‘MUSIC IN TIME’: GALWAY ON KCET

The opening program of “Music in Time,” a 16-part weekly series hosted by James Galway devoted to a history of classical music (KCET Channel 28, Sunday at 6 p.m.), pretends to be a sneak peek at what lies ahead. In reality, it is a hopeless hodgepodge of stiff performance snippets that will leave the viewer bothered and bewildered.

On screen, Galway is charming--though the stuffy off-screen narrator isn’t. The diminutive flutist manages to dominate the music-making while serving as guide on a baffling backward journey through music history.

Performances (uncredited until the end) are excellent, though frustratingly brief and visually dull. Lovely, if overused, travelogue footage and period artworks help slightly in relieving the monotony.

Future programs (thankfully arranged in proper chronological order) are more focused and relaxed in pace, though perhaps too academic for the casual viewer.