SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2024
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m0025t7y)
Kurtág plays with Bach
Chamber music from the Musikdorf Ernen Festival in Switzerland, including György Kurtág's piano arrangements of Bach chorales. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Gyorgy Kurtag
Allein Gott in der Hoh' sei Ehr', BWV711 (arr for piano four hands)
Alasdair Beatson (piano), Jean-Selim Abdelmoula (piano)
12:33 AM
Gyorgy Kurtag (b.1926)
In memoriam Sebok Gyorgy (Jatekok VIII)
Alasdair Beatson (piano), Jean-Selim Abdelmoula (piano)
12:36 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Gyorgy Kurtag
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, BWV.656 (arr for piano four hands)
Alasdair Beatson (piano), Jean-Selim Abdelmoula (piano)
12:39 AM
Gyorgy Kurtag (b.1926)
Hommage a JSB (Jatekok VIII)
Alasdair Beatson (piano), Jean-Selim Abdelmoula (piano)
12:40 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Gyorgy Kurtag
Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot', BWV.635 (arr for piano four hands)
Alasdair Beatson (piano), Jean-Selim Abdelmoula (piano)
12:42 AM
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967)
Adagio for viola and piano
Manuel Hofer (viola), Alasdair Beatson (piano)
12:50 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Piano Trio in A minor, Op 50
Bogdan Bozovic (violin), Samuel Niederhauser (cello), Paolo Giacometti (piano)
01:42 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Trio Sonata adapted from Trio Sonata no 3 in D minor for organ, BWV.527
Tafelmusik Baroque Soloists
01:56 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony no 1 in B flat major, Op 38 'Spring'
National Orchestra of France, Heinz Wallberg (conductor)
02:31 AM
Johann Rosenmuller (1619-1684)
Gloria for SATB, cornett, 2 violins, 2 violas and bass continuo
Johanna Koslowsky (soprano), David Cordier (tenor), Gerd Turk (tenor), Stephan Schreckenberger (bass), Carsten Lohff (organ), Cantus Colln, Konrad Junghanel (director)
02:46 AM
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Cello Sonata in B minor, Op 27
Elizabeth Dolin (cello), Carmen Picard (piano)
03:09 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), Op 24
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thomas Sondergard (conductor)
03:34 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio - aria for soprano and orchestra, K.418
Cyndia Sieden (soprano), Prima La Musica, Dirk Vermeulen (conductor)
03:42 AM
Judith Weir (b. 1954)
String quartet
Silesian Quartet
03:54 AM
Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612)
Canzon duodecimi toni à 8, C.174, from 'Sacrae symphoniae'
Cardinal Complex, Jonas Gassmann (conductor)
04:01 AM
Robert Kajanus (1856-1933)
Aino - symphonic poem for male chorus and orchestra
Helsinki University Male Voice Choir, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Panula (conductor)
04:15 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Sinfonia in D major, Wq.183 no 1
Slovenicum Chamber Orchestra, Uros Lajovic (conductor)
04:27 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La fille aux cheveux de lin, Preludes book 1 no 8
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)
04:31 AM
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
Overture no 2, Op 24
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
04:38 AM
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
Beati pauperes spiritu
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor), Stephan Stubbs (lute)
04:43 AM
Bela Bartok (1881-1945), arr. Igor Karsko
Circle (after Bartok’s 44 Duos for Violin, Sz 98, and Mikrokosmos, Sz 107)
Camerata Zurich, Helga Varadi (harpsichord), Igor Karsko (conductor)
05:00 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso 'Miroirs'
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
05:08 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata for Mandolin in D minor K.90
Avi Avital (mandolin), Shalev Ad-El (harpsichord)
05:17 AM
Nico Dostal (1895-1981)
Sagt dir eine schone Frau, 'Vielleicht' - from the film 'Das Lied der Wüste'
Jean Stilwell (mezzo soprano), Robert Kortgaard (piano), Marie Berard (violin), Andy Morris (percussion), Peter Tiefenbach (conductor)
05:21 AM
Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
Sinfonia in E flat major, MH.340, P.17
Academia Palatina, Florian Heyerick (director)
05:36 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Scheherazade – symphonic suite after 1001 Nights, Op 35
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Vytautas Lukocius (conductor)
06:19 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony for string orchestra no 10 in B minor
Risor Festival Strings
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m0026299)
Start your weekend the Radio 3 way, with Saturday Breakfast
Join Emma Clarke to wake up the day with a selection of the finest classical and Christmas music, including Vivaldi's Gloria, Winter Solstice sounds from Laura Cannell and Bartok, and Liszt's Christmas Tree! Emma will also be opening the 21st door on our Radio 3 Breakfast Advent Calendar... and it's not Christmas without Bach played on the organ.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast."
SAT 09:00 Saturday Morning (m002629c)
Hannah French hosts a Christmas party for Saturday Morning
Hannah throws a Christmas party! There's live music from Connaught Brass, conductor John Butt on the festive season's Baroque big hitters and a legume masterclass from the London Vegetable Orchestra. Plus of course the very finest classical Christmas playlist to start your festive weekend!
Conductor and keyboardist John Butt is Musical Director of the Dunedin Consort and one of the world's finest conductors of Baroque music. This time of year though, he's also Mr Christmas! He's conducted hundreds of performances of Handel's Messiah and Bach's Christmas music and is in town to give a concert of Italian festive music. He talks about why audiences are addicted to the comfort of music at this time of year, why D major is the sound of Christmas and why for him the smell is the key...
The exciting young brass ensemble Connaught Brass are in the studio to play live and chat about the particular magic of brass instruments at Christmas, and as millions of Christmas letters are winging their way into Lapland, we discover what music making in Lapland actually sounds like from those who live there with conductor John Storgards and Sami musician Ánnámáret.
And given the humble vegetable forms an integral part of many people's Christmas dinner, Hannah enlists the London Vegetable Orchestra to provide a more musical solution to a surfeit of carrots, squash and more...
Plus a Christmas smorgasbord of music - from a little heard Porpora Christmas Mass, to music by Oscar Peterson, Berlioz, Kapralova and Vaughan Williams and carols by Voces8, the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra and the little singers of Tokyo.
To listen using most smart speakers, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning"
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002629f)
Jools and friends share festive favourites
Jools hosts a festive gathering of friends at his studio, with his long-time musical collaborators singer Ruby Turner and saxophonist Phil Veacock, and the actor, writer and comedian Sally Phillips.
Sally introduces festive favourites by Benjamin Britten and singer-songwriter Jake Thackray and reveals her own Christmas traditions from singing carols to building nativities out of marshmallows and spaghetti. Ruby Turner performs live in the studio and shares her love of the ‘First Lady Of Gospel’, Mahalia Jackson, whose album of Christmas music is her soundtrack of the season. Plus, Phil Veacock brings along an eclectic mix of music, from Arcangelo Corelli and traditional carols, to a remarkable recording from 1962 by jazz musician Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Clive Myrie at Christmas (m001t9xx)
A selection of classical Christmas treats
Clive Myrie presents a feast of Christmas classical music alongside some of his personal discoveries.
Clive introduces music from one of his favourite Christmas albums from the world of Jazz, composer Leroy Anderson serves up a feast of carols in his 'Christmas Festival', and Leon Fleisher plays one of Bach's most famous pieces.
Plus, Irish harpist Aine Minogue plays seasonal Celtic music to warm the heart and soul...
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002629k)
Britten's Ceremony of Carols in Building a Library with Jeremy Summerly and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.
1405
Allyson Devenish pulls out of her sack a festive selection of seasonal new releases including Liszt's piano suite Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree), a Christmas album from baritone Benjamin Appl, baroque Christmas cantatas by Johann Kuhnau and a release called Ukrainian Christmas.
1500
Building a Library
Jeremy Summerly chooses his favourite version of Britten's Ceremony of Carols
Britten composed A Ceremony of Carols in 1942, while crossing the Atlantic on the Axel Johnson, a Swedish cargo ship. The Second World War was raging and the composer and his partner Peter Pears were returning to Britain after a period in the US. So this perennial Christmas favourite was composed under imminent threat of attack by German U-Boats. It was originally scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. Its text is taken from a mixture of anonymous medieval songs and later poems rather than familiar carols. Not all of the texts are about the birth of Jesus or even about winter – in fact one of them is called the Spring Carol. The series of joyful but sometimes dark songs is unified by the framing device of a processional and recessional chant. It contains favourites such as "Wolcum Yole", "There is no rose of such vertu" and "This Little Babe". Much of it is written as simple, melodic rounds. It is one of the many works Britten skilfully crafted and tailored to the vocal abilities of young children.
Recommended version
Joshua Davidson (treble)
Victoria Meteyard (soprano)
Grace Davidson (soprano)
Martha McLorinan (alto)
Camilla Pay (harp)
Tenebrae
Nigel Short (conductor)
Signum SIGCD690
1545
Record of the Week: Andrew’s top pick.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Record Review”
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002629m)
Christmas film scores
Hop on board the Polar Express! Matthew Sweet's unwrapping the greatest Christmas film soundtracks. We'll be walking in the air with Howard Blake's Snowman and Home Alone with John Williams.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Sound of Cinema".
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002629p)
Jon Boden pops round for a Christmas party
Jess Gillam heads back home to the Lake District to host a Christmas house party. She's joined by folk singer Jon Boden, friends & family, and lots of Jess's mum's mince pies, to share their favourite Christmas music and to play a few impromptu festive tunes together.
Jon Boden is probably best known as the lead singer of the brilliant contemporary folk band Bellowhead, and alongside his duo with John Spiers and various solo projects he's one of the most recognisable and acclaimed names in today's UK folk scene.
Jon chats to Jess about his musical traditions at Christmas - from pub singalongs to arranging Mummers carols - and he and Jess swap some of their favourite tunes, from Dinah Shore to Steeleye Span via Darlene Love, Gustav Holst and Samuel Coleridge Taylor.
To listen using most smart speakers, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play This Classical Life"
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002629r)
Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann
The Royal Opera's staging of Offenbach's fantastical opera starring Juan Diego Flórez as the alcoholic poet ETA Hoffmann in search of true love and artistic inspiration. The Tales of Hoffmann was the last work Offenbach ever wrote and he never heard it performed in the theatre. Later composers and impresarios added bits of their own, and it's only in recent years that productions such as this one Royal Opera staging have tried to get closer to what Offenbach actually wrote. Damiano Michieletto's staging is a riot of colour and magic, as Hoffmann relives his three disastrous love affairs - with a mechanical doll, a singer stricken with tuberculosis and a Venetian courtesan - and confronts his real and imagined demons.
Presented by Martin Handley in conversation with opera historian Sarah Lenton.
Hoffmann ..... Juan Diego Flórez (tenor)
Lindorf/Coppélius/Dr Miracle/Dappertutto ..... Alex Esposito (bass-baritone)
Antonia, singer ..... Ermonela Jaho (soprano)
Giulietta, courtesan ..... Marina Costa-Jackson (soprano)
Olympia, mechanical doll ..... Olga Pudova (soprano)
Nicklausse, Hoffmann's friend ..... Julie Boulianne (mezzo-soprano)
Muse of Poetry/Spirit of Antonia's Mother ..... Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano)
Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio ..... Christophe Mortagne (tenor)
Crespel ..... Alastair Miles (bass)
Spalanzani ..... Vincent Ordonneau (tenor)
Luther ..... Jeremy White (bass)
Hermann/Schlemil ..... Grisha Martirosyan (baritone)
Nathanael ..... Ryan Vaughan Davies (tenor)
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor Antonello Manacorda
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Opera on 3".
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002629t)
Cumbia unleashed with Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
Lopa Kothari shares a fiery live performance from Latin Grammy-winning Colombian cumbia group Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. Recorded in front of a passionate crowd at The Fox and Firkin in South London at the start of November, the band brought the house down with a rip-roaring, maraca-driven set. Vocalist Rafael Rodríguez is on hand to tell us about the rich tradition of cumbia and its meaning for the community in San Jacinto, Bolívar.
Elsewhere in the show, Lopa presents tracks from some of her favourite releases from this year, including a recording of mind-blowing, psychedelic Manding music, as well as traditional Bengali folk, music that - for her - brings reminiscences of childhood and the songs of independence and courtship beloved of her parents.
Produced by Silvia Malnati
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet.”
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002629w)
Apartment House at the church of St Giles Cripplegate
Kate Molleson presents some of the latest sounds in new music from across the globe.
Pianist Eliza McCarthy rejoices in Gabriella Smith's Imaginary Pancake and the BBC Symphony Orchestra plays Swedish composer Lisa Streich's Augenlider for prepared guitar and orchestra, a work that has quickly established itself as a modern classic. And there's a chance to revisit the late Péter Eötvös's Mese, a classic work for electronics realised in the studios of WDR and structured on a recording of a Hungarian folk tale played at various speeds.
And threaded thorough this Christmas edition is a programme recorded at the medieval church of St Giles' Cripplegate in London: Apartment House present a typically wide-ranging sequence of music including the premieres of Marco Baldini's Quartetto along with Jem Finer's Hrdy-Grdy and music inspired by the Baroque violin master, Biaggio Marini. And as a coda there's the mysterious Slovakian composer Martin Burlas's brief Koda, music that oscillates between the classical and lo-fi popism.
Also tonight Colin Riley launches The Year's Midnight - a setting of John Donne's poem about the Winter Solstice. This is the first song in his year-long project called The Year Round, which he says is "a celebration of too-easily unnoticed things. A deep connection that we cannot afford to lose.'
Taku Sugimoto - AB2357
Paul Paccione - And the days are not full enough (premiere)
Billy Steiger - Box (for EKM) (premiere)
Marco Baldini - Quartetto (premiere)
Jem Finer - Hrdy-Grdy
Biagio Marini - Passacaglia
Martin Burlas - Koda
Apartment House
To listen using most smart speakers, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play New Music Show”
SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER 2024
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002629y)
Bruckner motets and Schubert's final mass
Manfred Honeck conducts the Munich Philharmonic Chorus in a selection of Bruckner's well-loved motets. They are joined by the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra for Schubert's sixth and final mass setting. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Locus iste, WAB.23
Munich Philharmonic Choir, Manfred Honeck (conductor)
12:34 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Adagio, from String Quintet in F major
German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (conductor)
12:49 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Ave Maria, WAB.6
Munich Philharmonic Choir, Manfred Honeck (conductor)
12:53 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Mass no 6 in E flat, D.950
Magdalena Lucjan (soprano), Susan Zarrabl (mezzo soprano), Martin Mitterrutzner (tenor), Lukas Slebert (bass), Krešimir Stražanac (bass baritone), Munich Philharmonic Choir, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (conductor)
01:43 AM
Carl Czerny (1791-1857)
Piano Sonata no 9 in B minor, Op 145, 'Grande fantaisie en forme de Sonate'
Stefan Lindgren (piano)
02:17 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Os justi ('The mouth of the righteous')
Mnemosyne Choir, Caroline Westgeest (director)
02:21 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasy in C minor, K.396
Juho Pohjonen (piano)
02:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 4 in G major, Op 58
Alexis Weissenberg (piano), Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Emil Chakarov (conductor)
03:03 AM
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Symphonic metamorphosis of themes by Carl Maria von Weber
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)
03:25 AM
William Byrd (1543-1623)
O Lord, how vain, for voice and 4 viols
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Rose Consort of Viols
03:32 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), orch. Lennox Berkeley
Flute Sonata
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Swiss Romande Orchestra, Enrique Garcia-Asensio (conductor)
03:45 AM
Mihaly Mosonyi (1815-1870)
Studies for the teaching of the Interpretation of Hungarian Music
Klara Kormendi (piano)
03:58 AM
Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676)
Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Queen)
Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)
04:07 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
04:14 AM
Imogen Holst (1907-1984)
Leiston Suite for brass quartet
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
04:21 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto da Camera in D major RV.95
Camerata Koln
04:31 AM
Eugene Bozza (1905-1991)
Jour d'été à la montagne
Giedrius Gelgotas (flute), Albertas Stupakas (flute), Valentinas Kazlauskas (flute), Linas Gailiunas (flute)
04:42 AM
Augustin Dautrecourt de Sainte-Colombe (fl.1657-1670)
Concert à deux violes esgales no 44, 'Tombeau des Regrets'
Susie Napper (viol), Margaret Little (viol)
04:52 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Canticle III - Still falls the rain for tenor, horn and piano, Op 55
Allan Clayton (tenor), Angela Barnes (horn), Christopher Glynn (piano)
05:04 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
St Paul's Suite, Op 29 no 2
Seoul Chamber Orchestra, Yong-Yun Kim (conductor)
05:18 AM
Maurice Durufle (1902-1986)
Quatre motets sur des themes gregoriens, Op 10
Tallinn Music High School Chamber Choir, Evi Eespere (director)
05:27 AM
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783)
Organ Concerto in D major
Wolfgang Brunner (organ & director), Salzburger Hofmusik
05:38 AM
Augusta Holmes (1847-1903)
Roland Furieux, Symphony after Ariosto
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Valentina Peleggi (conductor)
06:05 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Suite no 2 for 2 pianos, Op 17
Ouellet-Murray Duo
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m00262b0)
Start your Sunday the Radio 3 way with Tom McKinney
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s classical breakfast show to bring in Sunday morning with a selection of seasonal music - and birdsong made famous by a carol.
Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast."
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m00262b2)
Your perfect Sunday Christmas soundtrack
Sarah Walker with three hours of festive classical music to reflect, refresh and get you into the Christmas spirit.
Today Sarah’s seasonal selection box of music has Snow Maidens, Christmas Chimes and Sleigh Rides. Gustav Holst creates a musical picture postcard of Winter, and Ola Gjeilo creates magical harmonies in a setting of a famous carol.
There’s festive film music from John Williams, and Malcolm Arnold, and touching Christmas favourites from Bach and Handel’s Messiah.
Plus, another famous name chooses their Essential Carol…
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m00262b4)
Christmas Collection
Michael Berkeley shares festive music choices from Private Passions over the years. We’ll hear how Handel can evoke memories of roast potatoes in the oven on Christmas day; we’ll spend time by the fire in a remote Irish castle, take a seasonal trip to the ballet, and share heart-warming singing from a variety of traditions. His guests include Chris Addison, Nina Stibbe, Brian Moore, David Mitchell, Shirley Collins and Sue Black.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m00262b6)
A journey to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Today's Music Map's destination takes us through wintery snowscapes towards The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker.
Sara Mohr-Pietsch is in charge of this particular musical sleighride, with plenty of festive stops along the way.
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m0025tfr)
Llandaff Cathedral
Last Wednesday's service from Llandaff Cathedral.
Introit: Drop down ye heavens (Judith Weir)
Responses: Smith
Office hymn: Creator of the stars of night (Conditor alme siderum, arr. John Scott)
Psalms 93, 94 (Atkins, Clark, Ley, Garrett, Moore)
First Lesson: Exodus 3 vv1-6
Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis On Plainsong Themes (Gerald Near)
Second Lesson: Acts 7 vv20-36
Anthem: O nata lux de lumine (Morten Lauridsen)
Hymn: O come, O come Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel)
Voluntary: Toccata on Veni Emmanuel (Andrew Carter)
Stephen Moore (Director of Music)
Aaron Shilson (Assistant Director of Music)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m00262b8)
Festive Mix
Alyn Shipton presents a seasonal mix of jazz music to get you in the festive mood. Get in touch: jrr@bbc.co.uk or use #jazzrecordrequests on social.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Jazz Record Requests.”
SUN 17:00 The Early Music Show (m00262bb)
An Early Music Yule
In this special edition of the Early Music Show, expect festive music galore, from Bach and Charpentier to Bolivian villancicos and Elizabethan partsongs.
Hannah's yuletide guests are the world-renowned early music soprano Dame Emma Kirkby, as well as the founder of baroque ensemble I Fagiolini and conductor Robert Hollingworth to chat about some of their favourite Christmas music.
Plus, there'll be contributions from organist Ton Koopman, lutenist Elizabeth Kenny, conductor Joseph McHardy and flautist Ashley Solomon to name but a few...
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show"
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m00262bd)
A Christmas Menagerie
Robert Lindsay and Shiloh Coke perform prose and poetry alongside music depicting a range of animals and birds: from “a partridge in a pear tree” to Dylan Thomas’s cats, UA Fanthorpe’s donkey to Scrooge’s turkey, Bach’s Cantata Sheep May Safely Grace to Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep from the film White Christmas, Chuck Berry’s Run Rudolph Run, to Haydn’s symphony No. 83, 'The Hen'.
Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo
Readings
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Christmas Every Day and Other Stories, by William Dean Howells
Help Wanted, by Timothy Tocher
The Christmas Angel, by Abbie Farwell Brown
The Three Low Masses, by Alphonse Daudet
Talking Turkeys, by Benjamin Zephaniah
Tess of the d’Ubervilles, by Thomas Hardy
A Child's Christmas in Wales, a story, by Dylan Thomas (read by the poet)
What the Donkey Saw, by U.A. Fanthorpe
The Oxen, by Thomas Hardy
The Story of the Other Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke
I saw a stable, low and very bare, by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
Bleak Weather, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The Barn by Elizabeth Coatsworth
A Child's Christmas in Wales, a story archive reading by Dylan Thomas
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m00262bg)
Skid Row Messiah
Every December a group of homeless men and women - alongside professional musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Master Chorale - perform Messiah at the Midnight Mission on Los Angeles' Skid Row under the direction of concert violinist Vijay Gupta. Moving freely across space and time, drawing links between modern LA and Handel’s London, this deeply musical Christmas Sunday Feature follows the singers and players at this year’s performance while exploring the composition and public history of Messiah itself.
Handel’s score is unlike anything he’d ever written and has deep-rooted ties to philanthropy. Messiah occupied a special role in terms of the new civil spaces of Georgian London, the profits from its early performances helping people out of debtor’s prison, tied thereafter to the Foundling Hospital for children. But its history is also one of public participation, of community singing - a sense that Messiah belongs not to the formal world of classical performance but to audiences, to us. We hear singers from the Skid Row community rehearse and perform at the Mission and talk about what Messiah means to them; how Handel and his librettist Charles Jennens created a work that has powerful secular meanings beyond the devout text – a thought experiment, a message of social revolution, an address to universal humanity and one of hope. For the singers at the Mission, Messiah is a refusal to make peace with the idea of a permanent underclass, or that whole swathes of society should be left homeless, scapegoated and vulnerable. Recorded on the streets of Skid Row, rehearsals and performance at the Midnight Mission and at Handel’s house in London where he wrote Messiah, this year’s conductor and founder of the Street Symphony project, Vijay Gupta, presents.
Produced by Simon Hollis and Eve Claxton
A Brook Lapping Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 20:00 Drama on 3 (m00262bj)
Gershwin & Miss Swift
The extraordinary true story of composer Kay Swift, the first woman to score a hit Broadway musical, and her ten-year love affair with George Gershwin.
When Kay meets George, sparks fly. But Kay is happily married with children, and George is only truly faithful to his creative talent. A psychoanalyst adds fuel to the fire. Kay chooses to forge her own future – in love and music – risking everything along the way.
Written by Andrew McCaldon and recorded live in front of an audience at the Alexandra Palace Theatre, London with Swift and Gershwin’s music performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra with singer Lucy-Anne Daniels and pianist Ben Dawson. The conductor is Keith Lockhart.
Kay Swift ….. Lydia Leonard
George Gershwin ….. Jamie Parker
Jimmy Warburg ….. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Gregory Zilboorg ….. Joseph May
Ellen Swift ….. Tara Ward
Directed by Tracey Neale
Producers - Tracey Neale and Neil Varley
With special thanks to Katharine Weber, Aaron Gandy, and the Kay Swift Trust.
Lydia Leonard is a Tony-nominated actress whose recent credits include A Very Royal Scandal with Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen, We Are Lady Parts for Channel 4, Funny Woman with Gemma Arterton, and the BBC’s The Mirror and the Light with Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance. Lydia is also known for playing the lead in Amazon’s Ten Percent, as well as opposite Suranne Jones in Series 2 of the HBO/BBC drama Gentleman Jack.
Jamie Parker is best known for his role as Harry Potter in the original cast for the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, for which he received an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play and a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Play. For his performance in Rodgers & Hart & Hammerstein for BBC Radio 3, he was shortlisted for a BBC Audio Award for Best Actor. He has made numerous other appearances in BBC audio dramas.
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd is One of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow, and can be seen in the lead role of Brian Epstein in biopic Midas Man. He played the role of D.L Townes in The Queen’s Gambit, and Detective Whiteman in Bodies, both hit limited series on Netflix. On stage, Jacob has played leading roles at the RSC, in London’s West End, the Globe and most recently at the Hampstead Theatre.
Joseph May played Andy Button across 5 seasons of Episodes for Hatrick. He played Justin Trudeau in The Windsors and appears as regular Francois in the reboot of All Creatures Great and Small for Channel 5. Other TV appearances include Toast of Tinseltown, Dark Money, and the recurring role of Malone in Miss Scarlett and the Duke.
Tara Ward returns to Alexandra Palace with Gershwin & Miss Swift following her appearance as Lucy Anderson in the acclaimed Drama and BBC Concert Orchestra collaboration Benny & Hitch for BBC Radio 3. She can be seen as the troubled Diana in Sky TV’s Riviera and the Janitor’s Wife in Warner Bro’s Justice League. She played Mrs Marsh in BBC Radio 4’s Little Women and has recorded more than 100 audiobooks.
Lucy-Anne Daniels is establishing herself as a standout voice on the UK jazz scene and beyond. Her impressive performance credits include appearances at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms, Duc de Lombards in Paris, and Dizzy's in New York. Growing up immersed in the vibrant worlds of gospel and jazz, Lucy-Anne is a natural storyteller and creative improviser.
Ben Dawson has earned an international reputation as a pianist and trusted recording and broadcast musician, known for his fluency and flexibility in the most diverse range of musical styles and settings. He has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras in the UK & overseas; featured on numerous film, television & advert soundtracks; written music for film; appeared on-screen in several tv series, and partnered many renowned artists across numerous genres.
Keith Lockhart is well-known to BBC audiences as the Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra from 2010-2018, and its Chief Guest Conductor for the following two years. He has been the Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra for nearly 30 years, and the Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Center for 17 years, and has conducted many of the world's great orchestras. Gershwin is one of his greatest passions, and this project was very close to his heart.
Andrew McCaldon won the Richard Imison Award for Benny & Hitch. His work includes the BAFTA-winning Ten Pieces films, shows for the BBC Singers and BBC orchestras, and a series of acclaimed Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, all combining music and drama. His other work includes: Abracadopera! (English National Opera / Sky Arts), I Am Trumpet (Southbank Centre) and Another Star to Steer By (Brighton Festival).
Director, Tracey Neale
Producers, Neil Varley & Tracey Neale
Foley Artist, Alison Craig
Sound Design, Chris Rouse & Peter Ringrose
Production Co-Ordinators, Ben Hollands, Ruth Potter and Luke MacGregor
SUN 22:00 Ultimate Calm (m0024qxk)
Ólafur Arnalds: Series 3
Relax and flow with river-inspired music ft. Nanna
Icelandic composer and pianist Ólafur Arnalds goes with the flow in this episode, with a selection of relaxing music inspired by rivers, and the change they can represent in ourselves. He’ll play music by Brian Eno, KMRU and Sophia Subbayya Vastek, and share thoughts on the river systems and glaciers in the landscape around him in Iceland.
Plus fellow Icelander Nanna brings us along to her safe haven. Nanna is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, formerly part of the indie folk band Of Monsters and Men, and now writes a lot of her own solo material in a cabin outside Reykjavik. We join her there, beside the banks of a small river where she spends a lot of time with her dog and the birds, to hear more about what brings her ultimate calm.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 3 Unwind
SUN 23:00 The Night Tracks Mix (m001tb4v)
Christmas at Night
Hannah Peel with an immersive festive radio experience – an atmospheric half hour mix of music and seasonal sounds to conjure Christmas after dark.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m00262bm)
Illuminations
On the weekend of the winter solstice, join Elizabeth Alker with a selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists as we journey through ambient and experimental soundscapes that complement perfectly this unique moment in the year. And Elizabeth speaks with writer Melissa Harrison - author of books including ‘Homecoming: A Guided Journal to Lead You Back to Nature’ and ‘All Among The Barley’ - about the forthcoming Tune into Nature Prize that the two will help to judge and the profound connections that bind together music and the natural world.
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 23 DECEMBER 2024
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m00262bp)
Bacewicz, Baird and Respighi from Poznań
The Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, conductor Anna Duczmal-Mróz and soloists, with music by Bacewicz, Baird and Respighi. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Ancient Airs and Dances Suite no 3
Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Anna Duczmal-Mroz (conductor)
12:51 AM
Tadeusz Baird (1928-1981)
Four Love Sonnets
Jaroslaw Brek (baritone), Dorota Frackowiak-Kapala (harpsichord), Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Anna Duczmal-Mroz (conductor)
01:04 AM
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Piano Quintet no 1 arr. for orchestra
Pavel Wakarecy (piano), Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Anna Duczmal-Mroz (conductor)
01:30 AM
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Metopes - 3 poems for piano, Op 29
Jerzy Godziszewski (piano)
01:47 AM
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)
Little Suite
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
01:57 AM
Grazyna Pstrokonska-Nawratil (b. 1947)
Eternel - for soprano, boys' choir, mixed choir and orchestra (1984)
Izabella Klosinska (soprano), Cracow Philharmonic Boys' Choir, Cracow Polish Radio Choir, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit (conductor)
02:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Septet in E flat, Op 20
Moritz Roelcke (clarinet), Herve Joulain (horn), Igor Ahss (bassoon), Gwendolyn Masin (violin), Rumen Cvetkov (viola), Benedict Klockner (cello), Lars Olaf Schaper (double bass)
03:11 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Sonata no 1 in F sharp minor, Op 11
Ji-Yeong Mun (piano)
03:46 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Omnia tempus habent
Currende, Erik van Nevel (conductor)
03:51 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Capriccio-Scherzo, Op 25c (1902)
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
03:59 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sonata for violin and piano
Fanny Clamagirand (violin), Nicolas Bringuier (piano)
04:07 AM
Uuno Klami (1900-1961)
Helsinki March for orchestra
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, George de Godzinsky (conductor)
04:12 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
4 Little preludes for keyboard, BWV.939-42
Christophe Bossert (organ)
04:16 AM
Petko Stainov (1896-1977)
The Secret of the Struma River - ballad for men's choir (1931)
Gusla Men's Choir, Vassil Stefanov (conductor)
04:24 AM
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Evening in Transylvania and Swineherd's Dance, from 'Hungarian Pictures', Sz.97
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zsolt Hamar (conductor)
04:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Divertimento in F major, K.138
Camerata Zurich
04:41 AM
Jean Barriere (1705-1747)
Sonata no 10 in G major for 2 cellos
Duo Fouquet
04:51 AM
Vladimir Ruzdjak (1922-1987)
5 Folk Tunes for baritone and orchestra
Miroslav Zivkovich (baritone), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
05:00 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Arabeske in C major, Op 18
Angela Cheng (piano)
05:07 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Prague Waltzes B.99
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Robl (conductor)
05:15 AM
Giovanni Maria Trabaci (1575-1647)
2 works for Arpa Doppia
Margret Koll (arpa doppia)
05:25 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Variations on an original theme ('Enigma') Op 36
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
05:54 AM
Hilda Sehested (1858-1936)
Tre Fantasistykker (3 Fantasy pieces) (1908)
Nina Reintoft (cello), Malene Thastum (piano)
06:04 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Concerto for flute and strings in G major, Wq.169
Robert Aitken (flute), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m00261nz)
Morning classical
Petroc Trelawny presents Radio 3's award-winning classical breakfast show with music that captures the mood of the morning. Email your requests to 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk. To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast.”
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m00261p1)
The very best of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Essential Carol - introduced by a special guest
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m00261p3)
The Holly and the Ivy
Elizabeth Alker introduces performances and recordings marking Christmas tide including Bach from Hannover, the sounds of brass from Westphalia, shepherds from Spain and Corelli from Switzerland, plus differing responses to The Holly and the Ivy. Also today, specially made recordings for the programme from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, tenor Benjamin Hulett and Paul Daniel, of music by Finzi - and the BBC Singers conclude their specially recorded sequence of modern carols.
Trad:
The Holly and the Ivy (arr. John Iveson)
Brass Consort Koln
Gerald Finzi
Dies Natalis
Benjamin Hulett (tenor)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Paul Daniel (conductor)
Malcolm Arnold
Holly and the Ivy: Fantasy on Christmas Carols
BBC Concert Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth (conductor)
Joachim Rodrigo
3 Villancicos No. 1 Pastorcito Santo
3 Villancicos No. 2 Copillas de Belen
Alessandro Fisher (tenor)
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
Engelbert Humperdinck
A Hansel and Gretel Suite
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
BBC SINGERS CAROLS 4/4
James Whitbourn
The Magi’s Dream
Iain Farrington
Nova!
BBC Singers
Owain Park (Principal Guest Conductor)
Tom Winpenny (organ)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata No. 1 from the ‘Christmas Oratorio’ BWV 248:1
“Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage”
Lydia Teuscher (soprano)
Hugh Cutting (countertenor)
Andrew Haji (tenor)
Kostantin Krimmel (bass)
NDR Chorus
NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Labadie (conductor)
c1500
Claude Debussy:
La boîte á joujoux (orch. André Caplet)
Majella Stockhausen-Riegelbauer (piano)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)
Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto grosso No. 8 in G minor Op. 6 No. 8 ('Fatto per la notte di natale')
Musikkollegium Winterher
Gábor Tákacs-Nagy (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live"
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m00261p5)
Christmas in Latvia
Welcome to Riga
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence. Today, he meets composer Rihards Dubra, samples Riga’s Christmas Markets, and hears how singing has become part of Latvia’s national identity, particularly at Christmas time.
trad.: Kaladô (arr. J. Vaivods)
Amy Voorhees, soprano
Valerie Jeannin, mezzo-soprano
San Antonio Chamber Choir, conducted by Richard Bjella
Dubra: Duo Seraphim
Royal Holloway Choir, conducted by Rupert Gough
Dubra: In Nativitate Domini (excerpts)
Viesturs Jansons, Tenor
New York Latvian Concert Choir
Youth Choir ‘Balsis’
New Chamber Orchestra of Riga, conducted by Andrejs Jansons
anon.: Res est admirabilis
Schola Cantorum Riga, directed by Guntars Prānis
Dubra: Te Deum
State Choir of Latvia
Riga Dome Choir School Girls' Choir
Riga Dome Boys' Choir
Youth Choir ‘Balsis’
Youth Choir Kamer
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Māris Sirmais
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week"
MON 17:00 Christmas with Gareth Malone (m00261p7)
As Christmas approaches, choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone chooses an eclectic mix of seasonal music to put the tinsel into your evening, bringing festive cheer as you wind down at the end of the day. Expect sleigh bells, wassailing, yuletide brass, and of course some finely sung carols along the way, in the first of two special programmes for Christmas.
In today's programme, Gareth is joined by conductor, harpsichordist and director of Chineke! Voices, Joseph McHardy. Also dropping in will be composer and former Kings Singer BIll Ives, hot foot from hearing his new carol being rehearsed in King's College Chapel, Cambridge, in preparation for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve.
To listen using most smart speakers, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play "Christmas with Malone"
Producer: Helen Garrison
MON 19:00 Christmas at Ronnie's (m00261p9)
Georgia Mann returns to the legendary London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s for more festive fun, as Giacomo Smith's Big Band presentsThe Nutcracker Suite - Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's jazz interpretation of Tchaikovsky's seasonal masterpiece - alongside some Christmas favourites.
Italian-American clarinettist and saxophonist, Giacomo Smith, has made London his home for over a decade. It was witnessing the talent and creative spirit of the capital's jazz scene that inspired him to form Kansas Smitty's back in 2012. This seventeen-piece big band represents a new sound for Smitty's, inspired by ‘The Duke's’ music, and packed full of London’s top Jazz players, they bring bags of Christmas cheer to the world-famous jazz club in it's 65th year. Plus Ronnie Scott's Artistic Director James Pearson shares some of his favourite festive jazz recordings.
Line-up:
James Davison, Laura Jurd, Pete Horsfall, Enrico Tommaso (trumpets)
Daniel Higham, Joe Evans, James Wade (trombones)
Giacomo Smith (leader, clarinet), Alec Harper, Alex Garnett, Jessamy Holder, Alex Western-King (saxophones)
Joe Webb (piano)
Anders Fjellsteld (bass)
Snorre Kirk (drums)
Guests - Rhys Lewis (vocals), Alex Boulton (guitar)
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Christmas at Ronnie's"
MON 20:30 Drama on 3 (m00261pc)
Guys and Dolls at Christmas
Music from Frank Loesser's musical interweaves with two seasonal tales from Guys and Dolls writer Damon Runyon, performed by Jamie Parker, who played Sky Masterson in the 2015 London production.
Dancing Dan's Christmas: Christmas Eve at Goodtime Charlie's speak-easy and a stick-up-em merchant is struck by the spirit of Christmas.
Three Wise Guys: Three mobsters on a job in the country find themselves following a star, which leads them to a stable...
'What are you doing New Year's Eve?' by Frank Loesser, performed by Jamie Parker (vocal) and Peter Ringrose (piano)
Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced by Emma Harding, BBC Audio Drama Wales
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m00261pf)
Meditative music for late night solace
Hannah Peel presents a sparkling and immersive soundtrack of music for the nights before Christmas, from Ice music to festive folk, and electronics to medieval carols.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m00261ph)
Samara Joy'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.
Vocalist Samara Joy is one of the brightest stars in US contemporary jazz. She's also no stranger to Christmas music, having released a collection of seasonal songs herself. She begins with a holiday favourite by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, featuring Cécile McLorin-Salvant.
Plus, there's Christmas cuts by Amanda Whiting, Ezra Collective, Jacob Collier, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett and many others.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2024
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m00261pk)
Bach's Christmas Cantatas from Lausanne Cathedral
Michael Hofstetter conducts Concerto Köln with soloists and the Tölz Boys' Choir in cantatas nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6 from JS Bach's Christmas Oratorio at the Lausanne Bach Festival. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no 1, from 'Christmas Oratorio, BWV.248'
Aco Bisćević (tenor), Ludwig Mittelhammer (baritone), Tölz Boys' Choir, Concerto Köln, Michael Hofstetter (conductor)
12:58 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no 2, from 'Christmas Oratorio, BWV.248'
Aco Bisčević (tenor), Ludwig Mittelhammer (baritone), Tölz Boys' Choir, Concerto Köln, Michael Hofstetter (conductor)
01:27 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no 3, from 'Christmas Oratorio, BWV.248'
Aco Bisčević (tenor), Ludwig Mittelhammer (baritone), Tölz Boys' Choir, Concerto Köln, Michael Hofstetter (conductor)
01:52 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no 6, from 'Christmas Oratorio, BWV.248'
Aco Bisčević (tenor), Ludwig Mittelhammer (baritone), Tölz Boys' Choir, Concerto Köln, Michael Hofstetter (conductor)
02:17 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Keyboard Sonata in A minor Wq 57 no 2
Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)
02:26 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Presto from Sonata for violin solo no 1 in G minor, BWV.1001
Hilary Hahn (violin)
02:31 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Lieutenant Kije - suite for orchestra, Op 60
Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Verbitsky (conductor)
02:53 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
25 Variations and fugue on a theme by G F Handel for piano, Op 24
Simon Trpceski (piano)
03:18 AM
Marcel Samuel-Rousseau (1882-1955)
Variations Pastorales sur un vieux Noel
Erica Goodman (harp), Amadeus Ensemble
03:28 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Concerto grosso in G minor, Op 6 no 8, 'per la notte di Natale'
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
03:43 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Quatre motets pour le temps de Noel
Tallinn Music High School Chamber Choir, Evi Eespere (director)
03:53 AM
Marcel Dupre (1886-1971)
Variations on "Adeste Fideles"
Tong-Soon Kwak (organ)
04:02 AM
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)
Sonata in G major, Op 6 no 6
Karl Kaiser (transverse flute), Susanne Kaiser (harpsichord)
04:12 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Albumblatt in D flat major
Tine Thing Helseth (trumpet), Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
04:17 AM
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942)
Heilige Nacht, Op 2 no 2
Jean Stilwell (mezzo soprano), Robert Kortgaard (piano)
04:20 AM
John Ireland (1879-1962)
The Holy boy
BBC Concert Orchestra, David Hill (conductor)
04:23 AM
Mel Torme, Irving Berlin (1888-1989), Hugh Martin (1944-2011), arr. Howard Cable
Christmas Medley: The Christmas Song / White Christmas / Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Louis Quilico (baritone), Gino Quilico (baritone), Toronto Children's Chorus, Judy Loman (harp), Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jean Ashworth Bartle (conductor)
04:31 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Sir Roger de Coverley - Christmas dance, vers. string orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra, David Hill (conductor)
04:36 AM
Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
Bethlehem Down, vers. chorus
BBC Singers, BBC Concert Orchestra, David Hill (conductor)
04:42 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Trio des Ismaelites from L'enfance du Christ
Nora Shulman (flute), Virginia Markson (flute), Judy Loman (harp)
04:49 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
The Nutcracker suite, Op 71a (excerpts)
Kotaro Fukuma (piano)
04:59 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Exsultate, jubilate - motet, K.165
Ragnhild Heiland Sorensen (soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Takuo Yuasa (conductor)
05:14 AM
Anonymous
Alma Redemptoris Mater (Christmas carol)
Zefiro Torna
05:18 AM
Traditional, Anonymous
Traditional: El noi de la Mare (instr) & Anon: Ons is gheboren een uutvercoren
Zefiro Torna
05:24 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Andante spianato and grande polonaise brillante in E flat major, Op 22
Laia Genc (piano)
05:39 AM
Carlos Salzedo (1885-1961)
Concert Variations on "O Tannenbaum"
Judy Loman (harp)
05:43 AM
Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764)
Concerto for violin and string orchestra in D major, Op 10 no 3
Simon Standage (violin), Il Tempo Ensemble
05:59 AM
Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667)
Capriccio III (FbWv503)
Pavao Masic (organ)
06:04 AM
Bo Holten (b.1948)
Nowell Sing We Now
Micaela Haslam (soprano), BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
06:08 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Ma mere l'oye (Mother Goose) - ballet
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
06:26 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), arr. Dyrst
Hjemlige jul (Christmas at home)
Fionian Chamber Choir, Alice Granum (director)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m0026127)
Ease into Christmas Eve with classical music
Petroc Trelawny presents a Christmas Eve edition of Radio 3's award-winning classical breakfast show with music that captures the mood of the morning. Email your requests to 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk . To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast.”
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m0026129)
A feast of great music
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with familiar favourites alongside new discoveries and musical surprises.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Essential Carol - introduced by a special guest
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002612c)
Handel's Messiah alla Mozart
Elizabeth Alker introduces a complete performance of Handel's Messiah featuring a starry line-up of soloists alongside the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and six different choirs directed by John Butt at this year's BBC Proms.
After a shaky start in Dublin 300 years ago Handel's masterly oratorio has become one of the best loved and most frequently performed choral works in the repertory - and a firm Christmas favourite. This performance, featuring the 1789 re-orchestration by Mozart, complete with trombones, clarinets, horns and flutes, was made at this year's BBC Proms as part of 'Choral Day' and it captures all the joy and public affection that this great work inspires.
Georg Frideric Handel
Messiah (arr. Mozart)
Nardus Williams (soprano)
Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano)
Benjamin Hulett (tenor)
Ashley Riches (bass)
Philharmonia Chorus
Gavin Carr (chorus master)
Massed Choir:
Bath Minerva Choir
Fourth Choir
Jason Max Ferdinand Singers
LYC Chamber Choir
Voices of the River’s Edge
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
John Butt (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002612f)
Christmas in Latvia
Christmas Mysteries
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence. Today, he visits Riga’s central food market to discover what special dishes Latvians like to serve at Christmas Time, and he explores how different composers have engaged with the magic and mystery at the heart of the Christmas story.
Pēteris Butāns: In the Beginning was the Word
State Choir of Latvija, conducted by Māris Sirmais
Praulinš: Missa Rigensis: Credo
I Vocalisti, conducted by Hans-Joachim Lustig
Dubra: Mystery of His Birth
Ēriks Kiršfelds, cello
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Atvars Lakstīgala
Vasks: The Fruits Of Silence
Vestards Šimkus, piano
Latvian Radio Choir, conducted by Sigvards Klava,
anon.: Gaude Maria
Schola Cantorum Riga, directed by Guntars Prānis
Dubra: Hail, Queen of Heaven
State Choir of Latvia, conducted by Māris Sirmais
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week"
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002612h)
Take a break from the Christmas preparations, pour yourself something delicious, and join Gareth Malone for two hours of relaxing Christmas classical music to warm the heart and lift the spirits on a cold, dark night, in the second of two special programmes for Christmas.
Gareth's guest in today's programme is vocalist, former Swingle and composer Joanna Forbes L'Estrange, who will be talking about her love of the Festive season, her experience in performing a wide range of musical styles, and her new recording of seasonal choral music - "Winter Light".
To listen using most smart speakers, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play "Christmas with Malone"
Producer: Helen Garrison
TUE 19:00 A Hygge Christmas with Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Niall Breslin (m0026ldv)
Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Niall Breslin with calming music for Christmas Eve.
TUE 21:00 Ultimate Calm (m001thcy)
Festive sounds for winter warmth ft. The Staves
Ward off the winter cold and get cosy by the fire with a special seasonal episode of Ultimate Calm with Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. Ólafur shares a selection of tracks to transport you out of the hectic noise that comes with this time of year, and reflects on how music can be an escape. With music from the likes of Anoushka Shankar and Erland Cooper.
We’ll visit the musical safe haven of some special guests - hearing the music that Ólafur’s special guests retreat to in times of stress. Jess and Millie from English indie folk band The Staves pick a soothing song that makes them take a deep breath and gives them respite from the busy chaos of life.
Ólafur also performs a very special live version of his piano piece ‘saman’, which means 'together' in Icelandic, and shares some reflections on the quirky festive folktales of Iceland, with stories of trolls and icy darkness.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002612n)
Nocturnal music to bewitch the senses
In the last hours of Christmas Eve, Hannah Peel presents a sparkling and immersive soundtrack of festive music, from bells to traditional folk, and electronics to carols.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002612q)
Jazz on Christmas Eve
‘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.
Samara Joy is back with her second 4/4 selection, and it's another seasonal choice - this time by Stevie Wonder & Take 6.
Plus, there's more Christmas favourites by Chico Hamilton, Ella Fitzgerald, Kenny Burrell and Donny Hathaway.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2024
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002612s)
Kuhmo Chamber Music presents 'Christmas Dinner at the Brodskys' from Helsinki
Kuhmo Chamber Music recreate Christmas 1887 when Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Grieg dined together. Their chamber music is played together with new arrangements of Finnish Christmas carols. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Vivace ma non troppo, from Violin Sonata no 1 in G major, Op 78
Minna Pensola (violin), Anna Laakso (piano)
12:42 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
En etsi valtaa loistoa - We ask for nothing rich or rare, Op 1 no 4
Beata Antikainen (cello), Anna Laakso (piano)
12:45 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Allegro agitato, from Cello Sonata in A minor, Op 36
Beata Antikainen (cello), Anna Laakso (piano)
12:55 AM
Lyyli Wartiovaara-Kallioniemi (1887-1970), arr. Minna Pensola
Tonttu - Tomten the House Gnome
Anna Laakso (narrator), Minna Pensola (violin)
12:58 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Variazione finale e coda from Piano Trio in A minor, Op 50
Antti Tikkanen (violin), Beata Antikainen (cello), Anna Laakso (piano)
01:06 AM
Traditional (Silesia), arr. Minna Pensola
Maa on niin kaunis (The earth is so beautiful)
Minna Pensola (violin), Antti Tikkanen (violin), Beata Antikainen (cello)
01:10 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Symphony no 1 in G minor, Op 13 'Winter daydreams'
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pavel Semetov (conductor)
01:54 AM
Ilmari Hannikainen (1892-1955)
Ensilumi - First snow
Risto Kyro (piano)
01:58 AM
Boris Ord (1897-1961)
Adam lay ybounden - carol
Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, John Rutter (conductor)
02:00 AM
Einar Englund (1916-1999)
The White Reindeer (Valkoinen puura), suite for orchestra
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari (conductor)
02:14 AM
Ivo Parac (1890-1954)
Andante amoroso for string quartet
Zagreb Quartet
02:21 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Finlandia, Op 26
BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards (conductor)
02:31 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Act II of The Nutcracker, Op 71
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
03:13 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
He shall feed his flock (Messiah)
Marita Kvarving Solberg (soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ketil Haugsand (conductor)
03:20 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 7
Alice Burla (piano), Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Mario Venzago (conductor)
03:42 AM
Traditional German, arr. John Rutter
Still, still, still
Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, John Rutter (conductor)
03:44 AM
Traditional
Three Carols (The Holly and the Ivy; Lord Jesus hath a Garden; Fantasy on "Come All Ye Shepherds")
Brass Consort Koln
03:53 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
2 Sonatinas WoO 43/1 and WoO 44/1
Avi Avital (mandolin), Shalev Ad-El (harpsichord)
04:01 AM
Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-c.1678)
Laudate pueri - psalm
Cappella Artemisia, Maria Christina Cleary (harp), Francesca Torelli (theorbo), Bettini Hoffmann (gamba), Miranda Aureli (organ), Candace Smith (director)
04:10 AM
Petko Stainov (1896-1977)
A fir tree is bending
Vassil Arnaudov Sofia Chamber Choir, Theodora Pavlovitch (conductor)
04:13 AM
Josef Suk (1874-1935)
A Winter's tale, Op 9
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rudolf Vasata (conductor)
04:31 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Hodie: A Christmas Cantata - Prologue
Hungarian Radio Choir, Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Tamas Vasary (conductor)
04:34 AM
Karl Goldmark (1830-1915)
Ein Wintermarchen (A winter's tale), Overture
Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Ervin Lukacs (conductor)
04:44 AM
Anonymous
Jesu Cristes milde moder
Sequentia
04:50 AM
Traditional
Deck the Hall
Les chanteurs de Saint-Coeur-de-Marie, Richard Pare (harpsichord), Claude Gosselin (conductor)
04:52 AM
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944)
Concerto for Violin and Horn in A major: 1st mvt
Anna Agafia Egholm (violin), Tillmann Hofs (horn), Alice Burla (piano)
05:04 AM
Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709)
Concerto a quattro in forma Pastorale per il Santo Natale, Op 8 no 6
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
05:10 AM
Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)
Introduction and variations on a Polish Noel
Michael Dudman (organ)
05:13 AM
Peter Cornelius (1824-1874), arr. Ivor Atkins
Three Kings
Russell Braun (baritone), Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, John Rutter (conductor)
05:16 AM
Traditional
Noel Nouvelet
Zefiro Torna
05:19 AM
Vitazoslav Kubicka (b. 1953)
Winter Stories from the Forest, Op 251, symphonic suite
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Kokos (conductor)
05:33 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata no 2 in B flat minor, Op 35
Zheeyoung Moon (piano)
05:56 AM
Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
Cantata: Lauft, ihr Hirten allzugleich (Run ye shepherds, to the light)
Salzburger Hofmusik, Wolfgang Brunner (director)
06:05 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
A Ceremony of Carols, Op 28
Polyphonia, Ivelin Dimitrov (conductor), Ivelina Ivancheva (piano)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m0026119)
Sunrise classical on Christmas Day
Hannah French presents a Christmas Day edition of Radio 3's award-winning classical breakfast show with music that captures the mood of the morning. Email your requests to 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast.”
WED 09:30 Christmas Morning Live (m002611c)
Whether you’re celebrating with family or spending the time on your own, your host, Petroc Trelawny, has assembled the perfect selection of festive guests to brighten and enliven your morning with great music and heart-warming moments.
Live music includes carols from members of Holy Trinity, Sloane Square choir, pianist Alexandra Dariescu offers new discoveries and rarely-heard seasonal music by composers including Imogen Holst, Cecile Chaminade and Tchaikovsky, and jazzer Charlie Pyne sprinkles a bit of tinsel and glitter on Christmas standards.
There will also be classical favourites, music that celebrates the Christmas from across the UK, and listeners will be able to message the show to request seasonal music of their choice for Christmas morning.
WED 13:00 A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (m002611f)
Christmas 2024
A service of carols, hymns and readings live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge.
Processional: Once in royal David's City (Irby, descant Ledger)
Bidding Prayer (read by the Dean)
Sussex Carol (arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams)
First lesson: Genesis 3 vv. 8-19 (read by a Chorister)
Adam lay ybounden (Matthew Martin)
Second lesson: Genesis 22 vv. 15-19 (read by a College student)
Nowell, nowell, nowell (Elizabeth Maconchy)
Third lesson: Isaiah 9 vv. 2, 6-7 (read by a member of College staff)
A great and mighty wonder (arr. James Whitbourn)
It came upon the midnight clear (descant John Scott)
Fourth lesson: Isaiah 11 vv. 1-9 (read by the Master over the Choristers)
The Lamb (John Tavener)
Gabriel’s message (Basque trad., arr. Willcocks)
Fifth lesson: Luke 1 vv. 26-38 (read by a Fellow)
Ave Regina Caelorum (Orlandus Lassus)
Nativity Carol (John Rutter)
Sixth lesson: Luke 2 vv. 1-7 (read by the Mayor of Cambridge)
Hereford Carol (arr. Christopher Robinson)
While shepherds watched (Este's Psalter, descant Nicholas Marston)
Seventh lesson: Luke 2 vv. 8-20 (read by the Director of Music)
Three Points of Light (Grayston Ives) - 2024 Commission
I saw three ships (Simon Preston)
Eighth lesson: Matthew 2 vv. 1-12 (read by the Vice-Provost)
Lullay, dear Jesus (Polish, arr. Arnold Bax)
Benedicamus Domino (Peter Warlock)
Ninth lesson: John 1 vv. 1-14 (read by the Provost)
O come, all ye faithful (Adeste Fideles, arr. Willcocks, Daniel Hyde)
Collect and Blessing
Hark, the herald angels sing (Mendelssohn, arr. Willcocks)
Organ voluntaries:
In dulci jubilo, BWV 729 (Bach)
Final from Symphonie VI (L Vierne)
The Revd. Dr. Stephen Cherry, Dean
Daniel Hyde, Director of Music
The Revd. Dr Mary Kells, Chaplain
Harrison Cole, Assisting Organist
For millions listening around the world, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, marks the beginning of Christmas. The service is based around nine Bible readings which tell the story of the loving purposes of God. They are interspersed with carols old and new, sung by the world-famous Chapel choir who also lead the congregation in traditional Christmas hymns.
A new work has been commissioned for the Christmas Eve service every year since 1983, and this year Grayston Ives has set a poem by Peter Cairns, a choral scholar at King's in the 1960s - 'Three Points of Light.' The composer writes - 'The Star in the East is well known as an integral part of the Christmas story. But the poem extends that idea of light: the shepherd's fire, and the glow from the inn. It conjures a compelling picture of the birth of Jesus, viewed from an unusual angle. The music aims to reflect the atmosphere of that scene: the cold, the stillness, the drama, and the joy.'
Pieces by other living composers such as Matthew Martin and John Rutter, sit alongside music by their mainly twentieth century peers such as Arnold Bax, Elizabeth Maconchy, Peter Warlock, John Tavener and Simon Preston. A number of the descants and arrangements are by musicians with a particular King's association, including Nicholas Marston (the current Praelector and Director of Studies in Music), David Willcocks, Philip Ledger and Daniel Hyde. An arrangement by James Whitbourn, who died in March, marks his contribution over a number of years to the Festival.
Producer: Philip Billson. A BBC Audio North production for Radio 4.
WED 15:00 BBC Proms (m00262ll)
Proms at Christmas 2024
Prom 60: Late Night with Eric Whitacre
BBC Proms 2024: Eric Whitacre conducts the world premiere of Eternity in an Hour with the BBC Singers, Christopher Glynn, Nick Lisher and 12 Ensemble.
Presented by Martin Handley, from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Eric Whitacre: Eternity in an Hour, BBC co-commission: world premiere
Christopher Glynn, piano
Lesjamusic, electronics
12 Ensemble
BBC Singers
Eric Whitacre, conductor/electronics
William Blake’s great poem pitting childlike wonder and naivety against adult maturity and experience, Auguries of Innocence, contains the resonant line ‘eternity in an hour’. Eric Whitacre, whose apparently weightless music is often said to stop time, takes that line as the title for his Proms commission, receiving its world premiere at this Late Night Prom. Expect shimmering beauty and heavenly harmonies as Whitacre himself conducts the BBC Singers and an ensemble of strings, piano and electronics.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002611j)
Christmas in Latvia
Christmas Joy
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence, and where singing is part of the national identity. Today he speaks to composer, Uģis Prauliņš about how his early experiences as a rock musician now informs his work as a choral composer. Donald also learns about the special way Latvians like to mark this time of year, mixing traditional Christian celebrations alongside ancient pagan customs and folk music honouring ‘Ziemassvētki’ or Winter Solstice.
Dubra: Hodie Christus natus est
Royal Holloway Choir, directed by Rupert Gough
Vasks: Missa for Mixed Choir and String Orchestra, II. Gloria
State Choir of Latvia
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Māris Sirmais,
Trad. Budēlīša Ziemassvētki / A Mummer's Christmas (excerpts)
Boston Latvian Choir, directed by Krisīte Skare
Praulinš: Cantate Domino
Anna-Maria Hefele, vocals
I Vocalisti, conducted by Hans-Joachim Lustig
Praulinš: Ziemsvetki Jaunaja Pasaule / Latvian Solstice in the New World
Laila Liepiņa, soprano
Elīna Seile, mezzo-soprano
Ints Teterovskis, baritone
New York Latvian Concert Choir
Youth Choir Balsis
New Chamber Orchestra of Riga, conducted by Andrejs Jansons
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week"
WED 17:00 Words and Music (m000cm54)
Bah! Humbug!
Dominic West (The Crown) and Ruth Bradley (Slow Horses) let out their inner Grinch's to explore the challenging aspects of Christmas: useless presents, tedious board games, relentless relatives, and excruciating office parties to name just a few. We'll hear from Bridget Jones, Dr Seuss, Reginald, Philip Larkin, George Bernard Shaw, and the most infamous Christmas grump of all, Ebenezer Scrooge: but will the Christmas Spirit win out in the end? Featuring music by Sufjan Stevens, Kate Rusby, James Horner, Richard Addinsell, and a host of festive favourites.
Readings:
The Devils Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr Seuss
Letter to Judy Egerton - Philip Larkin
A Christmas Poem - Wendy Cope
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Music in London - George Bernard Shaw
Bridget Jones Diary - Helen Fielding
Reginald on Christmas Presents - Saki
Christmas in Bournemouth - Jonathan Raban
Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind from As You Like It - Shakespeare
The 1981 Night Before Christmas - Frank Jacobs
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr Seuss
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Producer: Ruth Thomson
WED 18:15 BBC Proms (m00262lp)
Proms at Christmas 2024
Prom 54: Beethoven for Three
Live at the BBC Proms: Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma perform Brahms' Piano Trio in C major, Op. 87 and Beethoven's ‘Archduke’ trio, Op. 97.
Presented by Hannah French, from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Brahms: Piano Trio in C major, Op. 87
Beethoven: Piano Trio in B flat major ‘Archduke’, Op. 97
Emanuel Ax (piano)
Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
Yo‐Yo Ma (cello)
Three stellar soloists come together to form a classical supergroup. Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma have enjoyed a partnership stretching back a decade and now they lavish their vast gifts and experience on an programme of chamber music. Together they perform Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C major alongside some of Beethoven’s best-loved chamber music repertoire: his Op. 97 piano trio, nicknamed ‘Archduke’.
WED 20:00 BBC Proms (m00262lr)
Proms at Christmas 2024
Prom 70: Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
BBC Proms 2024: The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Jaime Martín perform Bacewicz and Prokofiev. Nemanja Radulović is soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.
Presented by Martin Handley, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Bacewicz: Overture
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35
Prokofiev: A Selection of Movements from Romeo and Juliet
Nemanja Radulović (violin)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jaime Martín (conductor)
Sergey Prokofiev hoped his musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet would have ‘immediate appeal yet sound like nothing written before’. Even now, his score delivers on both fronts, showing the composer’s gift for melody and his ability to reconcile his music’s hard edge with a soft, romantic core. Jaime Martín conducts dramatic highlights from Prokofiev’s ballet score after charismatic Franco-Serbian soloist Nemanja Radulović sets off fireworks in the ultimate Romantic violin concerto. And, to begin, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales unleashes the strident energies of Grażyna Bacewicz’s thrilling Overture, which quotes the famous ‘V for Victory’ motif from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002611q)
Bewitching sounds for after dark
Hannah Peel presents a sparkling and immersive soundtrack for Christmas Day, with an eclectic mix of music, from traditional folk to carols, and relaxing classics and electronics.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002611s)
Moonlight Sleighride
'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.
Samara Joy is spending the week picking pieces of music from her record collection in 4/4. The US singer's third selection, is by the saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins.
Plus, there's seasonal tracks from Joe Pass, Béla Fleck, Robert Glasper, Anita Baker, Dave Brubeck and José James.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2024
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002611v)
Conductor Andrew Manze and violist Tabea Zimmermann in Berlin
Walton's Viola Concerto and Elgar's First Symphony performed with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
William Walton (1902-1983)
Viola Concerto
Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze (conductor)
12:57 AM
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Rasendes Zeitmass, from Viola Sonata, Op 25 no 1
Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
12:59 AM
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881)
Capriccio
Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
01:03 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Symphony no 1 in A flat major, Op 55
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Manze (conductor)
01:56 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto for violin, harpsichord and orchestra in C minor, BWV 1060
Andrew Manze (violin), Richard Egarr (harpsichord), Risor Festival Strings, Andrew Manze (director)
02:10 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
6 Little sonatas for 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns and bassoon (Wq.184)
Bratislava Chamber Harmony
02:31 AM
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Excerpts from ’Gradus ad Parnassum’
Michele Campanella (piano)
02:54 AM
Ceslovas Sasnauskas (1867-1916)
Requiem
Inesa Linaburgyte (mezzo soprano), Algirdas Janutas (tenor), Vladimiras Prudnikovas (bass), Kaunas State Choir, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Petras Bingelis (conductor)
03:28 AM
Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (1770-1846)
Befiehl du deine Wege (Chorale and Variations)
Kees van Eersel (organ)
03:40 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)
03:48 AM
Johannes Verhulst (1816-1891)
Lied van bloemen, Op 26 no 2 (Flower song)
Nico van der Meel (tenor), Leo van Doeselaar (fortepiano)
03:52 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Trio in B flat D.471
Trio AnPaPie
04:00 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Concerto Grosso in F major, Op 6 no 2, HWV 320
European Union Baroque Orchestra, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
04:13 AM
John Field (1782-1837)
Andante inédit in E flat major
Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano)
04:20 AM
Nils Lindberg (1933-2022)
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day
Swedish Radio Chorus, Lone Larsen (director)
04:24 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Waltz (Faust)
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Borge Wagner (conductor)
04:31 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Song to the Moon from Rusalka, Op 114
Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kamirski (conductor)
04:37 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Sonata Polonaise in A minor for violin, viola and continuo TWV 42
La Stagione Frankfurt
04:45 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo in A minor K.511
Fou Ts'ong (piano)
04:55 AM
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Bajka (The fairy tale) - concert overture
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit (conductor)
05:09 AM
Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Violin Concerto no 1
Piotr Plawner (violin), Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra Katowice, Michal Klauza (conductor)
05:35 AM
Henryk Gorecki (1933-2010)
Totus tuus, Op 60
Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (director)
05:45 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Arpeggione Sonata, D.821
Andrej Petrac (cello), Alenka Scek-Lorenz (piano)
06:07 AM
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745)
Sinfonia concertante a 8, ZWV 189
Katharina Heutjer (violin), Xenia Loffler (oboe), Gabriele Gombi (bassoon), La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basle, Maurice Steger (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m00262f1)
Boost your Boxing Day morning with classical
Hannah French presents a Boxing Day edition of Radio 3's award-winning classical breakfast show with music that captures the mood of the morning. Email your requests to 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast.”
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m00262f3)
Your perfect classical playlist
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with familiar favourites alongside new discoveries and musical surprises.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m00262f5)
Bach, Wagner and Prokofiev plus music for the big screen.
Elizabeth Alker with an afternoon of performances for Boxing Day - occasional music from Bach; Faure and Prokofiev casting an ear on childhood; family time with the Wagners - plus a pot pourri of classic film favourites from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Frank Bridge
Sir Roger de Coverley - Christmas dance (version for string orchestra)
BBC Concert Orchestra
David Hill (cconductor)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata No. 2 from the ‘Christmas Oratorio’ BWV 248:2 (for the 26th December)
“Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend “
Lydia Teuscher (soprano)
Hugh Cutting (countertenor)
Andrew Haji (tenor)
Kostantin Krimmel (bass)
NDR Chorus
NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Bernard Labadie (conductor)
Malcom Arnold
Whistle Down The Wind (1961) - Suite
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Ben Palmer (conductor)
Dmitri Tiomkin:
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) - Suite
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Ben Palmer (conductor)
Richard Wagner
Siegfried Idyll
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Paul Daniel (conductor)
Fanny Mendelssohn
String Quartet in Eb
Chaos Quartet
Gabriel Faure:
Dolly Suite Op. 56
Steven Osborne (piano)
Paul Lewis (piano)
c1500
Sergei Prokofiev:
Symphony No. 7 in C# minor
Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Ilan Volkov (conductor)
Harry Gregson-Williams
The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)- ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ - Suite
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Ben Palmer (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m00262f7)
Christmas in Latvia
Winter Lights
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence. Today he explores the theme of ‘light’ with composer, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and watches a winter sunset over the Daugava river with singer and folklorist, Ilona Dzērve.
Ešenvalds: In the bleak midwinter
The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, directed by Philip Barnes
Ešenvalds: Stars
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, directed by Stephen Layton
Ešenvalds: Northern Lights
Jamie Roberts, tenor
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, directed by Stephen Layton
Ešenvalds: Rivers of Light
Hannah King, soprano
Jonathan Pacey, bass
Zane Šmite, jaw harp
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Layton
Vitols: The Dwarves and the Old Man of the Forest
Latvian Radio Choir, directed by Kaspars Putniņš
Vasks: Plainscapes (extract)
Mari Samuelsen, violin
Hakon Samuelsen, cello
Voces8
Vasks: Piedzimšana / Birth
Kamēr Youth Choir, conducted by Māris Sirmais
Trad. Pūtiet guni
Latvian Voices
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week."
THU 17:00 New Generation Artists (m00262f9)
Winter Showcase Episode 1
Georgia Mann celebrates the prodigious musical talents of the current members of Radio 3's young artist scheme.
In this first Winter Showcase, the award-winning Scots jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie improvises on a favourite Schubert song as played by the Chaos Quartet. Also from that series of concerts, recorded at the Britten Studio in Suffolk, the Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia gives a sublimely intimate performance of Bach's First Cello Suite. Also today, the eloquent violin of Geneva Lewis in one of Mozart's joyful violin sonatas and the pianist Giorgi Gigashvili in one of the more tender of Olivier Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus. And to start, Ryan Corbett reveals a wealth of colours in his transcription for accordion of a keyboard work by Felix Mendelssohn.
Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso in E, Op 14
Ryan Corbett (accordion)
Mozart: Violin Sonata No 18 in G major, K 301
Geneva Lewis (violin), Georgijs Osokins (piano)
Schubert: Die Taubenpost D.957
Schubert: An den Mond D193
James Atkinson (baritone), Hamish Brown (piano)
Bach: Cello Suite in G major BWV 1007
Santiago Cañón-Valencia (cello)
Schubert / McCreadie: Du bist die Ruh D.776 and Improvisation
Fergus McCreadie (piano), Chaos Quartet
Messiaen: Le baiser de l'Enfant-Jésus from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus
Giorgi Gigashvili (piano)
Emma Rawicz: Viridan
Emma Rawicz (saxophone)
with Scottie Thomson (piano), Freddie Jensen ( bass), Marc Michel (drums)
The BBC New Generation Artists scheme was founded in 1999 to support some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists, singers and ensembles at the start of their international careers, through performance and broadcast opportunities. The distinguished list of alumni now numbers well over a hundred, among them many of the most exciting musicians working on the world stage today.
THU 18:15 Words and Music (m001sn2h)
Maria Callas and the power of singing
La Divina, as the American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas was dubbed, is now the subject of a biographical film starring Angelina Jolie, which is hotly tipped for film awards. Today's Words and Music is threaded through with performances of Callas as we celebrate singing with excerpts from operas by Verdi, Puccini and Tosca alongside songs performed by Lisa O'Neil, Andreas Scholl and William Warfield. We'll hear Maria Callas herself talking about the sense of duty that came with her attitude to singing, and how she felt about those she described as her 'enemies'; plus passages from the biography of her written by Lyndsy Spence - Cast a Diva: The Hidden Life of Maria Callas. Our readers are Clarke Peters and Anastasia Hille.
Producer: Georgia Mann
READINGS:
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman
Everyone Sang by Siegfried Sassoon
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Extract from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Extract from Number 13 by M.R James
Extract from The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E.V Rieu
Extract from Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats
Extracts from Casta Diva: The hidden Life of Maria Callas by Lyndsy Spence
The Fair Singer by Andrew Marvell
Extract from The Dubliners by James Joyce
In the House of the Voice of Maria Callas by Steven Orlen
THU 19:30 BBC Proms (m00262lw)
Proms at Christmas 2024
Prom 72: Mozart, Farrenc and Beethoven’s 'Eroica' Symphony
BBC Proms 2024: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Antonello Manacorda conducting in symphonies by Mozart, Louise Farrenc and Beethoven - his 'Eroica'.
Presented by Ian Skelly, from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Mozart: Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, K16
Louise Farrenc: Symphony No. 3 in G minor
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, 'Eroica'
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Conductor Antonello Manacorda
Longer, louder and more arresting than any music that had gone before it, Beethoven’s 'Eroica' Symphony left audiences dumbfounded at its first performance in 1805. Over two centuries later, its ideals of liberty, endurance and fortitude remain undimmed. Played on the period instruments of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Beethoven’s pivotal symphony will appear fresh-minted under Antonello Manacorda. He begins with a perky little number by the 8-year-old Mozart and continues with the intensity, power and momentum of the Symphony No. 3 by 19th-century France’s compositional trailblazer, Louise Farrenc.
THU 21:15 The Lebrecht Interview (m00262ff)
Sir David Pountney in conversation with Norman Lebrecht
Norman Lebrecht in conversation with opera and theatre director Sir David Pountney, one of the most significant creative forces in British music in modern times.
Internationally renowned for his productions of rarely performed operas and new productions of classic works, he has also directed over ten world premières, including three by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, and has translated opera librettos into English from Russian, Czech, German, and Italian.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m00262fh)
A meditative moonlight soundtrack
Hannah Peel presents an immersive soundtrack for Boxing Day, with an eclectic mix of traditional folk and new music, relaxing classics and electronics, plus wintery ice sounds.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m00262fk)
BADBADNOTGOOD on Boxing Day
'Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
US vocalist Samara Joy has been selecting her favourite tracks all week in 4/4. Her final choice is by Ron Carter and Rosa Passos.
Samara's latest album Portrait, is out now.
Plus, there's music from Mike Lindup, Mary Osborne and Muriel Grossman.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER 2024
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m00262fm)
Beethoven, Smetana & Schubert piano trios at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in Austria
Violinist Tobias Feldmann, cellist Harriet Krijgh and pianist Lauma Skride perform trios by Beethoven, Smetana and Schubert at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in Austria. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Trio no 5 in D major, Op 70 no 1 'Ghost'
Tobias Feldmann (violin), Harriet Krijgh (cello), Lauma Skride (piano)
12:55 AM
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 15
Tobias Feldmann (violin), Harriet Krijgh (cello), Lauma Skride (piano)
01:23 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Trio no 1 in B flat major, D.898
Tobias Feldmann (violin), Harriet Krijgh (cello), Lauma Skride (piano)
02:03 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Lied ohne Worte, Op 53 no 2
Tobias Feldmann (violin), Harriet Krijgh (cello), Lauma Skride (piano)
02:07 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture (1880 version)
ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pinchas Steinberg (conductor)
02:27 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Variation on a waltz by Diabelli, D.718
Andreas Staier (piano)
02:31 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Missa Osculetur me
Royal Academy of Music Chamber Choir, Royal Academy of Music Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, Patrick Russill (conductor)
02:55 AM
Robert de Visee (c.1655-1733)
Suite no 9 in D minor
Komale Akakpo (cimbalom)
03:03 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Etudes: Book 2
Roger Woodward (piano)
03:29 AM
Unico Wilhelm Van Wassenaer (1692-1766)
Concerto no 4 in G major (from Sei Concerti Armonici 1740)
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend (conductor)
03:40 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Pamina's aria: "Ach, ich fuhl's, es ist verschwunden" from 'The Magic Flute'
Irma Urrila (soprano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu (conductor)
03:44 AM
Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda (1801-1866)
Morceau de salon, Op 228
Alexei Ogrintchouk (oboe), Cedric Tiberghien (piano)
03:54 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Les Franc-juges Op 3 (Overture)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, John Nelson (conductor)
04:06 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for flute in D major RV.428, 'Il Gardellino'
Karl Kaiser (flute), Camerata Koln
04:18 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), arr. Andres Segovia
Asturias (Suite española, Op 47) (1887)
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar)
04:25 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Allegro vivace ma non troppo in C major, Op 83 no 7
Moshe Hammer (violin), Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cello), William Tritt (piano)
04:31 AM
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783)
Arminio, Overture
Berlin Academy for Early Music, Ekkehard Hering (oboe), Wolfgang Kube (oboe), Andrew Joy (horn), Rainier Jurkiewicz (horn), Stephan Mai (director)
04:37 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Norwegian Dance no 1 for piano duet, Op 35
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Havard Gimse (piano)
04:44 AM
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Quintet in F major for flute, oboe, violin, viola and continuo, Op 11 no 3
Wilbert Hazelzet (flute), Les Adieux
04:53 AM
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967)
Pange lingua
Chamber Choir of Pecs, Istvan Ella (organ), Aurel Tillai (conductor)
05:06 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for organ in C major, BWV.529
Julian Gembalski (organ)
05:21 AM
Dorothy Howell (1898-1982)
Two Pieces for Muted Strings
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Michael Collins (conductor)
05:31 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Piano Concerto no 2 in F major, Op 102
Patrik Jablonski (piano), Polish Radio Orchestra, Warsaw, Wojciech Rajski (conductor)
05:52 AM
Francois-Adrien Boieldieu (1775-1834)
Aria: Viens, gentille dame from 'La Dame blanche'
Mark Dubois (tenor), Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Raffi Armenian (conductor)
05:59 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 4 in A major 'Italian', Op 90
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m00262rn)
Start the day right with classical music
Hannah French presents Radio 3's award-winning classical breakfast show with the Friday poem and music that captures the mood of the morning. Email your requests to 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk. To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast.”
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m00262rq)
Great classical music for your morning
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, featuring new discoveries, some musical surprises and plenty of familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m00262rs)
Hansel and Gretel
Elizabeth Alker puts childhood at the heart of today's programme with a complete performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's magical operatic evocation of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, recorded at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2008.
Engelbert Humperdinck
Hansel and Gretel (An opera in 3 acts)
Hansel ..... Angelika Kirchschlager (mezzo-soprano)
Gretel ..... Diana Damrau (soprano)
Gertrud ..... Elizabeth Connell (soprano)
Peter .....Thomas Allen (baritone)
Witch ..... Anja Silja (soprano)
Sandman/Echo ..... Pumeza Matshikiza (soprano)
Dew Fairy/Echo ..... Anita Watson (soprano)
Tiffin Boys' Choir
Tiffin Children's Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Colin Davis (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m00262rv)
Christmas in Latvia
Christmas Hope
Donald Macleod visits the city of Riga to experience the seasonal music and Christmas traditions of Latvia – a country overflowing with choral excellence, and where singing is part of the national identity. Today, Donald discovers how music and singing has helped sustain Latvia’s population in the face of oppression, and how Latvian composers have been inspired by hope – for the coming of Christ in the Christmas story, and for peace on earth at Christmas time.
Praulinš: Mass and Interludes “L'homme armé”: Hosanna in excelsis
Uģis Prauliņš, synthesiser
Jānis Pelše, organ
Kaspars Majors, sackbut
Vairis Nartišs, sackbut
Ars Antiqua Riga ,directed by Pēteris Vaickovskis
Ešenvalds: O Emmanuel
Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, directed by Stephen Layton
Vitols: Gaismas Pils / Castle of Light
Massed choirs of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.
Praulinš: Mass and Interludes “L'homme armé”: Pater sanctificetur
Uģis Prauliņš synthesiser
Jānis Pelše, organ
Kaspars Majors, sackbut
Vairis Nartišs, sackbut
Ars Antiqua Riga, directed by Pēteris Vaickovskis,
Vasks: String Quartet No. 3: I. Moderato
Spīķeru String Quartet
Ešenvalds A Christmas Legend / Ziemassvētku leģenda
Renārs Kaupers, singer
Jānis Apeinis, singer
Valdis Muktupāvels, singer
Rihards Zaļupe, percussionist
Kamēr Youth Choir, conducted by Māris Sirmais
Produced for BBC Audio, Wales by Chris Taylor
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week."
FRI 17:00 New Generation Artists (m00262rx)
Winter Showcase Episode 2
Georgia Mann continues her winter series showcasing Radio 3's New Generation Artists by introducing the violinist Hana Chang, the Kleio Quartet and tenor Santiago Sanchez.
The American violinist Hana Chang chose Elgar's sonata of 1918, as the work to record at her first BBC studio recording. And a few days later, the UK-based Kleio Quartet chose for their first studio recording a quartet by Dvorak with a slow movement described as "one of the loveliest and most profound slow movements in Dvorak's creation. And in between those, the Uruguayan-born tenor Santiago Sanchez brings some South American warmth to the studio with two of Alberto Ginastera's Canciones populares argentinas.
Elgar: Violin Sonata in E minor, Op.82
Hana Chang (violin) Jonathan Ware (piano)
Ginastera: Zamba and Arrorro from Cinco canciones populares argentinas Op. 10
Santiago Sanchez (tenor), Ian Tindale (piano)
Dvorak: Quartet in G major op. 106
Kleio Quartet
Sibelius: Törnet Op. 88 No. 5 (The Thorn)
Johanna Wallroth (soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
The BBC New Generation Artists scheme was founded in 1999 to support some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists, singers and ensembles at the start of their international careers, through performance and broadcast opportunities. The distinguished list of alumni now numbers well over a hundred, among them many of the most exciting musicians working on the world stage today.
FRI 18:15 Words and Music (m001h6hc)
Warmth
Actors Amanda Hale and Oliver Alvin-Wilson chart a course through our varied and various perceptions of warmth. The desire for comfort and cosiness. The warmth of affection, of friendship and of love. The attraction of warmer climes or the “warmth of other suns”. The anxiety of global warming.
George Orwell is ‘down and out’ in a London winter; Alexander Pushkin counters a frozen Russian landscape with the passion of young love; Johann von Goethe bids us find warmth in the land where "citron-apples bloom"; Paul Kerschen ponders the thoughts of John Keats, recuperating in the Italian sunshine; Haruki Murikami rediscovers the warmth of a certain phrase of music; while Zadie Smith, looking up at the sky, suggests “everyone knows it shouldn’t be this hot!”.
Other featured authors include John Donne, Charles Dickens, Johann Von Goethe, Isabel Wilkerson, DH Lawrence, Emile Zola, Emily Dickinson, Richard Wright and Bai Juyi.
Complementary strains of music are given to us by - among others - David Lang, Robert Schumann, Giacomo Puccini, Piotr Tchaikovsky, Georges Bizet, Johnny Dankworth, Tori Amos, Georgy Sviridov, William Grant Still and with the comforting familiarity of ‘Trad’.
Producer: Chris Wines
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (m0021bs3)
2024
The Glasshouse: Tailleferre, Sibelius and Dvořák
BBC Proms from The Glasshouse: Dinis Sousa conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia in music by Tailleferre, Sibelius & Dvorak.
Presented by Elizabeth Alker, from The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Tailleferre: Little Suite
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major
Alena Baeva (violin)
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Dinis Sousa (conductor)
Orchestras all over the world commissioned symphonies from the pre-eminent Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. But there was no such commission for one of his most popular, the Symphony No. 8, which he wrote for nobody but himself. For the opening of this weekend-long Proms residency in the North-East, the Gateshead-based Royal Northern Sinfonia brings us the symphony that one conductor described as ‘a work singing of the joy of green pastures’. It’s the climax of a programme also featuring the song of fire and ice that is Sibelius’s captivating Violin Concerto. The concert opens with the charming and typically French Little Suite by Germaine Tailleferre, the only female member of the group of composers known as ‘Les Six’ that emerged in 1920s Paris.
FRI 21:15 The Lebrecht Interview (m00262s1)
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
In this new series of interviews with great musicians, writer and broadcaster Norman Lebrecht talks to the charistmatic young Lithuanian conductor, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.
Born into a musical family in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1986, she conducted her first choir at age 13, and in 2016 - when still in her twenties - was appointed music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, following in the footsteps of Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo and Andris Nelsons.
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m0020q03)
Pollution Opera’s mixtape
Verity Sharp shares a mixtape from intercontinental experimental noise duo Pollution Opera, the new project dreamt (or nightmared) up by Nadah el Shazly and Elvin Brandhi. Nadah is a singer, composer, and producer from Cairo who combines electronic music with contemporary classical and popular historical Egyptian music. Elvin is an artist, vocalist, and avant-garde musician from Bridgend, Wales, a seasoned improviser both as a solo artist and as half of father-daughter duo Yeah You.
Together, Nadah and Elvin aim for Pollution Opera to be an ‘uncompromising futurist depiction of our disfigured, dystopian, and dying reality’, weaving breathless shouts, screams, and screeches, alongside samples, field recordings and electroacoustic fragments. The project was conceived in 2020, during a tandem motorbike ride through Nadah’s hometown of Cairo, the second-loudest city in the world, where they found the extreme noise pollution cathartic, inspiring and existential. They’ve crafted an exclusive mixtape for Late Junction that’s bound to put hairs on your chest.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021xcj)
In Tribute
Soweto Kinch presents a look back at some of the great names in jazz that have passed away in 2024.
Expect reflections on, and music from: Roy Haynes, Benny Golson, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Irène Schweizer, Martin France and many others.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".