RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 3
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 3 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/
SATURDAY 19 APRIL 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m0029pyl)
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana with Veronika Eberle
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto plus Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and Mozart's Symphony no 40 from Lugano. Presented by John Shea.
12:31 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony no 1 in D major, Op 25 'Classical'
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Julian Rachlin (conductor)
12:46 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64
Veronika Eberle (violin), Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Julian Rachlin (conductor)
01:14 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Andante dolce, from Violin Sonata in D, Op 115
Veronika Eberle (violin)
01:17 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony no 40 in G minor, K.550
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Julian Rachlin (conductor)
01:49 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo in D major (KAnh.184) arranged for flute and piano
Carina Jandl (flute), Svetlana Sokolova (piano)
01:55 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Double Concerto in A minor for Violin and Cello, Op 102
Solve Sigerland (violin), Ellen Margrete Flesjo (cello), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Per Kristian Skalstad (conductor)
02:31 AM
Bernhard Molique (1802-1869)
Sonata for concertina and piano, Op 57
Joseph Petric (accordion), Guy Few (piano)
02:52 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), orch. Hans Sitt
4 Norwegian dances, Op 35
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Robert Stankovsky (conductor)
03:11 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fantasia in F minor for piano duet, D.940
Leon Fleisher (piano), Katherine Jacobson Fleisher (piano)
03:31 AM
Sebastian Bodinus (c.1700-1759)
Trio for oboe and 2 bassoons in G major
Hildebrand'sche Hoboisten Compagnie
03:40 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Spring Song, Op 16
Kaija Saarikettu (violin), Raija Kerppo (piano)
03:48 AM
Willem De Fesch (1687-1761)
Violin Concerto in C minor, Op 5 no 5
Manfred Kraemer (violin), Musica ad Rhenum
03:58 AM
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Flute Concertino, Op 107
Maria Filippova (flute), Ekaterina Mirzaeva (piano)
04:06 AM
Judith Weir (b.1954)
String quartet
Silesian Quartet
04:19 AM
Unico Wilhelm Van Wassenaer (1692-1766)
Concerto armonico for 4 violins, viola and continuo no 5 in F minor
Andrew Manze (violin), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
04:31 AM
Robert de Visee (c.1655-1733)
Suite in C minor
Yasunori Imamura (theorbo)
04:43 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
2 Sonatinas for mandolin: C minor WoO 43/1 and C major WoO 44/1
Avi Avital (mandolin), Shalev Ad-El (harpsichord)
04:51 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasiestucke, Op 73
Aljaz Begus (clarinet), Svjatoslav Presnjakov (piano)
05:01 AM
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Italian serenade
Bartok String Quartet
05:09 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), arr. unknown
Concertino for oboe and wind ensemble in C major (arr. for trumpet)
Geoffrey Payne (trumpet), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Michael Halasz (conductor)
05:17 AM
Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
Two songs for soprano, double bass and piano
Sophie Klussmann (soprano), Sophie Lucke (double bass), Gilles Vonsattel (piano)
05:28 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Trittico Botticelliano
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Peter Santa (conductor)
05:50 AM
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Piano Sonata no 3, Op 36
Jerzy Godziszewski (piano)
06:11 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite no 2 in B minor, BWV.1067
Les Passions de L'Ame, Meret Luthi (director)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m0029x7n)
Rise and shine with classical music
Emma Clarke presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
SAT 09:00 Saturday Morning (m0029x7q)
Easter: A seasonal journey. Tom Service live from the island of Iona
For Holy Saturday, Tom Service takes a seasonal journey to the island of Iona in the Inner Hebrides, reflecting the unique atmosphere and sounds of the island and telling the story of its history, its spiritual life and its folk life. Tom and guests will broadcast live from Iona Village Hall, a vantage point overlooking the eastern coastline of the island and across to Mull, just a few metres from the water and from Iona Abbey - the Benedictine abbey standing on the site of the monastery founded by St Columba. As part of the programme, Tom will hike to the beach where St Columba and his fellow monks landed on the island in 563, he'll take a walk around the abbey to discover more about the work of the Iona Community, and there'll be live music from historical Scottish music specialist David McGuinness with soprano Mhairi Lawson, and fiddler Hannah Fisher with guitarist Sorren Maclean.
Plus the continuation of BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far. This week, master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen takes us back to the London Olympics and Paralympics in Remembering 2012 written for Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Chaos Quartet. Co-commissioned with the Henry Barber Trust.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m0029x7s)
Jools with some of his most-loved recordings
Jools shares his lifelong passion for classical music and the beautiful connections with jazz and blues. With fascinating guests each week, who bring their own favourite music and occasionally perform live in Jools's studio.
Today, Jools's choices include music by Faure, Walton and Blind Lemon Jefferson, with performances by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Sheku Kanneh-Mason. His guest is the trumpeter, composer and bandleader Guy Barker who introduces music he loves by Piazzolla, Honegger, Maxine Sullivan and Ravel.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m0029x7v)
Music on the Front Line
Sir Don McCullin
Clive Myrie is in conversation with fellow journalists about the music they’ve heard whilst reporting from the front line. With his own extensive experience of covering wars, and his personal love of opera and jazz, Clive and Don McCullin share stories to reveal something of the power and significance of music when working in extreme conflict situations.
Don McCullin is a legendary photographer. For the past 50 years he has proved himself a photojournalist without equal, whether documenting the poverty of London’s East End, or the horrors of wars in Africa, Asia or the Middle East.
In 1961 he won the British Press Award for his essay on the construction of the Berlin Wall. In 1993 he was the first photojournalist to be awarded a CBE. In between he took some of the most iconic photographs of war and conflict in the 20th Century
Here he recalls the music that accompanied his working life:
Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission composed by Ennio Morricone. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Temple.
The Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th Symphony. Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
E lucevan le stelle from Puccini’s Tosca. Luciano Pavarotti with the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Elgar’s Sospiri. Andrew Davis conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Barber’s Violin Concerto, 2nd Movement. Joshua Bell with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Zinman.
Vladimir Ashkenazy playing Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte.
The Overture to Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. John Eliot Gardiner with the English Baroque Soloists.
Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer Production
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m0029x7x)
Handel's Acis and Galatea with Andrew McGregor and Mark Lowther
Mark Lowther's personal recommendation for Handel's opera Acis and Galatea, plus the best of the week's new releases
Presented by Andrew McGregor
2.00pm
Writer Flora Willson with her pick of this week's new releases
3.00pm
Building a Library: Handel's Acis and Galatea
Mark Lowther talks to Andrew and recommends his personal choice to buy, download or stream
Written to a text by John Gay, of Beggar's Opera fame, the composer modestly described it as "a little opera". But it's packed with great tunes and beautiful dramatic moments
1545
Record of the Week
Andrew's pick of the best of the best this week
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Record Review”
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m0029x7z)
Alternative Soundtracks
Matthew Sweet plays film soundtracks which were replaced before the final cut, such as Alex North's original score for 2001: A Space Odyssey which director Stanley Kubrick didn't use in the final film, preferring to use well-known pieces of classical music such as The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss instead.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Sound of Cinema.”
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m0029x81)
Jess Gillam with... Paul Lewis
Jess Gillam swaps favourite music with pianist Paul Lewis.
Pianist Paul Lewis is one of the leading musicians of his generation and one of the greatest pianists the UK has ever seen and heard. His recordings of all the Beethoven and Schubert piano music became instant classics and he's in high demand across the world for his sensitive interpretations and incredible musicianship. He joins Jess to share some of the music he holds most dear away from the composers he best known for playing - including tracks by bassist Esperanza Spalding, a concerto by Copland and there's even room for a little prog rock from Yes too. Plus Jess brings some Korngold film music, a luscious bit of Rameau and a Walker Brothers classic.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002831n)
Donizetti's La Fille du régiment
Georgia Mann presents Donizetti's comic opera starring Pretty Yende and Dorothea Röschmann in a production from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
Found on a battlefield as a baby, Marie has been raised by the 21st Regiment. Her foster-father Sergeant Sulpice says she should marry a soldier from the regiment, but Marie has other ideas. South African soprano Pretty Yende sings Marie and the young Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga sings the object of her love, Tonio. One of the jewels of the bel canto repertoire, La Fille du régiment has humour, pathos, and the famous aria, 'Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!' in which Tonio sings no fewer than nine top Cs.
Presented by Georgia Mann with guest Sarah Lenton.
Gaetano Donizetti: La Fille du régiment
Marie, a vivandière ..... Pretty Yende (soprano).
The Marquise of Berkenfield ..... Dorothea Röschmann (mezzo-soprano)
The Duchess of Crakentorp ..... Sunnyi Melles (spoken role)
Tonio, a young Tyrolean ..... Xabier Anduaga (tenor)
Sergeant Sulpice ..... Misha Kiria (bass)
Hortensius, a butler ..... Martin Snell (bass)
Corporal ..... Christian Rieger (bass)
Farmer ..... Dafydd Jones (tenor)
Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Bavarian State Orchestra
Stefano Montanari (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Opera on 3".
SAT 20:05 New Generation Artists (m002b5l0)
New Generation Artists play Mozart, Chopin and Dvorak
Radio 3's New Generation Artists heard in performances recorded at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, the Cheltenham Music Festival and in the BBC studios.
Mozart: Violin Sonata in C major, K.303
Geneva Lewis (violin), Evren Ozel (piano)
Chopin: 12 Études, Op.25
Alim Beisembayev (piano)
Dvorak: String Quartet no. 13 in G major, Op.106
Kleio Quartet
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m0029x83)
Rita Payés in session
Lopa Kothari welcomes Spanish singer and trombonist Rita Payés into the Music Planet studio for a special acoustic session featuring her mother Elisabeth Roma on the classical guitar. Rita, originally from a village outside Barcelona, is touring her latest album De Camino al Camino, her first record of original compositions.
Elsewhere in the show, Lopa picks her favourites from the latest roots-based releases from around the world, including a track from Youssou N’Dour’s new album, Eclairer le Monde (Light the World), a recording from Morocco’s Driss El Maloumi with The Watar Quintet (Belgium), and a taste of Quinie’s forthcoming record, which offers a personal take on Scots folksong tradition.
Produced by Silvia Malnati
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say, “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet”
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m001yydv)
Tectonics Glasgow 2024
Kate Molleson presents music from Tectonics Glasgow 2024 co-curated by Ilan Volkov and Alastair Campbell in association with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Featuring music by Elaine Mitchener, Salvatore Sciarrino and the UK premiere of Six Scenes for turntables and orchestra by Mariam Rezai and Matthew Shlomowitz.
SUNDAY 20 APRIL 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m0029x86)
Sparkling Mozart from Romania
Violinist David Grimal is soloist as well as conductor of the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra in a performance from Bucharest of three joyous violin concertos by Mozart. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 3 in G major, K 216
David Grimal (violin), Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, David Grimal (conductor)
12:53 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 4 in D major, K 218
David Grimal (violin), Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, David Grimal (conductor)
01:14 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 5 in A major, K 219
David Grimal (violin), Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, David Grimal (conductor)
01:41 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mass in C major, K.317 'Coronation'
Arianna Venditelli (soprano), Emilie Renard (mezzo soprano), Rupert Charlesworth (tenor), Marcell Bakonyi (bass), Coro Maghini, Claudio Chiavazza (director), Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro de Marchi (conductor)
02:08 AM
Johann Christoph Pezel (1639-1694), arr. Ronald Romm
Suite of German dances, arr for brass ensemble
Canadian Brass
02:16 AM
Cornel Taranu (1934-2023)
'Siciliana Blues' for piano and orchestra
Andrei Deleanu (piano), Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Horia Andreescu (conductor)
02:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Liederkreis, Op 39
Ian Bostridge (tenor), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
02:56 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Petrushka
Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Kai Bumann (conductor)
03:28 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata for violin and fortepiano in E flat, Op 12 no 3
Hiro Kurosaki (violin), Linda Nicholson (fortepiano)
03:47 AM
Ivo Parac (1890-1954)
Pastorale for Organ
Ljerka Ocic-Turkulin (organ)
03:55 AM
Bernhard Lewkovitch (1927-2024)
Tre madrigal di Torquato Tasso Op 13
Camilla Toldi Bugge (soprano), Johanne Bock (mezzo soprano), Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (conductor)
04:04 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Canzon à 8 from Canzoni per Sonare (Venice 1608)
Musica Fiata Koln, Roland Wilson (director)
04:06 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Now the Night is chased away (from The Fairy Queen)
Elodie Fonnard (soprano), Rachel Redmond (soprano), Reinoud van Mechelen (tenor), Yannis Francois (bass baritone), European Union Baroque Orchestra, Paul Agnew (director)
04:09 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Two Slavonic Dances, Op 46 - no 8 in G minor and no 3 in A flat major
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Arvid Engegard (conductor)
04:17 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Sonata in F major from 'Der Getreue Music-Meister'
Camerata Koln
04:24 AM
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
The Lark, from 'A Farewell to Saint Petersburg'
Kotaro Fukuma (piano)
04:31 AM
Dag Wiren (1905-1986)
Marcia from Serenade for Strings, Op 11 (1937)
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
04:36 AM
Giles Farnaby (c. 1563 - 1640), arr. Elgar Howarth
Fancies, Toyes and Dreams
Brass Consort Koln
04:45 AM
Alfonso Ferrabosco (1543-1588)
Pavan and Fantasie for lute
Nigel North (lute)
04:52 AM
Max Reger (1873-1916)
Nachtlied
Copenhagen Young Voices, Poul Emborg (director)
04:55 AM
George Gershwin (1898-1937), arr. Bengt-Ake Lundin
Rhapsody in Blue arr. Lundin for piano and string quintet
Bengt-Ake Lundin (piano), New Stenhammar String Quartet, Staffan Sjoholm (double bass)
05:13 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
5 Lyric Pieces
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
05:27 AM
Frank van der Stucken (1858-1929)
Symphonic prologue to Heinrich Heine's tragedy 'William Ratcliffe'
Flemish Radio Orchestra, Bjarte Engeset (conductor)
05:55 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Missa in duplicibus minoribus II
Maitrise de Garcons de Colmar, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Ensemble Cantus Figuratus der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Dominique Vellard (director)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m0029x9t)
Roll out of bed into classical music
Mark Forrest presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m0029x9w)
Easter: A seasonal journey. Sarah Walker live from Pembrokeshire
For this bright Easter Sunday morning, Sarah Walker is broadcasting live from the beautifully atmospheric surroundings of St Non's Chapel in Pembrokeshire - said to be the 6th-century birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, St David - and just a few metres from the sea.
Sarah will be joined by special guests - harpist Mared Pugh-Evans, the current official harpist to His Majesty the King, and Welsh folk duo Filkin's Drift - for a programme exploring music, landscape, and spiritual pilgrimage. Sarah will also visit the stunning Pembrokeshire coast path, marvel at the 12th Century Cathedral of St David's and consult a local expert about the birds who nest in the eaves of St Non's.
Plus a range of glorious music for this Easter Sunday, celebrating the season, the Saints and the landscape around St Non's.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m0029x9y)
Romola Garai
Romola Garai won her first professional acting roles as a teenager, and since then, her career has taken her in a wide range of dramatic directions.
Most recently, she won a 2025 Olivier Award for her role in The Years, a sometimes shocking play based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux – and she was competing against herself, with a nomination in the same category for her part in Giant, a play about Roald Dahl.
Her previous stage work includes playing Cordelia opposite Ian McKellen’s King Lear, and her extensive screen credits include the title role in a BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. She also won acclaim for The Hour, a drama set behind the scenes of a TV current affairs programme in the 1950s. In 2020, she went behind the camera to write and direct a horror film called Amulet.
Romola's music choices include John Taverner, Handel and Keith Jarrett.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m0029xb0)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey to Allegri's Miserere
Sara Mohr-Pietsch is your guide on a journey towards the Sistine Chapel, to explore a choral masterpiece - Gregorio Allegri's haunting Miserere.
Along the way, expect stops at Westminster Abbey for Handel's Coronation Anthem, "Zadok the Priest," Cologne for Keith Jarrett's legendary concert recorded in 1975, and Louisiana with Fats Domino, for "Mardi Gras in New Orleans."
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m0029xb2)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey. Newcastle Cathedral
Live from Newcastle Cathedral on Easter Day.
Introit: This Joyful Eastertide (Dutch Carol, arr. Ledger)
Responses: Owain Park
Psalm 66 (Gray)
First Lesson: Isaiah 43 vv1-21
Canticles: Howells in G
Second Lesson: John 20 vv19-23
Anthem: Arise, my love (Paulus)
Hymn: The strife is o’er (Victory)
Te Deum in G (Vaughan Williams)
Voluntary: Toccata (Lanquetuit)
Ian Roberts (Director of Music)
Kris Thomsett (Assistant Director of Music)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m0029xb4)
Easter Jazz
Alyn Shipton presents jazz records of all styles as requested by you, with a selection of tunes inspired by Easter including music from Gerry Mulligan, Bill Frisell, Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald, Mike Westbrook, Stan Getz, Jeanne Lee and more.
Get in touch: jrr@bbc.co.uk or use #jazzrecordrequests on social
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Jazz Record Requests”.
SUN 17:00 The Early Music Show (m0029xb6)
The Brockes Passion
Hannah French explores the 1712 libretto by Barthold Brockes that changed the landscape of Protestant Passions, tracing its performance history through the first half of the 18th Century, with music by Handel, Telemann, Reinhard Keiser, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Jacob Schuback and Johann Friedrich Fasch.
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m001692k)
April
Is it the cruellest month or the time when sweet showers fall? There's an ambiguity about April with its changeable weather and promise of rebirth that's reflected in this week's programme. Readers Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong and Emma Fielding guide us into April's more beguiling realms with poems by Anne Stevenson, Laurie Lee, Ann Sexton and Caleb Femi that are full of flowers, possibility and the warmth of sun on skin, but then TS Eliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Philip Larkin turn up to reveal that darker, melancholic side - the feeling of loss made starker by burgeoning new life. That same tension and contradiction comes through in the music which includes works by Stravinsky, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, Cécile Chaminade, Prince (yes, sometimes it DOES snow in April), Manuel Maria Ponce, TesseracT and Astor Piazzolla.
Producer: Torquil MacLeod
Readings & *Music
*Gregor Joseph Werner - L’Aprile – I. Spring. Allegro
Robert Louis Stevenson - Flower god, god of the spring
Billy Collins - Today
*Ella Fitzgerald with Count Basie and his Orchestra - April in Paris
Laurie Lee - April Rise
*Manuel Maria Ponce - Chapultepec: I. Primavera
Robert Browning - Home Thoughts from Abroad
*Giovanni Croce - I diporti della villa in ogni stagione – La Primavera : Nella stagion novella
Thomas Hardy - Tess of the d’Urbevilles
*Henri Tomasi - Printemps pour sextuour a vents
Caleb Femi - Here Too Spring Comes to Us with Open Arms
*Prince - Sometimes It Snows in April
Philip Larkin - An April Sunday brings the snow
*Anthony Burgess - Mr Burgess’s Almanack IV. Allegretto con grazia
Basil Bunting - Weeping oaks grieve, chestnuts raise
Edna St. Vincent Millay - Spring
*Nico Muhly - Spring Figures
*TesseracT - April
George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four
*Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring/Le Sacre du Printemps
TS Eliot - The Waste Land – I. The Burial of the Dead
*Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - The Seasons Op. 37b – IV. April: Snowdrop
Robert Herrick - To Daffodils
Anne Stevenson - Swifts
*Astor Piazzolla - Las 4 estaciones portenas: I. Primavera Portena
*Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto No. 1 in E major “La Primavera” – II. Largo
Keith Douglas - Villanelle of Spring Bells
Anne Sexton - It Is a Spring Afternoon
*Max Beckschafer - Madrigali Veneziani: O primavera
Boris Pasternak (trans. Angela Livingstone) - Spring
*Niklas Sivelov - Symphony No. 3 Primavera – II. Adagio
*Cecile Chaminade - Pieces romantiques Op. 55 – No. 1 Primavera
Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales – The General Prologue
DH Lawrence - The Enkindled Spring
William Shakespeare - Sonnet 98
*Judy Garland - April Showers
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m0029xb9)
Troubadour of the Caucasus
Bold and irreverent, Sergei Parajanov was a man forever dancing on the edge of danger. One of the 20th century’s greatest masters of cinema, he lived and worked in Ukraine as well as across the Caucasus and once wryly declared “I am an Armenian, born in Georgia, incarcerated in a Russian prison for being a Ukrainian nationalist.”
While Soviet officials were appalled by his experimental style, filmmakers around the world recognised his formidable talent. The Hollywood director Martin Scorsese said watching his work was “like opening a door and walking into another dimension where time has stopped, and beauty is unleashed” on the viewer.
In this Sunday Feature, Lucy Ash explores the life and legacy of Parajanov by talking to those who knew him and those he inspired. She visits the Armenian capital of Yerevan and focuses on his most famous film, The Colour of Pomegranates, which tells the story of an 18th century singer-poet and monk, Sayat Nova. The Soviet authorities thought they had commissioned a straightforward biopic of a revered national hero. Instead, they got a film with almost no dialogue, unfolding as a series of highly stylised tableaux amidst the rugged landscape of the Caucasus.
The film was vetoed and Parajanov banned from working in cinema for 15 years. Shortly after it came out, he was imprisoned on trumped up charges and only released after pressure from artists abroad. He died in his prime, aged 66, when he had several ideas for new work. Yet his unique vision still resonates today. Pop diva Lady Gaga, one of those inspired by him, said her 911 video filled with Parajanov imagery was “the poetry of pain”. For all its beauty and life affirming qualities, much of The Colour of Pomegranates could be described in the same way.
Producer - Tatyana Movshevich
Editor - Penny Murphy
Studio Engineer - Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator - Gemma Ashman
Extracts of Sergei Parajanov speaking in Russian are from the documentary titled ‘Parajanov- A Requiem’ filmed by Ron Holloway, courtesy of ÖFilm Dörr & Schlösser GmbH.
Thanks to Tigran Mansurian, Mark Grigorian, Serge Avedikian, Alexander (Sasha) Atanesyan, Levon Abrahamian, the Parajanov Museum in Yerevan and Anahit Mikayelyan, Ian Christie, Leonid Louneev, Charlie Anson, Natalia Jugheli, Patrick Cazals, ÖFilm, Chaghig Chahinian, Cecilia Cenciarelli, Gordian Maugg, Vahagn Sargsyan and Tarsem Singh.
SUN 20:00 Record Review (m0029xbc)
Building a Library on Handel's Acis and Galatea
A chance to hear a complete act from yesterday's recommendation of Handel's delightful opera Acis and Galatea
Written to a text by John Gay, of Beggar's Opera fame, the composer modestly described it as "a little opera". But it's packed with great tunes and beautiful dramatic moments. Which recording will be Mark Lowther's choice...?
SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m0029xbf)
Oliveros: Protest, the Art of Listening and Marilyn Monroe
Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore introduce BBC Radio 3's series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. This is a story about a hundred years of change. Of war. Of oppression. Of steps towards equality. Of censorship. Of rapid, inescapable technological advancement. Of machines. Of transport. Of science... And it's the story of how art and music responded, the story of the composers who defined the 20th century, who created 'modern' musical art which would shock, appall and fascinate in equal measure, changing the way we listen for ever.
In this third episode, Kate explores the quietly revolutionary world of Pauline Oliveros, focusing in on the American composer's protest work 'To Valerie Solanas And Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of their Desperation' (1970). Hugely affected by the social upheaval and political crises of the time, and inspired by the beginnings of the radical feminist movement in 1960s America, Oliveros would rebel, not through violence, but through the art of listening and what she called 'Sonic Meditation'. This would culminate in a work which paid tribute to two women driven by the times to desperation - Valerie Solanas, author of the SCUM manifesto, and Marilyn Monroe.
Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”
SUN 22:00 Ultimate Calm (m002b1h4)
Series 4
Peaceful music under the moon ft. Shabaka
Polish composer, pianist and vocalist Hania Rani takes over the reins for this series of Ultimate Calm, sharing treasured musical selections as well as reflections on the nature of calm and the power of music. For her first voyage, she looks to the night sky to take inspiration from the moon, sharing music from Ravel, Meredith Monk and The Cosmic Tones Research Trio.
In every episode of Ultimate Calm, we travel to the musical safe haven of a special guest. For this lunar-inspired journey, we’re transported to the safe haven of British jazz musician, composer and bandleader Shabaka Hutchings, who shares the piece of cosmic and spacious music that fries his brain into submission.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production
SUN 23:00 The Night Tracks Mix (m001bsdy)
Music for late night listening
Hannah Peel with a magical sonic journey for late-night listening. Subscribe to receive your weekly mix on BBC Sounds.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m0023gvx)
Shimmer States
Join Elizabeth Alker on a journey through landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds as she offers up a selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists. Expect to hear from emerging independent creators whose work plays with orchestral textures and classical form as well as the latest from a new generation of contemporary composers whose output is infused with the spirit of rock, pop and electronica.
Tonight Elizabeth has new tracks from Oliver Coates (who has a new album on its way following the success of his work on the Aftersun soundtrack), The London Electronic Orchestra, as well as Berlin-based guitarist and pianist Ben Lukas Boysen.
MONDAY 21 APRIL 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m0029xbk)
The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice performs Saint-Saëns, Britten, Debussy and Salonen
Paolo Bortolameolli conducts the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice in Salonen's LA Variations, Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto no 1 in A minor, Op 33 with soloist Marcin Zdunik, Britten's Four Sea Interludes and Debussy's La Mer. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Esa-Pekka Salonen (b.1958)
LA Variations
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
12:51 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Cello Concerto no 1 in A minor, Op 13
Marcin Zdunik (cello), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
01:13 AM
Marcin Zdunik (b.1987)
Improvisation on the theme of Chopin's Mazurka no 2 in D major, Op 32
Marcin Zdunik (cello)
01:17 AM
Marcin Zdunik (b.1987)
Improvisation on the theme of the Ukrainian song 'Quiet by the River'
Marcin Zdunik (cello)
01:21 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op 33
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
01:37 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La Mer
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
02:02 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (author)
Meeres Stille (D.216) (Op.3 No.2) (Quiet Sea)
Christoph Pregardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
02:05 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Seascape, Op 53
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
02:11 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata quasi una fantasia for piano in C sharp minor, Op 27 no 2 'Moonlight'
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano)
02:31 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Anbetung dem Erbarmer - Easter Cantata Wq. 243
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Hilke Helling (alto), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Gotthold Schwarz (bass), Das Kleine Konzert, Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max (conductor)
02:52 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony No.1 in B flat major, Op 38 'Spring'
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Steven Sloane (conductor)
03:23 AM
Louis Spohr (1784-1859)
String Sextet in C, Op 140
Wiener Streichsextett (sextet)
03:48 AM
Alessandro Piccinini (1566-c.1638)
Toccata; Mariona alla vera spagnola, chiaccona
United Continuo Ensemble
03:57 AM
Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921)
Hymn to the Cherubim
Platon Maiborada Academic Choir, Viktor Skoromny (conductor)
04:02 AM
Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777)
Concerto for trombone and orchestra in E flat major
Warwick Tyrrell (trombone), Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Braithwaite (conductor)
04:12 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Tzigane - rapsodie de concert for violin and piano
Vilmos Szabadi (violin), Marta Gulyas (piano)
04:22 AM
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Lindoro's cavatina 'Languir per una bella' from L' Italiana in Algeri
Francisco Araiza (tenor), Capella Coloniensis, Gabriele Ferro (conductor)
04:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Mandolin Concerto in C major, RV.425
Avi Avital (mandolin), Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Willi Zimmermann (conductor)
04:38 AM
Susan Spain-Dunk (1880-1962)
Kentonia
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Bell (conductor)
04:45 AM
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560)
Benedictio mensae
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (conductor)
04:55 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Wienerblut (waltz), Op 354
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Borge Wagner (conductor)
05:05 AM
Cesar Franck (1822-1890)
Pastorale in E major Op 19 (1863)
Joris Verdin (organ)
05:14 AM
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Overture 'Ruslan i Lyudmila'
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru (conductor)
05:20 AM
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Suite no 2 for two viols in G major from Pieces à une et deux violes, Paris
Susie Napper (viol), Margaret Little (viol), Violes Esgales
05:59 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Sonata for cello and piano in G minor, Op 65
Zara Nelsova (cello), Grant Johannesen (piano)
06:22 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Notturno in B major, Op 40
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Stanienda (conductor)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m0029xdp)
Breakfast with the best classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford, including BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far. This week, Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen takes us back to the London Olympics and Paralympics in Remembering 2012 written for Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Chaos Quartet. Co-commissioned with the Henry Barber Trust.
You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
MON 09:30 Record Review of the Century (m0029xdr)
Part 1
Andrew McGregor, presenter of Radio 3's Record Review, hosts the first part of a special Bank Holiday day-long celebration of the very best classical recordings of the last 25 years.
Across the day, Andrew will be joined live in the studio by some of Record Review's regular guest contributors, including three mini-Building a Library slots: slimmed-down versions of Record Review’s regular feature, comparing some of the most recent versions of a key classical work.
In this first part of the day, Andrew is joined by singer and pianist Allyson Devenish, who introduces some of her favourite recordings of the 21st Century, and by Radio 3 Breakfast presenter Tom McKinney for a mini-Building a Library on some of the best recent recordings of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata. We'll hear Tom's top choice in full.
Plus, celebrity classical music fans reveal their favourite album of the century, and the day is packed with lots of the very best recordings of the very best classical music to make a great soundtrack for your Bank Holiday.
MON 13:00 Record Review of the Century (m0029xdt)
Part 2
Andrew McGregor hosts the first part of a special Bank Holiday day-long celebration of the very best classical recordings of the last 25 years. Andrew will be joined in the studio by some of Record Review's regular guest contributors, and there will be three mini-Building a Library slots across the day - slimmed-down versions of Record Review’s regular feature, comparing some of the most recent versions of a particular key classical work.
In this second segment, Andrew will be joined by conductor Ben Gernon, who will introduce some of his favourite recordings of the 21st Century, and by composer and conductor Yshani Perinpanayagam for a mini-Building a Library on some of the best recent recordings of Mozart's Requiem. We'll hear an extended section of Yshani's top choice.
Plus, celebrity classical music fans reveal their favourite album of the century, and the day is packed with lots of the very best recordings of the very best classical music to make a great soundtrack for your Bank Holiday.
MON 16:00 Record Review of the Century (m0029xdw)
Part 3
Andrew McGregor hosts the first part of a special Bank Holiday day-long celebration of the very best classical recordings of the last 25 years. Andrew will be joined in the studio by some of Record Review's regular guest contributors, and there will be three mini-Building a Library slots across the day - slimmed-down versions of Record Review’s regular feature, comparing some of the most recent versions of a particular key classical work.
In this final segment, Andrew will be joined by Gillian Moore, Director of Music at the Southbank Centre, who will introduce some of her favourite recordings of the 21st Century, and by Radio 3 presenter Kate Molleson for a mini-Building a Library on some of the best recent recordings of Mahler's epic Symphony No.2, the Resurrection Symphony. A complete performance of Kate's top choice will form the climax to the day, starting at
19.30.
Plus, celebrity classical music fans reveal their favourite album of the century, a specially curated sequence of 21st Century recordings in the Classical Mixtape at
19.00, and the day is packed with lots of the very best recordings of the very best classical music to make a great soundtrack for your Bank Holiday.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002b5g2)
The Record Review of the Century mix
A specially-curated classical music sequence for Radio 3's Record Review of the Century day, with tracks from some of the best classical albums of the last 25 years - ranging from peerlessly played Schubert from superstar pianist Alfred Brendel's farewell recital, to popular contemporary composer/singer Caroline Shaw's distinctive take on Scottish folk song. Plus, classical elegance and elan from violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter in a concerto by Joseph Bologne, joyous baroque from L'Arpeggiata, and Rodrigo from guitarist Milos Karadaglic.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0029xdy)
Mahler's Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection'
Andrew McGregor presents the climax of Radio 3's day-long celebration of the very best classical recordings of the last 25 years, Record Review of the Century: a complete performance of Mahler's epic Second Symphony, the 'Resurrection Symphony', in the version chosen by Kate Molleson earlier in the day as her favourite of the many recent recordings of the work.
Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is the composer's first to pair orchestral writing with voice and language, a vastly-scaled work about life and death inspired by a hymn read at the funeral of the composer’s friend and fellow conductor Hans von Bülow. Mahler did not give the symphony the Resurrection subtitle, but the theme was present from the work’s inception. A “death shriek” triple-forte chord pierces the third movement, and the work features a funeral theme based on the Gregorian Dies irae (Day of Wrath) depicting the Last Judgment. Mahler visualised the ecstatic final movement conclusion as the march of corpses risen from the grave to receive redemption and eternal life.
MON 21:45 The Essay (m0029xf0)
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Mount Qaf
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight we visit Mount Qaf with Elif Shafak, an author and storyteller who has written 13 novels, most recently There Are Rivers in the Sky. She first heard about Mount Qaf as a child growing up in Turkey.
Extracts from The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din 'Attar translated by Afham Darbandi and Dick Davis, Penguin Classics.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin - Freya Goldmark
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029xf3)
Nocturnal music to bewitch the senses
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0029xf5)
Ashley Henry’s Flowers
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
From Monday to Thursday this week, South London pianist, vocalist, and producer Ashley Henry is Soweto’s guest. Uplifting and groove-laden, Ashley compositions weave jazz, soul, and hip hop traditions.
Ashley released his latest album “Who We Are” at the end of last year, which featured leading contemporary jazz artists including Theo Croker, aja monet, Judi Jackson, and Binker Golding.
This week Ashley is giving Flowers to some of the artists and living legends that he takes influence from. To start the week, Ashley gives his first bouquet to a British piano master.
Plus music from Jeremey Pelt, Isobella Burnham, and Hiromi.
TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m0029xf7)
Bruch and Schumann from Slovenia
Violinist Abigeila Voshtina joins the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra and conductor Valentin Egel in Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto followed by Schumann's Second Symphony. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Vladimir Lovec (1922-1992)
Dramatic overture for orchestra
SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, Valentin Egel (conductor)
12:44 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Violin Concerto no 1 in G minor, Op 26
Abigeila Voshtina (violin), SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, Valentin Egel (conductor)
01:12 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony no 2 in C major, Op 61
SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, Valentin Egel (conductor)
01:52 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann for piano in F sharp minor, Op 20
Angela Cheng (piano)
02:01 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in C major, K.299
Georgi Spasov (flute), Suzana Klincharova (harp), Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, Plamen Djurov (conductor)
02:31 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Piano Trio no 3 in F minor, Op 65
Ilian Garnetz (violin), Sol Gabetta (cello), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
03:11 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Alles redet itzt und singet, TWV
20:10
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Stephen Varcoe (bass), Michael Schneider (recorder), Konrad Hunteler (recorder), Hans-Peter Westermann (oboe), Pieter Dhont (oboe), Michael McCraw (bassoon), Das Kleine Konzert, Hermann Max (conductor)
03:40 AM
Frano Matusic (b.1961)
Two Croatian Folksongs
Dubrovnik Guitar Trio
03:47 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Ballad from Karelia suite, Op 11
Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic, Kristjan Jarvi (conductor)
03:54 AM
Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924)
Sonatina super Carmen (Sonatina no.6) for piano 'Kammerfantasie'
Valerie Tryon (piano)
04:03 AM
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Praeludium and allegro in the style of Gaetano Pugnani
Hyun-Mi Kim (violin), Seung-Hye Choi (piano)
04:09 AM
John Foulds (1880-1939)
Keltic Overture, Op 28
BBC Concert Orchestra, Ronald Corp (conductor)
04:16 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Ferruccio Busoni
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV.659
Igor Levit (piano)
04:22 AM
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Suite for chamber orchestra
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), arr. Francesco Squarcia
3 Hungarian Dances
I Cameristi Italiani
04:39 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Chaconne for piano, Op 32
Anders Kilstrom (piano)
04:49 AM
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844)
Songs for Baritone and Piano
Wolf Matthias Friedrich (baritone), Vera Kooper (piano)
04:59 AM
Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799)
Solo (sonata) for cello and continuo in G major, Op 5 no 1
Jaap ter Linden (cello), Ageet Zweistra (cello), Ton Koopman (harpsichord)
05:07 AM
Rene Eespere (b.1953)
Sub specie quietatis - for percussion and choir
Tallinn Music High School Chamber Choir, Evi Eespere (director), Unknown (percussion)
05:17 AM
Howard Cable (1920-2016)
The Banks of Newfoundland
Hannaford Street Silver Band, Stephen Chenette (conductor)
05:24 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite no 1 in C major, BWV.1066
Les Passions de L'Ame, Meret Luthi (director)
05:47 AM
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805-1900)
6 Fantasiestucke, Op 54 (Dedicated to Clara Schumann)
Nina Gade (piano)
06:03 AM
Cesar Franck (1822-1890)
Sonata for violin and piano in A major, M.8
Marianne Thorsen (violin), Havard Gimse (piano)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m0029xgj)
Birdsong and Bach to banish those morning blues
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m0029xgl)
Refresh your morning with classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favorites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m0029xgn)
Alban Gerhardt at Wigmore Hall in London and Elgar’s Gerontius from Edinburgh
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
We begin with a concert recorded yesterday at London’s Wigmore Hall, given by former BBC New Generation Artist, cellist Alban Gerhardt alongside pianist Alexei Volodin. They pair Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata with Franck’s Sonata in A major, originally written for violin but adapted by the composer for cello.
Throughout this week on Classical Live we focus on favourite British masterpieces and today there’s a chance to hear one of the most loved choral and orchestra works in the repertoire: Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. Recorded just last month at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is joined by the Huddersfield Choral Society and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Chamber Choir, with soloists including tenor Brendan Gunnell as Gerontius.
Plus BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far. Today, Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen remembers 2012 in a work for string quartet celebrating the London Olympics.
From Wigmore Hall, London, presented by Petroc Trelawny.
Sergey Prokofiev
Sonata in C major for cello and piano, Op 119
César Franck
Sonata in A major for cello and piano
Alban Gerhardt (cello)
Alexei Volodin (piano)
***
Errollyn Wallen
Remembering 2012
Chaos Quartet
2.15pm
Edward Elgar
The Dream of Gerontius
Brenden Gunnell (tenor)
Beth Taylor (mezzo soprano)
Neal Davies (baritone)
Huddersfield Choral Society
RCS Chamber Choir
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dpgk)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Merelli’s La Scala
Donald Macleod explores the beginnings of Verdi’s tempestuous relationship with Milan’s famous opera house – La Scala
As the hearse carrying the coffin of the composer Giuseppe Verdi travelled through Milan, more than half of the city’s population lined the streets to pay their respects and catch a final glimpse of their hero. Few musicians have made such an indelible impression on the population of a country, or become so linked to a nation's sense of identity. Fewer still have become as ingrained in the fabric of a city as Verdi is in Milan. Today, as well as a statue to the composer, both the Conservatoire and a major theatre are named after him. So how was this relationship, between the city of Milan and Verdi forged? After all, this was a man born in Le Roncole, which was then French territory, and yet he would rise to become the most successful Italian composer of his generation. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the twists and turns of Verdi’s relationship with Milan -where Verdi would see his first iconic successes, and where he would breathe his last, but also a city where, for a time, he tried to ban performances of his music.
In Tuesday’s programme, Donald dives into the world of the theatre, exploring what Milan’s famous opera house La Scala was like, and examines how Verdi – now a husband and a father – came to begin his tempestuous relationship with the theatre. Tragedy strikes and a new character enters Verdi’s life – La Scala’s impresario, Bartolomeo Merelli.
Rigoletto - “Bella figlia dell’amore”
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rigoletto), tenor
Fiorenza Cossotto (Maddalena), mezzo-soprano
Renata Scotto (Gilda), soprano
Carlo Bergonzi (Il Duca), tenor
Teatro alla Scala
Rafael Kubelik, conductor
La Forza del Destino - Overture
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Sergiu Celibidache, conductor
Guarda che bianca luna: Notturno
Jennifer Larmore, mezzo-soprano
Bruce Ford, tenor
Alastair Miles, bass
Jaime Martin, flute
Antoine Palloc, piano
La seduzione
Paul Armin Edelmann, baritone
Friedrich Haider, piano
Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio - “Ah, sgombro e il loco alfin!”; “Eccolo! E desso!”
Francesca Lombardi Mazzilli (Leonora), soprano
Adrian Gans (Oberto), baritone
Manuela Custer (Cuniza), mezzo-soprano
Norman Reinhardt (Riccardo), tenor
Choir and Supplementary Choir of the Gießen Stadttheater
The Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Hofstetter, conductor
Un giorno di regno - “Non vo’ quel vecchio”
Lucia Aliberti (Giulietta), soprano
Orchestra and Chorus Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
Oleg Caetani, conductor
Producer: Sam Phillips
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m0029xgr)
Drivetime classical
Petroc Trelawny introduces live music from celebrated pianist Barry Douglas. Plus Anne Sebba drops into the In Tune studio to talk about her new book ‘The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz'.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0029xgt)
Classical music to inspire you
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0029xgw)
Oramo conducts Vaughan Williams
The BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo in Arnold's Symphony No.5, and Carwithen's Piano Concerto with Alexandra Dariescu. The BBC Singers join for Vaughan Williams's Serenade.
Recorded at the Barbican on April 11th, 2025. Presented by Ian Skelly
Ralph Vaughan: Williams: Serenade to Music*
Doreen Carwithen: Concerto for Piano
Interval
Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No. 5
Alexandra Dariescu (piano)
BBC Singers*
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
Malcolm Arnold never did anything by halves, and when he composed his Fifth Symphony he poured out his soul. Soaring melodies, gleaming colours and raw, heart-on-sleeve emotion: this is British music as you’ve never heard it before. It’s a gripping counterpart to Doreen Carwithen’s Concerto, and the radiance and rapture of Vaughan Williams’s gorgeous Serenade.
For BBC Symphony Orchestra chief conductor Sakari Oramo, British music is a passion – especially the masterpieces that the British themselves have overlooked. The Serenade to Music is a perennial favourite, but today the BBC Singers revive the composer’s ravishing original version. And pianist Alexandra Dariescu is just as committed to the music of Doreen Carwithen – like Arnold, a postwar composer who’s music is richly melodic, atmospheric, and evocative.
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m0029xgy)
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Kunlun Shan
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time, he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight, we visit Kunlun mountain from Chinese mythology with author and translator Xueting C. Ni 倪雪婷. It's a terrifying and dangerous journey to the top but also a place of wonder and delight.
Poetry extracts translated by Gopal Sukhu - The Songs of Chu: An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poetry by Qu Yuan and others, edited and translated by Gopal Sukhu, Columbia University Press.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin, Vocal & Piano - Freya Goldmark
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029xh0)
Bewitching sounds for after dark
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0029xh2)
Earth Day
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
UK pianist, vocalist, and producer Ashley Henry returns with his second Flowers pick, and tonight he highlights the work of a legend of the jazz piano and R&B.
Also in the programme, a nature inspired playlist in celebration of international Earth Day, including from Snowpoet, Nina Hudson, and Suedejazz Collective.
WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m0029xh4)
Hermès Quartet plays Stravinsky, Fauré and Beethoven
Stravinsky's Three Pieces for string quartet, Fauré's String Quartet in E minor and Beethoven's 'Razumovsky' quartet no 7, performed at L'Octogone Théâtre in Pully, Switzerland. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Three Pieces for String Quartet
Hermès Quartet
12:39 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845 - 1924)
String Quartet in E minor, Op 121
Hermès Quartet
01:03 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 7 in F major, Op 59 no 1 'Razumovsky'
Hermès Quartet
01:44 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony no 1 in C major, Op 21
Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Kai Bumann (conductor)
02:10 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Adagio from Piano Trio no 4 in B flat, Op 11 'Gassenhauer'
Swiss Piano Trio
02:16 AM
Gabrielle Brunner (20th C)
Six Pictures for Orchestra
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Graziella Contratto (conductor)
02:31 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178
Beatrice Rana (piano)
03:05 AM
Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921)
Im grossen Schweigen for baritone and orchestra
Hakan Hagegard (baritone), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)
03:28 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Fantasia for organ in G major, BWV.572
Theo Teunissen (organ)
03:38 AM
Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)
Lauda Jerusalem (Psalm 147, 'How good it is to sing praises to our God')
Concerto Palatino
03:48 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Pelléas et Mélisande - incidental music, Op 46 (excerpts)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Kolbjorn Holthe (conductor)
03:58 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Flute Quartet in G major, K.285a
Joanna G'froerer (flute), Martin Beaver (violin), Pinchas Zukerman (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)
04:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Theme and variations on the Name "Abegg", Op 1
Seung-Hee Hyun (piano)
04:17 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Romance for bassoon and piano, Op 62
Maria Wildhaber (bassoon), Alexander Boeschoten (piano)
04:23 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for Strings in E minor, RV.134
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Raphael Alpermann (harpsichord), Bernhard Forck (conductor)
04:31 AM
Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)
Introduction et Air Suedois
Anna-Maija Korsimaa (clarinet), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska (conductor)
04:42 AM
Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska (1838-1862)
The maiden's prayer, Op 4
Kyung-Sook Lee (piano)
04:46 AM
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909)
4 Songs
Jadwiga Rappe (contralto), Ewa Poblocka (piano)
04:53 AM
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Sonata violino solo representativa for violin and continuo in A major
Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin), Rosanne Hunt (cello), Linda Kent (harpsichord)
05:04 AM
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (c.1739-1799)
Symphony in G major, Op 11 no 1
Tafelmusik Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
05:19 AM
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Invocacion y danza
Sean Shibe (guitar)
05:28 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
Suite espanola, Op 47
Ilze Graubina (piano)
05:50 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Holberg Suite, Op 40
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
06:12 AM
Anonymous
Sonata in G from 'Maria Lancellotti's Book of Psalms'
Komale Akakpo (cimbalom)
06:22 AM
Anatol Lyadov (1855-1914)
The Enchanted Lake, Op 62
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Kitaenko (conductor)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m0029xh6)
Launch the day with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m0029xh8)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m0029xhb)
Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony and Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Beethoven in Manchester
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
This week we hear from a pair of recent concerts recorded at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, featuring two exceptional international pianists: Nobuyuki Tsujii and Jonathan Biss. Today, the Japanese pianist universally known as Nobu plays Beethoven’s ‘Waldstein’ Sonata, as well as music by Chopin and Liszt.
And we continue our focus on beloved British masterpieces with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony – a musical tribute to the city, written just before the First World War. We hear it in a concert performance given in the German spa town of Baden-Baden last year by the Stuttgart-based SWR Symphony Orchestra.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No 21 in C major Op 53 ‘Waldstein’
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
Fryderyk Chopin
2 Nocturnes, Op 27
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
Richard Wagner
Prelude to Tristan and Isolde
Ulster Orchestra
Anna Rakitina (conductor)
2pm
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No 2, ‘A London Symphony’
SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart
Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor)
Franz Liszt
Mephisto Waltz No 1
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m0029xhd)
St George’s Hanover Square, London.
Live from St George’s Hanover Square, London.
Introit: Now let us sing (Richard Barnard) (world premiere)
Responses: Smith
Psalms 114, 115 (Tonus Peregrinus, arr. Willcocks, Liam Connery)
First Lesson: Isaiah 43 vv1-7
Canticles: Great Service (Byrd)
Second Lesson: John 15 vv1-8
Anthem: Dettingen Anthem (The King shall rejoice; We will rejoice in thy name) (Handel)
Hymn: Rejoice, the Lord is King (Gopsal)
Voluntary: Praeludium in C, BuxWV 137 (Buxtehude)
Richard Gowers (Director of Music)
Nicholas Morris (Assistant Organist)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dpbw)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Success
Donald Macleod sees Verdi make his mark on Milan with his first real operatic success at La Scala, and a work which would make his name throughout Italy.
As the hearse carrying the coffin of the composer Giuseppe Verdi travelled through Milan, more than half of the city’s population lined the streets to pay their respects and catch a final glimpse of their hero. Few musicians have made such an indelible impression on the population of a country, or become so linked to a nation's sense of identity. Fewer still have become as ingrained in the fabric of a city as Verdi is in Milan. Today, as well as a statue to the composer, both the Conservatoire and a major theatre are named after him. So how was this relationship, between the city of Milan and Verdi forged? After all, this was a man born in Le Roncole, which was then French territory, and yet he would rise to become the most successful Italian composer of his generation. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the twists and turns of Verdi’s relationship with Milan -where Verdi would see his first iconic successes, and where he would breathe his last, but also a city where, for a time, he tried to ban performances of his music.
In Wednesday’s episode, Donald sees Verdi making his mark on Milan with his first real operatic triumph at La Scala - Nabucco. The work’s wild popularity would make his name throughout Italy, and its music would go on to become the symbol of the Italian Risorgimento. It set Verdi up for nation-wide success, with performances in, and commissions from, other opera houses in Italy and throughout Europe. But as Verdi labours under increasing pressure to write more and more works and replicate Nabucco’s acclaim, he becomes desperately overworked and is forced to take on an assistant.
La Battaglia di Legnano - Cavatina “La pia materna mano”
Andrew Richards (Arrigo), tenor
Trieste Teatro Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra
Boris Brott, conductor
Nabucco - “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate”
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor
Nabucco – Overture
Filarmonica della Scala
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
I Lombardi alla prima crociata – “Oh belle, a questa misera”; “Qual voluttà trascorrere”; “Qual prodigio”; “O signore, dal tetto natio”
Plácido Domingo (Oronte), tenor
Cristina Deutekom (Giselda), soprano
Ruggero Raimondi (Pagano/hermit), bass
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ambrosian Singers
Lamberto Gardelli, conductor
Ernani – “Ernani Involami”
Aleksandra Kurzak (Elvira), soprano
Morphing Chamber Orchestra
Frédéric Chaslin, conductor
I due foscari – “Si lo sento, iddio mi chiama”
Luciano Pavarotti (Jacopo), tenor
Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Producer: Sam Phillips
WED 17:00 In Tune (m0029xhh)
Live classical performance and interviews
Violinist and social media sensation Esther Abrami performs live. Petroc is also joined by players from London Concertante who perform music from their upcoming "Radiohead reimagined" tour.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0029xhk)
Expand your horizons with classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music from the sun-dappled intimacy of Boccherini's Guitar Quintet, to the delicate piano miniature of Chaminade's Serenade in D. Glazunov offers theatrical colour and youthful verve in his Scenes de ballet into Schubert's Junglingswonne. Vivaldi provides jubilant choral writing lifting us skyward, before gently returning to earth with Hasselman's tranquil La Source for harp. Finally, Dvorak's American quartet provides just the right amount of nostalgia to close today's classical mixtape.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0029xhm)
Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony
Dame Sarah Connolly joins the BBC Philharmonic and Geoffrey Paterson for Ernest Chausson's lush and romantic Poème de l’amour et de la mer. Camille Saint-Saëns's spectacular Third Symphony ends this programme of French music which opens with a rare orchestral treat from a composer best known for his organ and choral music, Maurice Duruflé - his rarely heard Three Dances.
Duruflé: Trois Danses
Chausson: Poème de l’amour et de la mer
8.15 Interval
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)
Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Geoffrey Paterson
Presented by Mark Forrest and recorded at the Bridgewater Hall on 29 March 2025
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m0029xhp)
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Hnitbjorg
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight we visit Hnitbjorg from Norse mythology with storyteller Svend-Erik Engh. It's this mythical mountain where Odin, chief of the gods, stole the mead of poetry from the giant Suttung.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin & Vocal - Freya Goldmark
Cello - Klara Schumann
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029xhr)
A meditative moonlight soundtrack
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0029xht)
A Ma Rainey classic
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Tonight, Ashley Henry shares the third artist he would like to give Flowers to, and this evening the wreath goes to a UK jazz pioneer.
Plus music from Sloth Racket, Geri Allen, and Venna.
THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m0029xhw)
Ethel Smyth's Concerto for Violin, Horn and Orchestra
The violinist Renaud Capuçon and horn player Stefan Dohr perform Smyth's work that's sombre and joyful in equal measure with the German Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Pablo Heras-Casado. The concerto is followed by Bruckner's spirited 5th symphony. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944)
Concerto for Violin and Horn In A
Renaud Capucon (violin), Stefan Dohr (horn), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Pablo Heras-Casado (conductor)
12:57 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony no 5
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Pablo Heras-Casado (conductor)
02:08 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Lachrymae (Reflections on a song of Dowland) Op.48a, arr. for viola and strings
Ryszard Groblewski (viola), Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Duncan Ward (conductor)
02:23 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Libera me for choir, three trombones and organ
Radio France Chorus, Unknown (trombone), Denis Comtet (organ), Donald Palumbo (conductor)
02:31 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Recorder Concerto in C major, TWV 51:C1
Giovanni Antonini (recorder), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (director)
02:47 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Gaspard de la nuit
Nikita Magaloff (piano)
03:08 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet no 64 in D major, Op 76 no 5
Engegard Quartet
03:26 AM
Maya Le Roux-Obradovic
Ballade de la vallée magique
Maya Le Roux-Obradovic (guitar), Sinfonietta Belgrade, Aleksandar Vujic (conductor)
03:42 AM
Bartlomiej Pekiel (?-c.1670)
I Missa senza le cerimonie
Camerata Silesia, Julian Gembalski (positive organ), Anna Szostak (conductor)
03:53 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
3 Lieder, arr. for cello and piano
Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
04:01 AM
Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
Serenade (to Frederick Delius on his 60th birthday)
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
04:08 AM
Anton Estendorffer (1670-1711)
Ciaccona super: Joseph, lieber Joseph mein for organ
Peter van Dijk (organ)
04:13 AM
Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
The Masque of Pandora (Two Intermezzi)
BBC Philharmonic, Ben Gernon (conductor)
04:21 AM
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Beatus vir, SV 268
Collegium Vocale 1704, Collegium 1704, Vaclav Luks (conductor)
04:31 AM
Christoph Gluck (1714-1787)
Overture from 'Alceste'
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ludovit Rajter (conductor)
04:41 AM
Pierre de la Rue (1452-1518)
Missa Sancto Job: Kyrie
Orlando Consort
04:46 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Oboe Sonata in D major, Op 166
Roger Cole (oboe), Linda Lee Thomas (piano)
04:58 AM
Mel Bonis (1858-1937)
Suite Orientale, Op 48 no 2: Prelude & Danse d'almees
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor)
05:05 AM
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Kleine Kammermusik, Op.24 No.2
Ariart Woodwind Quintet
05:19 AM
Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)
Choeur des elfes
Olivia Robinson (soprano), BBC Singers, Libby Burgess (piano), Grace Rossiter (conductor)
05:25 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713),Georg Muffat (1653-1704)
Trio Sonata No 12 'Ciacona' (Corelli) & Passacaglia from Sonata No 5 (Muffat)
Stockholm Antiqua
05:38 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor, Op 40
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)
06:05 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis for double string orchestra
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)
06:22 AM
Jean-Baptiste Forqueray (1699-1782)
La Morangis, ou La Plissay – chaconne (from 'Pieces de Viole, Paris, 1747')
Pierre Pitzl (viola da gamba), Marcy Jean Bolli (viola da gamba), Luciano Contini (archlute), Augusta Campagne (harpsichord)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m0029xjq)
Launch the day with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m0029xjs)
The very best of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, featuring new discoveries, some musical surprises and plenty of familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1200 “25 for 25: Sounds of the Century” – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far.
1230 Album of the Week.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m0029xjv)
Holst’s The Planets from the First Night of the Proms 2018
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Throughout this week we are hearing from a pair of concerts given recently at the Royal Northern College of Music by two exceptional international pianists: Nobuyuki Tsujii and Jonathan Biss. Today, Jonathan plays the first of two Schubert Sonatas he featured in his programme, and Nobu (as he’s known) plays Chopin’s Piano Sonata No 3.
And on the day the 2025 BBC Proms season is announced, we revisit the First Night of the Proms 2018 with a performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets given that July night in the Royal Albert Hall by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and National Youth Choir conducted by Sakari Oramo.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Overture to The Wasps
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor).
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in C minor, D958
Jonathan Biss (piano)
2pm
Gustav Holst
The Planets, Op 32
BBC Symphony Orchestra
National Youth Choir
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
Fryderyk Chopin
Piano Sonata No 3 in B minor
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
Jennifer Higdon
Viola Concerto
Eivind Ringstad (viola)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Miguel Harth-Bedoya (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No 8 in C minor, Op 13 ‘Pathétique’ (2nd mvt)
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dpj3)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Addio
Things go badly wrong between Verdi and Milan and the composer leaves the city. Presented by Donald Macleod.
As the hearse carrying the coffin of the composer Giuseppe Verdi travelled through Milan, more than half of the city’s population lined the streets to pay their respects and catch a final glimpse of their hero. Few musicians have made such an indelible impression on the population of a country, or become so linked to a nation's sense of identity. Fewer still have become as ingrained in the fabric of a city as Verdi is in Milan. Today, as well as a statue to the composer, both the Conservatoire and a major theatre are named after him. So how was this relationship, between the city of Milan and Verdi forged? After all, this was a man born in Le Roncole, which was then French territory, and yet he would rise to become the most successful Italian composer of his generation. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the twists and turns of Verdi’s relationship with Milan -where Verdi would see his first iconic successes, and where he would breathe his last, but also a city where, for a time, he tried to ban performances of his music.
In Thursday’s programme, Donald explores the circumstances which led to Verdi leaving the city where he had made his home, as pressures tell and Verdi’s health suffers amid rumours of poisoning. The stresses placed on the composer pushed him to breaking point and after an operatic failure at La Scala, tempers clashed and Verdi fell out with La Scala’s shady impresario Merelli, and the librettist Solera. The composer threatened a total ban on his music being performed in Milan. As revolutionary feeling grew in the city and throughout Italy, Verdi decided to leave Milan. After all, there were plenty of other opera houses in Europe, all too willing to agree to his every demand. He wouldn’t return to the city of his early triumphs for over two decades.
Rigoletto – Act I Scene 2 “Addio, addio”
Carlo Bergonzi (Il Duca), tenor
Renata Scotto (Gilda), soprano
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala
Rafael Kubelik, conductor
Giovanna d’Arco – Act 1, Scene 2
Anna Netrebko (Giovanna d’Arco), soprano
Plácido Domingo (Giacomo), baritone
Francesco Meli (Carlo VII), tenor
Philharmonia Chor Wien
Munich Radio Orchestra
Paolo Carignani, conductor
Alzira Overture
Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Macbeth (1847 version) – “ Vegliammo invan due notti - “Un lume recasi in man?”
Iano Tamar (Lady Macbeth), soprano
Sonia Lee (Dama), mezzo-soprano
Han-Gweong Jang (Medico), bass
Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia
Bratislava Chamber Choir
Marco Guidarini, conductor
La battaglia di legnano – “Giuriam d’Italia”
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia
Carlo Rizzi, conductor
La Forza del Destino – “Hola” (Ballabile)
Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milan
Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano
Riccardo Muti, conductor
Producer: Sam Phillips
THU 17:00 In Tune (m0029xjy)
Discover classical music and artists
Internationally renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar performs live. Plus Sarah Walker looks forward to highlights from the 2025 BBC Proms.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0029xk0)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0029xk2)
Javier Perianes Plays Mozart in Glasgow
Tonight, under conductor Anja Bihlmaier, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra encounters incredible women – and none more remarkable than the pioneering 19th century French composer Mel Bonis. Through her we explore three characters: the princess Salome knows her own powers and strikes a terrible bargain, Ophelia is the tragic lover of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Cleopatra rules like a goddess and dies like a queen. Meanwhile Richard Strauss harks back to ancient Greece, where Elektra nurtures a murderous obsession – until, to some of the most shatteringly violent music ever composed, she witnesses heaven and earth rain vengeance upon her tormentors. It’s a gripping contrast to Mozart at his most graceful, as pianist Javier Perianes brings all his charisma and imagination to a concerto that Mozart once played himself.
Presented by Kate Molleson live from City Halls, Glasgow.
Mel Bonis: Trois femmes de légende (Three Legendary Women): Salome, Ophelia & The Dream of Cleopatra
Mozart: Piano Concerto No 17 in G major, K 453
interval
Strauss: Elektra Suite arr. Honeck
Javier Perianes, piano
Anja Bihlmaier, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
THU 21:45 The Essay (m0029xk4)
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Mount Killaraus
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight we discover the origins of Stonehenge, as explained by 12th century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain), with storyteller Jon Norman Mason.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin - Freya Goldmark
Cello - Klara Schumann, Sergio Serra Lopez
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029xk6)
Music for the darkling hour
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0029xk8)
A live release from anaiis and Grupo Cosmo
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Ashley Henry is back tonight with the fourth and final artist he would like to pay homage to on Flowers. To end his week, Ashley chooses an American jazz vocal titan.
Plus music from Or Baraket, Summer Pearl, and Bheki Mseleku.
FRIDAY 25 APRIL 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m0029xkb)
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Herbert Blomstedt
The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Herbert Blomstedt perform works by Franz Schubert and Franz Berwald. Presented by Danielle Jalowiecka.
12:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony no 6 in C, D. 589
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt (conductor)
01:04 AM
Franz Berwald (1796-1868)
Symphony no 2 in D 'Capricieuse'
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt (conductor)
01:33 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sept chansons
Swedish Radio Choir, Par Fridberg (conductor)
01:46 AM
Ture Rangstrom (1884-1947)
Partita for Violin and Orchestra
Bernt Lysell (violin), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Niklas Willen (conductor)
02:00 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Three pieces for piano, D.946
Halina Radvilaite (piano)
02:20 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Des Teufels Lustschloss - Overture
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Miroslaw Blaszczyk (conductor)
02:31 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
String Quartet no 2 in C major, Op 36
Yggdrasil String Quartet
03:01 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 24 in C minor, K.491
Dubravka Tomsic (piano), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Anton Nanut (conductor)
03:31 AM
Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Alleluja. Paratum cor meum
Guy de Mey (tenor), Ian Honeyman (tenor), Max van Egmond (bass), Ricercar Consort
03:45 AM
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
3 Piezas espanolas for guitar
Goran Listes (guitar)
03:58 AM
Franz Schreker (1878-1934)
Scherzo for String Orchestra
Festival Strings Lucerne, Daniel Dodds (conductor)
04:06 AM
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Automne, Op 35 no 2
Valerie Tryon (piano)
04:13 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
To be sung of a summer night on the water for chorus
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Paul Hillier (conductor)
04:19 AM
Tarquinio Merula (1595-1665)
Sonata prima, Op 6 no 10
Arparla Ensemble
04:24 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Overture to the opera 'Maskarade'
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
04:31 AM
Victor Herbert (1859-1924)
March of the Toys from the operetta "Babes in Toyland"
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
04:35 AM
Traditional Catalan, arr. Xavier Montsalvatge
El cant dels ocells
Victoria de los Angeles (soprano), Luis Claret (cello), Orquesta Ciudad de Barcelona, Luis Garcia Navarro (conductor)
04:40 AM
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935),George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Passacaglia after Handel
Byungchan Lee (violin), Cameron Crozman (cello)
04:48 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
O Padre Nostro
Chamber Choir AVE, Andraz Hauptman (conductor)
04:55 AM
Matthias Schmitt (b.1958)
Ghanaia for percussion
Colin Currie (percussion)
05:02 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Alto Saxophone Concerto in E flat major, Op 109
Virgo Veldi (saxophone), Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tarmo Leinatamm (conductor)
05:16 AM
Cesar Franck (1822-1890)
Choral for organ no 1 in E major, M.38
Ljerka Ocic-Turkulin (organ)
05:29 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Le Temple de la Gloire, orchestral suites opera-ballet (1745)
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
06:00 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Piano Trio in E minor 'Dumky', Op 90
Josef Suk (violin), Josef Chuchro (cello), Jan Panenka (piano)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m0029xp8)
Boost your morning with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford, including BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far. This week, Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen takes us back to the London Olympics and Paralympics in Remembering 2012 written for Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Chaos Quartet. Co-commissioned with the Henry Barber Trust.
You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m0029xpb)
Relax into the day with classical
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m0029xpd)
Schubert’s last sonata in Manchester and Parry’s Songs of Farewell from Switzerland
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
In our final trip to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester this week, pianist Jonathan Biss performs Schubert’s exquisite final piano sonata.
We round off our mini-series this week of beloved British masterpieces with a full performance of Parry’s Songs of Farewell, recorded live in concert by the Netherlands Chamber Choir as part of last year’s Fribourg International Sacred Music Festival in Switzerland. And from a concert given the very same day across the border in Austria, Joanna Carneiro conducts the ORF Symphony Orchestra, Vienna in Louise Farrenc’s Third Symphony.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor K466
Mao Fujita (piano)
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Ruth Reinhardt (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
Scherzo in C minor (F.A.E. Sonata)
Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
Andrei Banciu (piano)
Hubert Parry
Songs of Farewell
Netherlands Chamber Choir
Peter Dijkstra (conductor)
Louise Farrenc
Symphony No 3 in G minor, Op 36
ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra
Joana Carneiro (conductor)
3pm
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960
Jonathan Biss (piano)
Nikolai Kapustin
Concert Study Op 40 No 1
Nobuyuki Tsujii (piano)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dpkn)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Verdi the outsider, Verdi the legend
Verdi is persuaded to return to the city of Milan, where he is greeted like a hero. Presented by Donald Macleod.
As the hearse carrying the coffin of the composer Giuseppe Verdi travelled through Milan, more than half of the city’s population lined the streets to pay their respects and catch a final glimpse of their hero. Few musicians have made such an indelible impression on the population of a country, or become so linked to a nation's sense of identity. Fewer still have become as ingrained in the fabric of a city as Verdi is in Milan. Today, as well as a statue to the composer, both the Conservatoire and a major theatre are named after him. So how was this relationship, between the city of Milan and Verdi forged? After all, this was a man born in Le Roncole, which was then French territory, and yet he would rise to become the most successful Italian composer of his generation. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the twists and turns of Verdi’s relationship with Milan -where Verdi would see his first iconic successes, and where he would breathe his last, but also a city where, for a time, he tried to ban performances of his music.
In Friday’s programme, Verdi is persuaded to return to the city of Milan where he is greeted like a hero. However, he decides he won't live in the city and uses the Grand Hotel, Milan as his base. He oversees a series of late, great masterpieces at La Scala, and is mobbed by fans wherever he goes. Eventually, Verdi buys a plot of land in Milan, not to build his own home in the city but to build a rest home for musicians – the place where he himself would be buried, after dying in the city with which he had had such a turbulent relationship.
Aida – “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside”; triumphal march
Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Opera Chorus
Riccardo Muti, conductor
La Forza del Destino – “La Vergine degli angeli”
Montserrat Caballe (Leonora), soprano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ambrosian Singers
Anton Guadagno, conductor
Requiem – Libera Me, Domine
Anja Harteros, soprano
Sonia Ganassi, mezzo-soprano
Rolando Villazon, tenor
René Pape, bass
Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Coro dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano, conductor
Falstaff – Act II Scene II
Bryn Terfel (Falstaff), bass-baritone
Thomas Hampson (Ford), baritone
Adrianne Pieczonka (Alice Ford), soprano
Danill Shtoda (Fenton), tenor
Dorothea Röschmann (Nannetta), soprano
Larissa Diadkova (Mistress Quickly), contralto
Stella Doufexis (Meg Page), mezzo-soprano
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Otello - “Ave Maria”
Maria Callas (Desdemona), soprano
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
Nicola Rescigno, conductor
Producer: Sam Phillips
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m0029xph)
Wind down from work with classical music
Live music from Jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth and her trio.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0029xpk)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m0021582)
Music of Travel
The BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ben Palmer are joined by mezzo Helen Charlston and narrator Carl Prekopp in music exploring the theme of travel. Presented by Petroc Trelawny.
Recorded at the BBC's Maida Vale studios in July 2024.
Jennifer Higdon: Loco
Grace Williams: Sailing Song (Sea Sketches)
Gustav Mahle:r Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen
Arthur Honegger: Pacific 231
Eduard Strauss: Bahn frei! Op 45
INTERVAL
Anna Clyne: Masquerade
Benjamin Britten: Night Mail
Gabriela Frank: Chasqui (Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout)
Silvestre Revueltas Musica para Charlar
Harry Warren, arr Palmer Chatanooga Choo Choo
Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano)
Carl Prekopp (narrator)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Ben Palmer
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m0029xpn)
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Bald Mountain
In his second series for The Essay, composer Erland Cooper turns his attention once again to the mythical world. This time he embarks on five imaginary journeys to mythic mountains from around the world, scored by Erland's own music. Accompanying him are writers and storytellers who know all about these legendary locations.
Tonight we take a wild ride to Bald Mountain on the witches' sabbath with Gabriela Houston. Born and raised in Poland, she is the author of Slavic-folklore-inspired novels for adults and children.
Reader - Molly Gromadzki
Violin and Piano - Freya Goldmark,
Woodwind - Guy Passey
Producer: Victoria Ferran
Exec producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m00253ps)
Lechuga Zafiro’s mixtape
Verity Sharp presents a mind-bending mixtape from self-styled 'amphibian' Lechuga Zafiro. The Uruguayan producer’s approach to production has been dubbed 'club concrète', bringing cutting edge sound design to recordings collected through his travels - from the sound of metal, glass and water, to toads, sea lions and pigs. A close affinity with frogs provided the initial creative spark for Zafiro’s latest album, Desde los oídos de un sapo (From the Ears of a Toad), a free flowing combination of Afro-Latin folkloric rhythms, ambient field recordings, and fierce electronics. To celebrate the album’s release, Lechuga Zafiro offers a glimpse into his sonic universe with this Late Junction mixtape.
Elsewhere in the show, a newly-released lost recording of esteemed pianist Thelonious Monk playing live in Paris in 1966, surreal minimalism from French singer-songwriter Chicaloyoh, and a track from treasured Wassoulou singer Nahawa Doumbia.
Produced by Gabriel Francis
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Late Junction”
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0029xpr)
Sultan Stevenson in session
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
In this Friday’s edition of ‘Round Midnight, Soweto welcomes London pianist Sultan Stevenson and his trio into the ‘Round Midnight studio.
A leading new voice in the world of UK jazz, Sultan’s compositions offer openness, virtuosity, and melodic tones in equal measure. Following his celebrated 2023 debut album “Faithful One”, Sultan now returns with his sophomore album “El Roi”, released via Edition Records.
Tonight, Sultan and his trio perform music from “El Roi” in an exclusive session for 'Round Midnight, with a special twist you won’t want to miss!
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
'Round Midnight
23:30 MON (m0029xf5)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m0029xh2)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m0029xht)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m0029xk8)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m0029xpr)
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m0029xbf)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m0029x7n)
Breakfast
06:30 SUN (m0029x9t)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m0029xdp)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m0029xgj)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m0029xh6)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m0029xjq)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m0029xp8)
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m0029xb2)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m0029xhd)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m0029xgn)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m0029xhb)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m0029xjv)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m0029xpd)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002b5g2)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m0029xgt)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m0029xhk)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m0029xk0)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m0029xpk)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m001dpgk)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m001dpbw)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m001dpj3)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m001dpkn)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m0029x7s)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m0029xgl)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m0029xh8)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m0029xjs)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m0029xpb)
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m0021582)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m0029xgr)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m0029xhh)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m0029xjy)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m0029xph)
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m0029xb4)
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m00253ps)
Music Map
13:30 SUN (m0029xb0)
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m0029x7v)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m0029x83)
New Generation Artists
20:05 SAT (m002b5l0)
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m001yydv)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m0029xf3)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029xh0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m0029xhr)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m0029xk6)
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002831n)
Private Passions
12:00 SUN (m0029x9y)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m0029xdy)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m0029xgw)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m0029xhm)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m0029xk2)
Record Review of the Century
09:30 MON (m0029xdr)
Record Review of the Century
13:00 MON (m0029xdt)
Record Review of the Century
16:00 MON (m0029xdw)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m0029x7x)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m0029xbc)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m0029x7q)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m0029x7z)
Sunday Feature
19:15 SUN (m0029xb9)
Sunday Morning
09:00 SUN (m0029x9w)
The Early Music Show
17:00 SUN (m0029xb6)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m0029xf0)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m0029xgy)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m0029xhp)
The Essay
21:45 THU (m0029xk4)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m0029xpn)
The Night Tracks Mix
23:00 SUN (m001bsdy)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m0029x81)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m0029pyl)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m0029x86)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m0029xbk)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m0029xf7)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m0029xh4)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m0029xhw)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m0029xkb)
Ultimate Calm
22:00 SUN (m002b1h4)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m0023gvx)
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m001692k)
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES ORDERED BY GENRE
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
Drama
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m001692k)
Factual
Sunday Feature
19:15 SUN (m0029xb9)
Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m0029x7v)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m0029x7z)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m0029xf0)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m0029xgy)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m0029xhp)
The Essay
21:45 THU (m0029xk4)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m0029xpn)
Music
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m00253ps)
Ultimate Calm
22:00 SUN (m002b1h4)
Music: Classical
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m0029xbf)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m0029x7n)
Breakfast
06:30 SUN (m0029x9t)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m0029xdp)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m0029xgj)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m0029xh6)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m0029xjq)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m0029xp8)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m0029xgn)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m0029xhb)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m0029xjv)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m0029xpd)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002b5g2)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m0029xgt)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m0029xhk)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m0029xk0)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m0029xpk)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m001dpgk)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m001dpbw)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m001dpj3)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m001dpkn)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m0029x7s)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m0029xgl)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m0029xh8)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m0029xjs)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m0029xpb)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m0029xgr)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m0029xhh)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m0029xjy)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m0029xph)
Music Map
13:30 SUN (m0029xb0)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m0029xf3)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029xh0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m0029xhr)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m0029xk6)
Private Passions
12:00 SUN (m0029x9y)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m0029xdy)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m0029xgw)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m0029xhm)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m0029xk2)
Record Review of the Century
09:30 MON (m0029xdr)
Record Review of the Century
13:00 MON (m0029xdt)
Record Review of the Century
16:00 MON (m0029xdw)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m0029x7x)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m0029xbc)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m0029x7q)
Sunday Morning
09:00 SUN (m0029x9w)
The Night Tracks Mix
23:00 SUN (m001bsdy)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m0029x81)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m0029pyl)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m0029x86)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m0029xbk)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m0029xf7)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m0029xh4)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m0029xhw)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m0029xkb)
Ultimate Calm
22:00 SUN (m002b1h4)
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m001692k)
Music: Classical: Chamber & Recital
New Generation Artists
20:05 SAT (m002b5l0)
Music: Classical: Choral
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m0029xb2)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m0029xhd)
Music: Classical: Early Music
The Early Music Show
17:00 SUN (m0029xb6)
Music: Classical: Experimental & New
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m001yydv)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m0023gvx)
Music: Classical: Opera
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002831n)
Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m0021582)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m0029x7z)
Ultimate Calm
22:00 SUN (m002b1h4)
Music: Jazz & Blues
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m0029xb4)
Music: Jazz & Blues: Jazz
'Round Midnight
23:30 MON (m0029xf5)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m0029xh2)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m0029xht)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m0029xk8)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m0029xpr)
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m0029xb4)
Music: World
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m00253ps)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m0029x83)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m0029xf3)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029xh0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m0029xhr)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m0029xk6)
Religion & Ethics
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m0029xb2)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m0029xhd)