Maestro

I know I shouldn’t really enjoy BBC 2’s Maestro.  I mean I’m a refined sort of chap who loves clever, big TV shows like The Wire and The West Wing.

I remeber reading about it on the front page of Chortle  a few months back and thinking that the whole idea behind the programme sounded a bit rubbish.  I mean who wants to see a few comedians and B-list celebrities try and conduct an orchestra?  If the idea was to get people not normally interested in classical music interesed in classical music then I can’t see why giving Bradley Walsh and Sue Perkins a baton is going to help.

I didn’t watch the first episode when it first aired but I did read a couple of reviews and do you know what the critics liked it. So I went away and iplayered episode 1 and became hooked.  It was funny.  Really, really funny.  It’s also a bit grown up.  Although the TV folk behind it have copyied the Strictly Come Dancing/X-Factor judging format with four judges, three of whom are obnoxious and whose opinions you couldn’t care less about.

In short it’s a TV programme that has made me laugh, made me even care a bit about some of the contestants and has made me dig out and listen some the orchestral music on my ipod.  What more can you ask for?

I thought Alex James would walk it, but that’s because I like Blur.  The real star is Goldie.  This is him conducting ‘O Fortuna’ from Orff’s Carmina Burana.  Superb.  The final is next week - Goldie to win.