RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 3
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 3 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/
SATURDAY 31 JANUARY 2026
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002qb5z)
BBC Proms 2024: Mahler's Fifth Symphony
The entire Hallé family of orchestra and choirs celebrate Mark Elder’s last season as Music Director after 25 years in the role. Together they present James MacMillan’s Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia and Mahler’s life-affirming Fifth Symphony. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
James MacMillan (b.1959)
Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia
Halle Children's Choir, Shirley Court (director), Hallé Youth Choir, Stuart Overington (director), Hallé Choir, Matthew Hamilton (director), Hallé, Mark Elder (conductor)
12:51 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony no 5 in C sharp minor
Hallé, Mark Elder (conductor)
02:01 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Chanson de Nuit, Op 15 no 1
Hallé, Mark Elder (conductor)
02:06 AM
James MacMillan (b.1959)
O Radiant Dawn
BBC Singers, David Hill (conductor)
02:11 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Andrzej Bauer
Nun seh’ich wohl warum so dunkle Flammen (Kindertotenlieder)
Agata Zubel (soprano), Warsaw Cellonet Group, Andrzej Bauer (director)
02:16 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for Flute and Continuo in E minor, BWV.1034
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Charles Medlam (viola da gamba), Terence Charlston (harpsichord)
02:31 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Six Pieces, Op 19
Duncan Gifford (piano)
03:02 AM
Philip Glass (b.1937)
Violin Concerto no 1
Piotr Plawner (violin), Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra Katowice, Michal Klauza (conductor)
03:28 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Albumblatt for trumpet and piano in D flat major
Tine Thing Helseth (trumpet), Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
03:33 AM
Boris Papandopulo (1906-1991)
Nad grobom ljepote djevojke, Op 39 (By the grave of the Beauty)
Slovenian Chamber Choir, Vladimir Kranjčević (director)
03:41 AM
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Pohadka (Fairy tale)
Jonathan Slaatto (cello), Martin Qvist Hansen (piano)
03:52 AM
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Oboe Concerto in D minor, Op 9 no 2
Carin van Heerden (oboe), L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, Michi Gaigg (director)
04:03 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Keyboard Sonata in A minor, Wq 57 no 2
Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)
04:12 AM
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Capriccio diabolico for guitar, Op 85
Goran Listes (guitar)
04:21 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Une Barque sur l'ocean (no 3 from Miroirs)
Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
04:31 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Air: 'Return, O God of hosts' from "Samson", Act 2
Maureen Forrester (alto), I Solisti Zagreb, Antonio Janigro (conductor)
04:40 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Nocturne no 1 in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Stéphane Lemelin (piano)
04:47 AM
Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785)
Concerto no 4 in C minor
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Orchestra, Václav Luks (conductor)
04:59 AM
Nicolas Gilbert (b.1979)
Portrait
Stéphane Tétreault (cello)
05:13 AM
Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
The Masque of Pandora (Overture)
BBC Concert Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (conductor)
05:24 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fantasie in F minor, D.940
Louis Schwizgebel (piano), Zhang Zuo (piano)
05:43 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Nocturnes for orchestra
NFM Chorus, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, José Maria Florêncio (conductor)
06:09 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Fantasia on an Irish song 'The last rose of summer' for piano, Op 15
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
06:18 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vite, antiphon for solo voice
Sequentia
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002qgyy)
Breakfast with the best 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 (m002qgz0)
Opera star Joyce DiDonato
Tom talks to one of the biggest stars in opera today, the American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. Her new project “Emily – No Prisoner Be” is a collaboration with the ensemble Time For Three and composer Kevin Puts who has written a cycle of songs, setting the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Joyce talks about how the project was created, what it means to be touring it across the USA in the coming weeks, and her passionate belief in the power of music to inspire empathy and kindness.
After the launch of the BBC’s Get Singing scheme this week, aimed at getting 11-14 year olds singing together in and out of the classroom, we talk to one of the country’s most inspirational choirstarters, James Sills. He’s made it his life-mission to make everyone realise the power of what happens when we sing together, whether it’s the Bantom of the Opera project at Bradford City Football Club, in schools, in corporate leadership settings, or the choir he helped set up for the homeless in Wales. He talks to Tom about why we all need to get singing.
This year marks the centenary of the American composer Morton Feldman. We hear from pianist Siwan Rhys and percussionist George Barton about what makes Feldman’s music so special and what it’s like to perform his four and half hour long work “For Philip Guston”, from tummy rumbles and creaky chairs to transformation and euphoria.
We also hear from the Spanish violinist and conductor Roberto González-Monjas about his new album of Mozart violin concertos and the pianist Claire Huangci introduces her new album of piano heroines.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002pfw5)
Classical, blues and jazz for the weekend
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 Michael Nyman, Ester Magi and JS Bach, with performances by Yehudi Menuhin and Li'l Millet. His guest is the Croatian director and actor Krešimir Dolenčić, who introduces music he loves by Purcell, Arsen Dedić and Jakov Gotovac.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland'.
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m002qgz2)
The President and the Polka
4. The Melting Pot
Justin Webb (presenter of Today and Americast, and former BBC North America Editor) explores the surprising relationship between classical music and American politics. From the days of the Founding Fathers, music was used to assert an American identity, distinct from a European musical tradition. And evolving political and social ideals, dreams and struggles were mirrored in the music being created - from Manifest Destiny to #MeToo, from Civil War to Civil Rights.
In today's episode, we explore the musical melting pot, and the influence of immigrants and emigrés, who brought with them new musical ideas that would shape American cultural life
Producer Megan Jones, BBC Audio Wales
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002qgz4)
Brahms's Paganini Variations in Building a Library with Kenneth Hamilton and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new classical releases, joined by guest reviewers Charlotte Gardner and Kenneth Hamilton.
1410
Music critic and journalist Charlotte Gardner talks through her pick of the week's new releases.
1500
Building a Library: Kenneth Hamilton surveys recordings of Brahms's Paganini Variations and picks his favourite. Published as a set of Studies for Pianoforte, the work consists of two books, each of which opens with the theme, Paganini's 24th Caprice in A minor, followed by fourteen variations. Fiendishly difficult and harmonically complicated the Variations are one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoire, requiring "fingers of steel, a heart of burning lava, and the courage of a lion", according to one critic.
Recommended recording:
Olga Kerns (piano)
HARMONIA MUNDI 907392DI
c.1545
Record of the Week
Andrew picks his favourite new release of the week.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002qgz6)
Edith talks to composer Steven Price
Join Edith Bowman for your weekly cinematic journey as she curates a mix of fresh releases and timeless film scores. This week, TV and film composer Sheridan Tongue discusses Hildur Guðnadóttir’s haunting score for the drama series Chernobyl, while singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright shares his Pick of the Flicks, featuring the music of Bernard Herrmann.
Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price will also be speaking to Edith about an upcoming symphonic live to picture tour of his music from the film "Ocean" narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Plus, enjoy brand-new tracks alongside our handpicked classic film music.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002qgz8)
Jess Gillam with... Jane Mitchell
Jess Gillam swaps tracks with Jane Mitchell, the principal flautist and Creative Director of Aurora Orchestra. As well as her work with Aurora, Jane regularly plays with other leading orchestras including the Gabrieli Consort, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Jane's picks include a beautiful piece by Madeleine Dring, some cosmic Thomas Adès, and the powerful voice of Tori Amos, while Jess brought music from Shostakovich, John Cage, and jazz legend Charlie Parker.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”.
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002qgzb)
Strauss's Arabella
From the New York Metropolitan Opera, the trials and tribulations of the landed gentry in 19th-century Vienna in this, Ricahrd Strauss's operatic depiction of one noblewoman's search for authentic love.
Set in the urban melting pot of Vienna around the 1860s, the plot of Arabella revolves around the Waldner family's attempts to keep up appearances as a member of the Austrian landed gentry. Having consulted a fortune teller about the state of the family finances, Countess Adelaide von Waldner, sung by mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, learns about a possible marriage on the cards for her daughter Arabella - performed by soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen who makes her debut in the role - that might raise the family out of debt. The clairvoyant warns, however, about the danger posed by a second daughter Zdenka - a role in which the soprano Louise Alder also makes her Met debut - who the matriarch raised as a boy to save the family from the ruinous expense of introducing two daughters into society.
In this sumptuous production by legendary director Otto Schenk, the bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny takes the role of the dashing count who sweeps Arabella off her feet, with bass Brindley Sherratt performing as the patriarch, Count Waldner, while tenor Pavol Breslik inhabits the role of Matteo - the young lieutenant and suitor of Arabella - with whom Zdenka has fallen in love. With the dramatic love triangle duly sprung, Strauss's compositional way with the soprano voices is showcased magnificently, and his orchestral craftsmanship evident in the touching final scene, where the listener is transported into a musical experience of forgiveness, wisdom, and the burgeoning of true love.
Presented from the Met by Debra Lew Harder and Ira Siff.
Richard Strauss: Arabella
Arabella ..... Rachel Willis-Sørensen (soprano)
Zdenka ..... Louise Alder (soprano)
Adelaide ..... Karen Cargill (mezzo-soprano)
Fiakermilli ..... Julie Roset (soprano)
Fortune teller ..... Eve Gigliotti (mezzo-soprano)
Matteo ..... Pavol Breslik (tenor)
Mandryka ..... Tomasz Konieczny (bass-baritone)
Waldner ..... Brindley Sherratt (bass)
Dominik ..... Ricardo José Rivera. (baritone)
Lamoral ..... Benjamin Brady (bass-baritone)
Welko ..... Marc-Persing (tenor)
Djura ..... Craig Montgomery (tenor)
Jankel ..... Timothy Breese Miller (bass)
Waiter ..... Scott Scully (tenor)
Cardplayer ..... Tyler Simpson (bass-baritone)
Cardplayer ..... Jonathan Scott (baritone)
Cardplayer ..... Earle Patriarco (baritone)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, New York
Nicholas Carter (conductor)
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002qgzd)
Basque accordions, Afrobeat honours
Lopa Kothari curates a selection of new roots based music from across the globe with fresh sounds from Basque accordionist extraordinaire Xabi Aburruzaga alongside Afrobeat-infused Algerian rhythms from Souad Massi; Afrotronix collaborates with Djely Tapa to blend Toubou and Manding rhythms; and Welsh harpist Catrin Finch writes a musical letter to her younger self. Plus: to mark The Grammys' posthumous honouring of Fela Kuti as one of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Lopa digs out a favourite track from the Nigerian pioneer.
Produced by Fatuma Khaireh
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet.'
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002qgzg)
Can you hear me now?
Tom Service introduces some of the latest sounds in new music including Aletheia, a work for wordless choir, by the Lithuanian composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė. Written following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she says: 'Voice is our first and the very last instrument we have in our lifetime.... from the very first baby’s scream until the last breath and whisper...I was imagining that the only instrument people have even in situations of destruction, in the midst of war, is their VOICE.' Also in the programme is the premiere at Aberdeen soundfestival of Ruth Morley's Reef, her reaction to the discovery by marine biologists that 'Damaged reef systems will regenerate faster when recordings of a healthy reef are played in the area.' And also from Aberdeen soundfestival comes Karen Power's Can you hear me now? a work that explores language as 'pure communication', with its roots in animal sounds and nature. It employs Karen's aural scores and parts, 'as alternate methods of communication with performers within the context of working with sounds/materials from outside of the Western Art Tradition'.
SUNDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2026
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002qgzj)
2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition
From the Romantic Round of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, quartets by Mendelssohn, Debussy and Brahms. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
String Quartet no 2 in A minor, Op 13
Quartet KAIRI
01:02 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
String Quartet in G minor, Op 10
Cong Quartet
01:28 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
String Quartet no 3 in B flat, Op 67
Poiesis Quartet
02:00 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Jardins sous la pluie (Estampes, L.100)
Karina Sabac (piano)
02:05 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
A Midsummer Night's Dream - incidental music, Op 61
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schønwandt (conductor)
02:31 AM
Felix Nowowiejski (1877-1946)
Missa pro pace, Op 49 no 3
Polish Radio Choir, Andrzej Bialko (organ), Wlodzimierz Siedlik (conductor)
03:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Humoreske for piano in B flat major, Op 20
Ivetta Irkha (piano)
03:33 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Festive Overture, Op 96
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
03:39 AM
Alexej Lebedjew (1923-1993)
Concerto in one movement (Concerto no 1) in A minor
Csaba Wagner (trombone), Katalin Sarkady (piano)
03:47 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Pezzo capriccioso - morceau de concert
Narek Hakhnazaryan (cello), Katya Apekisheva (piano)
03:54 AM
Jacques Hétu (1938-2010)
Le jardin d'antan; Gondolar - from Les Illusions Fanees, Op 46
Phoenix Chamber Choir, Ramona Luengen (conductor)
04:00 AM
Henry Eccles (c.1675-1745)
Sonata for double bass, continuo and strings
Joel Quarrington (double bass), Eric Robertson (harpsichord), Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Vernon (conductor)
04:09 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Praeludium and Fughetta in G major, BWV 902
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
04:19 AM
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), arr. Øivind Westby
Trumpet Concerto in D major
Ole Edvard Antonsen (trumpet), Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johann Christoph Pezel (1639-1694), arr. Ronald Romm
Suite of German dances, arr. for brass ensemble
Canadian Brass
04:39 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
12 Variations for piano in B flat major, K.500
Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)
04:48 AM
Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-c.1678)
Laudate pueri - psalm for 8 voices
Cappella Artemisia, Maria Christina Cleary (harp), Francesca Torelli (theorbo), Bettini Hoffmann (gamba), Miranda Aureli (organ), Candace Smith (director)
04:57 AM
Leopold Ebner (1769-1830)
Trio in B flat major
Zagreb Woodwind Trio
05:04 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Evening in the Mountains, Op 68 no 4; At the cradle, Op 68 no 5
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
05:13 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in F major for treble recorder, RV.442
Michael Schneider (recorder), Camerata Köln
05:21 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
String Serenade in E major, Op 22
Festival Strings Lucerne, Daniel Dodds (conductor)
05:49 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantasy in F minor, Op 49
Jakub Kuszlik (piano)
06:02 AM
Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse (1774-1842)
Symphony no 6 in C minor
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Ádám Fischer (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002qhb4)
Launch the day with classical music
Mark Forrest presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With 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’
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m002qhb6)
Three hours of classical sparkle
This week on Sunday Morning, Sarah Walker offers three hours of music to take the edge off a February chill - including sparkling virtuosity from Carl Maria von Weber and the sheer exhilaration of Bach’s Concerto for three violins.
This week’s Choral Reflection features the Nordic climes of Finland and the Tapiola Choir, an amazing children’s vocal group, and we stay in Finland for Jean Sibelius’s vivid picture of darkness giving way to light in Night-ride and Sunrise.
Sarah also settles into Schumann’s expansive Rhenish Symphony, and alongside pieces by two British trailblazers Dorothy Howell and Imogen Holst, it’s back to Scandinavia for a touch of Danish ‘hygge’ courtesy of the Danish String Quartet.
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002qhb8)
Sandra Knapp
The botanist Dr Sandra Knapp is a senior researcher at the Natural History Museum - but that title doesn’t convey the sheer adventure of her work. She’s a kind of Indiana Jones of the plant world, travelling to remote regions of Central and Southern America and beyond. Her speciality is the Solanum genus, which includes potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines – and she has found and named more than a hundred new varieties.
The rainforests, where she has worked for more than 40 years, are a long way from the dry rural deserts of New Mexico, where she was born.
Her music choices include works by Mozart, Brahms, Hindemith and Holst, as well as music inspired by the biodata of some of her beloved plants.
Presenter Michael Berkeley
Producer Katy Hickman
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002qhbb)
Schoenberg's Transfigured Night
Redemptive love is Sarah Mohr-Pietsch's destination with Schoenberg's late romantic, heartfelt work. Taking in the turbulence of fin-de-siecle Vienna and the emotional pull of a descending melodic line, there are excursions into the emotional landscapes of JS Bach, Wagner and Dolly Parton. En route, Sarah also stops for Tchaikovsky's music for string sextet, and the bond of lifelong friendship with a song by Alma Mahler.
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002q5qd)
St John's College, Cambridge
Last Wednesday's service from the Chapel of St John’s College, Cambridge.
Introit: Bethlehem Down (Warlock, arr. David Hill)
Responses: Gabriel Jackson
Psalms 136, 137, 138 (Lloyd, Lloyd, Ley)
First Lesson: Nehemiah 2 vv1-10
Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (Errollyn Wallen)
Second Lesson: Romans 12 vv1-8
Anthem: Christus (When Jesus our Lord – Say, where is he born – There shall a star from Jacob come forth) (Mendelssohn)
Voluntary: Allegro giocoso (Sonata in E flat) (Bairstow)
Christopher Gray (Director of Music)
Tingshuo Yang (Organ Scholar)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say aask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong'.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002qhbd)
Jazz Joyspring
Alyn Shipton present jazz records of all styles as requested by you, including music from saxophonist Camilla George, the much-missed singer Rebecca Kilgore, some stirring piano from Michel Petrucciani, vibrant guitar from John McLaughlin and opening with the jazz classic Joy Spring performed by Clifford Brown and Max Roach.
Join our community of jazz lovers. Alyn Shipton is waiting for your requests: email jrr@bbc.co.uk or use #jazzrecordrequests on social.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Jazz Record Requests'.
SUN 17:00 The Early Music Show (m002gs0m)
Christ Church 500
Hannah French visits Christ Church College in Oxford, which was founded as Cardinal College by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525. This year marks the 500th anniversary since the establishment of College choir, so Hannah explores music by some of the composers who were linked with Cardinal College in its early years, including the first organist, John Taverner.
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m002qhbg)
Giants
From the biggest African elephant ever recorded, which weighed the same amount as a rubbish truck carrying a vending machine and a grand piano, described in Katherine Rundell's essays about endangered animals; to a diamond as 'big as the Ritz' in F Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 short story: in this edition of Words and Music, we’re thinking big. We’re contemplating the vastness of the sea with John Keats and looking up to the huge expanse of sky above with Virginia Woolf – but we’re not stopping there as we try to comprehend the stars with Holst’s Jupiter and poetry from Sarah Howe and Robert Frost. We’re also joined by an earth-shaking selection of fictional giants and trolls, including Benjamin Britten’s Paul Bunyan and Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant.
The readers are John Leader and Saskia Reeves.
Producer in Salford: Jessica Treen
Readings:
The Iron Man - Ted Hughes
On The Sea - John Keats
The Selfish Giant - Oscar Wilde
The Diamond as big as the Ritz - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Giant O'Brien - Hilary Mantel
The Elephant - Hilare Belloc
The Golden Mole - Katherine Rundell
The Miniature Woman - Nazim Hikmet
The Brave Tailor - The Brothers Grimm
O Sun of Real Peace - Walt Whitman
The Perfect Wagnerite - George Bernard Shaw
Life, Death and Giants - Emily Dickinson
The Four Big Trolls and Little Peter Pastureman - Cyrus Graner
But Outer Space - Robert Frost
On Being Ill - Virginia Woolf
Relativity - Sarah Howe
SUN 19:15 Between the Ears (m002qhbj)
The Gold Line
High-frequency trading uses complex algorithms to scan multiple markets and execute orders in microseconds, demanding the fastest, most direct links between exchanges. In 2012 traders began using microwave radio networks, relayed by antennas on tall, often unnoticed structures, to send data between the New York Stock Exchange’s data centre in Mahwah, New Jersey, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in Aurora, West Chicago, in about
4.01 milliseconds along a route insiders call the Gold Line.
Sound artists Dinah Bird and Jean-Philipe Renoult, fascinated by these antennas and the paths they forge, have been documenting the physical routes the money makes since 2016.
In 2018 sound made a ‘slow’ high frequency road trip along the Gold Line that took 6 weeks. Following towers in the Allegheny mountains of rural Pennsylvania, past Amish homesteads, through the flat plains of Ohio and past the immaculately mowed lawns of Indiana, they made extensive location recordings, both next to the antennas and by tuning into their frequencies over the airwaves.
This is an invitation to the listener to reimagine the movement of money. What exactly does this sound like? We hear the static pops and dissonant hums of radio signals intercut with the wind blowing in the antenna wires and the whirring of huge ventilation systems as we drive along Interstate 80. The road trip is punctuated by interventions from experts such as sociologist Donald Mackenzie who tells us how HFT works and just who takes part in these 'speed races'.
With contributions from : Donald Mackenzie, Alex Pilosov, Night Owl and Stéphane Tyc.
All recordings and music : Bird & Renoult
Produced by Dinah Bird and Jean-Philippe Renoult.
Executive producer : Lucia Scazzocchio
A Social Broadcast for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 19:45 Sunday Feature (m002qhbl)
Music and miscarriage
Does Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G minor reflect the composer's experience of miscarriage in 1846? During her fourteen-year marriage to Robert Schumann, Clara was pregnant ten times and gave birth to eight children.
Sabina Dosani, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist speaks to Dr Nicole Grimes Associate Professor in Music at Trinity College Dublin and Professor Annie Heiderscheit, Director of the Cambridge Institute for music therapy explains how women who have experienced pregnancy loss can find their grief embodied in music as they both listen and play.
Producer: Ruth Watts
Sabina Dosani has been on the New Generation Thinkers scheme which is run by the BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share research on the radio.
The music played in the feature is performed by the Neave Trio.
SUN 20:00 Record Review (m002qhbn)
Brahms Paganini Variations
The Building a Library recommended recording from yesterday's Record Review.
SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m002qhbq)
Olivier Messiaen: Colours of the infinite
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, Gillian explores the worlds of colour, ecstasy and birdsong to be found in the music of Olivier Messiaen, leading to a full listen to one of his most radicals pieces: 1960’s Chronochromie. We will find out how Messiaen passed on his belief in the importance of light and colour to his students; discover a world of complexity which gave birth to a new musical movement; and meet the 'greatest of all organists' sitting at the keys of the organ of La Madeleine, Paris.
Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals'.
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029pry)
Meditative music for night owls
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002qhbv)
Time-lapse
Join Elizabeth Alker with 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 02 FEBRUARY 2026
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002qhbx)
Isabelle Faust and Il Giardino Armonico play Vivaldi
German violinist Isabelle Faust plays Vivaldi's set of concertos, L'Estro armonico, with the early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico. The concert comes from the 25th edition of the Gstaad Sommets Musicaux concert series. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in D, RV.549, Op 3 no 1
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
12:38 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for Two Violins in A major, RV.519 Op 3 no 5
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
12:45 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in A minor, RV.356 Op 3 no 6
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
12:53 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV.522 Op 3 no 8
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:04 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for Four Violins in B minor, RV.580 Op 3 no 10
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:12 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in D minor, RV.565 Op 3 no 11
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:21 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in E, RV.265 Op 3 no 12
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Adagio e spiccato - Allegro, from Concerto in G minor RV.578
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:35 AM
Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695-1764)
Pastorale from Concerto grosso in F minor, Op 1 no 8
Isabelle Faust (violin), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:40 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Last Spring, Op 33 no 2
Camerata Bern, Thomas Furi (leader)
01:46 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Trumpet Concerto in E flat major
Ole Edvard Antonsen (trumpet), Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
02:02 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 17
Erika Radermacher (piano), Eva Zurbrugg (violin), Angela Schwartz (cello)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV.147 (cantata)
The Sixteen, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Ton Koopman (conductor)
03:01 AM
Esa-Pekka Salonen (b.1958)
LA Variations
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
03:22 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Ballade No 1 in G minor, Op 23
Shura Cherkassky (piano)
03:31 AM
Arthur Butterworth (1923-2014)
Romanza for horn and strings
Martin Hackleman (horn), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
03:41 AM
Marianna Martines (1744-1812)
Sinfonia in C major
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
03:53 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Wind Octet, Op 65
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
04:04 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
04:11 AM
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Prélude à l'unisson, from Orchestral Suite No.1 in C, Op 9
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Cristian Măcelaru (conductor)
04:19 AM
Maddalena Laura Lombardini Sirmen (1745-1818)
String Quartet no 1 in E flat major, Op 3
Eos Quartet
04:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Overture: Egmont
Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
04:40 AM
Janez Gregorc (1934-2012)
Sans respirer, sans soupir
Slovene Brass Quintet
04:46 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mentre ti lascio, o figlia - aria for bass and orchestra, K.513
Robert Holl (bass), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
04:54 AM
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960)
Passacaglia for flute solo, Op 48 no 1
Lóránt Kovács (flute)
05:03 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Novelette in F major, Op 21 no 1
Alfred Grünfeld (piano)
05:09 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695), John Playford (1623-1686)
Seven works by Purcell and Playford
Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko (director)
05:21 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Scottish fantasy, Op 46
James Ehnes (violin), Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
05:52 AM
Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002)
Sonata for oboe and piano
Senia Trubashnik (oboe), Valerie Tryon (piano)
06:09 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet no 50 in B flat major, Op 64 no 3 (Hob.III:67)
Talisker Kvartetten
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002qh3x)
Boost your morning 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 (m002qh3z)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
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'.
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002qh41)
Bach and Tchaikovsky for the piano
Mark Forrest presents an afternoon of great concert performances from around the world, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, a chamber music premiere from the University of Birmingham, and Bach, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev arranged for the piano from Wigmore Hall.
Live from Wigmore Hall, introduced for Classical Live by Hannah French
Yevgeny and Bella Sudbin (piano)
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV 904 (arranged by Yevgeny Sudbin)
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky:
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (arranged by Yevgeny Sudbin)
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Siciliano (Flute Sonata in E flat, BWV 1031) (arranged by Yevgeny Sudbin, based on Ignaz Friedman)
Sergei Prokofiev:
Movements from ‘Cinderella’ (arranged by Yevgeny Sudbin for piano 4 hands)
*****
With Mark Forrest
Gabriel Fauré
Pavane
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jac van Steen (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Trumpet Concerto in E flat major
Sebastian Berner (trumpet)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Alain Altinoglu (conductor)
César Franck
Psyché (Part 3)
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Gergely Madaras (conductor)
Alan Menken
The Bells of Notre Dame, from 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'
Anna Lapwood (organ)
Barber Lunchtime Concerts from Birmingham:
Zev Gordon
Tagore Songs (world premiere)
Santiago Sánchez (tenor)
Ian Tindale (piano)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thomas Sondergard (conductor)
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002qh43)
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
The Growing Scotsman
Kate Molleson, joined by Dr John Purser, begins Erik Chisholm’s story in Glasgow, where a boy with Highland pride discovered the piano and the lure of folk melody. From classroom mishaps to teenage fugues and summers with Leff Pouishnoff, we follow the restless energy that shaped one of Scotland’s most original musical voices.
Airs from the Patrick MacDonald Collection: No. 18, Air
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Airs from the Patrick MacDonald Collection: No. 23-26
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Piano Sonatina No. 1
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Straloch Suite: No. 1 and 2
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Erik Chisholm
Piano Concerto No. 1 “Piobaireachd”: I. Molto moderato
Danny Driver, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Rory Macdonald, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002qh46)
Alexandra Dariescu and Susan Wokoma
Pianist Alexandra Dariescu plays live on In Tune ahead of the release of her latest album, A Child's Dream.
Katie Derham chats to BAFTA Breakthrough Brit writer, actor and director Susan Wokoma about writing the book for the new National Youth Theatre musical 'Handel and Hendrix'.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002qh48)
Half an hour of the finest classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002qh4b)
Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Ludovic Morlot conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in a programme of music inspired by Spain, by Turina and Manuel de Falla, and two French composers drawn to the Iberian Peninsula - Debussy and Ravel. Spanish song, dance rhythms and lyrical Moorish and Andalusian melodies characterise both Turina's Danzas Fantasticas and de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain. The highly-acclaimed Scottish pianist, Steven Osborne, joins the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as the soloist in de Falla's Iberian work. Debussy's shimmering orchestral work, Iberia, infuses typical Spanish music with a Gallic flavour, and Ravel's iconic and mesmerising 'bolero' dance, which was originally commissioned as part of a ballet, brings the concert to a dramatic climax.
Recorded on 14th January at Lighthouse in Poole, and presented by Martin Handley.
TURINA
Danzas Fantasticas
FALLA
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Interval
DEBUSSY
Iberia
RAVEL
Bolero
Steven Osborne (piano)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Ludovic Morlot (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
MON 21:45 The Essay (m002qh4d)
Almost Famous
1. Granville Bantock: Disappearing Giant
Through five fluctuating reputations, Ian Sansom explores very different variations of what we might call near-fame: the once-fashionable and now forgotten; the critically admired but never widely read; the artists overshadowed by big names or big movements; the careers derailed by circumstance; the work that doesn’t fit what the culture is looking for. He suggests that obscurity tells us what a culture values, and just as importantly, what it overlooks. In exploring the careers of the almost-famous, Sansom charts a map of shifting tastes, attention, fashion, politics and technology.
In this first essay, Ian considers the case of composer, conductor and musical director Granville Bantock, a towering early-twentieth-century musician once everywhere, now nearly nowhere. A case study in the collapse of reputation and prestige in the face of cultural shifts in taste and ideology.
Presenter: Ian Sansom
Producer: Sara Davies
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002qh4h)
Dissolve into a nocturnal soundworld
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002qh4k)
Sebastian Rochford’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.
This week, Soweto’s guest is the alchemic drummer and producer Sebastian Rochford. A frontrunner in UK jazz, Sebastian has helped to expand the boundaries of the genre, from his work with pioneering Mercury-nominated band Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet, and pianist Kit Downes, to his new guitars-focused album, Finding Ways. He has also worked with artists including Patti Smith, Damon Albarn, and Brian Eno.
From Monday to Thursday, Sebastian will be guiding us around his record collection, choosing some of the albums that have influenced him, for our 4/4 feature.
To begin his week, Sebastian selects a release from a much-revered Texan pianist. Also in the programme, there’s music from Nubiyan Twist, Adja, and Ronnie Scott Quintet.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
TUESDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2026
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002qh4m)
Barber and Sibelius symphonies from Cologne
Sibelius's fifth and Barber's first symphonies performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne conducted by Roderick Cox. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Symphony no 1, Op 9
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Roderick Cox (conductor)
12:52 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 5 in E flat major, Op 82
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Roderick Cox (conductor)
01:22 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
3 Songs for American Schools
Finnish Radio Chamber Choir, Liisa Pohjola (piano), Eric-Olof Söderström (conductor)
01:27 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
13 Pieces for piano, Op 76
Eero Heinonen (piano)
01:47 AM
Gunnar de Frumerie (1908-1987)
Hjärtats sånger (Songs of the Heart), Op 27
Claes-Håkan Ahnsjö (tenor), Thomas Schuback (piano)
02:01 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Piano Concerto, Op 38
Garrick Ohlsson (piano), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Domingo Hindoyan (conductor)
02:31 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Suite for harpsichord solo in C major – from Essercizii Musici
Sabine Bauer (harpsichord)
02:50 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
String Quartet no 2 in A minor, Op 51 no 2
Armida Quartet
03:24 AM
Adolph Friedrich Hesse (1809-1863)
Introduction, Theme & Variations in A major, Op 47
Cor van Wageningen (organ)
03:36 AM
Alexander Gretchaninov (1864-1956)
Cherubic Hymn from Liturgia Domestica
Bulgarian National Choir "Svetoslav Obretenov", Bulgarian National Radio Chamber Orchestra, Georgi Robev (conductor)
03:44 AM
Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Introduction to Act III & Dances of the Highlanders from 'Halka'
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
03:51 AM
Dag Wiren (1905-1986)
Violin Sonatina, Op 15
Arve Tellefsen (violin), Lucia Negro (piano)
04:02 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La Cathédrale engloutie
Philippe Cassard (piano)
04:08 AM
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Concerto a 5 for 2 oboes and strings in C major, Op 9 no 9
Molly Marsh (oboe), Pedro Lopes e Castro (oboe), European Union Baroque Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
04:19 AM
Martin Wegelius (1846-1906)
Rondo quasi Fantasia
Margit Rahkonen (piano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari (conductor)
04:31 AM
Sven-Eric Johanson (1919-1997)
Fyra visor om arstiderna (4 songs about the Seasons)
Swedish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson (conductor)
04:38 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Two Nocturnes, Op 32 (no 1 in B major; no 2 in A flat major)
Kevin Kenner (piano)
04:48 AM
Jerzy Fitelberg (1903-1951)
3 mazurkas for orchestra
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Joel Suben (conductor)
05:01 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Don Carlos Act III, Scene II: Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa's aria 'Per me giunto'
Gaétan Laperrière (baritone), Orchestre Symphonique de Trois Rivières, Gilles Bellemare (conductor)
05:11 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata in B minor BWV.1030
Bart Kuijken (flute), Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord)
05:30 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 14 in E flat major, K.449
Maria João Pires (piano), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)
05:52 AM
Ruth Watson Henderson (b.1932)
Two Love Songs
Elmer Iseler Singers, Claire Preston (piano), Lydia Adams (director)
05:57 AM
Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)
Trio for oboe, horn and piano in A minor, Op 188
Maarten Karres (oboe), Jaap Prinsen (horn), Ariane Veelo-Karres (piano)
06:21 AM
František Jiránek (1698-1778)
Sinfonia in F major
Collegium Marianum
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002qh4p)
Start 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’
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002qh4r)
The very best 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'.
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002qh4t)
Shostakovich's 10th Symphony
Mark Forrest with an afternoon of specially recorded music including Shostakovich and Wagner from Wales and chamber music from BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists from the recent Barber Lunchtime series at the University of Birmingham.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Concerto No. 2
Alim Beisembayev (piano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales Artists
Jaime Martin (conductor)
Barber Lunchtime Series from the University of Birmingham:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Sonata in B-flat, K. 454
Hana Chang (violin)
Elisabeth Brauss (piano)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonata for recorder and continuo TWV 41:d4 – Grave
Trio Sonata TWV 42:d10 - Adagio
Sonata for recorder and continuo TWV 41:d4 – Allegro
Trio Sonata TWV 42:d10 – Allegro, presto
Forma Antiqva
Richard Wagner
Lohengrin - Prelude to Act 1
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jac van Steen (conductor)
Francis Chagrin
Piano Concerto
Simon Callaghan (piano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
William Boughton (conductor)
Barber Lunchtime Series from the University of Birmingham:
Anton Webern
Langsamer satz
Kleio Quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 10
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
Barber Lunchtime Series from the University of Birmingham:
Mark Anthony Turnage
Laura (for string quartet with Japanese Rin bells) (world premiere)
Kleio Quartet
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002qh4w)
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
The Long-Named Project
Kate Molleson, with insights from Dr John Purser, charts Chisholm’s journey from Edinburgh lecture halls to the launch of the Active Society for the Propagation of Contemporary Music. With Bartók, Hindemith and Walton among his guests, Chisholm fought to bring the highest quality music to Glasgow, and to forge a distinct Scottish musical identity in a world dominated by English traditions.
Violin Concerto: II. Allegro scherzando
Matthew Trusler, violin
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
The Three Worthies; Dirge for Summer; Snail, Snail, Shoot Out Your Horn
Michael Mofidian, bass
Iain Burnside, piano
Dance Suite for Orchestra: III. March and IV. Reel
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Piobaireachd: Nos 1-4
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Piano Concerto No. 1 “Piobaireachd”: IV. Allegro con brio
Danny Driver, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Rory Macdonald, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002qh4y)
Richard Egarr and Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya perform live
Katie introduces live music from the members of Duo Pleyel, pianist Richard Egarr and pianist and harpsichordist Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya. Katie also chats to Alexandra about her latest album, J. S. Bach: Transformations, out on 27 February.
Soprano Lucy Crowe and tenor Joshua Blue talk to Katie about starring in the English National Opera's upcoming production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002jsy1)
Classical music to inspire you
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002qh52)
Beethoven's Symphony No. 4
The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo, perform Cecilia Damström's Ice, Detlev Glanert's Harp Concerto with soloist Elizabeth Bass, and Beethoven's Symphony No.4.
Recorded at the Barbican on Friday 30th January 2026, and presented by Martin Handley.
Cecilia Damström: ICE
Detlev Glanert: Harp Concerto
20.10 Interval
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major
Elizabeth Bass (harp)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
'A Grecian maiden' was how one 19th-century critic described Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, but no words really do justice to the sparkling humour and pure, irrepressible life-force of this firecracker of a symphony. It’s a perfect counterpart to Detlev Glanert’s stunning new Harp Concerto – inspired by the harp’s ancient roots and glowing with the sunlight of Ancient Greece.
We’re always excited to perform the music of this wonderfully communicative German composer, and for this performance, inspired by the virtuosity of BBC Symphony Orchestra harpist Elizabeth Bass, Glanert has given the concerto a complete makeover. To open, there’s a postcard from Finland: Cecilia Damström’s evocation of the beauty of winter doubles as an urgent bulletin from the front line of the climate crisis.
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m002qh54)
Almost Famous
2. Charlotte Mew on the Threshold
Through five fluctuating reputations, Ian Sansom explores very different variations of what we might call near-fame: the once-fashionable and now forgotten; the critically admired but never widely read; the artists overshadowed by big names or big movements; the careers derailed by circumstance; the work that doesn’t fit what the culture is looking for. He suggests that obscurity tells us what a culture values, and just as importantly, what it overlooks. In exploring the careers of the almost-famous, Sansom charts a map of shifting tastes, attention, fashion, politics and technology.
In this second essay, Ian Sansom considers poet Charlotte Mew. Although admired by major writers like Hardy, Auden and Virginia Woolf, Mew never gained the recognition her supporters expected. Her career becomes a way of thinking about poetry that resists simple categorisation, about queerness, class and personal reticence as forces shaping reception.
Presenter: Ian Sansom
Producer: Sara Davies
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m0029hs0)
Eclectic music for after dark
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002qh56)
Brand new from Amy Gadiaga
‘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.
Genre-transcending drummer and producer Sebastian Rochford returns with his second album pick of the week for 4/4. Tonight, he selects a record offering a musical soundscape created by three leading improvisors.
There is also music from Fran and Flora, Leif Kaner-Lidström, and Yasmin Williams.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
WEDNESDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2026
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002qh58)
Shostakovich and Saint-Saëns from Paris
Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali in Shostakovich's 2nd Violin Concerto. A new work by Philippe Hersant with the Radio France Chorus is followed by Saint-Saëns' 'Organ' symphony with soloist Alma Bettencourt. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Festive Overture in A, Op 96
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
12:38 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Violin Concerto no 2 in C sharp minor, Op 129
Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
01:09 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Loure, from 'Partita no 3 in E, BWV.1006'
Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
01:15 AM
Philippe Hersant (b. 1948)
In diebus nostris; Psalm 121, from 'Vespers for the Blessed Virgin'
Pascal Bourgeois (tenor), Chae Wook Lim (baritone), Radio France Chorus, Alma Bettencourt (organ)
01:30 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Symphony no 3 in C minor, Op 78 'Organ'
Alma Bettencourt (organ), Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
02:08 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Quartet no 7 in F sharp minor, Op 108
Yggdrasil String Quartet
02:22 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Le Cygne (The Swan) from 'Le Carnaval des Animaux'
Henry-David Varema (cello), Cornelia Lootsmann (harp)
02:25 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), arr. R.Klugescheid
My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice, arr. for piano trio
William Tritt (piano), Moshe Hammer (violin), Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cello)
02:31 AM
Carl Czerny (1791-1857)
Piano Sonata No 9 in B minor, Op 145, 'Grande fantaisie en forme de Sonate'
Stefan Lindgren (piano)
03:04 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Quartet for strings no 2 Op 13 in A minor
Johnston Quartet
03:37 AM
Arvo Pärt (b.1935)
Magnificat for chorus
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor)
03:44 AM
Jean-Baptiste Quinault (1687-1745)
Overture and Dances - from the Comedy 'Le Nouveau Monde' (1723)
L'ensemble Arion
03:53 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso 'Miroirs'
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:00 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Fantasia (and unfinished fugue) for keyboard in C minor, BWV.906
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
04:08 AM
Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824)
Duo concertante in B flat major
Alexandar Avramov (violin), Ivan Peev (violin)
04:16 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
12 Ecossaises, D.299
Ralf Gothoni (piano)
04:21 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in A minor for recorder, two violins and basso continuo, RV.108
Bolette Roed (recorder), Arte dei Suonatori
04:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Leonore Overture no 1, Op 138
Sinfonia Iuventus, Rafael Payare (conductor)
04:40 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
3 Pieces from Slatter (Norwegian Peasant Dances), Op 72
Håvard Gimse (piano)
04:49 AM
Josquin des Prez (c1440 - 1521)
Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi, for 24 voices
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
04:57 AM
Josef Suk (1949-2011)
Elegy Op 23 arr. for piano trio
Trio Lorenz
05:05 AM
Anonymous
5 Cantos
Ensemble Claude Gervaise, Gilles Plante (director)
05:13 AM
Henry Eccles (c.1675-1745)
Sonata for double bass and piano
Gary Karr (double bass), Harmon Lewis (piano)
05:21 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony no 38 in D major, K.504 "Prague"
Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs (conductor)
05:52 AM
Bernhard Molique (1802-1869), transc. Giulio Regondi, arr. Joseph Petric & Erica Goodman
6 Songs without words
Joseph Petric (accordion), Erica Goodman (harp)
06:04 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Clarinet Quintet in B flat major, Op 34
James Campbell (clarinet), Orford String Quartet
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002qhnz)
Wake up your senses with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002qhp1)
Relax into the day with classical
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 (m002qhp3)
Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony with Anna Lapwood
Mark Forrest introduces an afternoon of great concert recordings from around the world including this week's featured orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performing music by Max Bruch with Radio 3 New Generation Artist, violinist Hana Chang. Hana also performs Schumann from the Barber Lunchtime Series at the University of Birmingham. And organist Anna Lapwood joins the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a much loved symphony by Saint-Saëns.
Including:
Hana Chang (violin)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
Eugène Gigout
Toccata
Anna Lapwood (organ)
Ruth Gipps
Sinfonietta for winds and percussion, Op. 73
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
Barber Lunchtime Series at the University of Birmingham:
Robert Schumann
Violin Sonata No.1 in A minor Op. 105
Hana Chang (violin)
Elisabeth Brauss (piano)
Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 ‘Organ’
Anna Lapwood (organ)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Geoffrey Peterson (conductor)
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002qhp5)
Exeter Cathedral
Live from Exeter Cathedral.
Introit: Eternal spirit, living God (Philip Walsh)
Responses: Smith
Psalms 22, 23 (Wesley, Goss, Martin)
First Lesson: Isaiah 61 vv1-9
Office hymn: Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire (Plainsong)
Canticles: Jackson in G
Second Lesson: Luke 7 vv18-30
Anthem: The Panther (Nico Muhly)
Hymn: Guide me, O thou great Redeemer (Cwm Rhondda)
Voluntary: Organ Sonata (Allegro Agitato) (Philip Moore)
Timothy Noon (Director of Music)
Michael Stephens-Jones (Assistant Director of Music)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002qhp7)
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
Friendship, Love and a Trojan Horse
Kate Molleson, joined by Dr John Purser, explores Chisholm’s personal and artistic passions - from his marriage to Diana Brodie to his deep friendship with Kaikhosru Sorabji. We hear music inspired by eastern art and Scottish legend, and revisit the audacious moment when Chisholm staged Britain’s first complete performance of Berlioz’s Les Troyens with his amateur operatic society.
Piano Concerto No. 2 ‘Hindustani'. III. Rondo burlesca: Allegretto
Danny Driver, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Rory Macdonald, conductor
Pictures from Dante (After Doré): II. Paradisio
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates, conductor
Poems of Love: I-IV, VII
Mhairi Lawson, soprano
Nicky Spence, tenor
Michael Mofidian, bass
Iain Burnside, piano
Symphony No. 2 'Ossian': I. Prelude
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates, conductor
Piano Sonata in A major, 'a Rhiobain Dearg': IV. Allegro moderato
Murray McLachlan, piano
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002qhpb)
Edward Picton-Turbervill and Harriet Burns
Edward Picton-Turbervill performs live with soprano Harriet Burns from his new album. Plus Toks Dada (Southbank Centre Head of Classical) chats to Katie Derham about Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover @ Southbank Centre.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002qhpg)
Expand your horizons with classical music
Wind down at the end of a busy day with half an hour of back to back classical music. Today's sequence begins with a serene instrumental interlude from Purcell's "King Arthur", and a song from Ravel's "Shéhérazade" sung exquisitely by Janet Baker. Violinist Esther Abrami weaves her way through an arrangement of a chant by Hildegard of Bingen, and the peerlessly perfect choral ensemble Tenebrae provides a shimmering account of "Spheres" from Ola Gjeilo's "Sunrise Mass". John Barry's sleepily, seductive film score to the film "Midnight Cowboy" sits alongside a playful piano miniature by Elena Kats-Chernin, and the playlist ends with a ravishing arrangement of a Bach three part invention from the Swingle Singers.
Producer: Helen Garrison
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002qhpl)
Janacek's Taras Bulba
Live from the Royal Festival Hall, the London Philharmonic Orchestra present four composers, each with a thousand tales to tell.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra's Principal Conductor shares his passion for music from Central Europe in the first of two 'Phoenix Lands' concerts. Their programme opens with an overture by Grażyna Bacewicz, written during the German occupation of Warsaw and premiered four months after the German surrender as part of the Krakow Festival of Contemporary Music. That's followed by the violin concerto Bohuslav Martinů wrote whilst in exile in the USA and premiered in 1946 by the Ukrainian-born American violinist Mischa Elman. He was famed for his lyrical tone, and tonight it falls to the young Czech violinist Josef Špaček to step into his shoes. After the interval comes a late masterpiece by Witold Lutosławski, premiered in Los Angeles as recently as 1993. And the concert ends with Janáček's Taras Bulba, an orchestral rhapsody which retells Nikolai Gogol's tale of the death of the Cossack military leader Taras Bulba. Janácek wrote this suite between 1915-1918, and dedicated the work to 'our army... the armed protector of our nation'.
Presented live by Ian Skelly from London's Royal Festival Hall.
Bacewicz: Overture for orchestra
Martinů: Concerto no. 2 for violin and orchestra
Josef Špaček (violin)
Interval
Lutosławski: Symphony no. 4
Janáček: Taras Bulba - rhapsody for orchestra
Josef Špaček (violin)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
WED 21:45 The Essay (m002qhpp)
Almost Famous
3. Re-classifying Gwen Raverat
Through five fluctuating reputations, Ian Sansom explores very different species of near-fame: the once-fashionable and now forgotten; the critically admired but never widely read; the artists overshadowed by big names or big movements; the careers derailed by circumstance; the work that doesn’t fit what the culture is looking for. He suggests that obscurity tells us what a culture values, and just as importantly, what it overlooks. In exploring the careers of the almost-famous, Sansom charts a map of shifting tastes, attention, fashion, politics and technology.
In the third essay in the series, Ian considers accomplished and admired wood engraver Gwen Raverat, whose story shows how obscurity can belong not just to a person but to a medium, as the once-popular art form in which she excelled became, if not extinct, then a specialist preserve.
Presenter: Ian Sansom
Producer: Sara Davies
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002qhbs)
Immersive music for late night listening
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002qhpr)
An uplifting classic from Zakir Hussain
‘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.
Sebastian Rochford has a third 4/4 selection to share tonight, and this time it is by a saxophone colossus and free-jazz innovator that he is inspired by. Plus, there’s music from Incognito, The Gareth Lockrane Big Band and Glossolalia.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
THURSDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2026
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002qhpt)
Bach in Madrid
An all-Bach programme from Japanese baroque violinist Hiro Kurosaki and Spanish harpsichordist Ignacio Prego opened the Encuentro Silva de Sirenas Festival [FESS Madrid] with a monograph dedicated to the music for both instruments by Johann Sebastian Bach, under the title All Bach. The concert featured two of the Six sonatas for violin and harpsichord and two solo works, for violin and harpsichord respectively. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata in B minor, BWV.1014
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
12:43 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita no 3 in E major, BWV.1006
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin)
12:58 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
French Suite no 4 in E flat major, BWV.815
Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:12 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata no 6 in G major, BWV.1019
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:29 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Adagio from Violin Sonata in G major, BWV.1021
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:33 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), orch. Arnold Schoenberg
Prelude and fugue in E flat major BWV.552 (St Anne)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Edo de Waart (conductor)
01:50 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita no 4 in D major, BWV.828
Schaghajegh Nosrati (piano)
02:22 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély (1817-1869)
Bach: Liebster Jesu wir sind hier, BWV 731 and Lefébure-Wély: Sortie in G minor
Antonio García (organ)
02:31 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Sheherazade, Op 35
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Cristian Mǎcelaru (conductor)
03:16 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), arr. Mauricio Sotelo
Sonata in F minor, K.184; Interludio – Alegrías; Sonata in G minor, K.450
Chen Halevi (clarinet), Daniel Borovitzky (piano), Gringolts Quartet, Agustin Diassera (percussion)
03:29 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne no 1 in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
03:38 AM
Gabriel Charpentier (1925-2019)
Mass I
Tudor Singers of Montréal, Patrick Wedd (artistic director)
03:47 AM
Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799)
Concerto grosso for strings and continuo in F major, Op 3 no 3
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam
03:58 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Morrò, ma prima in grazia, Amelia's aria from 'Un Ballo in maschera'
Birgitte Christensen (soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Petr Popelka (conductor)
04:03 AM
Hilda Sehested (1858-1936)
Tre Fantasistykker (3 Fantasy pieces)
Nina Reintoft (cello), Malene Thastum (piano)
04:14 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Rapsodie espagnole
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:31 AM
Philip Sparke (b.1951)
Pantomime for Euphonium in B major
Valerian Alfaré (euphonium), Edward Cervenka (piano)
04:37 AM
John Field (1782-1837)
Andante inédit in E flat major
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
04:44 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
The Four Seasons - Summer
Davide Monti (violin), Il Tempio Armonico
04:55 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Four Stockholmsdikter (4 Stockholm poems) vers. for voice & piano, Op 38
Karl-Magnus Fredriksson (baritone), Stefan Nilsson (piano)
05:06 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Suncana Polja
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazushi Ono (conductor)
05:23 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in D minor, Op 76 no 2 'Fifths'
Signum Quartet
05:45 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Fantasia for piano, chorus and orchestra in C minor, Op 80
Anton Kuerti (piano), Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
06:04 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Suite no 2 in F major, HWV.427 (1720)
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
06:13 AM
Diego Ortiz (c.1510-1570), Pierre Regnault Sandrin (c.1490-c.1561)
3 pieces: La Spagna, Doulce Memoire & Recercada
Trio Montparnasse
06:20 AM
Gheorghi Arnaoudov (b.1957)
Laus Solis, for orchestra
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Milen Nachev (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002qhkr)
The finest classical music to elevate your morning
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 (m002qhkt)
Celebrating classical greats
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 (m002qhkw)
Beethoven's Serioso Quartet from Birmingham
Mark Forrest introduces an afternoon of concert recordings including music from this week's featured orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. It has been exploring the music of the early 19th century English composer Cipriano Potter. Featuring a set of orchestral variations from him based on the famous La Folia theme.
Also in today's progamme, the Violin Concerto by Benjamin Britten with the orchestra and soloist Simone Lamsma, plus Beethoven chamber music from BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Kleio Quartet, from the group's recent concert at the University of Birmingham.
Including:
Cipriano Potter
Concertante on ‘Les Follies d’Espagne’
Mishka Rushdie Momen (piano)
Jonian Ilias Kadesha (violin)
Tim Posner (violoncello)
Philip Nelson (double bass)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Howard Griffiths (conductor)
Barber Lunchtime Concert Series at the University of Birmingham:
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 “Serioso”
Kleio Quartet
Benjamin Britten
Violin Concerto, Op. 15
Simone Lamsma (violin)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)
Joaquin Rodrigo: Vos me matasteis
Roger Quilter: The Faithless Shepherdess
Gustav Holst: The thought
Benjamin Britten: Before life and after
Vaughan Williams: Dreamland
Muriel Herbert: Renouncement
Santiago Sánchez (tenor)
Ian Tindale (piano)
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002qhky)
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
Ballet on the Braes
Kate Molleson, with Dr John Purser, follows Chisholm’s leap from opera to ballet – from the Celtic Ballet and The Forsaken Mermaid to his symphonic ballet The Earth Shapers. Against a backdrop of political upheaval and wartime austerity, we hear how Chisholm kept music alive, from painting streets with secret staves, to staging lecture-recitals for soldiers, and how his wanderlust led him towards India and beyond.
Tango
Gottlieb Wallisch, piano
Symphony No. 2 “Ossian”: Allegro animado and Epilogue
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates, conductor
Scottish Airs for Children: 6-12
Murray Mclachlan, piano
From the True Edge of the Great World: Prelude 1, 8 and 9
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Ceol Mor Dances: No. 1 and 2
Murray Mclachlan, piano
Pictures from Dante (After Doré): I: Inferno
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002qhl0)
Trio Gaspard and conductor Nicholas Collon
Trio Gaspard perform live ahead of their Wigmore Hall recital.
Plus Katie Derham chats to conductor Nicholas Collon about presenting Eurovision Classical Concerts, a new 4-part television series which starts on Saturday 8th February.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002qhl2)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Faure's Dolly Suite, a beautiful song by Clara Schumann and a reflective piece for piano and orchestra by Arvo Part.
Producer: Kevin Satizabal Carrascal.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002qhl4)
Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2
Tonight's concert with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gemma New presents distinguished orchestral works spanning the early twentieth century to the 1980s. Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, a work of refined elegance and clarity, is followed by Barber’s Symphony No. 1, a compelling single-movement composition of sustained intensity and expressive depth. After the interval, John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine provides a vivid contrast with its driving rhythms and kinetic energy. The concert concludes with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, one of the most celebrated works in the concerto repertoire performed by Alessio Bax. Noted for its sweeping melodies and emotional breadth, it brings the evening to a powerful and richly expressive close.
Live from City Halls in Glasgow, presented by Kate Molleson.
Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin
Barber: Symphony No. 1, Op 9
c.
8.20pm interval
c.
8.40pm John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
Gemma New, conductor
Alessio Bax, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
THU 21:45 The Essay (m002qhl6)
Almost Famous
4. Barbara Comyns in Limbo
Through five fluctuating reputations, Ian Sansom explores very different species of near-fame: the once-fashionable and now forgotten; the critically admired but never widely read; the artists overshadowed by big names or big movements; the careers derailed by circumstance; the work that doesn’t fit what the culture is looking for. He suggests that obscurity tells us what a culture values, and just as importantly, what it overlooks. In exploring the careers of the almost-famous, Sansom charts a map of shifting tastes, attention, fashion, politics and technology.
In the fourth essay in the series, Ian reflects on the fluctuating status of novelist Barbara Comyns. Comyns’s novels get ‘rediscovered’ roughly once a decade in small waves of enthusiasm, but never settle into the canon. She is the writer who arrives over and over, but never stays.
Presenter: Ian Sansom
Producer: Sara Davies
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002qhl8)
Blissful sounds for after-hours
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002qhlb)
Fresh from Karim Saber
‘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.
Concluding his week on 4/4, drummer and producer Sebastian Rochford chooses a release by a leading British trumpeter and friend of the show. Also in the programme, there is music from Maeve Gilchrist, Olly Chalk and Joe Henderson.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight'.
FRIDAY 06 FEBRUARY 2026
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002qhld)
Brahms, Stravinsky, Enescu and Tchaikovsky
Lawrence Power performs on both violin and viola with pianist Ryan Wigglesworth in this recital from London's Wigmore Hall. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
None but the lonely heart, Op 6 no 6
Lawrence Power (violin), Ryan Wigglesworth (piano)
12:34 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Divertimento for violin and piano
Lawrence Power (violin), Ryan Wigglesworth (piano)
12:55 AM
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Concertstück
Lawrence Power (viola), Ryan Wigglesworth (piano)
01:04 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Viola Sonata in E flat major, Op 120 no 2
Lawrence Power (viola), Ryan Wigglesworth (piano)
01:27 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Symphony in C
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
01:57 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Trio for violin, French horn and piano in E flat major, Op 40
Martin Beaver (violin), Martin Hackleman (horn), Jane Coop (piano)
02:25 AM
Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772)
Rondeaux - Les Enchainements harmonieux
Colin Tilney (harpsichord)
02:31 AM
Johan Duijck (b.1954)
Cantiones Sacrae in honorem Thomas Tallis, Op 26, Book 2
Flemish Radio Choir, Johan Duijck (conductor)
02:51 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op 60
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
03:25 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
'Va tacito e nascosto' (from Giulio Cesare in Egitto)
Graham Pushee (counter tenor), Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer (artistic director)
03:32 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Trio in E flat major, D.897 "Notturno"
Grieg Trio
03:42 AM
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710)
Suite española
Tomaž Rajterič (guitar)
03:53 AM
Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
The Masque of Pandora (Two Intermezzi)
BBC Philharmonic, Ben Gernon (conductor)
04:02 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Nocturne in G major, Op 37 no 2
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano)
04:10 AM
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)
Sonata in G major for transverse flute and harpsichord, Op 6 no 6
Karl Kaiser (transverse flute), Susanne Kaiser (harpsichord)
04:20 AM
Ruth Watson Henderson (b.1932)
Come Holy Spirit for SATB with organ accompaniment
Elmer Iseler Singers, Matthew Larkin (organ), Lydia Adams (conductor)
04:25 AM
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Folk sketches for small orchestral ensemble
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)
04:31 AM
Ciprian Porumbescu (1853-1883)
Ballade for violin and piano
Razvan Stoica (violin), Andrea Stoica (piano)
04:36 AM
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Vlci stopa (The wolf's trail) for soprano, female choir & piano
Susse Lillesøe (soprano), Danish National Radio Choir, Per Salo (piano), Stefan Parkman (conductor)
04:44 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Marinov (conductor)
04:56 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Keyboard Sonata in C major, Hob.XVI/35
Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
05:08 AM
Leonel Power (1370-1445)
Salve Regina
Hilliard Ensemble
05:16 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Sonata in D minor
Peter Hannan (recorder), Colin Tilney (harpsichord), Christel Thielmann (viola da gamba)
05:26 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Belshazzar's feast suite, Op 51
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
05:42 AM
Emil Sjögren (1853-1918)
Cello Sonata in A major, Op 58
Mats Rondin (cello), Bengt Forsberg (piano)
05:59 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 26 in D major, K.537 'Coronation'
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano), Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Pietari Inkinen (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002qhgs)
Kickstart your day with the best 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 (m002qhgv)
A feast of great 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 (m002qhgx)
Stanford's Elegiac Ode
Great concert performances from around the world including Prokofiev and Stanford from Wales and English song from BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Santiago Sanchez from the Barber Lunchtime Concert Series at the University of Birmingham. And more organ transcriptions of music for the big screen from Anna Lapwood in Germany.
Sergei Prokofiev
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major
Vadym Kholodenko (piano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elena Schwartz (conductor)
Roger Quilter
Fair House of Joy
Santiago Sánchez (tenor)
Ian Tindale (piano)
Joseph Haydn
Piano Trio in G major, (Gypsy Rondo) H:
15.25
Kirill Gerstein (fortepiano)
Benjamin Marquise (violin)
Rebecca Gilliver (cello)
Malcolm Arnold
Symphony No. 5
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Gergely Madaras (conductor)
Hans Zimmer
Cornfield Chase from 'Interstellar'
Anna Lapwood (organ)
Barber Lunchtime Concert Series:
Isaac Albeniz: The gifts of the gods
Paradise regained
Ivor Gurney: Down by the salley gardens
Gerald Finzi: Her Temple
Gerald Finzi: The dance continued
Santiago Sánchez (tenor)
Ian Tindale (piano)
Igor Stravinsky
Le Baiser de la fee - Divertimento
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santuu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
John Powell
Test Drive Toothless from 'How To Train Your Dragon'
Anna Lapwood (organ)
Charles Villiers Stanford
Elegiac Ode, Op. 21
Rhian Lois (soprano)
Samantha Price (mezzo)
Alessnadro Fisher (tenor)
Morgan Pearse (baritone)
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Adrian Partington (conductor)
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002qhgz)
Erik Chisholm (1904-1965)
Into Africa
Kate Molleson, joined by Dr John Purser, closes Chisholm’s story with his bold move to Cape Town. From building orchestras in Singapore to reshaping a university faculty in South Africa, we hear how he balanced public recognition with a quieter, more contemplative life, and how his legacy continues to resonate far beyond Scotland.
Piano Concerto No. 1 ‘Piobaireachd’: II. Allegro scherzando
Danny Driver, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Rory Macdonald, conductor
Violin Concerto: I. Passacaglia
Matthew Trusler, violin
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Night Song of the Birds: Bard No. 3. Adagio and Bard 4. Appassionato e dramatico
Murray Maclachlan, piano
Simoon: Excerpts from Scene 2 (live)
Jane Irwin, soprano (Biskra)
Charlie Drummond, soprano (Voice)
Damian Thantrey, baritone (Guimard)
Philip Sheffield, tenor (Yusuf)
Music Co-OPERAtive Scotland
Ian Ryan, conductor
Dance Suite for Orchestra and Piano: I. Allegro energico and II. Piobaireachd
Danny Driver, piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002qhh3)
Classical Kicks Ensemble and Into the Woods
Petroc Trelawny presents live music in the studio from violinist Lizzie Ball, cellist Gabriella Swallow and accordionist Miloš Milivojevic from the Classical Kicks Ensemble ahead of their gig at the new London venue Upstairs at Ronnie’s.
Petroc also talks to Jordan Fein, the director of the new Bridge Theatre production of Sondheim's Into the Woods.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002qhh7)
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
Half and hour of back-to-back classical music to help wind down at the end of a busy day. This sequence begins with an enchanting Lili Boulanger composition conjuring up 'spring mornings', before moving back in time to Anna Bon's Flute Sonata No 2, composed when she was just 16 in 1756. Also in the mix is a gentle guitar arrangement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Deep River, Claude Debussy's iconic Arabesque No 1, and the balletic Prelude from Cécile Chaminade's Callirhoé. Eric Whitacre's gorgeous 'The Seal Lullaby' closes today's Classical Mixtape.
Producer: Joe Blamey
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m002qhhb)
West Green Opera Gala
Star soprano Ermonela Jaho and tenor Thomas Elwin join the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor John Andrews in favourite arias. Recorded at West Green Opera, Hampshire, last summer.
Presented by Petroc Trelawny.
Rossini: Overture - Semiramide
Verdi: Overture - La Forza del Destino
Verdi: Willow Song & Ave Maria (Otello)
Giordano: Intermezzo (Fedora)
Cilea: Io son l’umile ancella (Adriana Lecouvreur)
Smyth: Heinrich’s Song (Der Wald)
Donizetti: Deh! Tu di un umile preghiera il suono (Prayer Scene - Maria Stuarda)
INTERVAL
Bellini: Sinfonia (Il Pirata)
Donizetti: Piangete voi…La dolce guidami (Anna Bolena)
Viardot: Puisque me voilà Prince (Cendrillon)
Holmés: Allegro Feroce
Massenet: Pleurez mes yeux (Le Cid)
Verdi: Parigi, o cara…A Gran Dio! (La Traviata)
Verdi: Teco io Sto … non sai tu che (Ballo in Maschera)
Verdi: Brindisi - Libiamo ne’lieti calici (La Traviata)
Ermonela Jaho (soprano)
Thomas Elwin (tenor)
West Green Opera Chorus
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor John Andrews
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m002qhhg)
Almost Famous
5. Holger Czukay: The Man in the Machine Room
Through five fluctuating reputations, Ian Sansom explores very different species of near-fame: the once-fashionable and now forgotten; the critically admired but never widely read; the artists overshadowed by big names or big movements; the careers derailed by circumstance; the work that doesn’t fit what the culture is looking for. He suggests that obscurity tells us what a culture values, and just as importantly, what it overlooks. In exploring the careers of the almost-famous, Sansom charts a map of shifting tastes, attention, fashion, politics and technology.
In the last essay in the series, Ian considers Holger Czukay, musician and pioneering recording engineer whose ideas became common property while his name never gained widespread recognition. His influence in the music industry is enormous, but, unlike other almost-famous figures this series, the question is not why did his name and fame fade, but why was it never known in the first place.
Presenter: Ian Sansom
Producer: Sara Davies
Sound Designer: Matt Bainbridge
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002qhhl)
Cara Tolmie’s mixtape
Verity Sharp presents an exclusive Late Junction mixtape from Cara Tolmie. Following on from her acclaimed 2025 release ‘Body Lapse’, a collaboration with Rian Treanor, Tolmie here explores her sonic roots and shares formative influences and firm favourites in the creation of vibrant musical collage.
A Glasgow-born, Sweden-based artist and improviser, Tolmie’s artistic aim is - as she puts it - to ‘complexify the bind between voice and body via mesmerising and uncanny vocalisations.’ This is achieved in her music through her own practice of ‘internal singing’, in which breath, movement, repetitive phrases and sung fragments are used to explore the limits of vocalisation. Tolmie’s projects and performances dig into the uncanny power of voice distortion, effects created through both technological and corporeal means.
Elsewhere in the show: The Early delight in dense basement clattering; and Mohammad Reza Mortazavi conjures intricate, deft and swampy timbres on the Iranian tombak.
Produced by Alex Yates
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002qhhn)
Sélène Saint-Aimé in concert
‘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 presents concert highlights from explorative French double bassist and vocalist Sélène Saint-Aimé and her string trio, recorded live at Austria’s Glatt & Verkehrt festival last summer. Sélène’s compositions explore the musical traditions of the African diaspora, informed by recent travels and residencies in Senegal, New Orleans, and to her paternal Martinique. This concert marked a performance debut with her string trio, featuring viola player Maëlle Desbrosses and cellist and Bruno Ducret.
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 (m002qh4k)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m002qh56)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m002qhpr)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m002qhlb)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m002qhhn)
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m002qhbq)
Between the Ears
19:15 SUN (m002qhbj)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m002qgyy)
Breakfast
06:30 SUN (m002qhb4)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m002qh3x)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m002qh4p)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m002qhnz)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m002qhkr)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m002qhgs)
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m002q5qd)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002qhp5)
Classical Live
13:00 MON (m002qh41)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m002qh4t)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m002qhp3)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m002qhkw)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m002qhgx)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002qh48)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m002jsy1)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m002qhpg)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m002qhl2)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m002qhh7)
Composer of the Week
16:00 MON (m002qh43)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m002qh4w)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m002qhp7)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m002qhky)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m002qhgz)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m002pfw5)
Essential Classics
09:30 MON (m002qh3z)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m002qh4r)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m002qhp1)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m002qhkt)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m002qhgv)
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m002qhhb)
In Tune
17:00 MON (m002qh46)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m002qh4y)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m002qhpb)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m002qhl0)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m002qhh3)
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m002qhbd)
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002qhhl)
Music Map
13:30 SUN (m002qhbb)
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m002qgz2)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m002qgzd)
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m002qgzg)
Night Tracks
22:00 SUN (m0029pry)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002qh4h)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029hs0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002qhbs)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m002qhl8)
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002qgzb)
Private Passions
12:00 SUN (m002qhb8)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m002qh4b)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m002qh52)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m002qhpl)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m002qhl4)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m002qgz4)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m002qhbn)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m002qgz0)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m002qgz6)
Sunday Feature
19:45 SUN (m002qhbl)
Sunday Morning
09:00 SUN (m002qhb6)
The Early Music Show
17:00 SUN (m002gs0m)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m002qh4d)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m002qh54)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m002qhpp)
The Essay
21:45 THU (m002qhl6)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m002qhhg)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m002qgz8)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m002qb5z)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m002qgzj)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m002qhbx)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m002qh4m)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m002qh58)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m002qhpt)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m002qhld)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m002qhbv)
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m002qhbg)
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES ORDERED BY GENRE
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
Drama
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m002qhbg)
Factual
Sunday Feature
19:45 SUN (m002qhbl)
Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media
Between the Ears
19:15 SUN (m002qhbj)
Music Matters
13:00 SAT (m002qgz2)
The Essay
21:45 MON (m002qh4d)
The Essay
21:45 TUE (m002qh54)
The Essay
21:45 WED (m002qhpp)
The Essay
21:45 THU (m002qhl6)
The Essay
21:45 FRI (m002qhhg)
Music
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002qhhl)
Music: Classical
20th Century Radicals
21:00 SUN (m002qhbq)
Breakfast
06:30 SAT (m002qgyy)
Breakfast
06:30 SUN (m002qhb4)
Breakfast
06:30 MON (m002qh3x)
Breakfast
06:30 TUE (m002qh4p)
Breakfast
06:30 WED (m002qhnz)
Breakfast
06:30 THU (m002qhkr)
Breakfast
06:30 FRI (m002qhgs)
Classical Live
13:00 MON (m002qh41)
Classical Live
13:00 TUE (m002qh4t)
Classical Live
13:00 WED (m002qhp3)
Classical Live
13:00 THU (m002qhkw)
Classical Live
13:00 FRI (m002qhgx)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 MON (m002qh48)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 TUE (m002jsy1)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 WED (m002qhpg)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 THU (m002qhl2)
Classical Mixtape
19:00 FRI (m002qhh7)
Composer of the Week
16:00 MON (m002qh43)
Composer of the Week
16:00 TUE (m002qh4w)
Composer of the Week
16:00 WED (m002qhp7)
Composer of the Week
16:00 THU (m002qhky)
Composer of the Week
16:00 FRI (m002qhgz)
Earlier... with Jools Holland
12:00 SAT (m002pfw5)
Essential Classics
09:30 MON (m002qh3z)
Essential Classics
09:30 TUE (m002qh4r)
Essential Classics
09:30 WED (m002qhp1)
Essential Classics
09:30 THU (m002qhkt)
Essential Classics
09:30 FRI (m002qhgv)
In Tune
17:00 MON (m002qh46)
In Tune
17:00 TUE (m002qh4y)
In Tune
17:00 WED (m002qhpb)
In Tune
17:00 THU (m002qhl0)
In Tune
17:00 FRI (m002qhh3)
Music Map
13:30 SUN (m002qhbb)
Night Tracks
22:00 SUN (m0029pry)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002qh4h)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029hs0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002qhbs)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m002qhl8)
Private Passions
12:00 SUN (m002qhb8)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 MON (m002qh4b)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 TUE (m002qh52)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 WED (m002qhpl)
Radio 3 in Concert
19:30 THU (m002qhl4)
Record Review
14:00 SAT (m002qgz4)
Record Review
20:00 SUN (m002qhbn)
Saturday Morning
09:00 SAT (m002qgz0)
Sunday Morning
09:00 SUN (m002qhb6)
This Classical Life
17:00 SAT (m002qgz8)
Through the Night
00:30 SAT (m002qb5z)
Through the Night
00:30 SUN (m002qgzj)
Through the Night
00:30 MON (m002qhbx)
Through the Night
00:30 TUE (m002qh4m)
Through the Night
00:30 WED (m002qh58)
Through the Night
00:30 THU (m002qhpt)
Through the Night
00:30 FRI (m002qhld)
Words and Music
18:00 SUN (m002qhbg)
Music: Classical: Choral
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m002q5qd)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002qhp5)
Music: Classical: Early Music
The Early Music Show
17:00 SUN (m002gs0m)
Music: Classical: Experimental & New
New Music Show
22:30 SAT (m002qgzg)
Unclassified
23:30 SUN (m002qhbv)
Music: Classical: Opera
Opera on 3
18:00 SAT (m002qgzb)
Music: Easy Listening, Soundtracks & Musicals
Friday Night is Music Night
19:30 FRI (m002qhhb)
Sound of Cinema
16:00 SAT (m002qgz6)
Music: Jazz & Blues
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m002qhbd)
Music: Jazz & Blues: Jazz
'Round Midnight
23:30 MON (m002qh4k)
'Round Midnight
23:30 TUE (m002qh56)
'Round Midnight
23:30 WED (m002qhpr)
'Round Midnight
23:30 THU (m002qhlb)
'Round Midnight
23:30 FRI (m002qhhn)
Jazz Record Requests
16:00 SUN (m002qhbd)
Music: World
Late Junction
22:00 FRI (m002qhhl)
Music Planet
21:30 SAT (m002qgzd)
Night Tracks
22:00 SUN (m0029pry)
Night Tracks
22:00 MON (m002qh4h)
Night Tracks
22:00 TUE (m0029hs0)
Night Tracks
22:00 WED (m002qhbs)
Night Tracks
22:00 THU (m002qhl8)
Religion & Ethics
Choral Evensong
15:00 SUN (m002q5qd)
Choral Evensong
15:00 WED (m002qhp5)