Cellist Mischa Maisky performs with his violinist son Sascha and pianist daughter Lily in three piano trios by celebrated Romantic and Neo-Romantic composers: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich. Jonathan Swain presents.
Nicola Ghiuselev (bass), Vladimir Stoyanov (baritone), Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Boris Hinchev (conductor)
An hour of wind-down music to help you press pause and reset your mind. With chilled sounds of orchestral, jazz, ambient and lo-fi beats to power your downtime.
Classical music for breakfast time, plus found sounds and the odd unclassified track.
Building a Library on Monteverdi's madrigals with Kirsten Gibson and Hannah French
Monteverdi was one of the most significant composers in late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy. His madrigals span the whole of his creative career from the early works written in his native Cremona, through his time serving the Gonzagas in Mantua, with a final flourishing when he was maestro di capella at St Marks in Venice. They are a treasure trove of highly crafted and expressive works in many different styles. His madrigals represent a high point in his creative output which have received a lot more attention from performers over recent years with many younger groups tackling these challenging pieces in new and exciting ways.
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
Berginald Rash talks to Hannah about new recordings of music for the clarinet from standard repertoire pieces such as the clarinet concertos by Mozart and Copland, to more unusual repertoire for the instrument by Reger, Hindemith and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Uncovered, Vol. 1: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Jean-Christophe Lanièce (M. Victor)
As the Countdown to Spring reaches zero, Tom Service hears from the South African soprano Golda Schultz as she looks back on a year where the few musical performances that have taken place have assumed a special importance, including her memorable appearance at the 2020 Last Night of the Proms, as well as last month's live stream of Weber's Der Freischutz from Munich. And she optimistically predicts a new flourishing of arts and music after the pandemic.
The sound artist Jez riley French introduces us to a range of alternative spring sounds as heard by species much tinier than ourselves: the creaks and groans of a tree as it bends in the wind and fills anew with sap; the sound of an apricot begin eaten from the perspective of an ant; and the remarkable noise made by pond weed photosynthesising.
And, one of the most charismatic of violinists around today, Gil Shaham joins the programme from New York to talk about his new recording of the Beethoven and Brahms Concertos with The Knights – a chamber orchestra collective who bring a fresh approach to these two familiar works. Gil describes the links and the contrasts between the two works with live demonstrations on his fiddle.
Jess Gillam is joined by composer, pianist, and violinist Poppy Ackroyd to share the music they love, including Debussy, Brad Mehldau and Radiohead.
This we we played...
Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No.1 in D Major Op.19: II. Scherzo: Vivacissimo (Hilary Hahn, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franc)
Schubert - String Quintet in C Major, D.956; II. Adagio (Quatuor Ebene, Gautier Capucon)
Oboist and conductor Nicholas Daniel plays music that has got under his skin over the years. He delights in astounding technical feats achieved by violinist Maxim Vengerov and flautist James Galway, and is captivated by the sense of truth and openness he picks up from pianist Radu Lupu playing a Schubert impromptu.
He also finds James MacMillan using voices as if they were instruments and tells how a five-year-old girl directing a Balinese gamelan orchestra helped an eminent conductor understand a little more about his job.
A series in which each week a musician explores a selection of music - from the inside.
2 Organa for orchestra, Op. 27 No. 1
Impromptu Op. 90 No. 1, D. 899
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28
Symphony No. 5 - 1st movement
A selection of film music written to evoke the start of spring and the idea of rebirth, including scores by Ji Bark, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Isobel Waller-Bridge and David Schweitzer, Nino Rota and Jerry Goldsmith, among others. The Classic Score of the Week is Jerry Goldsmith's music for the 'The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'. Matthew also takes a close look at how music works to picture in the first outing of a new feature for the programme. Today he examines Alexandre Desplat's music for the opening scene of Jonathan Glazer's 2004 film 'Birth'.
Lopa Kothari presents a session from Madagascan singer and guitarist Modeste Hugues. Plus the latest new releases from across the globe with music from China, Azerbaijan and Galicia, as well as a track from this week's Classic Artist, the French-Argentine tango pioneer Carlos Gardel.
Jumoké Fashola marks one year since the first UK lockdown with a celebration of live music, featuring some of her favourite live recordings and reflecting on the unique energy and atmosphere of the live space.
Also in the programme, Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón shares music that inspires him. Zenón is hailed for his ability to blend innovation with tradition, developing a unique musical language that includes Latin American folkloric music and jazz. His selections include groundbreaking salsa and a little-known recording by "Saxophone Colossus" Sonny Rollins.
This evening's Opera from the Met is a performance of Bizet's ever-popular and well-loved opera, Carmen. Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili portrays the femme fatale Carmen, with tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko as her hapless lover Don José, in this tale of seduction and betrayal. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
This performance from 2014 is presented from the Met by Mary-Jo Heath and commentator Ira Siff.
Kate Molleson with a live recording of music by Alvin Singleton, a new release from British experimentalist Leo Chadburn, and an interview with the American composer Ash Fure about her recent album Something To Hunt. Plus a bird-inspired quartet by Cassandra Miller, music for cello by Romanian composer Diana Rotaru, and a track from Cardiff-based composer and sound artist Sion Orgon.
SUNDAY 21 MARCH 2021
SUN 00:00 Freeness (m000tdrd)
Fluctuating Rhythms
Quickening and slackening, Leeds-based piano trio Treppenwitz explore the contours of their rhythmic interplay on a new album. Recorded live in a living room, simple melodies are used as a point of departure for explorations of sonic texture, harmonic sonority and spontaneous interaction.
Elsewhere in the show, further fluctuations in rhythm in the form of Lauren Sarah Hayes’s glitching electronic experimentation.
Produced by Rebecca Gaskell
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 01:00 Through the Night (m000tdrg)
Smetana, Martinů and Dvořák
Jakub Hrůša and the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin perform a programme of Czech music, including Martinů's Cello Concerto with soloist Tomáš Jamník. Presented by Jonathan Swain.
01:01 AM
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Overture to The Bartered Bride
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Jakub Hrusa (conductor)
01:08 AM
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959)
Cello Concerto no.1 in D major, H.196
Tomas Jamnik (cello), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Jakub Hrusa (conductor)
01:37 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Largo from Symphony No 9 in E minor - arranged for solo cello
Tomas Jamnik (cello)
01:41 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Symphony no.3 in E flat major, Op.10
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Jakub Hrusa (conductor)
02:16 AM
Josef Suk (1874-1935)
Raduz and Mahulena, Op 16 'A fairy tale suite'
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Smetacek (conductor)
02:45 AM
Jan Cikker (1911-1989)
Variations on a Slovak Folk Song
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Peter Vronsky (conductor)
03:01 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Der Herr lebet - cantata (Wq.251)
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Hilke Helling (alto), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Gotthold Schwarz (bass), Das Kleine Konzert, Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max (conductor)
03:37 AM
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
South Ostrobothnian Suite No 1 Op 9
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Panula (conductor)
04:03 AM
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Instrumental piece
Sequentia, Ensemble for medieval music
04:09 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Chaconne for piano (Op.32)
Anders Kilstrom (piano)
04:18 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony for string orchestra no 10 in B minor
Risor Festival Strings
04:28 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Wind Quintet Op 14 in A flat major
Cinque Venti
04:43 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Jubilate Domino, omnis terra for alto, viola da gamba and continuo (BuxWV.64)
Zoltan Gavodi (counter tenor), Sandor Saszvarosi (viola da gamba), Zsuzsanna Nagy (harpsichord), Sonora Hungarica Consort
04:54 AM
Rosario Bourdon (1885-1961)
Elegiac poem for cello and orchestra
Alain Aubut (cello), Orchestre Metropolitain, Gilles Auger (conductor)
05:01 AM
Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947)
Dance Vision (Tanssinaky), Op 11
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Panula (conductor)
05:09 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Waltz for piano (Op.18) in E flat major 'Grande valse brillante'
Zoltan Kocsis (piano)
05:14 AM
Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762), Johann Georg Pisendel (arranger)
Sonata a 4 in C minor
Kore Orchestra, Andrea Buccarella (harpsichord)
05:23 AM
Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Harp Concerto
Esther Peristerakis (harp), WDR Radio Orchestra, Cologne, Rasmus Baumann (conductor)
05:45 AM
Camilla de Rossi (fl.1707-1710)
Cielo, pietoso Cielo (Sant' Alassio)
Agnieszka Kowalczyk (soprano), Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)
05:49 AM
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
20 Mazurkas for piano, Op 50 No 1 in E major; No 2; No 13
Ashley Wass (piano)
05:58 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony no.36 (K.425) in C major, 'Linz'
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bertrand de Billy (conductor)
06:32 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Trio in A minor (1914)
Bernt Lysell (violin), Mats Rondin (cello), Bengt-Ake Lundin (piano)
SUN 07:00 Breakfast (m000tdhp)
Sunday - Martin Handley
Martin Handley presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, including a Sunday morning Sounds of the Earth slow radio soundscape.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m000tdht)
Sarah Walker with a musical mix for spring
Sarah Walker chooses a mixture of pastoral and outdoor sounds and music to complement the changing of the season.
Radio 3’s Countdown to Spring culminates this morning as Sarah chooses a selection of music that looks forward to brighter and warmer days ahead.
Including fresh green pastures explored with Beethoven and Rossini, the blossoming imagination of JS Bach, and Amy Beach’s celebratory song ‘The Year’s At the Spring’.
Plus, some interwoven sounds of nature to bring the outside in…
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m000tdhz)
James Rebanks
The shepherd and writer James Rebanks shares his favourite music with Michael Berkeley and describes how he is restoring the balance of nature on his Lake District hill farm.
James Rebanks’s family have lived and farmed in Cumbria for over six hundred years. His grandfather taught him to work their land in the old-fashioned way, but by the time James took over from his father, modern industrial methods and economic pressures had made hill farming almost impossible. James has told the story of his farm, his family, and his renewed hope for the future, in two best-selling books: "The Shepherd’s Life" and "English Pastoral".
James tells Michael about the challenges and pleasures of spring for a shepherd, with long days and nights lambing his beloved Herdwick sheep, and his relief at the end of winter.
He describes the tensions in his relationship with his father when he was growing up and how films brought them together; he chooses film scores by John Barry and by Jerome Moross. James’s mother introduced him to books and classical music and Rachmaninov particularly reminds him of his mother.
James tells Michael the extraordinary story of his education: dropping out of school at 15 with just two O levels, he won a place at Oxford in his early twenties and gained a double first in History.
And he pays a moving tribute to his wife Helen with music by Michael Nyman as together they witness the joyful return of wildlife to their farm.
Producer: Jane Greenwood
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000t5yd)
Kathryn Rudge & Christopher Glynn
Mezzo-soprano and former Radio 3 New Generation Artist Kathryn Rudge joins Christopher Glynn at the piano to perform songs by Harty, Quilter, and Coates, with Finzi's Shakespearean song-cycle Let Us Garlands Bring at the heart of the recital.
Live from Wigmore Hall, London.
Presented by Andrew McGregor.
Harty: My Lagan Love; Scythe Song; The Song of Glen Dun
Quilter: Seven Elizabethan Lyrics, Op 12
Harty: Sea Wrack; By the Sea; The Lowlands of Holland
Finzi: Let Us Garlands Bring, Op 18
Coates: I pitch my Lonely Caravan; Birdsong at Eventide; Rise up and reach the Stars
Kathryn Rudge (mezzo-soprano)
Christopher Glynn (piano)
SUN 14:00 The Early Music Show (b0b1pb06)
Ariadne
Lucie Skeaping presents a musical exploration of the Greek myth of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos and granddaughter of Zeus, as told in works by Handel, Porpora, Monteverdi, Benda and Marcello.
01
00:02:31 Benedetto Marcello
Come mai puoi vedermi piangere? (Arianna)
Singer: Patricia Petibon
Orchestra: Venice Baroque Orchestra
Director: Andrea Marcon
Duration 00:05:04
02
00:10:39 Claudio Monteverdi
Lamento d'Arianna: a voce sola (excerpt)
Singer: Helga Müller‐Molinari
Ensemble: Concerto Vocale
Duration 00:04:37
03
00:17:56 Claudio Monteverdi
Lamento d'Arianna: 1. Lasciatemi morire, 2. O Teseo mio
Ensemble: Concerto Italiano
Director: Rinaldo Alessandrini
Duration 00:06:34
04
00:25:47 Pietro Locatelli
Concerto Grosso in E flat major, Op 7 No 6 (5th mvt)
Orchestra: Kammerorchester Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Conductor: Hartmut Haenchen
Duration 00:02:26
05
00:29:43 Jiří Antonín Benda
Ariadne auf Naxos (excerpt)
Author: Johann Christian Brandes
Orchestra: Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal
Conductor: Peter Gülke
Duration 00:02:04
06
00:33:49 Benedetto Marcello
Viva il forte, viva il grande: excerpt (Arianna: Act 1)
Choir: Athestis Chorus
Ensemble: Academia de li Musici
Conductor: Filippo Maria Bressan
Duration 00:02:20
07
00:37:25 Nicola Porpora
Mira in cielo (Arianna e Teseo)
Orchestra: Venice Baroque Orchestra
Director: Andrea Marcon
Duration 00:05:40
08
00:45:21 Nicola Porpora
Overture (Arianna in Nasso: Act 1)
Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica di Savona
Conductor: Massimiliano Carraro
Duration 00:02:46
09
00:49:01 George Frideric Handel
Overture (Arianna in Creta: Act 1)
Orchestra: Orchestra of Patras
Conductor: George Petrou
Duration 00:03:01
10
00:53:12 George Frideric Handel
Mira ad esso questo seno (Arianna in Creta: Act 3)
Orchestra: Orchestra of Patras
Conductor: George Petrou
Singer: Mata Katsuli
Singer: Mary-Ellen Nesi
Duration 00:06:47
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (b09v6427)
Eton Choral Course at Eton College
From the Chapel of Eton College during the 2017 Eton Choral Course.
Introit: Adoro te devote (Cecilia McDowall)
Responses: Ralph Allwood
Psalms 73, 74 (Lang, Brooksbank, Parratt)
First Lesson: Jeremiah 13 vv.20-27
Office Hymn: O kind creator bow thine ear (plainsong)
Canticles: Service for Trebles (Weelkes)
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 1 v.17 - 2 v.3
Anthem: Media Vita (Sheppard)
Hymn: Ah, holy Jesus (Herzliebster Jesu)
Voluntary: Voluntary in A minor (Benjamin Cosyn)
Ralph Allwood (Director of Music)
Robert Scamardella (Organist)
First broadcast 14 March 2018.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m000tdj3)
Remembering Chick Corea
Alyn Shipton remembers American pianist and bandleader Chick Corea who died in February. Listeners' requests include recordings he made with vibraphonist Gary Burton, saxophonist Stan Getz, and his own group Return to Forever.
DISC 1
Artist Ruby Braff / George Barnes
Title Liza
Composer G and I Gershwin
Album To Fred Astaire with Love
Label Jazz Lips
Number 675 Track 15
Duration 4.56
Performers Ruby Braff, c; George Barnes, Wayne Wright, g; John Guiffrida, b. July 1973.
DISC 2
Artist Ella Fitzgerald, and the Oscar Peterson Quartet
Title Roll Em Pete
Composer Pete Johnson / Joe Turner
Album Jazz at the Philharmonic, Seattle, 1956
Label Acrobat
Number 3074 CD 2 Track 12
Duration 2.26
Performers Ella Fitzgerald, v; Oscar Peterson, p; Herb Ellis, g; Ray Brown, b; Gene Krupa, d. 1956.
DISC 3
Artist Chick Corea
Title Humpty Dumpty
Composer Corea
Album The Mad Hatter
Label Polydor
Number PD 1630 Track 4
Duration 6.30
Performers Joe Farrell, ts; Chick Corea, p; Eddie Gomez, b; Steve Gadd, d. 1978
DISC 4
Artist Chick Corea
Title What Game Shall We Play Today?
Composer Corea
Album Return To Forever
Label ECM
Number 811 978-2 Track 3
Duration 4.30
Performers Chick Corea, kb; Joe Farrell, fl; Stanley Clarke, b; Airto Moreira, perc; Flora Purim, v. Feb 1972
DISC 5
Artist Stan Getz
Title Sweet Rain
Composer Mike Gibbs
Album Sweet Rain
Label Verve
Number 81505402 Track 3
Duration 7.08
Performers Stan Getz, ts; Chick Corea, p; Ron Carter, b; Grady Tate, d. 30 March 1967
DISC 6
Artist Chick Corea
Title Glass Enclosure
Composer Bud Powell
Album Remembering Bud Powell
Label Stretch /Concord
Number 408027 Track 8
Duration 3.20
Performers Wallace Roney, t; Kenny Garrett, as; Joshua Redman, ts; Chick Corea, p; Christian McBride, b; Roy Haynes, d. 1997.
DISC 7
Artist Chick Corea and Steve Gadd Band
Title Serenity
Composer Corea
Album Chinese Butterfly
Label Concord
Number 0888072042186 CD 1 Track 2
Duration 6.39
Performers Chick Corea, p, kb; Steve Gadd, d; Lionel Loueke, g, v; Steve Wilson, fl, ts; Carlitos Del Purto, b; Luisito Quintero, perc. Released 2017.
DISC 8
Artist Chick Corea / Gary Burton
Title Eleanor Rigby
Composer Lennon / McCartney
Album Hot House
Label Concord / Universal
Number 4605026710627
Duration 6.59
Performers Chick Corea, p; Gary Burton, vib, 2012.
DISC 9
Artist Chick Corea
Title Work
Composer Monk
Album Trilogy 2
Label Concord
Number 00183 CD 21 Track 4
Duration 4.54
Performers Chick Corea, p; Christian McBride, b; Brian Blade, d. Released 2019.
DISC 10
Artist Mike Westbrook
Title Viennese Waltz
Composer Westbrook
Album London Bridge is Broken Down
Label BGO
Number 788 CD 2 Track 2
Duration 5.46
Performers Mike Westbrook, p; Kate Westbrook, th, b; Graham Russell, t; Paul Nieman, tb; Chris Biscoe, as; Peter Whyman, as, cl; Brian Godding, g; Steve Cook, b; Tony Marsh, d; Sinfonietta de Picardie. Dec 1987.
SUN 17:00 The Listening Service (m000tdj7)
Perfect Harmony
How does harmony work? How do certain chord sequences bring a sense of tension and release, and actually how many chords do you really need? With improvisor extraordinaire Wayne Marshall at the piano and choral director Patrick Allies.
SUN 17:30 Words and Music (m000tdjf)
Theatre
As part of the BBC Lights Up festival of theatre which brings a series of dramas to radio and television, today’s Words and Music takes us both backstage and into the experiences of performers in front of the footlights: from Shakespeare’s Hamlet deciding to use a play to catch out his villainous uncle, to the playwright Michael Frayn describing the agony of a cigarette lighter failing to function on stage. Actors Rory Kinnear and Indira Varma read from a range of plays and prose exploring the pleasures and pitfalls of theatrical life. You'll also hear the voice of perhaps the most legendary figure in modern British theatre: Sir Laurence Olivier, discussing the newly founded National Theatre Company in 1963. There’s a moment from Bernadine Evaristo’s novel Girl, Woman, Other, where a playwright reflects on her move from theatrical radical to member of the mainstream; and that’s followed up with a true visionary of the theatre: Kurt Weill singing a wonderfully Germanic-sounding version of Speak Low. The theatrical soundtrack also stars Henry Purcell, Ethel Merman and Frankie Howard (in a toga) and a seventeenth century wind machine.
Readings:
As You Like It - Shakespeare
Hamlet/Bernhardt - Theresa Rebeck
Collected Columns - Michael Frayn
Actress - Anne Enright
Girl, Woman. Other - Bernadine Everisto
Hamnet - Maggie O’Farrell
The Early Diaries - Simon Gray
The Seagull - Chekhov Trans. Stoppard
Stop the Show!: A History of Insane Incidents and Absurd Accidents in the Theatre - Brad Schreiber
Hamlet - Shakespeare
Dramatic Exchanges: Letters of the National Theatre - Edited by Daniel Rosenthal
Swing Time - Zadie Smith
An Awfully Big Adventure - Beryl Bainbridge
Wise Children - Angela Carter
Morality Play - Barry Unsworth
The Tempest - Shakespeare
Producer: Georgia Mann
SUN 18:45 Between the Ears (m000tdjm)
Telling the Bees
Maria Margaronis surrenders to the life of the hive to explore the ancient folk customs around the telling the bees.
The lives of bees and humans have been linked ever since the first hominid tasted a wild hive’s honey. Neither domesticated nor fully wild, honey bees are key to our survival, a barometer of our relationship with nature. Without them, we’d have no fruit, no nuts and seeds, and eventually, no food. No bees; no songbirds. Silent woods.
For centuries, we’ve projected stories and beliefs onto these strange, familiar creatures, seeing them as messengers between this world and the next. In this Covid-wracked year, Maria Margaronis explores the old customs of “telling the bees” about a death or significant event, lest they grow angry and leave us. She enters the sonic world of the hive to hear what the bees might be telling us in the company of wise bee guides like Toxteth’s Rastafarian Barry Chang, Mississippi's Ali Pinion, Lithuania's Paulius Chockevicius and young beekeeper Zhivko Todorov in London’s busy Finsbury Park. Others tells us and their bees their significant news. Follow bee tellers and bee callers on a seasonal journey from summer through winter into spring, tuning in to to the hum of the hive and the buzz of the universe.
Recorded binaurally.
Producer: Mark Burman
Additional bee recordings Mark Ferguson
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m000tdjv)
Male Grooming - Past and Present
New Generation Thinker Alun Withey with a short feature on the history of men's personal grooming, showing that both the practices and the arguments about men’s use of 'product' have a longer history than we might think.
The market for male cosmetic products is on the rise, especially in the Zoom age as blemishes are revealed in close-up. But men’s cosmetics are not new: the 18th century saw the birth of a whole range of shaving soaps, pastes, powders and lotions. And just like today, their use sparked debates about manliness and over-attention to appearance.
Producer: Eliane Glaser
SUN 19:30 Drama on 3 (m000tdk4)
The Meaning of Zong
Part of BBC Lights Up season, featuring plays from theatres that have gone dark during lockdown. Olivier Award winner Giles Terera stars in his own debut play about the notorious massacre aboard the slave ship Zong in 1781, and how uncovering its story galvanised the growing Abolition movement in the UK.
This collaboration between Bristol Old Vic and Jonx Productions brings to BBC Radio 3 an audio production of this inspirational new stage play, developed by Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre, and directed by Tom Morris.
Olaudah Equiano (Gustavas Vassa) ….. Giles Terera
Granville Sharp ….. Samuel West
Ama/Rachel ….. Moronke Akinola
Riba/ Elijah ….. Gloria Obianyo,
Miss Greenwood/Joyi ….. Akiya Henry,
Ottobah Coguano/ Stubbs ….. Michael Balogun
Pigot /The Manager ….. Nikesh Patel
Lee/The Officer ….. Sule Rimi
James Kelsal/The Bishop ….. Paul Hickey
Lord Mansfield ….. Michael Bertenshaw.
The score was created by Jon Nicholls with Giles Terera, and the company with Amanda Wilkin.
Percussion ….. Sola Akingbola.
Sound design… Jon Nicholls
Director….. Tom Morris
Producer ….. Jonquil Panting.
A Jonx Production for BBC Radio 3, in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic.
This play does include some historical racial language.
You can also join the cast and creative team of The Meaning of Zong live for a free online conversation about this production and how it was brought to life, on Wednesday 31st March from
8pm. This will be a forum for a full and frank discussion about the play, what it means to our society and the reasons for telling this story now. Sign up via the Bristol Old Vic website: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/the-meaning-of-zong-live-q-a
SUN 21:15 Record Review Extra (m000tdkf)
Monteverdi's Madrigals
Hannah French offers listeners a chance to hear at greater length the recordings reviewed and discussed in yesterday’s Record Review, including a selection of Monteverdi's madrigals from the recommended Building a Library recording.
SUN 23:00 Transcribe, Transform with Víkingur Ólafsson (m000nv79)
Limits and Possibilities
Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson approaches music without preconceptions; as he puts it, “Every note we play anywhere, anytime, is a reinterpretation, a transcription.”
In the third and final episode of the series, Víkingur explores how composers from George Crumb, Heinrich Biber and Olivier Messiaen were inspired by sounds of the natural world, from tiny birds to huge whales. We’ll also hear music by Steve Reich reimagined for the harpsichord, Mascagni’s famous Intermezzo in the hands of a steel pan orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy given a wild reinterpretation by US vocal supergroup Pentatonix.
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
01
00:00:31 Gregorian chant
Introitus Lux Fulgebit (The Light Will Shine)
Performer: מתן פורת
Music Arranger: מתן פורת
Duration 00:01:37
02
00:02:08 Sergey Rachmaninov
Utro (from Op. 4, No. 2)
Performer: Arcadi Volodos
Music Arranger: Arcadi Volodos
Duration 00:02:00
03
00:05:01 Maurice Ravel
Miroirs - La vallee des cloches
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle
Duration 00:05:23
04
00:11:59 Steve Reich
Piano Phase for Two Pianos (excerpt)
Performer: Mahan Esfahani
Duration 00:03:30
05
00:17:03 Träd
3 songs from the county Czik - No. 1
Performer: Víkingur Ólafsson
Music Arranger: Béla Bartók
Duration 00:01:08
06
00:18:12 Olivier Messiaen
Catalogue d'Oiseaux: 6 L'alouette Lulu (the woodlark) (excerpt)
Performer: Pierre‐Laurent Aimard
Duration 00:04:34
07
00:24:28 Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber
Sonata Representativa (Frog, hen and cock)
Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Performer: Anthony Romaniuk
Duration 00:01:48
08
00:27:27 George Crumb
Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) - 1st movement
Ensemble: Ensemble für Neue Musik Zürich
Duration 00:04:28
09
00:32:43 Pietro Mascagni
Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana)
Orchestra: Desperadoes Steel Orchestra
Duration 00:02:38
10
00:36:05 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Nutcracker
Ensemble: Pentatonix
Duration 00:02:05
11
00:39:26 Henryk Mikolaj Górecki
Piece in the Old Style I
Orchestra: Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Antoni Wit
Duration 00:01:42
12
00:42:09 Henryk Mikolaj Górecki
Piece in the Old Style I
Duration 00:02:45
13
00:46:10 Hanns Eisler
Eislermaterial - Ammut sparet nicht noch Muhe; Allegro assai (excerpt)
Performer: Joseph Bierbichler
Music Arranger: Heiner Goebbels
Ensemble: Ensemble Modern
Duration 00:01:26
14
00:49:20 Mike Marshall
The Big Cheese (incorporating a Fantasia by William Byrd) (excerpt)
Performer: Béla Fleck
Performer: Mike Marshall
Singer: Edgar Meyer
Duration 00:02:17
15
00:52:57 Claude Debussy
La damoiselle elue, L. 62 - Prelude
Performer: Víkingur Ólafsson
Performer: Hania Rani
Duration 00:06:01
MONDAY 22 MARCH 2021
MON 00:00 Classical Fix (m000tdkq)
Stuart Braithwaite
Jules Buckley mixes a classical playlist for Scottish multi-instrumentalist and Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite. If you fancy giving classical music a go, start here.
Edmund Finnis - The Air Turning
Schubert - Trio for piano and strings in E flat
Morton Feldman - Mary Ann's Theme
Lili Boulanger - Psalm 129
Liszt - Wiegenlied
Brian Eno - Fullness of Wind
Classical Fix is a podcast aimed at opening up the world of classical music to anyone who fancies giving it a go. Jules Buckley is a Grammy-winning conductor, arranger and composer who pushes the boundaries of almost all musical genres by placing them in an orchestral context, and has earned himself a reputation as a 'pioneering genre alchemist' and 'agitator of musical convention'. He leads two of the world’s most versatile and in-demand orchestras - the Heritage Orchestra and the Metropole Orkest - and over the past nine years he has been responsible for some of the most groundbreaking BBC Proms, including the Ibiza Prom, 1Xtra's Grime Symphony, The Songs of Scott Walker, Jacob Collier and Friends, and tributes to Quincy Jones, Nina Simone and Charles Mingus. In 2019, Jules joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra as Creative Artist in Association.
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m000tdky)
La Stravaganza
Fabio Biondi performs Vivaldi violin concertos with Europe Galante at the Actus Humanus Festival in Gdansk. Presented by Jonathan Swain.
12:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sinfonia in G major, RV.149 'Il coro delle muse'
Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
12:37 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in B flat major, RV 383a, Op.4'1
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
12:46 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in E minor, RV 279, Op.4'2
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
12:56 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in A minor, RV 357, Op.4'4
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:04 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sinfonia from Ercole su'l Termodonte, RV 710
Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:10 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in F major, RV 284, Op.4'9
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:17 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in D major, RV 204, Op.4'11
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:24 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in F major, RV 291
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:33 AM
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Canon in D major
Europe Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
01:38 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594), Francesco Soriano (arranger)
Missa Papae Marcelli arr. Soriano for double choir (orig. 6 vv)
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (conductor), Unknown (organ)
02:05 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Vetrate di Chiesa (Church Windows)
Orchestra of London, Canada, Uri Mayer (conductor)
02:31 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 33
Hans Pette Tangen (piano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ingar Bergby (conductor)
03:11 AM
Alexander Gretchaninov (1864-1956)
6 Motets, Op 155
Radio France Chorus, Yves Castagnet (organ), Vladislav Chernuchenko (conductor)
03:29 AM
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Arabesque
Shirley Brill (clarinet), Piotr Spoz (piano)
03:34 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Overture in C minor D.8 for strings
Korean Chamber Orchestra
03:43 AM
Willem De Fesch (1687-1761)
Concerto No.3 in G major – from Six Concerti Opera Quinta (Op.5)
Musica ad Rhenum
03:51 AM
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
String Quartet No.2 in F major (1837-1840)
Camerata Quartet
04:09 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
La Valse
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mario Kosik (conductor)
04:21 AM
Juan Crisostomo Arriaga (1806-1826)
Stabat Mater
Grieg Academy Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo concertante in B flat major, K 269
Benjamin Schmid (violin), Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Adam Fischer (conductor)
04:38 AM
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Three melodies with texts by J.P.Contamine de La Tour
Hanne Hohwu (mezzo soprano), Merte Grosbol (soloist), Peter Lodahl (tenor), Merete Hoffman (oboe), Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (conductor)
04:46 AM
Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990)
Three Gymnopedies
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Myer Fredman (conductor)
04:55 AM
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745)
Suite in F major
Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko (director)
05:12 AM
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
Scaramouche
James Anagnoson (piano), Leslie Kinton (piano)
05:22 AM
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)
Perpetuum Mobile (Op.11 No.2)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
05:28 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Cello Sonata in D minor, Op 40
Narek Hakhnazaryan (cello), Katya Apekisheva (piano)
05:57 AM
Louis Spohr (1784-1859)
Notturno for wind and Turkish band in C major, Op 34
Octophoros, Paul Dombrecht (conductor)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m000tfdc)
Monday - Petroc's classical alarm call
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, featuring listener requests and a recently recorded piece of brass band music, specially curated by Paul Hindmarsh, a leading figure in the industry today.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
MON 09:00 Essential Classics (m000tfdf)
Ian Skelly
Essential Classics - the best in classical music, with Ian Skelly.
0915 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist.
1010 Musicians recommend their favourite recordings.
1100 Essential Five - this week we bring you five great recordings celebrating the musical form of themes and variations.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
MON 12:00 Composer of the Week (m000tfdh)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Motherland
Donald Macleod explores Ravel’s powerful bond with the Basque Country, his spiritual home.
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
Today, the place Ravel called “my country” – the Basque region in Southwest France, which had a strong sentimental pull over him. Although he only lived there for the first few weeks of his life, he returned time and time again to his coastal motherland, where a key part of his personal and creative identity was formed. We’ll step into Ravel’s holiday snaps, meet the most important woman in his life, and hear how Basque culture coloured some of his best-loved works.
Habanera
London Symphony Orchestra
Francois-Xavier Roth, conductor
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Louis Lortie, piano
Alborada del Gracioso (Miroirs)
Louis Lortie, piano
Piano Trio
Florestan Trio
Don Quichotte a Dulcinée
Jose van Dam, baritone
Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon
Kent Nagano, conductor
Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
MON 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000kmwx)
The Nash Ensemble play Bruch and Brahms
One of the most world's celebrated chamber groups, the Nash Ensemble, perform Brahms's Piano Quintet and a selection from Bruch's Eight Pieces, Op 82.
Live from Wigmore Hall, London,
Presented by Andrew McGregor.
Bruch: 8 Pieces, Op 82: Nos 1, 5 and 7
Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op 34
The Nash Ensemble
MON 14:00 Afternoon Concert (m000tfdk)
Manchester Week with the BBC Philharmonic (1/4)
Tom McKinney introduces a selection of studio and concert recordings by the BBC Philharmonic for Manchester Week on Radio 3 including Russian symphonic music and the first instalment of a musical serialisation of Dickens's Oliver Twist.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 1 (Winter Daydreams)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vassily Sinaisky
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3
Stephen Hough (piano)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
Arnold Bax: Music for the 1948 film 'Oliver Twist' - Part 1
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba
Mikhail Glinka: Symphony on Two Russian Themes
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vassily Sinaisky
Eric Coates: Summer Days - suite
BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Wilson
MON 16:30 Early Music Now (m000tfdm)
Holland Baroque
Tom McKinney introduces concertos for mandolin, presented by Avi Avital and Holland Baroque, including:
Vivaldi: Lute Concerto in D RV 93
Antonio Valente: Gagliarda Napoletana
Emanuele Barbella: Mandolin Concerto in D
Holland Baroque:
Avi Avital (mandolin)
Viola da gamba: Rodney Prada
Double bass: Michał Bąk
Baroque guitar: Adrián Rodríguez Van der Spoel
Harp, recorder: Emma Huijsser
Percussion: Matteo Rabolini
Harpsichord, organ: Tineke Steenbrink
Recorded at the Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam
MON 17:00 In Tune (m000tfdp)
Pablo Ferrandez, Rupert Gough
Sean Rafferty talks to Rupert Gough about his new recording with The Choir of Royal Holloway and cellist Pablo Ferrandez tells us about his new album 'Reflections'.
MON 19:00 In Tune Mixtape (m000tfdr)
Thirty minutes of classical inspiration
In Tune's daily mixtape, including John Adams's exhilarating fanfare for orchestra Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Barbara Strozzi's motet The Fading Lovers and the waltz from Gounod's opera Faust. Along the way there's also music by Handel, Mozart, Grieg, Grainger and Duke Ellington.
Producer: Ian Wallington
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m000tfdt)
Hallé Orchestra
Part of Manchester Week. The Hallé Orchestra play Richard Strauss, Glazunov and Sibelius. Featuring saxophonist Jess Gillam and Hallé Music Director Sir Mark Elder.
Richard Strauss: Serenade in E flat, Op 7
Hallé Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder, conductor
Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto
Jess Gillam, saxophone
Hallé Orchestra
Jonathan Bloxham, conductor
Hannah Kendall: Where is the chariot of fire?
Hallé Orchestra
Jonathan Bloxham, conductor
Sibelius
Symphony No 3
Hallé Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder, conductor
MON 22:00 Music Matters (m000k1k3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Saturday]
MON 22:45 The Essay (m000tfdw)
Blood and Bronze
A Portrait of the Artist
Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny. And as he gets to grips with such a charismatic yet dangerous character as Cellini, a new discovery brings the story up to date. On the market for over $100 million, a Russian art dealer has offered a ‘self-portrait’ by the hand of Cellini. But Cellini worked in gold and silver, bronze and marble. He didn’t paint! Or did he?
Jerry Brotton is on the trail of a Renaissance man and a modern-day mystery.
Reader Marco Gambino
Producer Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland Production
MON 23:00 Night Tracks (m000tfdy)
The late zone
Hannah Peel with an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUESDAY 23 MARCH 2021
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m000tff0)
Mozart and Bruckner
Mozart's Piano Concerto No 27 and Bruckner's Fifth Symphony from the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, and with soloist Richard Goode. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 27 in B flat, K.595
Richard Goode (piano), Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski (conductor)
01:00 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sarabande from Partita no 1 in B flat, BWV.825
Richard Goode (piano)
01:04 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony no 5 in B flat major, WAB 105
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski (conductor)
02:23 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden BWV.230
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Ivars Taurins (conductor)
02:31 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Cello Sonata in C major, Op 119
Claudio Bohorquez (cello), Ana Maria Campistrus (piano)
02:54 AM
Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)
Fantasie for piano, Op 8
Viniciu Moroianu (piano)
03:23 AM
Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921)
Berceuse (words by Charles van Leberghe – from 'La Chanson d'Eve)
Jard van Nes (mezzo soprano), Daniel Esser (cello), Rudolf Jansen (piano)
03:29 AM
Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682)
Sinfonia in D minor
The Private Music
03:37 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
On hearing the first cuckoo in spring for orchestra (RT.
6.19) (1911/12)
Symphony Nova Scotia, Georg Tintner (conductor)
03:45 AM
Victor Young (1900-1956)
My foolish heart - song
Gwilym Simcock (piano)
03:55 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mentre ti lascio, o figlia - aria for bass and orchestra (K.513)
Robert Holl (bass), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
04:03 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Four pieces for viola and piano
Lise Berthaud (viola), Xenia Maliarevitch (piano)
04:14 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
An Imaginary journey to the Faroes, FS 123
Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic, Kristjan Järvi (conductor)
04:20 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927), Jens Peter Jacobsen (lyricist)
Three choral songs
Swedish Radio Choir, Gustav Sjokvist (conductor)
04:26 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland – chorale-prelude for organ (BWV.661)
Bine Katrine Bryndorf (organ)
04:31 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Polonaise in E flat major
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ludovit Rajter (conductor)
04:37 AM
Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909), Ruggiero Ricci (arranger)
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Kerson Leong (violin)
04:42 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Fantasy for flute and piano
Lorant Kovacs (flute), Erika Lux (piano)
04:47 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), Arnold Schoenberg (arranger)
Rosen aus dem Suden: waltz arr. Schoenberg for harmonium, piano & string quartet
Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian (director)
04:56 AM
Zoltan Kodaly (1882 - 1967)
Dances of Galánta, (Galántai táncok)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Edo de Waart (conductor)
05:13 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, Wq 17
Andrea Buccarella (harpsichord), Kore Orchestra
05:35 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
5 Lyric Pieces
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
05:48 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no 68 in B flat major
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Solyom (conductor)
06:09 AM
Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
Ave Regina for double choir (MH.140)
Ex Tempore, Florian Heyerick (director)
06:21 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Quartet in G major TWV.43:G7 (Concerto alla Polonese)
Aira Maria Lehtipuu (violin), Kore Ensemble
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m000tdsr)
Tuesday - Petroc's classical mix
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, featuring listener requests and a recently recorded piece of brass band music, specially curated by Paul Hindmarsh, a leading figure in the industry today.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
TUE 09:00 Essential Classics (m000tdsw)
Ian Skelly
Essential Classics - the best in classical music, with Ian Skelly.
0915 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist.
1010 Musicians recommend their favourite recordings.
1100 Essential Five - this week we bring you five great recordings celebrating the musical form of themes and variations.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
TUE 12:00 Composer of the Week (m000tdt0)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Dandy
Donald Macleod looks at Ravel’s relationship with Paris, where image means everything.
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
Today, Ravel’s youthful escapades and many addresses in Paris, a city which he loved but didn’t always love him back. We’ll join the aspiring composer as he tries to make his mark on the exclusive salon circuit, spends too many hours in front of the mirror, forms a secret society, and becomes the centre of a musical scandal.
D’Anne jouant de l’espinette
Anne Sofie von Otter, soprano
Bengt Forsberg, piano
Jeux d’eau
Martha Argerich, piano
String Quartet (1st and 2nd movements)
Quatuor Ebène
Miroirs (III. Une barque sur l‘océan; V. Vallée des cloches)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet
Skaila Kanga, harp
Philippa Davies, flute
Michael Collins, clarinet
Nash Ensemble
Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
TUE 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000l22q)
Chamber Music in Manchester (1/4)
Another chance to hear highlights from the 2019/2020 Manchester Chamber Concerts Society season at the Royal Northern College of Music, and guitarist Milos Karadaglic at the city's illustrious music school, Chethams.
Presented by Tom McKinney
Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia (arr Jelte Althuis): Ensalada, obra de 8 tono alto
Calefax
Villa-Lobos: Five Preludes
Milos Karadaglic, guitar
Mozart: Quartet in D major ‘Hoffmeister’ K499
Schumann Quartet
TUE 14:00 Afternoon Concert (m000tdt6)
Manchester Week with the BBC Philharmonic (2/4)
Tom McKinney introduces a rich selection of recordings from the BBC Philharmonic of English music for Radio 3's 'Manchester Week', including symphonies by Malcolm Arnold and David Matthews, music by Elgar and the second instalment of Arnold Bax’s 'Oliver Twist'.
Edward Elgar: Variations on an original theme ‘Enigma’
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena
David Matthews: Symphony No 8
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Jac van Steen
Ralph Vaughan-Williams: Tuba Concerto (arr. for euphonium)
David Childs (euphonium)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Ben Gernon
Arnold Bax: Music for the 1948 film 'Oliver Twist' - Part 2
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba
Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No 9
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba
Edward Elgar: Falstaff
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Andrew Davis
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m000tdtb)
Peter Jablonski, Lise Davidsen, Oliver Mears
Sean Rafferty talks to pianist Peter Jablonski about his album of works by Stanchinsky, and soprano Lise Davidsen tells us about her new album of Beethoven, Wagner and Verdi.
TUE 19:00 In Tune Mixtape (m000tdtg)
The eclectic classical mix
In Tune's specially curated playlist: an eclectic mix of music, including a few surprises.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m000tdtl)
Manchester Camerata
Linton Stephens introduces a concert given by Manchester Camerata, directed by Caroline Pether as part of 'Manchester Week', mixing the old with the new, the familiar and otherwise, including music by Shiva Feshareki,, Janacek and Mozart.
Leos Janáček: Mládí
Arnold Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
Shiva Feshareki: VENUS/ZOHREH
Wolfgang Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
TUE 22:00 Free Thinking (m000tdtn)
Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks
Irrational feelings of dread, fear, and hate in a subject whose threat is often exaggerated or "phobogenesis" - one of the terms from psychiatry and psychoanalysis explored in this 1952 book which sets out the way black people have been affected by colonial subjugation. Matthew Sweet, Tariq Ali, New Generation Thinker Alexandra Reza and Kehinde Andrews re-read Fanon's arguments and look at the influence of his thinking outlined in his books Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and The Wretched of the Earth (1961).
Tariq Ali is a journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual whose books include The Islam Quintet; The Extreme Centre and The Dilemmas of Lenin.
You can hear Rana Mitter in an extended Free Thinking conversation with him https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09qgt57
Kehinde Andrews is a Professor of Black Studies in the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham City University. His books include The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World and Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century.
You can find him in conversation at the Free Thinking Festival 2019 discussing the emotions of now https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00040wd anger in politics https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003t1t and looking at Black British History with Bernadine Evaristo, Miranda Kaufmann and Keith Piper https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b081tkr9
Alezandra Reza is a BBC and Arts and Humanities Research Council New Generation Thinker who studies at the University of Oxford. You can hear her in a Free Thinking discussion about Aimé Césaire https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000nmxf
Producer: Luke Mulhall
TUE 22:45 The Essay (m000tdtq)
Blood and Bronze
Overture
Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny.
Music is at the heart of the Renaissance, and Cellini’s early years are spent training as a musician. Renaissance music was all about harmony, but Cellini was ruled by other passions. Jerry looks at his early years and the conflicts that soon arise in a volatile youth.
With specially commissioned music to recreate the sound of Renaissance Florence.
Reader Marco Gambino
Producer Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland Production
TUE 23:00 Night Tracks (m000tdtt)
An adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WEDNESDAY 24 MARCH 2021
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m000tdtw)
Caroline Shaw and Mozart
Oslo Philharmonic and conductor Klaus Mäkelä are joined by Pierre Xhonneux in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Caroline Shaw (b.1982)
Entr’acte, for strings
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Makela (conductor)
12:43 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Clarinet Concerto in A, K. 622
Pierre Xhonneux (clarinet), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Makela (conductor)
01:11 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Makela (conductor)
01:44 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sarabande from Suite for solo cello in C (BWV.1009)
Miklos Perenyi (cello)
01:48 AM
Antonin Liehmann (1808-1878)
Mass for soloists, chorus, organ and orchestra No.1 in D minor
Lenka Skornickova (soprano), Olga Kodesova (alto), Damiano Binetti (tenor), Ilja Prokop (bass), Radek Rejsek (organ), Czech Radio Choir, Pilsen Radio Orchestra, Josef Hercl (conductor)
02:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 (Op.11) in E minor
Havard Gimse (piano), Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Josep Caballe-Domenech (conductor)
03:12 AM
Antoine Reicha (1770-1836)
Oboe Quintet in F major, Op 107
Les Adieux
03:40 AM
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Friede auf Erden for chorus, Op 13
Erik Westbergs Vocal Ensemble
03:50 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), Andres Segovia (arranger)
Asturias (Suite española, Op 47) (1887)
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar)
03:57 AM
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
In the steppes of central Asia (V sredney Azii) - symphonic poem
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
04:04 AM
Henry Eccles (c.1675-1745)
Sonata for double bass, continuo and strings
Joel Quarrington (double bass), Eric Robertson (harpsichord), Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Vernon (conductor)
04:13 AM
Corona Schroter (1751-1802)
"Oh Mutter, guten Rat mir leiht" (Niklaus) & "Es war ein Ritter"
Markus Schafer (tenor), Ulrike Staude (soprano), Ekkehard Abele (bass), Michael Freimuth (guitar), Gerald Hambitzer (pianoforte), Hermann Max (conductor)
04:20 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Concerto in A minor for Two Recorders, TWV.52:a2
Lea Sobbe (recorder), Hojin Kwon (recorder), Jorg-Andreas Botticher (harpsichord), Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Instrumental Ensemble
04:31 AM
Francesco Durante (1684-1755)
Concerto per quartetto No 3 in E flat major
Concerto Koln
04:41 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
8 Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano'
Hyong-Sup Kim (oboe), Ja-Eun Ku (piano)
04:51 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Gentle Morpheus, son of night (Calliope's song) from Alceste
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
05:00 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
El Corpus en Sevilla from 'Iberia' (Book 1)
Plamena Mangova (piano)
05:09 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Francesco Squarcia (arranger)
3 Hungarian Dances
I Cameristi Italiani
05:17 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Tzigane - rapsodie de concert for violin and piano
Vineta Sareika (violin), Ventis Zilberts (piano)
05:28 AM
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)
Karelian Scenes, Op 146
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Palas (conductor)
05:39 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Suite no 2 for 2 pianos, Op 17
Ouellet-Murray Duo (piano duo)
06:04 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Symphonic variations, Op 78
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Grant Llewellyn (conductor)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m000tf6j)
Wednesday - Petroc's classical alternative
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, featuring listener requests and a recently recorded piece of brass band music, specially curated by Paul Hindmarsh, a leading figure in the industry today.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
WED 09:00 Essential Classics (m000tf6l)
Ian Skelly
Essential Classics - the best in classical music, with Ian Skelly.
0915 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist.
1010 Musicians recommend their favourite recordings.
1100 Essential Five - this week we bring you five great recordings celebrating the musical form of themes and variations.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
WED 12:00 Composer of the Week (m000tf6n)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Aftershock
Donald Macleod reveals how the experience of war turned Ravel’s orderly life upside down
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
Today – not a place, but rather the lack of one – Donald charts Ravel’s years of homelessness and disorientation during the First World War and its aftermath. His harrowing experiences as a truck driver in Verdun left an indelible mark on him, physically and psychologically. But the biggest blow of his life was yet to come, away from the battlefield - and it would take four years to put down new roots and regain his musical voice.
Valses nobles et sentimentales, or Adélaïde (I. Modéré – tres franc)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conductor
Trois beaux oiseaux
Monteverdi Choir
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Deux mélodies hébraïques (I. Kaddisch)
Mischa Maisky, cello
Daria Hovora, piano
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Steven Osborne, piano
La Valse
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Yannick Nezet-Séguin, conductor
Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
WED 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000l1dp)
Chamber Music in Manchester (2/4)
Another chance to hear highlights from the 2019/2020 Manchester Chamber Concerts Society season at the Royal Northern College of Music, and guitarist Milos Karadaglic at the city's illustrious music school, Chethams.
Presented by Tom McKinney
Jehan Alain (arr Raaf Hekkema): Litanies
Durufle (arr Jelte Althuis): Prelude et fugue sur le nom d’Alain, Op.7
Calefax
Granados: Andaluza and Oriental
De Falla: Danza del Molinaro from The Three-Cornered Hat
Milos Karadaglic, guitar
Shostakovich: String Quartet No 9 in E flat, Op.117
Schumann Quartet
WED 14:00 Afternoon Concert (m000tf6q)
Manchester Week with the BBC Philharmonic (3/4)
Tom McKinney introduces a selection of recordings from the BBC Philharmonic for Radio 3's 'Manchester Week', including a recent recording of music by Sibelius, and Takemitsu.
Jean Sibelius: Valse romantique
Andrea Tarrodi Camelopardalis
Tchaikovsky Pezzo capriccioso for cello and orchestra
(Anastasia Kobekina - cello)
Sibelius Canzonetta
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Anna-Maria Helsing
Toru Takemitsu: Rain coming
BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Storgards
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No 1
BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Storgards
WED 15:30 Choral Evensong (b073b1h2)
Wells Cathedral
From Wells Cathedral.
Introit: Derelinquit impius viam suam (Tallis)
Responses: Byrd
Psalms 82, 83, 84, 85 (Seivewright, Cooper, Ley, Vann)
First Lesson: Jeremiah 20 vv.7-16
Magnificat: Robledo (Mode iii)
Second Lesson: John 11 vv.17-27
Nunc Dimittis: Josquin des Prez
Anthem: In ieiunio et fletu (Tallis)
Final Hymn: Lord Jesus, think on me (Southwell)
Lent Prose (Mode v)
Matthew Owens (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
First broadcast 16 March 2016.
WED 16:30 New Generation Artists (m000tf6t)
The Consone Quartet play Beethoven
The period instruments of the Consone Quartet play Beethoven in a performance recorded live at Wigmore Hall last year. The key is C minor and there are hints of the later works associated with this key. And in the finale, he makes a rare excursion into the Hungarian style so beloved of his teacher, Haydn.
Beethoven: String Quartet in C minor Op.18 no.4
The Consone Quartet
Rebecca Clarke: Shy one
James Newby (baritone), Simon Lepper (piano)
WED 17:00 In Tune (m000tf6w)
Sam Lee, Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson, Kathryn Rudge
Sean Rafferty talks to folk singer Sam Lee about his new book 'The Nightingale', Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson about their new album of Beethoven Sonatas for violin and fortepiano plus Kathryn Rudge talks about the Manchester Song Festival.
WED 19:00 In Tune Mixtape (m000tf6y)
Your daily classical soundtrack
In Tune's specially curated playlist: an eclectic mix of music, including a few surprises with music by Debussy and Laura Mvula, plus a traditional Venezuelan dance performed by De Norte A Sur and a beautiful chaconne by French baroque composer Henri de Bailly. We'll also weave in some of the greatest classical works by Vivaldi, Handel, Warlock and Spohr.
Producer: Elana Solomon
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m000tf70)
Tears and Transformation
From MediaCityUK, Salford.
Presented by Tom McKinney
Working in Vienna at the start of the 20th century, Schreker was obsessed with tone colours and sound. His Chamber Symphony entrances with motives that transform as they are explored by different instruments in an orchestra that includes celeste, harp, harmonium and piano. Timothy Ridout joins the strings of the orchestra for Britten's Lacrymae, in which he reflects on a song by Dowland from the very end of the 16th century, "If my complaints could passions move" in a series of shimmering variations; disintegration gently transforms to unity and we feel a sense of the whole song only as we arrive at the end of the piece.
Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony started life as his Third String Quartet, a piece he withdrew shortly after its premiere; arranged by Barshai to include woodwind, timpani and harp it becomes a public statement
Schreker: Chamber Symphony
Britten: Lachrymae
8.15 Music Interval (CD)
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony op 73a
Timothy Ridout (viola)
BBC Philharmonic
Nicholas Collon (conductor)
WED 22:00 Free Thinking (m000tf72)
Pleasure
Matthew Sweet asks taste and wine expert Barry Smith; colour expert Kassia St Clair; Lisa Appignanesi an author of books exploring psychology and memory; and historian of luxury Seán Williams to share their ideas about pleasure. As lockdowns have forced us to forgo the delights of the outside world, have we developed a taste for simple pleasures? Many have reported enjoying cooking and eating more than usual, or appreciating simple treats such as a walk in nature. Has the grey monotony of this period caused music to sound more vibrant, and colours to appear more vivid? And what is the science, philosophy and psychology behind the enjoyment of simple pleasures?
Kassia St Clair is the author of The Secret Lives of Colour and The Golden Thread.
Barry C Smith is a Professor of philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London's School of Advanced Study. He researches the multisensory nature of perceptual experience, focusing on taste, smell and flavour and also writes on wine.
Seán Williams is a New Generation Thinker who teaches on German culture and history at the University of Sheffield considering topics ranging from the Alps, Spas and ideas about luxury, to a history of hairdressing.
Lisa Appignanesi's books include Everyday Madness, All About Love: Anatomy of an Unruly Emotion, Memory and Desire and many others.
You can find a whole playlist of programmes exploring different emotions from our Free Thinking Festival 2019 including 20 Words for Joy ... Feelings Around the World hearing from Thomas Dixon, Aatish Taseer and Veronica Strang; Does My Pet Love Me? Why We Need Weepies, and the Way we Used to Feel https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p036y2hb
Producer: Eliane Glaser
WED 22:45 The Essay (m000tf74)
Blood and Bronze
Storming the Capitol
Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny.
Having built a career as a goldsmith, Cellini turns soldier during one of the Renaissance’s most terrible moments: the Sack of Rome in 1527. As he defends the city, he melts down the pope’s jewellery as the fighting reaches its climax.
Reader Marco Gambino
Producer Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland Production
WED 23:00 Night Tracks (m000tf76)
Music after dark
Hannah Peel with an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THURSDAY 25 MARCH 2021
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m000tf78)
Chopin and Dvorak from Bucharest
Romanian Radio National Orchestra in works by Chopin and Dvorak. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto no 1 in E minor, op 11
Toma Popovici (piano), Romanian Radio National Orchestra, Andrei Feher (conductor)
01:11 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso, from 'Miroirs'
Toma Popovici (piano)
01:18 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
In Nature's Realm, op. 91, concert overture
Romanian Radio National Orchestra, Andrei Feher (conductor)
01:33 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
The Golden Spinning Wheel, op 109, symphonic poem
Romanian Radio National Orchestra, Andrei Feher (conductor)
02:01 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
String Quartet in A major, Op 41 no 3
Vertavo Quartet, Berit Varnes Cardas (violin), oyvor Volle (violin), Henninge Baatnes Landaas (viola), Bjorg Vaernes (cello)
02:31 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943), Konstantin Balmont (author)
The Bells (Kolokola) for soloists, chorus and orchestra, Op 35
Pavel Kourchoumov (tenor), Roumiana Bareva (soprano), Stoyan Popov (baritone), Sons de la mer Mixed Choir, Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vassil Stefanov (conductor)
03:09 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
8 Pieces for Piano, Op 76
Robert Silverman (piano)
03:37 AM
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Introduction to Act III & Dances of the Highlanders from 'Halka'
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
03:45 AM
Hermann Ambrosius (1897-1983)
Suite
Zagreb Guitar Trio
03:52 AM
John Field (1782-1837)
Rondo for piano and strings (H.18A) in A flat major
Eckart Selheim (pianoforte), Collegium Aureum, Franzjosef Maier (director)
04:00 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Duet for viola and cello in E flat major, WoO.32
Milan Telecky (viola), Juraj Alexander (cello)
04:10 AM
Traditional, Percy Grainger (arranger)
Irish Tune from County Derry (Danny Boy)
Camerata Ireland, Barry Douglas (conductor)
04:14 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La Cathedrale engloutie - no.10 from Preludes book 1 (1910)
Philippe Cassard (piano)
04:20 AM
Ludwik Grossman (1835-1915)
Csardas from the comic opera Duch wojewody (The Ghost of Voyvode) (1875)
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Miroslaw Blaszczyk (conductor)
04:31 AM
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
South Ostrobothnian Dances, Op 17 (excerpts)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kari Tikka (conductor)
04:39 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 in C sharp minor
Ladislav Fantzowitz (piano)
04:49 AM
Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
2 sacred pieces - Spes mea, Christe Deus; Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Cologne Chamber Chorus, Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann (conductor)
05:00 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento for 2 flutes and cello in C major, Hob.4.1, 'London trio' No 1
Les Ambassadeurs
05:09 AM
Armas Jarnefelt (1869-1968)
The Sound of Home
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ilpo Mansnerus (conductor)
05:20 AM
Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920)
Three Tone Pictures, Op 5
David Allen Wehr (piano)
05:29 AM
Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832)
Grand Quartet for 4 flutes in E minor (Op.103)
Valentinas Kazlauskas (flute), Albertas Stupakas (flute), Lina Baublyte (flute), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute)
05:51 AM
Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002)
Suite Medievale for flute, harp and string trio
Arpae Ensemble
06:05 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 129
Daniel Muller-Schott (cello), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Gurer Aykal (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m000tfmf)
Thursday - Petroc's classical commute
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, featuring listener requests and a recently recorded piece of brass band music, specially curated by Paul Hindmarsh, a leading figure in the industry today.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
THU 09:00 Essential Classics (m000tfmk)
Ian Skelly
Essential Classics - the best in classical music, with Ian Skelly.
0915 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist.
1010 Musicians recommend their favourite recordings.
1100 Essential Five - this week we bring you five great recordings celebrating the musical form of themes and variations.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
THU 12:00 Composer of the Week (m000tfmp)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Night Owl
Donald Macleod follows Ravel to America for the trip of a lifetime.
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
In today’s programme, we set sail for America, on Ravel’s greatest journey. We’ll hear about his concert-hall capers on a tour spanning 17 cities and 25 towns, and the ridiculous extent of his over-packing. This itinerary wasn’t enough to tire out Ravel, who would only go to bed “when every other possibility had been exhausted”, and it seems fitting that his twilight years were some of the most adventurous of his life. As a jazz lover, Ravel was in his element when Gershwin took him club hopping in Harlem, and the many colourful encounters he had in the States would have a lasting influence on his music.
Daphnis et Chloé: Part III (Lever du jour)
Orchestre et Choeur de l'Opéra National de Paris,
Philippe Jordan, conductor
Sonatine (II. Mouvement de minuet)
Steven Osborne, piano
Violin Sonata in G major
Janine Jansen, violin
Itamar Golan, piano
Piano Concerto in G major
Krystian Zimerman, piano
Cleveland Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, conductor
Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
THU 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000l2v5)
Chamber Music in Manchester (3/4)
Another chance to hear highlights from the 2019/2020 Manchester Chamber Concerts Society season at the Royal Northern College of Music, and guitarist Milos Karadaglic at the city's illustrious music school, Chethams.
Presented by Tom McKinney
Lennon-McCartney (arr Assad): Beatles Medley
Milos Karadaglic, guitar
Mendelssohn (arr Althuis): Prelude in G major (Op 37 No 2)
Mendelssohn (arr Althuis): Fugue in C minor (Op 37 No 1)
Calefax
Francois Roberday (arr Hekkema): selection from Fugues et Caprices 1660
Calefax
Bach: Suite in C minor BWV 997
Milos Karadaglic, guitar
THU 14:00 Afternoon Concert (m000tfmt)
Opera Matinee - Werther
Tom McKinney introduces a recording of Jules Massenet's 'Werther' from Covent Garden followed by music from the BBC Philharmonic, including the third instalment of Arnold Bax's 'Oliver Twist'
Vittorio Grigolo and Joyce DiDonato star in this recording of Massenet's dark drama of doomed love set against the stifling constrictions of a stultifying bourgeois marriage. Goethe's epistolary novel about the brooding Werther who develops an obsession for the unattainable Charlotte took Europe by storm in the 1770s. Massenet's operatic version focuses on the bitter-sweet pains and pleasures of a forbidden romance, with the lovers seemingly doing their best to make each other unhappy rather than accepting their fate. This is a recording made of Benoît Jacquot’s strikingly beautiful production for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2016.
Werther ..... Vittorio Grigolo (tenor)
Charlotte ..... Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano)
Albert ..... David Bizic (baritone)
Magistrate ..... Jonathan Summers (bass baritone)
Schmidt ..... Francois Piolino (tenor)
Johann ..... Yuriy Yurchuk (baritone)
Sophie ..... Heather Engebretson (soprano)
Käthchen ..... Emily Edmonds (mezzo-soprano)
Brühlmann ..... Rick Zwart (baritone)
Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra
Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Followed by music For Radio 3's Manchester Week:
Sergei Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
Arnold Bax: Music for the 1948 film 'Oliver Twist' - Part 3
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba
THU 17:00 In Tune (m000tfmy)
Nigel Short, Renaud Capuçon, Kitty Whately, Madelaine Newton and Kevin Whately
Sean Rafferty talks to Tenebrae director Nigel Short ahead of Holy Week Festival 2021 at St John's Smith Square, violinist Renaud Capuçon tells us about the Festival de Pâques, Aix-en-Provence, plus Kitty Whately and her parents Madelaine Newton and Kevin Whately join us to talk about their concert at Leeds Lieder.
THU 19:00 In Tune Mixtape (m000tfn1)
A blissful 30-minute classical mix
In Tune's specially curated playlist: an eclectic mix of music, including a few surprises.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m000tfn3)
Manchester Collective
Elizabeth Alker presents a live concert by the ground breaking Manchester Collective. Music includes Mahler, John Adams, John Tavener and a new work by Freya Waley-Cohen.
JOHN DOWLAND Pavane: Lachrimae Antiquae
FREYA WALEY-COHEN Talisman (World Premiere)
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 5, Adagietto
WOJCIECH KILAR Orawa
CHRISTOPHER BRYAN New Works (poems)
JOHN TAVENER Song for Athene
JOHN ADAMS Shaker Loops
Manchester Collective
Rakhi Singh (director)
THU 22:00 Free Thinking (m000tfn5)
Churchill's Reputation
Wartime saviour or the symbol of nostalgic imperialism ? David Reynolds, Priya Satia, Richard Toye and Allen Packwood join Anne McElvoy to look at the ways Churchill's story and legacy are being written now by both historians and in the press. How can we untangle the culture war that is raging over his reputation and what can we learn if we look at the research coming out of the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge?
Richard Toye is Professor of History at the University of Exeter co-author of The Churchill Myths (2020) and author of Winston Churchill: A Life in the News (OUP, 2020)
Priya Satia is Professor of International History at the University of Stanford, author of Time's Monster: How History Makes History (2020) and Empire of Guns: The Violent Making of the Industrial Revolution (2018)
David Reynolds is Professor of International History at the University of Cambridge and author of One World Divisible: a Global History since 1945 (2000) and In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War (2004) which was the winner of the Wolfson Prize
Allen Packwood is Director of the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge
Producer: Ruth Watts
THU 22:45 The Essay (m000tfn7)
Blood and Bronze
Death in Florence
Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny.
On his return to Florence, Cellini experiences the horrors of the plague. It is a recurrent feature of daily life in the Renaissance with shocking contemporary resonances. And Cellini has his own very personal brush with death.
Reader Marco Gambino
Producer Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland Production
THU 23:00 The Night Tracks Mix (m000tfn9)
Music for the night
Hannah Peel with a magical sonic journey for late-night listening.
THU 23:30 Unclassified (m000tfnc)
Elizabeth Alker with music that defies classification.
FRIDAY 26 MARCH 2021
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m000tfnf)
Strauss and Bruckner
The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra give the premiere performance in China of Richard Strauss's Le Bourgeois gentilhomme suite, followed by Bruckner's Second Symphony. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Op 60, suite after Molière
Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Zhang Yi (conductor)
01:07 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony no 2 in C minor
Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Zhang Yi (conductor)
02:01 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Trio in G major, Op 9 no 1
Trio AnPaPie
02:31 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Flute Concerto in G major (Wq 169)
Tom Ottar Andreassen (flute), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
02:55 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Missa Papae Marcelli
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor)
03:27 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
From 2 Nocturnes for piano Op 62: No 2 in E major
Wojciech Switala (piano)
03:33 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), Unknown (arranger)
Concertino for oboe and wind ensemble in C major (arr. for trumpet)
Geoffrey Payne (trumpet), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Michael Halasz (conductor)
03:41 AM
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Quel guardo il cavaliere, Norina's Cavatina from Act 1, scene 2 of Don Pasquale
Adriana Marfisi (soprano), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
03:47 AM
Francois Francoeur (1698-1787), Arnold Trowell (arranger)
Sonata in E major (arr. Trowell for cello and piano)
Monica Leskhovar (cello), Ivana Schwartz (piano)
03:58 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
An der schönen Blauen Donau (Blue Danube), Op 314
BBC Concert Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth (conductor)
04:08 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), August Gottfried Ritter (arranger)
Andante in A minor, Op 26
Erwin Wiersinga (organ)
04:17 AM
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
Variations on 'Mein junges Leben hat ein End'
Academic Wind Quintet
04:25 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Meditation, Op 72 no 5
Yulianna Avdeeva (piano)
04:31 AM
Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909)
Notturno Op 70 no 1
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
04:38 AM
Johann Bach (1604-1673)
Unser Leben ist ein Schatten
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier (director)
04:47 AM
Frantisek Jiranek (1698-1778)
Bassoon Concerto in F major
Sergio Azzolini (bassoon), Collegium Marianum, Jana Semeradova (director)
04:57 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
3 Lieder, arr. for cello and piano
Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
05:06 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Belshazzar's feast suite, Op 51
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
05:21 AM
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710)
4 pieces from "Instrucción de música sobre la guitara española"
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar), Pedro Estevan (percussion)
05:38 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Sonata in C major, K 303
Tai Murray (violin), Shai Wosner (piano)
05:49 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Orchestral Suite no 3 in D major, BWV1068
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken (conductor)
06:09 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)
Rapsodia española, Op 70
Angela Cheng (piano), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Graf (conductor)
06:27 AM
Gion Antoni Derungs (1935-2012), Gion Deplazes (author)
Sut steilas (Under the stars)
Cantus Firmus Surselva, Clau Scherrer (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m000tg9s)
Friday - Petroc's classical rise and shine
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, featuring listener requests, the Friday poem and a recently recorded piece of brass band music, specially curated by Paul Hindmarsh, a leading figure in the industry today.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
FRI 09:00 Essential Classics (m000tg9v)
Ian Skelly
Essential Classics - the best in classical music, with Ian Skelly.
0915 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist.
1010 Musicians recommend their favourite recordings.
1100 Essential Five - this week we bring you five great recordings celebrating the musical form of themes and variations.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
FRI 12:00 Composer of the Week (m000tg9x)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Refuge
Donald Macleod steps into Ravel’s beloved home and the quirky, inner world he created there.
Maurice Ravel is one of France’s most enigmatic, original and beloved composers. While less prolific than some of his contemporaries, Ravel was a master of detail - his works are elegant and exquisitely crafted, and precision was a guiding force in both his creativity and personality. He is often linked with impressionism for his painterly approach to orchestration and vivid sound worlds of his piano writing, but his distinctive voice bears influences from the baroque, to the exotic, to jazz. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod drops five pins on the map of Ravel’s life story, discovering the places that were important to him and what they reveal about his character.
Today, Donald takes us through the keyhole of Ravel’s eccentric house, Le Belvedere. After the trauma of war and grief, settling here heralded a period of refuge and recovery as he created a very personal nest where he could be himself. This bizarre, impractical dwelling, was described as a “toy surprise”, and through the house Ravel created an outward version of his inner, often child-like world. As the backdrop for some of his happiest memories, we’ll meet Ravel the lively host, cat-parent, and unsung interiors guru.
Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré
James Ehnes, violin
Wendy Chen, piano
Ma Mere L’Oye Suite
Rotterdam Philharmonic
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor
Tzigane
Itzhak Perlman, vioin
Myor Rosen, harp
New York Philharmonic
Zubin Mehta, conductor
L'enfant et les sortilèges: Duo miaulé (Cat Duet)
David Wilson-Johnson, baritone
Jacqueline Miura, soprano
London Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn, conductor
Bolero
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Pierre Boulez, conductor
Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker
FRI 13:00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (m000l2zc)
Chamber Music in Manchester (4/4)
Another chance to hear highlights from the 2019/2020 Manchester Chamber Concerts Society season at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Presented by Tom McKinney
J S Bach (arr Althuis): Fantasia and Fugue in G minor BWV 542
Calefax
Franck: Deuxieme Choral in B minor M.39
Calefax
Smetana: Quartet No 1 in E minor ‘From My Life’
Schumann Quartet
FRI 14:00 Afternoon Concert (m000tg9z)
Manchester Week with the BBC Philharmonic (4/4)
Tom McKinney introduces the final selection of music from the BBC Philharmonic for Manchester Week including a performance of a symphony by Bruckner, music from America by Copland and Barber, and the conclusion to the serialisation of Arnold Bax's music for the 1948 film Oliver Twist.
Wolfgang Mozart: Serenade in G “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik“ (K 525)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Stephanie Childress
Tom Coult: Rainbow-Shooting Cloud Contraption (first broadcast)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Storgards
Arnold Bax: Music for the 1948 film 'Oliver Twist' - Part 4
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba
Aaron Copland: Symphony for organ and orchestra
Jonathan Scott (organ)
BBC Philharmonic conducted by John Wilson
Samuel Barber: Mutations from Bach
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Clark Rundell
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No 6
BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena
FRI 16:30 The Listening Service (m000tdj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Sunday]
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m000tgb1)
Emmanuel Despax, Peter Cigleris, Olwen Foulkes
Sean Rafferty is joined in the studio for some live music by pianist Emmanuel Despax, clarinet player Peter Cigleris talks about his new album with BBC National Orchestra of Wales - 'British Clarinet Concertos Rediscovered', and recorder player and director of Ensemble Augelletti tells us about their online concert ‘A Spring in Lockdown’.
FRI 19:00 In Tune Mixtape (m000tgb3)
Classical music for your journey
In Tune's specially curated playlist: an eclectic mix of music, including a few surprises. It's Friday night, so let's go to the movies with an epic fanfare from John Williams, or go to the opera with an extract from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. The mix also includes Tippett's version of the spiritual "Steal Away Home", and Price's folksong arrangement 'Drink to me only'.
Produced by Sofie Vilcins
FRI 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m000tgb5)
Viennese Whirl
Live from MediaCityUK, Salford
Presented by Tom McKinney
Sarah Connolly joins the BBC Philharmonic and Martyn Brabbins for an evening of music from Vienna. From Brahms's First Sextet, David Matthews's arrangement of the Andante brings expanded dimension to the piece. Zemlinsky's six songs on poems by Maeterlinck are here heard in an arrangement by John Pickard; originally for piano and existing, too, in a version for large orchestra, tonight's performing edition draws inspiration from both to provide an intimate orchestral picture. A newly minted transcription of Mahler's Kindertotenlieder made by David Matthews specially for this concert sheds new light on this masterpiece and the progamme ends with a classic, Schoenberg's First Chamber Symphony - a tour de force of orchestra colour and virtuosity as seen through the lens of fifteen players.
Brahms arr David Matthews: Andante (from String Sextet Op 18)
Zemlinsky arr John Pickard: Six songs to poems by Maeterlinck
Music Interval
Mahler arr David Matthews; Kindertotenlieder
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No 1
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)
BBC Philharmonic
Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
FRI 22:00 The Verb (m000tgb7)
Spring Poetry: Ambivalence and Beauty - Experiments in Living
As Spring arrives Ian McMillan and guests consider ambivalance and beauty in writing about spring.
This week Ian peers into the yellow heart of the daffodil to find out what makes a great spring poem, and shares poetry by some of the most remarkable poets of our moment, as well as those inspired by the colours of crocuses past. Spring is always beautiful, but there is earthiness and grief in the language of the season too. His guests will include writers and those who work with and study the earth itself.
Ian is joined by Booker prize winning novelist and keen gardener Penelope Lively who has contributed an essay to the new anthology 'In The Garden' (Daunt) on 'the Gardening Eye', passing the passion for growing on to her daughters, and gardening later in life.
In his poem 'Here Too Spring Comes to Us with Open Arms', Caleb Femi takes us to spring on a South London Estate. Femi has just published 'Poor' (Penguin), his debut collection of poetry.
In books such as the T.S Eliot prize shortlisted colleciton 'The Mizzy' (Picador), Paul Farley turns our attention to the overlooked and unloved places, finding spring thrives here just as in the meadow.
We also hear a selection of poems recorded as part of Radio 3's Spring Poetry season.
Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Jessica Treen
FRI 22:45 The Essay (m000tgb9)
Blood and Bronze
The Scorpion
Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny.
Cellini roams between the great Italian Renaissance courts, at ease in making art and causing trouble. He conjures devils in the Colosseum and murders his brother’s killer before being falsely imprisoned for stealing the pope’s jewels.
Reader Marco Gambino
Producer Mark Rickards
A Whistledown Scotland Production
FRI 23:00 Late Junction (m000tgbc)
Sky Songs and Ant Music
Verity Sharp plays music written ‘strictly for insects to understand’ by the Australian artist Eugene Carchesio. He describes his latest release as ‘ant sci-fi’ with most of the tracks clocking in at under a minute and featuring pulsating electronics. We also dip into the new album by the Chicago-based Damon Locks and Black Monument Ensemble. Written in the summer of 2020 and recorded in the garden behind their studio in a few takes, this was the first time the ensemble had ever played these songs and it captures their excitement to be working together again.
And as the days start to lengthen we look to the skies with a piece for the birds by Iranian-Canadian brothers Saint Abdullah and jazz-inflected throat singing by Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak with her piece ‘Who Stole The Sky’.
Produced by Katie Callin
A Reduced Listening Production for BBC Radio 3