RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 3
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 3 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002mbfg)
Haydn, Mozart and Schubert quartets
The Marmen Quartet and Chiaroscuro Quartet perform at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Ireland. Haydn's 'Russian' and Mozart's 'Dissonance' quartets are followed by Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden'. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet no 33 in D major, Op 33 no 6, Hob.III:42 'Russian'
Marmen Quartet
12:46 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
String Quartet no 19 in C major, K.465 'Dissonance'
Marmen Quartet
01:18 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
String Quartet no 14 in D minor, D.810 'Death and the Maiden'
Chiaroscuro Quartet
01:58 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (author)
An die Entfernte, D.765 (To one who is far away)
Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
02:01 AM
Marianna Martines (1744-1812)
Sinfonia in C major
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
02:13 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Trio for keyboard and strings in E major, H.
15.28
Beaux Arts Trio
02:31 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Vesperae sollennes
Gradus ad Parnassum, Concerto Palatino, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle, Konrad Junghänel (director)
02:53 AM
Hjalmar Borgstrøm (1864-1925)
Violin Concerto in G major, Op 25
Eldbjørg Hemsing (violin), Argovia Philharmonic, Leo McFall (conductor)
03:26 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
L'isle joyeuse
Roger Woodward (piano)
03:32 AM
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Quartet in F major for horn, oboe d'amore, violin and basso continuo, FWV N:F3
Les Ambassadeurs
03:39 AM
George Walker (1922-2018)
Lyric for Strings
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
03:47 AM
Jules August Demersseman (1833-1866)
Italian Concerto in F major, Op 82 no 6
Kristina Vaculova (flute), Inna Aslamasova (piano)
03:59 AM
Otto Nicolai (1810-1849)
Fenton's aria "Horch, die Lerch singt in Hain"
Roberto Sacca (tenor), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan (conductor)
04:05 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
12 Variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen for cello and piano', Op 66
Antonio Meneses (cello), Menahem Pressler (piano)
04:15 AM
Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
To a Nordic Princess (bridal song) vers. piano
Leslie Howard (piano)
04:22 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Trio no 7 (Essercizii Musici)
Camerata Köln, Michael Schneider (recorder), Rainer Zipperling (viola da gamba), Ghislaine Wauters (viola da gamba), Yasunori Imamura (theorbo), Sabine Bauer (organ)
04:31 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Overture to the "King and the Charcoal Burner" (1874)
Bratislava Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Štefan Róbl (conductor)
04:39 AM
Władysław Żeleński (1837-1921), arr. Jan Maklakiewicz
2 Choral Songs: Zaczarowana krolewna; Przy rozstaniu
Polish Radio Choir, Marek Kluza (director)
04:45 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Spring Song, Op 16
Kaija Saarikettu (violin), Raija Kerppo (piano)
04:54 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op 3 no 1
Elar Kuiv (violin), Olev Ainomae (oboe), Estonian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Paul Mägi (conductor)
05:04 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata in C major, K.545
Young-Lan Han (piano)
05:14 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Idila Op 25b (1902)
Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
05:21 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
"Se l'aura spira"; "Voi partite, mio sole"…
Gloria Banditelli (mezzo soprano), Guido Morini (harpsichord)
05:43 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto no 1 in E minor, Op 11
Dejan Lazić (piano), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Rossen Milanov (conductor)
06:25 AM
James MacMillan (b.1959)
O Radiant Dawn
BBC Singers, David Hill (conductor)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002mkz5)
Ease into the day with classical music
Hannah French presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show. 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 (m002mkz7)
Electrifying jazz from composer and pianist Hiromi
Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack to start the weekend!
The astounding Japanese jazz composer and pianist Hiromi performs an exclusive session in the Saturday Morning studio. Known for her dazzling technique and boundless love of music, Hiromi chats to Tom about learning classical and jazz together as a child, how she gets to know all 88 notes on a piano equally and why Chopin can always swing.
Composer Errollyn Wallen talks about writing a brand new advent carol she's rescued from deep within the archives and her eventful year as Master of the King's Music.
Plus there's live music from the ensemble ZRI - their Cellar Sessions project is inspired by the cellar at The Red Hedgehog tavern in 19th-century Vienna, where musicians from all scenes would meet after hours, drink wine and blur the boundaries between folk and classical traditions. They bring a slice of that spirit to Saturday Morning!
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002mkz9)
YolanDa Brown shares her favourite pieces
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 Handel Messiaen and Brother Joe May, with performances by Joyce Didonato and Brownie McGhee. His guest is the saxophonist, bandleader, composer and broadcaster YolanDa Brown who introduces music she loves by Gabriel Faure, Errollyn Wallen and Vincente Amigo.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland'.
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m002mkzc)
In the Beginning
Darkness and Light
Sir James MacMillan explores how fellow composers like Haydn, Beethoven, and Hildegard von Bingen depict the first day of creation in music. Joined by Dr Rowan Williams, Theologian Prof Margarita Mooney Clayton, and composer Jay Capperauld, they discuss light as divine revelation, and musical interpretations of light and darkness across classical and contemporary works. They explore the nature of inspiration and discuss the origins of creativity.
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002mkzg)
Berlioz's Harold in Italy in Building a Library with Flora Willson and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor presents some of the week's best new classical releases.
2.10pm
Samir Savant, Chief Executive of St George's Bristol, joins Andrew to discuss new choral releases that have caught his attention.
3pm
Building a Library. Music writer and historian Flora Willson assesses recordings of Berlioz's Harold in Italy and makes a top recommendation.
Berlioz's Harold in Italy grew from a commission by superstar violinist Paganini, who was keen for a new work to show off his newly acquired Stradivarius viola. Paganini was disappointed with the finished work, however, which is not the virtuosic concerto he was expecting. Berlioz was inspired by Lord Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage: "My intention was to write a series of orchestral scenes. By placing it among the poetic memories formed from my wanderings in the Abruzzi, I wanted to make the viola a kind of melancholy dreamer in the manner of Byron's Childe-Harold."
Top choice:
Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
London Symphony Orchestra
Colin Davis (conductor)
LSO Live LSO0827
3.45pm
Record of the Week. Andrew picks the new recording that has most impressed him this week.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002mkzj)
Edith talks to Alan Silvestri
Tune in for your weekly fix of exceptional movie music, where Edith Bowman curates a rich selection of iconic scores and hidden gems. From sweeping orchestral pieces to contemporary soundscapes. This week, Edith speaks to legendary Holywood film composer Alan Silvestri about his career in this, the 40th anniversary year, of one of his most well known and beloved scores- Back to the Future. Jazz pianist, singer and presenter Jamie Cullum will be giving us his Pick of the Flicks this week, and composer Debbie Wiseman discusses Jerry Goldsmith's score to Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien in Harmonising Hollywood.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002m1m2)
Jess Gillam with... Martin Fröst
Jess Gillam meets clarinettist Martin Fröst to swap some of their favourite music and share tales from the concert stage. Martin Fröst is a Swedish clarinettist and conductor celebrated for his virtuosic technique, boundary-pushing performances and love for collaborations across genres. Martin brings along music by Schubert and Brahms as well as Wynton Marsalis and Giora Feidman. Jess's choices range from Scarlatti to Dusty Springfield and there's some Hannah Peel in there too.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3'.
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002mkzl)
Janacek's The Makropulos Case
In its first ever staging for the Royal Opera, Janacek's enigmatic modernist opera is sung by a stellar cast led by soprano Ausrine Stundyte and conducted by Music Director Jakub Hrůša.
World famous opera singer Emilia Marty has taken an elixir which has allowed her to live for over 300 years under different aliases, always with the initials EM. But the formula is running out, and getting hold of a document in a long-running court case is her only chance of extending it. But after centuries of love affairs and disappointment, does she really want to live forever?
Martin Handley presents, and is joined in the box by Nigel Simeone to discuss Janacek's startlingly haunting and modern score.
Janacek: The Makropulos Case
Emilia Marty.....Ausrine Stundyte (soprano)
Krista.....Heather Engebretson (soprano
Albert Gregor.....Sean Panikkar (tenor)
Baron Jaroslav Prus.....Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Dr Kolenatý.....Henry Waddington (bass-baritone)
Janek.....Daniel Matoušek (tenor)
Count Hauk-Šendorf.....Alan Oke (tenor)
Vítek.....Peter Hoare (tenor)
Stage door woman.....Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano)
Hotel Maid.....Jingwen Cai (mezzo-soprano)
Security guard.....Jeremy White (bass)
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Jakub Hrůša (conductor)
SAT 20:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002mkzn)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at 90
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra looks forward to its 90th anniversary concert on 4 December with a celebration of its fearless commitment to contemporary music. Tonight we hear a selection of new and recent performances of music by composers of this generation.
Music to include:
Magnus Lindberg: Violin Concerto No.1
Tami Pohjola, violin
Taavi Oramo, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Electra Perivolaris: A Forest Reawakens
James MacMillan, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Turnage: On Opened Ground - concerto for viola and orchestra
Lawrence Power, viola
Ben Glassberg, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Francisco Coll: Turia for guitar and chamber orchestra
Sean Shibe, guitar
Delyana Lazarova, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002mkzq)
Oumou Sangaré at the London Jazz Festival
Lopa Kothari is at the EFG London Jazz Festival for a special collaboration between Grammy award-winning Malian singer Oumou Sangaré and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Sangaré, affectionately known as 'The Songbird of Wassoulou' (a cultural region in West African where Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea meet) developed her craft as a child, singing alongside her mother at weddings and local celebrations in the capital Bamako. A committed musical campaigner for women's rights, she blasted onto the international stage at the tender age of twenty-one with the release of her album Moussoulou, 'Women'. Several records later - her most recent being her ninth studio album, Timbuktu - she continues to blend socially-engaged subject matter with a gift for soaring melodies.
Produced by Fatuma Khaireh
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen to most smart speakers, just say: “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet.”
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002mkzs)
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival: Sarah Hennies' Borrowed Light
Tom Service presents more recordings from this year's event including the first UK performance by the American Mivos Quartet of Sarah Hennies' Borrowed Light, a fragile, gradually evolving, long-form work that demands close listening. Also featured tonight: the Estonian Electronic Music Society Ensemble (EMA) - part of their set at Bates Mill Photographic Studio last weekend; and marking the 90th birthday of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra we hear their recording of Harrison Birtwistle's Night's Black Bird (2004), inspired by the melancholic songs of Elizabethan composer John Dowland.
SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002mkzv)
Martín García García plays Chopin, Mompou and Albéniz
A beneficiary of the new Alicia de Larrocha Scholarship for young artists, the Asturian pianist makes his debut in the modernist hall at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona. He plays Chopin and Mompou, music he recorded on his latest album, as well as works by Albéniz. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat, Op 61
Martín García García (piano)
12:45 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Impromptu in A flat, Op 29
Martín García García (piano)
12:49 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Impromptu in G flat, Op 51
Martín García García (piano)
12:53 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Impromptu in F sharp, Op 36
Martín García García (piano)
12:59 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op 66
Martín García García (piano)
01:04 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata no 1 in C minor, Op 4
Martín García García (piano)
01:30 AM
Frederic Mompou (1893-1987)
Variations on a Theme by Chopin
Martín García García (piano)
01:55 AM
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
La Vega
Martín García García (piano)
02:10 AM
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Excerpts from Iberia (Book 3)
Martín García García (piano)
02:25 AM
Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), arr. Ruggiero Ricci
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Kerson Leong (violin)
02:31 AM
Alessandro Stradella (1639-1682)
L'anime del Purgatorio (1680) - cantata for 2 voices, chorus & ensemble
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Evelyn Tubb (soprano), David Thomas (bass), Richard Wistreich (bass), Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley (director), Anthony Rooley (lute)
03:12 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Tapiola, Op 112
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Kolbjørn Holthe (conductor)
03:30 AM
Augustin Dautrecourt de Sainte-Colombe (fl.1657-1670)
Concert à Deux Violes Esgales no 44, 'Tombeau des Regrets'
Susie Napper (viol), Margaret Little (viol)
03:40 AM
Per Gunnar Petersson (b.1954)
Aftonland (Evening Land) for choir and solo horn
Soren Hermansson (horn), Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (director)
03:55 AM
Henriëtte Bosmans (1895-1952)
Allegro maestoso, from 'Cello Sonata in A minor'
Friedrich Thiele (cello), Amadeus Wiesensee (piano)
04:03 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Norwegian artists' carnival, Op 14 (Norsk kunstnerkarneval)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen (conductor)
04:10 AM
Arvo Pärt (b.1935)
Morning Star
Marian Consort
04:13 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Prelude and Fugue in C major, Op 109 no 3
David Drury (organ)
04:23 AM
Julije Bajamonti (1744-1800)
Symphony in C major
Zagreb Soloists, Višnja Mažuran (harpsichord)
04:31 AM
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Friede auf Erden for chorus, Op 13
Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble
04:40 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Hymn and Triumphal March, from Aida
WDR Funkhausorchester, Rasmus Baumann (conductor)
04:48 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
'L'Eraclito amoroso' for Soprano and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Susanne Ryden (soprano), Rebeka Rusó (viola da gamba), Rafael Bonavita (theorbo), Daniela Dolci (harpsichord), Daniela Dolci (director)
04:53 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Fireworks, Op 4
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek (conductor)
04:57 AM
Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729)
Sonata in D major for 2 violins and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)
05:06 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Adagio for viola and piano in C major
Morten Carlsen (viola), Sergej Osadchuk (piano)
05:16 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Horn Concerto no 2 in E flat major
Markus Maskuniitty (horn), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Junichi Hirokami (conductor)
05:37 AM
Georg Muffat (1653-1704)
Sonata for solo violin and bass continuo
Sabine Lier (violin), Salzburger Hofmusik, Wolfgang Brunner (director)
05:49 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto for 2 pianos in E flat major, K365/316a
Jon Kimura Parker (piano), James Parker (piano), CBC Radio Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
06:14 AM
Peter Kolman (1937-2022)
Funeral Music
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mirko Krajči (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1k)
Live from the Peak District in Staffordshire
Mark Forrest starts the day at Peak Wildlife Park in Staffordshire where he meets the park's famous polar beers and penguins. Live music is from two of Britain's finest folk musicians Jackie Oates and Belinda O'Hooley with traditional Staffordshire songs. We also encounter a local needle-worker to find out about the regions rich silk and textile heritage, most notably Leek Embroidery Society's extraordinary replica of the Bayeux Tapestry.
From coast to chapel, woodland to mountainside, Carols Across the Country – A Seasonal Journey celebrates the spirit of Advent and Christmas through a rich tapestry of seasonal classical, folk, choral and instrumental music, alongside poetry, local storytelling and the ambient sounds of winter.
Radio 3 presenters Mark Forrest, Sarah Walker, John Toal, Shân Cothi, and Kate Molleson will broadcast from locations from right across the country: from the Staffordshire Moorlands in the English West Midlands; to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast in the English Channel; from the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland; to the rural village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The centrepiece of the afternoon is the annual Advent Service from St John’s College in Cambridge. And on the feast day of the patron saint of Scotland, the day ends in St Andrew’s in Fife to the sound of the Scottish pipes.
Painting vivid pictures of place and tradition, and evoking the themes of winter, Advent, light, memory and renewal, join Radio 3 for a day-long celebration in sound – where music meets landscape, and the season begins.
SUN 09:00 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1n)
Live from Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight
Our seasonal journey across the UK continues with a bright advent morning at the Abbey of Our Lady of Quarr situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty off the south coast of England on the Isle of Wight. Sarah Walker is joined by a group of the abbey's Benedictine monks for Advent Gregorian chant ahead of their Advent mass, and she explores both the beautiful and rugged nearby coastline and the abbey gardens. Plus, live music from the island from the period trio Phantasia, and we discover the long history of Christmas trees on the island.
From dawn to dusk, Radio 3 marks the beginning of the Christmas season with a day of live broadcasts from six striking locations across the UK.
From coast to chapel, woodland to mountainside, Carols Across the Country – A Seasonal Journey celebrates the spirit of Advent and Christmas through a rich tapestry of seasonal classical, folk, choral and instrumental music, alongside poetry, local storytelling and the ambient sounds of winter.
Radio 3 presenters Mark Forrest, Sarah Walker, John Toal, Shân Cothi, and Kate Molleson will broadcast from stunning locations across the country: from the Staffordshire Moorlands in the English West Midlands; to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast in the English Channel; from the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland; to the rural village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The centrepiece of the afternoon is the annual Advent Service from St John’s College in Cambridge. And on the feast day of the patron saint of Scotland, the day ends in St Andrews in Fife to the sound of the Scottish pipes.
Painting vivid pictures of place and tradition, and evoking the themes of winter, Advent, light, memory and renewal, join Radio 3 for a day-long celebration in sound – where music meets landscape, and the season begins.
SUN 11:00 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1q)
Live from the Dromara Hills in County Down
Join John Toal at Magy’s Farm, a jazz venue tucked away in the County Down countryside, with stunning views of the Mourne Mountains—an iconic landscape that helped inspire C.S. Lewis’s magical world of Narnia.
We’ll delve into that connection, and also chat with writer Maggie Doyle, who grew up on the farm, as she shares her cherished memories of Christmas and life in the local community.
We’ll also be treated to a performance by harpist Rosie Murphy, a Britten Pears Young Artist from Dundalk, who will play seasonal selections including a movement from Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols. And adding a festive jazz twist, the Nigel Price Organ Trio will join us for more seasonal music.
SUN 13:00 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1s)
Live from Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire
Shân Cothi presents a selection of seasonal music and words from the village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, Wales, nestled in the Tywi valley on the Western edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). Its name has made it a site of pilgrimage for decades, as people have flocked to adorn their Christmas cards with its special Bethelehem stamp. Shân meets those keeping up the festive tradition, along with live music from local musicians, violinist Simmy Singh and members of the Burry Port Town Band.
Carols Across the Country – A Seasonal Journey. From dawn to dusk, Radio 3 marks the beginning of the Christmas season with a day of live broadcasts from six striking locations across the UK.
From coast to chapel, woodland to mountainside, Carols Across the Country – A Seasonal Journey celebrates the spirit of Advent and Christmas through a rich tapestry of seasonal classical, folk, choral and instrumental music, alongside poetry, local storytelling and the ambient sounds of winter.
Radio 3 presenters Mark Forrest, Sarah Walker, John Toal, Shân Cothi, and Kate Molleson will broadcast from locations from right across the country: from the Staffordshire Moorlands in the English West Midlands; to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast in the English Channel; from the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland; to the rural village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The centrepiece of the afternoon is the annual Advent Service from St John’s College in Cambridge. And on the feast day of the patron saint of Scotland, the day ends in St Andrews in Fife to the sound of the Scottish pipes.
Painting vivid pictures of place and tradition, and evoking the themes of winter, Advent, light, memory and renewal, join Radio 3 for a day-long celebration in sound – where music meets landscape, and the season begins.
SUN 15:00 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1v)
A Service for Advent with Carols from St John's College, Cambridge
A Service for Advent with Carols, live from the Chapel of St John’s College, Cambridge.
Introit: Drop down, ye heavens, from above (Judith Weir)
Processional Hymn: O come, O come Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel, descant David Hill)
Bidding Prayer
Carol: Adam lay ybounden (Laura Sheils)
I The Message of Advent
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Sapientia and O Adonaï (plainsong)
Carol: Zion, at thy shining gates (Bohm Bruder, arr. Guest)
First Lesson: Isaiah 11 vv1-5
Carol: E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come (Paul Manz)
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5 vv1-11
Carol: I waited for the Lord (Mendelssohn)
II The Word of God
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Radix Jesse and O Clavis David (plainsong)
Third Lesson: Micah 4 vv1-4
Carol: Hymn of St Columba (Ed Picton-Turbervill)
Fourth Lesson: Luke 4 vv14-21
Hymn: Come, thou long-expected Jesus (Cross of Jesus, descant Christopher Robinson)
III The Prophetic Call
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Oriens and O Rex Gentium (plainsong)
Fifth Lesson: Malachi 3 vv1-7
Carol: This is the record of John (Gibbons)
Sixth Lesson: Matthew 3 vv1-11
Hymn: On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (Winchester New, descant Christopher Robinson)
IV The God-Bearer
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Emmanuel and O Virgo Virginum (plainsong)
Carol: There is a flower (John Rutter)
Seventh Lesson: Luke 1 vv39-49
Magnificat: St John’s Service (Howells)
Eighth Lesson: John 3 vv1-8
Anthem: A Hymn to the Virgin (Britten)
Sentence and Christmas Collect
Carol: Nolo mortem peccatoris (Errollyn Wallen) (first broadcast, commissioned by the Master and Fellows for the service)
Hymn: Lo, he comes with clouds descending (Helmsley)
The College Prayer and The Blessing
Organ Voluntary: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 661 (Bach)
Christopher Gray (Director of Music)
Tingshuo Yang (Organ Scholar)
The Revd Canon Dr Victoria Johnson (Dean)
SUN 16:30 Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey (m002mk1x)
Live from the University Chapel of St Andrews in Fife
Join Kate Molleson live from St Salvator's University Chapel in St Andrews on the east coast of Fife, as she welcomes the arrival of the Christmas season on the feast day of Scotland’s patron saint. Joining the celebrations are folk duo Catriona McKay and Christ Stout performing live on harp and fiddle, and St Salvator's Chapel Choir fill the air with glorious choral music, and carols to mark the start of the Advent and Christmas season. Poet and writer Don Paterson talks to Kate about St Andrews as a place of pilgrimage, and Scottish language performer Len Pennie nods at Christmas and Hogmanay traditions with her own poem. Sound of Cinema presenter, Edith Bowman, shares her love for West Sands Beach, made famous as a location in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, and we could not celebrate St Andrew's Day without the sound of bagpipes.
SUN 18:30 Words and Music (m002mk1z)
Joy and Sorrow
At the Birmingham Hippodrome, singer Olivia Chaney and jazz saxophonist Xhosa Cole performed music reflecting the joys and sorrows of life, alongside recordings of compositions by Bach, Respighi and Purcell; with readings from the actors Patrick Baladi and Charlotte Martin taking us from reflection on his baby daughter in a poem by Ted Hughes to a sense of loneliness as the snow falls in a poem by Robert Frost.
Recorded at the 2022 Contains Strong Language Festival.
Producers: Ruth Thomson and Nick Holmes
Readings:
Khalil Gibran On Joy and Sorrow
Ted Hughes Full Moon and Little Frieda
Carol Ann Duffy In Mrs Tilcher’s Class
Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre
Emily Dickinson Wild Nights!
Louis MacNeice Flowers in the Interval III
Nick Hornby High Fidelity
Robert Frost Desert Places
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m002mk21)
The Russia I Lost
Having left Russia perhaps for the last time, Tatyana Movshevich strives to define her Russian-ness for her children, by reaching back through poetry and music and family narrative, to an unwitnessed past. A rediscovery and a rewriting of her cultural story.
Cast
Vasily ….. Joel MacCormack
Klavdiya ….. Rhiannon Neads
Moisei ….. Daniel Rabin
Lydia ….. Dorothea Myer-Bennett
Lieutenant ….. Greg Kolpakchi
Tanya ….. Liza Moody
Singer ….. Polina Shepherd
Director, Jessica Dromgoole
Sound, Pete Ringrose
Producer, Monica Whitlock
Writer, Tatyana Movshevich
Osip Mandelstam's poem 'For the future's children and their fortune' was translated by Sasha Dugdale.
Thanks to Sasha Dugdale, Justus van de Kamp, Karen Polak, Itzik Gottesman, Donald Rayfield and Anna Pilkington.
SUN 20:00 Record Review (m002mk23)
Berlioz: Harold in Italy
A chance to hear in full yesterday's Building a Library recommendation of Berlioz's Harold in Italy.
SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m002mk25)
Anthony Braxton: Agency and ancestry
Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore present 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. In this episode, Kate explores the underground, complex, brilliant musical works of Anthony Braxton, focusing in on one of his pieces of Ghost Trance Music which emerged in the 1990s. In Braxton's scores and his approach to performance we encounter nuanced compositional systems, visually-arresting graphic notation, and the search for ritualistic, meditative modes of being.
'I would talk of Ghost Trance Musics as a way to move towards the supernatural, towards processes that transcend mental plane decision-making [...]' ~ Anthony Braxton in conversation with Graham Lock
Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 22:00 Compline (m002mk27)
Advent 1
A reflective service of night prayer from the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tetbury. With words and music for the end of the day sung by St Martin's Voices.
Introit: Advent Prose (Plainsong)
Preces (Plainsong)
Hymn: Creator of the starry height (Plainsong)
Psalm 9 vv1-10 (Plainsong)
Reading: Micah 4 vv1-2
Responsory: Into thy hands, O Lord (Plainsong)
Canticle: Nunc dimittis (June Nixon)
Marian Antiphon: Alma redemptoris (Anonymous)
Andrew Earis (Conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Compline”.
SUN 22:30 Night Tracks (m002mk29)
Immersive music for late night listening
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002mk2c)
Ambient Inventions
Join Elizabeth Alker for a selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists as we journey through landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds. Along the way, we'll hear from emerging independent producers whose work plays with orchestral textures and classical form as well as the latest sounds from a new generation of contemporary composers who look to embrace the spirit of rock, pop and electronica.
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Unclassified
MONDAY 01 DECEMBER 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002mk2g)
Sibelius' 7th Symphony from Berlin
Thomas Adès conducts the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in two of his own works, including his cello concerto "Lieux retrouvés" with soloist Nicolas Altstaedt. Debussy's "Rondes de Printemps", Mark Simpson's "Israfel" and Sibelius' Symphony no 7 complete the programme.
12:31 AM
Thomas Adès (b.1971)
Dawn - Chacony for orchestra at any distance
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès (conductor)
12:40 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Rondes de printemps, from 'Images for Orchestra'
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès (conductor)
12:48 AM
Thomas Adès (b.1971)
Lieux retrouvés
Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès (conductor)
01:05 AM
Mark Simpson (b.1988)
Israfel
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès (conductor)
01:17 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 7 in C major, Op 105
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès (conductor)
01:38 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Quintet for clarinet and strings in B minor, Op 115
Mark Simpson (clarinet), Danish String Quartet
02:17 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Sinfonia in F major, Wq. 175
Arte dei Suonatori, Marcin Świątkiewicz (harpsichord)
02:28 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643), arr. Eberhard Kraus
Madrigale for trumpet, trombone and accordion
Heinz della Torre (trumpet), Stefan Schlegel (trombone), Paolo D'Angelo (accordion)
02:31 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 1 in C minor, Op 11
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer (conductor)
03:00 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Keyboard Sonata in C major, Hob.
16.48
Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)
03:12 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Danses Concertantes for chamber orchestra
Polska Orkiestra Radiowa, Krzystzof Slowinski (conductor)
03:32 AM
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560)
Musae Jovis a 6
Ars Nova Vocal Group, Bo Holten (conductor)
03:39 AM
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)
Konzertstuck for harp & orchestra, Op 39
Suzanna Klintcharova (harp), Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Dimitar Manolov (conductor)
03:55 AM
Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Die Zeit meines Abschieds ist vorhanden (cantata)
Greta de Reyghere (soprano), James Bowman (counter tenor), Guy de Mey (tenor), Max van Egmond (bass), Ricercar Consort
04:02 AM
Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894)
Melody in F major, Op 3 no 1
Dennis Hennig (piano)
04:07 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Der Freischutz (Overture)
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
04:17 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Flute Sonata in A major, BWV.1032
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Terence Charlston (harpsichord)
04:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantaisie-impromptu for piano in C sharp minor, Op 66
Dubravka Tomsic (piano)
04:36 AM
Daniel Auber (1782-1871)
Overture from Le Cheval de bronze
Bratislava Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Štefan Róbl (conductor)
04:45 AM
Adrian Willaert (c.1490-1562)
Pater Noster
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Paul Van Nevel (conductor)
04:49 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Holberg Suite, Op 40
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton (conductor)
05:09 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Sonate de Concert for trumpet in C and organ
Blagoj Angelovski (trumpet), Velin Iliev (organ)
05:20 AM
Dora Pejačević (1885-1923), Rainer Maria Rilke (author)
Liebeslied, Op 39
Katia Markotich (mezzo soprano), HRT Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
05:25 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
3 Motets: Ave Maria; Christus factus est; Locus iste
Sokkelund Choir, Morten Schuldt-Jensen (conductor)
05:38 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
The Golden cockerel - suite
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
06:05 AM
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960)
Piano Quintet no 2 in E flat minor, Op 26
Tátrai Quartet, Erno Szegedi (piano)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002mk0h)
Start your 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’
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002mk0m)
Your perfect classical playlist
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002mk0r)
EJ Moeran’s Symphony in G minor
Elizabeth Alker brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making including a song recital from tenor Hiroshi Amako and pianist Michael Pandya live from Wigmore Hall; music from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to mark its 90th birthday and Barber’s Violin Concerto performed by James Ehnes, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Manze, in a week showcasing some of the best Romantic violin concertos.
Collaborative pianist Michael Pandya, currently a BBC New Generation Artist, is joined for this lunchtime recital by the tenor Hiroshi Amako, a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music. The duo presents a programme built around Britten’s haunting Holy Sonnets of John Donne.
Today and throughout the week, Elizabeth Alker introduces compelling performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in their 90th anniversary year and marking another anniversary, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra perform a symphony by EJ Moeran who died on this day in 1950.
Live from London's Wigmore Hall, introduced by Hannah French
Benjamin Britten
The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Op 35
Stephen Hough
Transformation (Songs from Isolation)
Hotel (Songs from Isolation)
Osamu Katsuki
Pram
Henry Purcell
In the black, dismal dungeon of despair, Z190 (realised by Benjamin Britten)
Toru Tamura
When the wind blows
Olivier Messiaen
Poemes pour Mi
Ralph Vaughan Williams
5 Mystical Songs – The Call
Franz Schubert
Auflösung, D807
Frank Bridge
Journey’s End
Paul Hindemith
Wie Sankt Franciscus schweb' ich in der Luft
John Weldon
Alleluia (realised by Benjamin Britten)
Hiroshi Amako (tenor)
Michael Pandya (piano)
***
EJ Moeran
Symphony in G minor
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzi Op. 116, Nos. 2-5
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Aileen Sweeney
Views from the M9
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
Samuel Barber
Violin Concerto, Op 14
James Ehnes (violin)
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Manze (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live'.
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002mk0w)
John Rutter (born 1945)
London Town
English composer Sir John Rutter is one of the biggest names in the 20th and 21st century choral world, whose music, for many listeners, represents the sound of Christmas. Also an international conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, he describes himself as a musical 'magpie'. Donald Macleod visits John at his home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, amidst the celebrations of his 80th birthday, to discuss the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. Across the week, we delight in some of his hallmark carols, and hear about the full breadth and depth of his musical life in the past eight decades, with some of his hot-off-the-press recordings.
Today, John speaks to Donald about his relationship with London, where he grew up sharing an address with Sherlock Holmes. We hear about the musical experiences that set him on his path, like singing on the premiere recording of Britten’s War Requiem, the first carol he wrote as a teenager (which is still loved by audiences today) and the teacher who gave him the best piece of advice he ever received.
4 Orchestral Miniatures: Dance to Your Daddy
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
London Town: A Choral Celebration: Bells of London;
The Cambridge Singers
Taplow Young Voices
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
Choir of Merton College, Oxford
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Benjamin Nicholas, director
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Choir of Merton College, Oxford
Charles Warren, organ
Benjamin Nicholas, director
Visions
Kerson Leong, violin
The Temple Boys’ Church Choir
Aurora Orchestra
Roger Sayer, director
Cityscapes: Flower of Cities All
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002mk12)
Ashley Riches and David Owen Norris, Grammy nominated British singer songwriter, Joan Armatrading
Katie is joined by baritone Ashley Riches and pianist David Owen Norris ahead of their Wigmore Hall recital on 5th December.
Plus Grammy nominated British singer songwriter, Joan Armatrading, chats to Katie Derham about the world premiere of her classical composition 'Homeland' written in honour of Birmingham.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002mk15)
Classical music to calm body and soul
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002mk17)
John Wilson conducts the Sinfonia of London
The Sinfonia of London heard live at the Barbican Centre in a programme of string works from best-loved British composers including Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Britten.
Described by The Guardian as 'a handpicked supergroup', whose rare 'live performances are a special occasion', the Sinfonia of London's 'Serenade' programme opens with Vaughan Williams's heavenly Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and ends with Elgar's virtuosic Introduction and Allegro. Along with these classics, John Wilson has a rarity by Arthur Bliss, a former Master of the King's Music, and Frederick Delius. And they are joined by the young British tenor Laurence Kilsby and horn player Christopher Parkes for Benjamin Britten’s brilliantly-written Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.
Presented by Penny Gore from London's Barbican Centre.
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Interval
Bliss: Music for Strings
Delius: Late Swallows
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Laurence Kilsby (tenor)
Christopher Parkes (horn)
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
MON 21:45 The Essay (m002mk19)
Electronic Women
Daphne Oram
Composer Hannah Peel delves into the sounds and stories of five female electronic pioneers, exploring some of her personal musical heroes: women who paved the way for the sort of music she makes today.
In the first programme Hannah explores the work of the inventor, composer and co-founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Daphne Oram, who was born 100 years ago this December.
From her early days as a studio engineer during the Second World War, to inventing a new way to make music using drawn shapes via her Oramics machine - Hannah explores how Daphne Oram changed the world of electronic music.
And she is joined every night this week by producer and composer Marta Salogni to explore some of the techniques Oram used in her music making and electronic explorations.
Music by Daphne Oram, courtesy of the Daphne Oram Trust
Archive: The World this Weekend, Tomorrow's World
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002mk1d)
Dissolve into a nocturnal soundworld
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002mk1g)
Venna’s 4/4
‘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, Soweto is joined by South London saxophonist Venna as his 4/4 guest. Venna has become well-known nationally and internationally for his melodic tone and genre-transcending compositions. He has worked with artists including Yussef Dayes, Rocco Palladino, Beyoncé and Burna Boy – a contribution that earned him a Grammy award as part of Burna Boy’s album “Twice As Tall” in 2020.
Venna recently released his debut full-length album “MALIK”. This week he is sharing four records that he admires and give us insight into his musical world. Tonight Venna chooses a composition that has influenced generations of jazz musicians.
Also in the programme, music from ZENA, FLOCK and Moonlight Saving Time.
To listen on most smart speakers just say'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
TUESDAY 02 DECEMBER 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002mk1l)
Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Rimsky-Korsakov
French pianist Bertrand Chamayou performs Saint-Saëns' Second Piano Concerto with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev. The programme also features Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Ravel's Alborada del gracioso. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tugan Sokhiev (conductor)
12:39 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Piano Concerto no 2 in G minor, Op 22
Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tugan Sokhiev (conductor)
01:02 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
01:09 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Scheherazade, Op 35, symphonic suite
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tugan Sokhiev (conductor)
01:57 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Sleep my beauty (cradle song from "May Night")
Joanne Kolomyjec (soprano), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
02:01 AM
Maria Herz (1878-1950)
Concerto for Harpsichord or Fortepiano, String Orchestra and Flute, Op 15
Nadja Saminskaja (piano), Ronny Spiegel (violin), Yuta Takase (violin), Daphne Unseld (viola), Fedor Saminski (cello), Nikola Major (double bass), Christian Madlener (flute)
02:31 AM
Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377)
La Messe de Nostre Dame
Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly (conductor)
03:01 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite for Solo Cello no 6 in D major, BWV.1012
Guy Fouquet (cello)
03:33 AM
Oskar Morawetz (1917-2007)
Overture to a Fairy Tale
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
03:44 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Romance oubliée
Morten Carlsen (viola), Sergej Osadchuk (piano)
03:49 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Au fond du temple saint (from 'The Pearl Fishers')
Mark Dubois (tenor), Mark Pedrotti (baritone), Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Raffi Armenian (conductor)
03:55 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
From 24 Preludes, Op 28: nos 11-15
Krzysztof Jablonski (piano)
04:05 AM
Ole Buck (b.1945), John Keats (author)
Two Faery Songs: "O shed no tear"; "Ah! Woe is me!"
Danish National Radio Choir, Kaare Hansen (conductor)
04:12 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Prelude and fugue in G major for organ, Op 37 no 2
Jan Kalfus (organ)
04:20 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in A major, RV 335, 'The Cuckoo'
Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin), Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer (director)
04:31 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Danse macabre, Op 40
Ouellet-Murray Duo (duo)
04:38 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento for 2 flutes and cello in C major, Hob.4.1, 'London trio' no 1
Les Ambassadeurs
04:47 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Suite Champetre, Op 98b
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Hannu Koivula (conductor)
04:55 AM
Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684)
Beatus vir qui timet Dominum
David Cordier (counter tenor), Johanna Koslowsky (soprano), Konrad Junghänel (lute), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Stephan Schreckenberger (bass), Carsten Lohff (organ), Cantus Cölln, Konrad Junghänel (conductor)
05:08 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann in E flat major, Op 23
Saskia Giorgini (piano), Claudio Martínez Mehner (piano)
05:26 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo in C major, K.373
James Ehnes (violin), Mozart Anniversary Orchestra
05:32 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Sea Pictures, Op 37
Kristina Hammarström (mezzo soprano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)
05:56 AM
Antoine Reicha (1770-1836)
Oboe Quintet in F major, Op 107
Les Adieux
06:24 AM
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Canon and Gigue in D major
Geoffrey Lancaster (harpsichord), Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players, Barbara Jane Gilby (director)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002mk5f)
Brighten your 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’
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002mk5h)
Great classical music for your morning
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002mk5k)
Korngold Violin Concerto
Throughout the week, Elizabeth Alker introduces an afternoon of compelling performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in their 90th anniversary year and shines a spotlight on violin concertos of the Romantic era. There’s also music from Sweden, including recitals by Piotr Anderszewski, the Swedish Radio Choir and the 2025 Change Music Festival.
On today’s Classical Live, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra performs Mozart’s 24th Piano Concerto with soloist Elisabeth Leonskaja and conductor Ludovic Merlot and also Gemma New conducts the orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5 from Edinburgh’s Usher Hall in May this year.
From the Swedish chamber music festival 2025 Music for Change, Elizabeth has Dvorak’s A Major Piano Quintet; plus Elizabeth has a selection of music from the 100th birthday celebrations of the Swedish Radio Choir.
Today’s Romantic violin concerto comes from Korngold and features violinist Veronika Eberle with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra; and with advent approaching, there’s also time for a fitting Bach Cantata - performed by Harpa Ósk Björnsdóttir and the Hallgrím's Church Choir in Reykjavík last December.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto 24 in C minor, K491
Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Merlot (conductor)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata BWV51: Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Harpa Ósk Björnsdóttir (soprano)
Hallgrím's Church Choir
Brák Baroque Ensemble
Steinar Logi Helgason (conductor)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Violin Concerto in D, Op 35
Veronika Eberle (violin)
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Lorenzo Viotti (conductor)
Antonin Dvorak
Piano Quintet in A, Op 81
Malin Broman (violin)
Annabelle Meare (violin)
Lawrence Power (viola)
Jesper Svedberg (cello)
Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 in E minor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth
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 (m002mk5m)
John Rutter (born 1945)
Opportunity Knocks
English composer Sir John Rutter is one of the biggest names in the 20th and 21st century choral world, whose music, for many listeners, represents the sound of Christmas. Also an international conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, he describes himself as a musical 'magpie'. Donald Macleod visits John at his home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, amidst the celebrations of his 80th birthday, to discuss the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. Across the week, we delight in some of his hallmark carols, and hear about the full breadth and depth of his musical life across his eight decades, with some of his hot-off-the-press recordings.
Today, Donald and John discuss his pivotal move to Cambridge – initially not to study music. We hear about the intriguing summons that led to his big break, the life-changing crossroads decisions he was faced with, and the key musical relationships he built in the city before and after graduating.
Banquet Fugue (from The Reluctant Dragon)
The King’s Singers
City of London Sinfonia
Richard Hickox, conductor
A Clare Benediction
Clare College Choir
Dmitri Ensemble
Graham Ross, conductor
Nativity Carol
The Cambridge Singers
City of London Sinfonia
John Rutter, conductor
Mary’s Lullaby
Polyphony
Stephen Layton, conductor
Reflections: Prelude - Toccata
Steven Osborne, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
What Sweeter Music; Dormi Jesu
The Cambridge Singers
City of London Sinfonia
John Rutter, conductor
Wind in the Willows (Extract – Opening…Scene at Badger’s House)
The King’s Singers
City of London Sinfonia
Richard Baker, narrator
Richard Hickox, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002mk5p)
BBC Young Musician, Ryan Wang, performs live
BBC Young Musician, Ryan Wang, performs live on In Tune ahead of his concert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Plus Conductor Jeanette Sorrell talks to Katie ahead of the Hallé’s Messiah.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0025cfq)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music. To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Mixtape'.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002mk5r)
Beethoven's 5th Symphony
Pianist Boris Giltburg joins Royal Northern Sinfonia and its Principal Guest Conductor Nil Venditti for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a compositional calling card from a 20-year-old making his debut in Warsaw in 1830, and in Paris two years later.
Clara Schumann, another of the 19th-century’s greatest pianists, was a champion of Chopin’s music, helping to establish it as a mainstay of the piano repertoire. She is the subject of Gabriella Ortiz’s orchestral piece Clara, which opens tonight’s concert. In it, Ortiz explores the relationship between Clara and Robert Schumann through the prism of her own musical world, born out of her native Mexico and its musics.
And Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 5, with its iconic four-note opening that goes on to permeate the whole piece, ends the concert with a bang.
Recorded on 3rd October 2025 at The Glasshouse, Gateshead.
Presented by Linton Stephens.
***
Gabriela Ortiz: Clara
Fryderyk Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
INTERVAL
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Boris Giltburg (piano)
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Nil Venditti (conductor)
Interval music
Clara Schumann: 3 Partsongs
North German Radio Choir
Philipp Ahmann (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m002mk5t)
Electronic Women
Delia Derbyshire
Composer Hannah Peel delves into the sounds and stories of five female electronic pioneers, exploring some of her personal musical heroes: women who paved the way for the sort of music she makes today.
In this programme Hannah presents a composer extremely close to her heart - Delia Derbyshire, who inspired one of her own albums. From famously realising the Dr Who theme on tape while part of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to creating new sounds that hadn't been imagined before using ordinary household objects - Delia Derbyshire is an icon of electronic music.
Hannah is joined every night this week by producer and composer Marta Salogni to fire up some of the tape machines that Delia would have used.
Music by Delia Derbyshire courtesy of the Delia Derbyshire estate and David Butler
Archive: Tomorrow's World and private tape from Jo Hutton
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002mk5w)
Eclectic music for after dark
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002mk5y)
A track from Sasha Berliner and Taylor Eigsti
‘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 saxophonist and composer Venna selects his second record for 4/4, and this time it’s by an American alto saxophonist and singer-songwriter that he is inspired by.
Plus, there is music from Brother’s Testament, Blue Lab Beats, and Sofia Grant.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
WEDNESDAY 03 DECEMBER 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002mk60)
Mozart and Debussy from Croatia
The Zagreb String Quartet play quartets by Mozart and Debussy from a concert in their home city, the Croatian capital.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
String Quartet no 17 in B flat, K. 458 'Hunt'
Zagreb String Quartet
12:58 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
String Quartet in G minor, Op 10
Zagreb String Quartet
01:25 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Overture to Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail – singspiel in 3 acts (K.384)
Romanian Radio National Orchestra, Vladimir Lungu (conductor)
01:31 AM
Boris Papandopulo (1906-1991)
Croatian Mass in D minor, Op 86
Nada Ruzdjak (soprano), Marija Klasic (alto), Zrinko Soco (tenor), Vladimir Ruždjak (baritone), Ivan Goran Kovacic Academic Choir of Zagreb, Vladimir Kranjčević (conductor)
02:31 AM
Jan van Gilse (1881-1944)
Nonet (4 wind and 5 strings)
Viotta Ensemble
03:05 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
8 Pieces for Piano, Op 76
Robert Silverman (piano)
03:33 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Eugene Onegin, Op 24 (Act 2: Introduction & waltz)
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
03:41 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
03:49 AM
William Walton (1902-1983)
Orb and sceptre - coronation march
BBC Philharmonic, John Storgårds (conductor)
03:57 AM
Santiago de Murcia (1673-1739)
Mariona por la B
Eduardo Egüez (guitar)
04:03 AM
Rudolf Matz (1901-1988)
Ballade for violin, cello & piano
Zagreb Piano Trio
04:11 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Suite no 2 in F major, HWV.427
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
04:20 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Recorder Sonata in D minor
Camerata Köln
04:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), orch. Anton Webern
6 Deutsche Tänze, D820
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Justin Brown (conductor)
04:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Four Mazurkas, Op 30
Jakub Kuszlik (piano)
04:50 AM
Claude Le Jeune (c.1528-1600)
Dieu, nous te louons
Ensemble Vocal Sagittarius, Christina Pluhar (lute), Michel Laplenie (conductor)
04:58 AM
Pavle Dešpalj (1934-2021)
String Whim no 2 for violin solo
Ana Savicka (violin)
05:06 AM
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
Pastorale d'été
Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
05:15 AM
Carl Ludwig Lithander (1773-1843)
Divertimento no 1 for flute and fortepiano
Mikael Helasvuo (flute), Tuija Hakkila (pianoforte)
05:24 AM
Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792)
7 Divertissements for Moliere's comedy 'Amphitryon' (VB.27)
L'Arte del mondo, Werner Ehrhardt (conductor)
05:51 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Oboe Sonata in D major, Op 166
Roger Cole (oboe), Linda Lee Thomas (piano)
06:02 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 4 Op 90 in A major 'Italian'
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ruben Silva (conductor)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002ml81)
The best classical music wake-up call
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 (m002ml83)
The best classical morning music
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m002ml85)
Beethoven’s Eroica
Throughout the week, Elizabeth Alker introduces an afternoon of compelling performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in their 90th anniversary year and shines a spotlight on violin concertos of the Romantic era. There’s also music from Sweden, including recitals by Piotr Anderszewski, the Swedish Radio Choir and the 2025 Change Music Festival.
It’s a BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra takeover today. Classical Live opens with Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, with Ryan Wigglesworth doing the honours; we’ll hear Mozart’s Incidental Music for Thamos, King of Egypt, performed with Ludovic Morlot; and finally, Bomsori Kim is the soloist with Wigglesworth conducting the BBCSSO in a performance of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, filling today’s Romantic violin concerto slot.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op 55 'Eroica'
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Thamos, King of Egypt: Incidental Music, K345
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Morlot (conductor)
Jean SIbelius
Violin Concerto
Bomsori Kim (violin)
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'.
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002ml87)
Arundel Cathedral
Choral Vespers from Arundel Cathedral.
Prelude: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland BWV 659 (Bach)
Introit: O radiant dawn (James MacMillan)
Responses: Elizabeth Stratford
Office hymn: Who are these like stars appearing (All Saints)
Psalm 26 vv1-14 (Plainsong)
Canticle: Colossians 1 (Greg Murray)
Reading: Romans 13 vv8-14
Magnificat tertii toni (Bevan)
Anthem: How lovely are the messengers (Mendelssohn)
Hymn: Hail to the Lord’s anointed (Crüger)
Marian Antiphon: Alma redemptoris mater (Plainsong)
Voluntary: Second liturgical improvisation (Oldroyd)
Elizabeth Stratford (Organist and Master of the Choristers)
John Sharples, Alexander Eadon (Organists)
Recorded 13 November.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002ml89)
John Rutter (born 1945)
Across the Pond
English composer Sir John Rutter is one of the biggest names in the 20th and 21st century choral world, whose music, for many listeners, represents the sound of Christmas. Also an international conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, he describes himself as a musical 'magpie'. Donald Macleod visits John at his home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, amidst the celebrations of his 80th birthday, to discuss the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. Across the week, we delight in some of his hallmark carols, and hear about the full breadth and depth of his musical life across his eight decades, with some of his hot-off-the-press recordings.
Today, John talks about his long association with America, where he has worked for the past 50 years, as a conductor as well as a composer. We hear about 'pinch me' moments on the stage of Carnegie Hall, his experiences working with choirs in the States, and how his love for American music has fed into his own writing.
Somerset Wassail
The United States Air Force Singing Sargents
Dennis M. Layendecker, conductor
Candlelight Carol
Polyphony
Stephen Layton, conductor
I’ll Make Me a World (excerpt)
Roderick Williams, baritone
Melanie Marshall, alto
The Cambridge Singers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
Gloria
Mary Seers, soprano
Mary Hitch, soprano
Caroline Ashton, soprano
The Cambridge Singers
Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
John Scott, organ
Gary Kettel, timpani
Eric Allen, percussion
John Rutter, conductor
Cityscapes: Big Apple
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit;
Melanie Marshall, vocals
The Cambridge Singers
BBC Concert Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002ml8c)
Live music from celebrated cellist Natalie Clein
There’s live music from cellist Natalie Clein with pianist George Todica ahead of the Stradivari Trust’s 40th anniversary concert at Smith Square Hall.
Radio 3's Tom Service is also live in the studio to talk about his new book, A History of the World in 50 Pieces.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002ml8f)
Half an hour of calming classical
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music. Tonight's classical mixtape starts with Monteverdi's jolly Zefiro torna madrigal for 5 voices, followed by Rachmaninov's Prelude No.5 in G major and then the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata in G major for violin and piano. The second half of tonight's mixtape includes Sally Beamish's haunting choral work, In the stillness, followed by Marin Marais' suite for guitar. Tonight's classical mixtape finishes with Louis Sphor's delicate Concertante No.1 in G major for violin, harp and orchestra.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Mixtape'.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002ml8h)
Sibelius Symphony No.2
The rugged coastline of Northern California is the inspiration for Gabriella Smith's cello concerto, 'Lost Coast', receiving its UK premiere. She describes the music as "raw emotional expression of the grief, loss, rage and fear experienced as a result of climate change - as well as the joy, beauty, and wonder I have felt in the world's last wild places." Gabriele Cabezas, the hugely versatile and eclectic artist for whom this music was written, joins conductor Gemma New and the BBC Philharmonic as soloist in this performance.
The power of Sibelius's Second Symphony, with its unsettled opening, organic unfurling of symphonic ideas and triumphant finale has become associated with Finland's fight for freedom at the very start of the Twentieth Century. A struggle for liberation is portrayed courageously in Grażyna Bacewicz's 'Overture' which opens the concert too; written in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, the morse code for 'Victory' is explored as a musical cipher creating energy and drive for this bravely optimistic music.
Recorded at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester in October and presented by Tom McKinney
Bacewicz: Overture
Gabriella Smith: Lost Coast
8.15 Music Interval
Sibelius: Symphony No.2
Gabriel Cabezas (cello)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Gemma New (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m002ml8k)
Electronic Women
Eliane Radigue
Composer Hannah Peel delves into the sounds and stories of five female electronic pioneers, exploring some of her personal musical heroes: women who paved the way for the sort of music she makes today.
In this programme Hannah enters the mesmeric sound world of the French composer Eliane Radigue - who dedicated decades to working on the ARP 2500 synthesiser, who she nicknamed 'Jules' and on it created some of the most slow, oozing captivating music ever heard made and brought in a new wave of electronic deep listening.
Hannah is joined by producer and composer Marta Salogni to explore some of the techniques Radigue used in her work.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002ml8m)
Meditative music for night owls
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002ml8p)
Fresh from Rebecca Nash and Sara Colman
‘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.
Venna is back with his third 4/4 pick of the week, and tonight he goes for a release that features some of the contemporary artists he reveres.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
THURSDAY 04 DECEMBER 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002ml8r)
Chopin, Sibelius and Mendelssohn from Slovenia
The RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and its conductor Lio Kuokman perform Sibelius's much loved Finlandia and are then joined by pianist Dejan Lazić for Chopin's Piano Concerto no 2 in F minor, written when the composer was around 20 years old. The concert concludes with the Symphony no 5 by Felix Mendelssohn, 'Reformation'. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Finlandia, Op 26
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
12:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto no 2 in F minor, Op 21
Dejan Lazić (piano), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
01:13 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasy in D minor, K 397
Dejan Lazić (piano)
01:19 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
March Allegretto, from 'Three Fantastic Dances', Op 5
Dejan Lazić (piano)
01:21 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 5 in D minor, Op 107, 'Reformation'
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
01:49 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata 'Christ lag in Todesbanden', BWV 4
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, Pythagoras-Ensemble, Thomas Hengelbrock (conductor)
02:07 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Allegro moderato (Song without words), Op 8, no 1
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
02:13 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Daphnis & Chloe - Suite no 2
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Romanian National Radio Choir, Iosif Conta (conductor)
02:31 AM
Josef Suk (1949-2011)
Křečovice Mass for chorus, strings and organ in B flat major
Marie Matejková (soprano), Ilona Satylova (alto), Jirí Vinklárek (tenor), Michael Mergl (bass), Miluska Kvechová (organ), Czech Radio Choir, Pilzen Radio Orchestra, Stanislav Bogunia (conductor)
02:56 AM
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Piano Quintet in E flat minor, Op 87
Wouter Vossen (violin), Tomoko Akasaka (viola), Chiara Enderle Samatanga (cello), Lars Olaf Schaper (double bass), Diana Ketler (piano)
03:18 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
String Serenade in E major, Op 22
Festival Strings Lucerne, Daniel Dodds (conductor)
03:46 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Oh di Betlemme altera poverta for soprano and orchestra
Mona Julsrud (soprano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
04:04 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Aufforderung zum Tanz : rondo brillant for piano Op.65
Artur Schnabel (piano)
04:14 AM
Johannes Ockeghem (1410-1497)
Intemerata Dei mater
Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier (director)
04:22 AM
Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957)
Brezairola - from Songs of the Auvergne
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kamirski (conductor)
04:26 AM
Uuno Klami (1900-1961)
A Folk Song
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Erik Cronvall (conductor)
04:31 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Concerto for 3 oboes in B flat major
Peter Westermann (oboe), Michael Niesemann (oboe), Piet Dhont (oboe), Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel (director)
04:40 AM
Bernat Vivancos (b.1973)
Salve d'ecos
Latvijas Radio Koris, Sigvards Kļava (conductor)
04:49 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata no 30 in E major, Op 109
Cédric Tiberghien (piano)
05:08 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Schicksalslied for chorus and orchestra, Op 54
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Chamber Choir, Marko Munih (conductor)
05:23 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
String Quartet in E minor
Artis Quartet
05:45 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La Mer
Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
06:10 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Eine Leichenfantasie D.7
Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (piano)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002mk9w)
Start the day on the right note 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 (m002mk9y)
The ideal mix of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002mkb0)
Bruckner’s Symphony No 7
Throughout the week, Elizabeth Alker introduces an afternoon of compelling performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in their 90th anniversary year and shines a spotlight on violin concertos of the Romantic era. There’s also chamber music from Sweden, from the Swedish Radio Choir and highlights from the 2025 Change Music Festival.
On today’s Classical Live we’ll hear Arabella Steinbacher and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, with Pietari Inkinen performing the most romantic of the Romantic violin concertos – Bruch’s First.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with Ryan Wigglesworth perform Bruckner’s monumental Seventh Symphony; and under the baton of Elim Chan.
Today’s Swedish Chamber festival recording is a string quartet by the Polish composer and violinist Grażyna Bacewicz; and, after having heard Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony yesterday, Elizabeth has located Alexander Gadjiev’s performance of Beethoven’s 15 Variations and a Fugue on a Theme from Prometheus (Eroica Variations).
Max Bruch
Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Arabella Steinbacher (violin)
KBS Symphony Orchestra
Pietari Inkinen (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
15 Variations and a Fugue on a Theme from Prometheus in E-flat, Op. 35 (Eroica Variations)
Alexander Gadjiev (piano)
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 7 in E major
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
Grażyna Bacewicz
String Quartet No. 4
Malin Broman (violin)
Annabelle Meare (violin)
Lawrence Power (viola)
Jesper Svedberg (cello)
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 (m002mkb2)
John Rutter (born 1945)
Making Peace
English composer Sir John Rutter is one of the biggest names in the 20th and 21st century choral world, whose music, for many listeners, represents the sound of Christmas. Also an international conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, he describes himself as a musical 'magpie'. Donald Macleod visits John at his home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, amidst the celebrations of his 80th birthday, to discuss the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. Across the week, we delight in some of his hallmark carols, and hear about the full breadth, and depth of his musical life across his eight decades, with some of his hot-off-the-press recordings.
Today, John speaks about how he coped with some of the most difficult periods in his life – suffering chronic illness, and bereavements including the tragic loss of his son Christopher. We hear about the music he wrote around those times, and how he encourages himself to write - on both good days and bad.
A Gaelic Blessing
Ex Cathedra
Jeffrey Skidmore, conductor
Andrew Fletcher, organ
Lord Make me an Instrument (arr. for orchestra)
Manchester Camerata
John Rutter, conductor
Requiem: The Lord is my shepherd; Lux Aeterna
Thomas Harries (treble)
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
City of London Sinfonia
Stephen Cleobury, conductor
Mass of the Children: Gloria; Sanctus and Benedictus
Angharad Gruffydd Jones, soprano
Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone
Clare College Choir
Farnham Youth Choir
Clare Chamber Ensemble
James McVinnie, organ
Timothy Brown, conductor
The Gift of Life: The Gift of Each Day; Believe in Life
The Cambridge Singers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
There is a flower
Quintin Beer (treble)
St John’s College Choir
David Hill, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002mkb4)
Claire Jones performs from her new album The Girl with the Golden Harp – At Christmas
Celebrated worldwide for her tenure as Official Harpist to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), Claire Jones joins Katie to perform from her new Christmas album The Girl with the Golden Harp – At Christmas. She's also joined by award-winning composer and percussionist Chris Marshall with whom she's collaborated on the album.
Tenor Ed Lyon also chats to Katie about starring in Handel's Ariodante at the Royal Opera House this December.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002mkb6)
Take time out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music, including music by Vivaldi and Bach, as well as Barber's stunning Adagio for strings. To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Mixtape'.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002mkb8)
Stephen Hough plays Grieg's Piano Concerto
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 90th anniversary with a world premiere, arguably the most recognisable piano concerto of all time and a monumental piece which originates from the time the orchestra was founded.
'The world turns on its dark side. It is winter…' Music speaks to us most directly when it engages with its times – and 90 years ago, few young composers understood that better than Michael Tippett. Composed during the Second World War but provoked by decades of intolerance, A Child of Our Time feels as urgent now as it did then, and with Ryan Wigglesworth conducting the National Youth Choir of Scotland and a fantastic line-up of solo singers, it brings an unforgettable climax to the BBC SSO’s 90th anniversary concert.
To start the programme, something entirely new from the irrepressible imagination of Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and pianist extraordinaire Sir Stephen Hough brings all his heart and soul to a piano concerto that never grows old.
Live from City Halls in Glasgow, presented by Tom Service.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson: Bacchanale (World Premiere, BBC Commission)
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor
c.
8.25pm: interval
c.
8.45pm:
Tippett: A Child of Our Time
Pumeza Matshikiza, soprano
Beth Taylor, alto
John Findon, tenor
Ashley Riches, bass
National Youth Choir of Scotland
Stephen Hough, piano
Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
THU 22:00 The Essay (m002mkbb)
Electronic Women
Suzanne Ciani
Composer Hannah Peel delves into the sounds and stories of five female electronic pioneers, exploring some of her personal musical heroes: women who paved the way for the sort of music she makes today.
Tonight, the "diva of the diode" Suzanne Ciani. Hannah meets the composer who was christened 'America’s first female synth hero' and brought a swirl of sounds and circuitry into the mainstream, as well as into people's TV through her work in advertising such as creating Coca Cola's famous pop and pour sound effect.
Hannah chats to Suzanne about her career and sits down with composer and producer Marta Salogni to explore some of Suzanne's musical techniques.
THU 22:15 Night Tracks (m002mkbd)
Blissful sounds for after-hours
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002mkbg)
A wintry one from Chip Wickham
‘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.
All this week, Soweto’s guest for 4/4 has been South London saxophonist Venna. Rounding off his week, Venna chooses to spotlight a release by a saxophonist and producer that he has long been influenced by.
Also in the programme, there’s music from Dudu Pukwana, Mark Kavuma, and Mark Barrott with Norma Winstone & Leo Taylor.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
FRIDAY 05 DECEMBER 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002mkbj)
Mahler 5 from Budapest
The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest plays Mahler's tumultuous fifth symphony, with its distinctive trumpet fanfare opening and the stunning Adagietto movement. Ágnes Langer plays Mozart's fourth violin concerto in a contrasting first half of the concert. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Siegfried Idyll
Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Riccardo Frizza (conductor)
12:50 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 4 in D, K. 218
Ágnes Langer (violin), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Riccardo Frizza (conductor)
01:13 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Gavotte en rondeau, from Partita no 3 in E, BWV 1006 (encore)
Ágnes Langer (violin)
01:17 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony no 5 in C sharp minor
Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Riccardo Frizza (conductor)
02:26 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sinfonia from Cantata 'Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis' BWV 21
Prospero Consort, Lukas Stamm (conductor)
02:31 AM
Archduke Rudolf of Austria (1788-1831)
Trio for clarinet, cello and piano
Amici Chamber Ensemble
02:51 AM
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Harp Suite
David Tanenbaum (guitar), William Winant (percussion), Scott Evans (percussion), Joel Davel (drums)
03:07 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Wq 170
Sergey Malov (cello), Soundeum Chamber Ensemble, Yacin Elbay (conductor)
03:32 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Missa sine nomine
Silvia Piccollo (soprano), Annemieke Cantor (alto), Marco Beasley (tenor), Daniele Carnovich (bass), Diego Fasolis (conductor)
03:47 AM
Arnold Bax (1883-1953)
Legend for viola and piano
Steven Dann (viola), Bruce Vogt (piano)
03:57 AM
Charles Avison (1709-1770)
Concerto Grosso no 4 in A minor (after Domenico Scarlatti)
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon (director)
04:10 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Capriccio d'après Le Bal Masqué for Two Pianos
Antra Viksne (piano), Normunds Viksne (piano)
04:15 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
"Where'er you walk" Jupiter's air from Act II, Scene 3 of the opera "Semele"
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)
04:20 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Overture in C major
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Lionel Bringuier (conductor)
04:31 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Alma Redemptoris Mater & Ave Maria, O auctrix vite
Sequentia, Elizabeth Gaver (medieval fiddle), Elisabetta de Mircovich (medieval fiddle)
04:42 AM
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Nocturne for flute and piano
Valentinas Gelgotas (flute), Audrone Kisieliute (piano)
04:45 AM
William Walton (1902-1983)
Two Pieces for Strings (from Henry V)
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
04:50 AM
Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665-1734)
Missa Rorate Caeli
Matthew Venner (counter tenor), Maciej Gocman (tenor), Tomáš Král (bass), Jaromír Nosek (bass), Andrzej Kosendiak (director)
05:01 AM
Johan Wagenaar (1862-1941)
"Frithjof's Meerfahrt" - Concert piece for orchestra, Op 5
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jac van Steen (conductor)
05:13 AM
Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
Lord, let me know mine end (no 6 from Songs of farewell for mixed voices)
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (director)
05:25 AM
Anna Thorvaldsdóttir (b. 1977)
Aeriality
Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, Modestas Pitrėnas (conductor)
05:38 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Kol Nidrei Op 47
Adam Krzeszowiec (cello), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
05:51 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nisi Dominus (Psalm 127) for voice and orchestra, RV.608
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)
06:11 AM
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Trois morceaux en forme de poire
Pianoduo Kolacny (piano duo), Steven Kolacny (piano), Stijn Kolacny (piano)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002mkck)
Ease into 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’
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002mkcm)
Refresh your morning with classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002mkcp)
Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
Throughout the week, Elizabeth Alker introduces an afternoon of compelling performances from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in their 90th anniversary year and shines a spotlight on violin concertos of the Romantic era. There’s also music from Sweden, including recitals by Piotr Anderszewski, the Swedish Radio Choir and the 2025 Change Music Festival.
On today’s Classical Live the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra performs Schumann’s Second Symphony with conductor Ryan Wigglesworth, and Prokofiev’s Autumnal Sketch and Sixth Symphony with conductor Mihhail Gerts.
The final Romantic Violin Concerto this week is Tchaikovsky’s beloved Violin Concerto performed by Vadim Gluzman; other performances today will include further highlights from Piotr Anderszewski’s piano recital at the 2025 Change Music Festival.
Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
Sergei Prokofiev
Autumnal Sketch, Op. 8
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Mihhail Gerts (conductor)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35
Vadim Gluzman (violin)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Tugan Sokhiev (conductor)
Gustav Holst
Invocation, for cello and piano
Jesper Svedberg (cello)
Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)
Johannes Brahms:
Intermezzo in C# minor, Op. 117/3
Intermezzo in Eb, Op. 119/4
Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 117/2
Intermezzo in Eb minor, Op. 118/6
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 111
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Mihhail Gerts (conductor)
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 (m002mkcr)
John Rutter (born 1945)
At Home
English composer Sir John Rutter is one of the biggest names in the 20th and 21st century choral world, whose music, for many listeners, represents the sound of Christmas. Also an international conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, he describes himself as a musical 'magpie'. Donald Macleod visits John at his home in the Cambridgeshire countryside, amidst the celebrations of his 80th birthday, to discuss the twists and turns of his extraordinary career. Across the week, we delight in some of his hallmark carols, and hear about the full breadth and depth of his musical life across his eight decades, with some of his hot-off-the-press recordings.
Today, in the afterglow of his 80th birthday, John reflects on his place as a composer and shares some of his more recent creative ventures, like releasing his first all-orchestral album this year. For a man so associated with Christmas, we hear about his genuine love of the season, and about his efforts to form a new choir in his back garden... a choir of swans.
When Icicles Hang: Good Ale
The Cambridge Singers
City of London Sinfonia
John Rutter, conductor
Bird Songs: If I were an Owl
BBC Singers
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Nil Venditti, conductor
Dancing Tree (In My Garden; Dandelion)
The Cambridge Singers
Catrin Finch, harp
John Rutter, conductor
Suite Lyrique (Aria; Waltz; Chanson;)
Catrin Finch, harp)
Sinfonia Cymru
John Rutter, conductor
Celebration Overture
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
John Rutter, conductor
All the Stars Looked Down; All Bells in Paradise
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Britten Sinfonia
Daniel Hyde, conductor
Carol of the Magi
Clare College Choir
Morwenna del Mar, cello
Graham Ross, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002mkct)
Barbara Hannigan and Darius Brubeck
Star soprano and conductor, Barbara Hannigan, drops into the In Tune studio ahead of her Wigmore Hall recital.
Plus Katie introduces live music from half of the Darius Brubeck Quartet: pianist Darius Brubeck himself and saxophonist Dave O'Higgins.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002mkcw)
Classical music for focus and relaxation
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music. To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Mixtape'.
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m00253pn)
Celebrating Puccini
To mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Giacomo Puccini, one of the greatest ever opera composers, the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Matthew Kofi Waldren presents a special Friday Night is Music Night in which opera goes to the movies, and movie music comes to life. The orchestra is joined by dazzling British opera singers Anna Patalong and Charne Rochford as well as West End sensation Tyrone Huntley in epic movie themes, arias and showtunes.
Presented by Gareth Malone and recorded at BBC Maida Vale Studios on 20 September 2024.
Puccini: La Tregenda from Le Villi
Puccini: Vissi d’arte from Tosca
Puccini: E lucevan le stelle from Tosca
Rossini: Overture to The Barber of Seville
Rodgers & Hammerstein : Younger Than Springtime from South Pacific
Puccini: Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut
Claude-Michel Schönberg: Bring Him Home from Les Misérables
John Williams: Star Wars Theme (A New Hope)
INTERVAL
Korngold arr. Black: Overture to The Sea Hawk
Puccini: Un bel dì from Madama Butterfly
Claude-Michel Schönberg: Why God, Why from Miss Saigon
Verdi: Overture to La Forza del destino
De Curtis: Non ti scordar di me
Puccini: Intermezzo from Suor Angelica
Puccini: Nessun dorma from Turandot
Puccini: O soave fanciulla from La Boheme
Anna Patalong (soprano)
Charne Rochford (tenor)
Tyrone Huntley (singer)
BBC Concert Orchestra
Matthew Kofi Waldren (conductor)
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m002mkcz)
Electronic Women
Laurie Anderson
Composer Hannah Peel delves into the sounds and stories of five female electronic pioneers, exploring some of her personal musical heroes: women who paved the way for the sort of music she makes today.
In the last of the series, Hannah enters the technicolour world of artist, curator, composer and unlikely 80s pop hero Laurie Anderson - from being NASA's first composer in residence to inventing instruments and harnessing technology in truly creative ways, Hannah tries to pin down the essence of Anderson's style.
Plus Hannah is joined by composer and producer Marta Salogni to try and recreate the spirit of playfulness that's in all of Anderson's work.
Archive: Desert Island Discs, Music Matters
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002mkd1)
Crying glaciers
Crying glaciers, vicious snaps of sea ice, squeals and crashes of ice calvings and fizzling growls of icebergs drifting…Verity Sharp delves into the ways artists have been coaxing a synthesis of voices from the Arctic landscape in a bid to share stories of environmental loss from the most rapidly-warming region on Earth.
Joining Verity Sharp is Pablo Diserens, a field recordist, musician and artist, who makes work 'in solidarity with a wounded planet, inviting people to attune to the present in an attempt at rethinking caring strategies and our relationship with the world and its biotic communities'. They are also a co-founder of record label and publishing house, forms-of-minutia, who over this year, have been celebrating the United Nation’s decision to declare 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, via numerous releases from sound artists working across the Arctic, recording the sounds of journeys through melting zones, listening and recording the complex vocabulary of a landscape in retreat.
Besides exploring stories behind the making of these records, reflecting on what they’ve learned from the year of releases, Pablo offers Verity a sonic history of the ways people have been thinking about and tapping into the acoustic multiplicity of ice and documenting landscape and loss.
Produced by Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002mkd3)
Highlights from Oumou Sangaré with BBC Concert Orchestra
‘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, Soweto shares highlights from pioneering Malian vocalist Oumou Sangaré’s recent performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of this year’s London Jazz Festival. In this concert, Oumou shared some of the music from her expansive and much-loved repertoire.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
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 (m002mk1g)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m002mk5y)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m002ml8p)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m002mkbg)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m002mkd3)
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m002mk25)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m002mkz5)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m002mk0h)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m002mk5f)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m002ml81)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m002mk9w)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m002mkck)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
06:30 SUN (m002mk1k)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
09:00 SUN (m002mk1n)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
11:00 SUN (m002mk1q)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
13:00 SUN (m002mk1s)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
15:00 SUN (m002mk1v)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
16:30 SUN (m002mk1x)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002ml87)
Classical Live
13:00 MON (m002mk0r)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m002mk5k)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m002ml85)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m002mkb0)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m002mkcp)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002mk15)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m0025cfq)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m002ml8f)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m002mkb6)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m002mkcw)
Compline
22:00 SUN (m002mk27)
Composer of the Week
16:00 MON (m002mk0w)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m002mk5m)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m002ml89)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m002mkb2)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m002mkcr)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m002mkz9)
Essential Classics
09:30 MON (m002mk0m)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m002mk5h)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m002ml83)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m002mk9y)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m002mkcm)
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m00253pn)
In Tune
17:00 MON (m002mk12)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m002mk5p)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m002ml8c)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m002mkb4)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m002mkct)
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002mkd1)
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m002mkzc)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m002mkzq)
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m002mkzs)
Night Tracks
22:30 SUN (m002mk29)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002mk1d)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m002mk5w)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002ml8m)
Night Tracks
22:15 THU (m002mkbd)
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002mkzl)
Radio 3 in Concert
20:00 SAT (m002mkzn)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m002mk17)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m002mk5r)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m002ml8h)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m002mkb8)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m002mkzg)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m002mk23)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m002mkz7)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m002mkzj)
Sunday Feature
19:15 SUN (m002mk21)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m002mk19)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m002mk5t)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m002ml8k)
The Essay
22:00 THU (m002mkbb)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m002mkcz)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m002m1m2)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m002mbfg)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m002mkzv)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m002mk2g)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m002mk1l)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m002mk60)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m002ml8r)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m002mkbj)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m002mk2c)
Words and Music
18:30 SUN (m002mk1z)
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
18:30 SUN (m002mk1z)
Factual
Sunday Feature
19:15 SUN (m002mk21)
Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m002mkzc)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m002mk19)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m002mk5t)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m002ml8k)
The Essay
22:00 THU (m002mkbb)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m002mkcz)
Music
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002mkd1)
Music: Classical
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m002mk25)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m002mkz5)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m002mk0h)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m002mk5f)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m002ml81)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m002mk9w)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m002mkck)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
06:30 SUN (m002mk1k)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
09:00 SUN (m002mk1n)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
11:00 SUN (m002mk1q)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
13:00 SUN (m002mk1s)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
15:00 SUN (m002mk1v)
Carols Across the Country: A Seasonal Journey
16:30 SUN (m002mk1x)
Classical Live
13:00 MON (m002mk0r)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m002mk5k)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m002ml85)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m002mkb0)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m002mkcp)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002mk15)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m0025cfq)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m002ml8f)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m002mkb6)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m002mkcw)
Composer of the Week
16:00 MON (m002mk0w)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m002mk5m)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m002ml89)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m002mkb2)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m002mkcr)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m002mkz9)
Essential Classics
09:30 MON (m002mk0m)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m002mk5h)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m002ml83)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m002mk9y)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m002mkcm)
In Tune
17:00 MON (m002mk12)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m002mk5p)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m002ml8c)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m002mkb4)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m002mkct)
Night Tracks
22:30 SUN (m002mk29)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002mk1d)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m002mk5w)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002ml8m)
Night Tracks
22:15 THU (m002mkbd)
Radio 3 in Concert
20:00 SAT (m002mkzn)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m002mk17)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m002mk5r)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m002ml8h)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m002mkb8)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m002mkzg)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m002mk23)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m002mkz7)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m002m1m2)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m002mbfg)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m002mkzv)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m002mk2g)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m002mk1l)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m002mk60)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m002ml8r)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m002mkbj)
Words and Music
18:30 SUN (m002mk1z)
Music: Classical: Choral
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002ml87)
Compline
22:00 SUN (m002mk27)
Music: Classical: Experimental & New
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m002mkzs)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m002mk2c)
Music: Classical: Opera
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002mkzl)
Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m00253pn)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m002mkzj)
Music: Jazz & Blues: Jazz
'Round Midnight
23:30 MON (m002mk1g)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m002mk5y)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m002ml8p)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m002mkbg)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m002mkd3)
Music: World
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002mkd1)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m002mkzq)
Night Tracks
22:30 SUN (m002mk29)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002mk1d)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m002mk5w)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002ml8m)
Night Tracks
22:15 THU (m002mkbd)
Religion & Ethics
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002ml87)
Compline
22:00 SUN (m002mk27)