figure on the podium, but comes across as stiff when talking to camera, similarly so in voice over. The series might have benefited from allowing each participating broadcaster to platform its own presenter, lending the project a stronger sense of Eurovision identity and making each episode feel like a distinct pit-stop around Europe’s radio orchestras.
The first episode — featuring the BBC Philharmonic — is an ambiguous watch. Its bold setting in a stripped back studio shows audience members wandering with drinks in hand, mobile phones trained on the players. At Aviva Studios, the immersive design and acoustic shell clearly serve performers and audience alike; on television, however, that experience is flattened.
The performance flags in places. Principal Guest Conductor Ben Gernon beats time rather than shapes a narrative, and in certain passages the balance between strings, brass and percussion uncomfortably lacks cohesion. What we hear is an honest reflection of the audio, something that exposes the unmet challenges created when you split an ensemble up for an audience to wander around. What emerges is classical music presented as an acoustic experience rather than performance as art.
The messaging between works lacks the naturalism captured in later episodes by other broadcasters. Here, contributions are tightly scripted: everything is ‘exciting’, and the sequence highlighting the orchestra’s commitment to ‘connecting with new audiences’ feels earnest rather than engaging. At times, the programme resembles a conference show-and-tell more than a piece of television.
The order of episodes appears designed to court new viewers. The BBC Philharmonic’s progressive immersion in Aviva Studios’ ‘raw and energetic’ interior deliberately subverts expectations of what a classical concert might look like on television. Classical music is reframed as something people are already engaging with, simply in a different way — standing, moving, watching musicians at close quarters. More conventional concert settings, and more convincing performances, follow in the episodes featuring the Finnish, WDR and Gulbenkian orchestras. It makes sense to lead with the new and intriguing rather than the orthodox if the aim is to build a returning audience.
The comparatively self-conscious first episode nonetheless demonstrates joined-up editorial thinking on the part of the BBC, and reflects a broader shift across the classical music sector. A clear cross-platform strategy is visible in how classical music is positioned here: in BBC Radio 3’s presenter line-up and presentation style, in the tonal overlap with Radio 3 Unwind, and in recent BBC Proms programming. The direction of travel is consistent — an effort to reframe classical music for new audiences — and one that mirrors similar moves elsewhere in the industry, whether through coordination or convergence of intent.
In this way, the BBC Philharmonic’s episode going first is a deft move, positioning itself differently from the rest of our European partners. At the same time, there are elements that make it feel like it has overshot. The inserts lack the warmth and naturalism of later spotlights, the entire episode feeling like a glossy promo for audience development, promoting partners rather than performers. The music choices showcase spectacle and virtuosity, including a performance of a co-commission, Anna Clyne’s PALETTE, but the sounds tread a careful path. The concluding title theme from The Big Country reinforces the episode’s insistence on approachability — inclusive, informal, and determinedly uncomplicated. It would have been better left out.
There’s a sense this could be a pilot series (if such a thing exists). Episodes two, three and four produced by each participating broadcaster have more polish about them and a good deal more heart from the contributors. The WDR Radio Symphony in Cologne Philharmonie is a particular treat. Incoming principal conductor Marie Jacquot is a captivating speaker in a talking head, her spirit and enthusiasm reflected in the rehearsal footage that tees up the Petrushka. Indeed, the WDR’s programming of Stravinsky reinforces legacy and canon. An early sweeping shot of the interior of Cologne Philharmonie is a treat for the eyes. Everything feels sharper, more polished, and just all round more tantalising.
Watching the entire series it feels as though that this could grow into something bigger in years to come, one that stretches across the continent and that other broadcasters like ORF, YLE or NOS might pick up the mantle and sprinkle their own distinctive take on.
Eurovision Classical Music starts on BBC Four at 8pm on Sunday 8 February. The complete series is available on BBC iPlayer.
