SATURDAY 08 MARCH 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m00288vx)
International Women's Day
Celebrating the work of women composers in the musical canon, Lauma Skride plays Fanny Hensel's piano cycle The Year at the Philharmonie in Berlin on the 220th anniversary of the composer's birth. The cycle is followed by Aziza Sadikova's reimagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the German Symphony Orchestra directed by Kent Nagano. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Fanny Hensel (1805-1847)
The Year
Lauma Skride (fortepiano)
01:19 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), arr. Aziza Sadikova
The Four Seasons rearranged - Spring
Thomas Hecker (oboe), Mischa Meyer (cello), Bernhard Plagg (trumpet), Viviane Vassileva (percussion), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Kent Nagano (conductor)
01:32 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), arr. Aziza Sadikova
The Four Seasons rearranged - Summer
Thomas Hecker (oboe), Mischa Meyer (cello), Bernhard Plagg (trumpet), Viviane Vassileva (percussion), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Kent Nagano (conductor)
01:44 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), arr. Aziza Sadikova
The Four Seasons rearranged - Autumn
Thomas Hecker (oboe), Mischa Meyer (cello), Bernhard Plagg (trumpet), Viviane Vassileva (percussion), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Kent Nagano (conductor)
01:56 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), arr. Aziza Sadikova
The Four Seasons rearranged - Winter
Thomas Hecker (oboe), Mischa Meyer (cello), Bernhard Plagg (trumpet), Viviane Vassileva (percussion), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Kent Nagano (conductor)
02:10 AM
Lili Boulanger
Psalm XXIV, LB 36 'La terre appartient à l'Éternel'
Ilker Arcayürek (tenor), Basler Madrigalisten, Babette Mondry (organ), Basel Symphony Orchestra, Ivor Bolton (conductor)
02:14 AM
Florence Price
Concert Overture no 2
BBC Concert Orchestra, Jane Glover (conductor)
02:31 AM
Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
Viola Sonata in E minor
Lise Berthaud (viola), Xenia Maliarevitch (piano)
02:54 AM
Augusta Holmes (1847-1903)
Roland Furieux, Symphony after Ariosto
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Valentina Peleggi (conductor)
03:21 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
"Lagrime mie" - Lament for Soprano and continuo from 'Diporti di Euterpe'
Susanne Ryden (soprano), Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)
03:30 AM
Paule Maurice (1910-67)
Tableaux de Provence - 5 pieces for saxophone and orchestra
Julia Nolan (saxophone), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
03:45 AM
Dobrinka Tabakova (b.1980)
Pirin for viola (2000)
Maxim Rysanov (viola)
03:53 AM
Ana Milosavljevic (b.1982)
Red
Ensemble Metamorphosis
04:00 AM
Mel Bonis (1858-1937)
Suite Orientale, Op 48 no 2: Prelude & Danse d'almees
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor)
04:07 AM
Jocelyn Pook (b.1960)
Mobile
King's Singers
04:11 AM
Marianne Martinez (1744-1812)
Sinfonia in C major
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
04:23 AM
Imogen Holst (1907-1984)
Leiston Suite for brass quartet
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
04:31 AM
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
Overture in E minor, Op 23
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Vaclav Luks (conductor)
04:38 AM
Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-c.1678)
Laudate pueri - psalm for 8 voices
Cappella Artemisia, Maria Christina Cleary (harp), Francesca Torelli (theorbo), Bettini Hoffmann (gamba), Miranda Aureli (organ), Candace Smith (director)
04:47 AM
Bohdana Frolyak (b.1968)
Let There Be Light
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
04:57 AM
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Sonata for harp
Godelieve Schrama (harp)
05:07 AM
Catharina van Rennes (1858-1940)
3 Quartets for women's voices and piano, Op.24
Irene Maessen (soprano), Rachel Ann Morgan (mezzo soprano), Christa Pfeiler (mezzo soprano), Corrie Pronk (alto), Franz van Ruth (piano)
05:12 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Wind Sinfonietta, Op 73
BBC National Orchestra of Wales (conductor), Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
05:30 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 17
Erika Radermacher (piano), Eva Zurbrugg (violin), Angela Schwartz (cello)
05:58 AM
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944)
Concerto for violin and horn in A major
Agata Raatz (violin), Zora Slokar (horn), Bern Chamber Orchestra, Graziella Contratto (conductor)
06:26 AM
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944)
March of the Women
Isabel Pfefferkorn (mezzo soprano), Jenny Hogstrom (soprano), Amadeus Wiesensee (piano)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m0028l51)
Emma Clarke celebrates International Women's Day
Join Emma Clarke to wake up the day with a selection of the finest classical music.
Today, for International Women's Day, we celebrate inspirational women doing inspiring things.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast."
SAT 09:00 Saturday Morning (m0028l53)
Tom meets Barbara Hannigan
In a special programme for International Women's Day, Tom Service talks to the trailblazing Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan ahead of her programmes with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Tom is also joined live in the studio by the pianist Siwan Rhys, who gives the world premiere of Radio 3's special commission for International Women's Day, 'I am out with Lanterns, Looking for Myself', by Sarah Frances Jenkins. Plus mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately and the pianist Anna Tilbrook perform live and talk about the music of Rebecca Clarke.
Tom also continues BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far. Today, we hear the first broadcast of Kieran Brunt's work, The Hologram of St Cecilia, written for the BBC Singers. It explores the impact of streaming on our relationship with music since the launch of Spotify in 2006.
All this and much more for International Women's Day 2025!
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m0028l55)
Classical, blues and jazz for the weekend
For International Women's Day, Jools shares music by some of his favourite composers and artists, including Helene de Montgeroult, Bessie Smith and Dobrinka Tabakova. He’s joined in the studio by Grammy-nominated Scottish musician, KT Tunstall.
Starting out on flute and piano as a child, KT then discovered the guitar and as a singer-songwriter she’s gone on to sell millions of albums worldwide. She talks to Jools about writing for film, the classical music she loves including Debussy and Laurie Anderson, and her new musical adaption of the nineties cult classic comedy film, Clueless.
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m0028l57)
Jenni Murray's Women Composers
Happy families
Jenni Murray continues her celebration of the music of women composers, presenting a fabulous playlist of great music, classic and modern, and exploring the issues women have faced in forging careers as composers.
5. Happy families. Jenni is joined by director Jude Kelly and lecturer Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, mother to internationally acclaimed artists including cellist Sheku and pianist Isata, to explore the role of families in the careers of women composers - from 19th Century figures such as Clara Schumann, Alma Mahler and Amy Beach, whose husbands tried, often successfully, to quash their creativity, through to the present day and asking whether young female composers are given the support they need from their families and communities.
Producer: Graham Rogers
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Matters"
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m0028l59)
Clara Schumann's lieder
Andrew McGregor features the latest classical releases for International Women's Day.
1405
Lucy Parham explores an exciting selection of new releases
1500
Building a Library
Laura Tunbridge chooses her favourite recordings of Clara Schumann's Lieder
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 (m0028l5c)
A celebration of women in film music
In an exclusive interview, Matthew Sweet is joined by composer Laura Karpman who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2024 and for a Grammy Award in 2025 for her score for "American Fiction". She talks about co-founding the Alliance for Women Film Composers, for an International Women's Day programme celebrating the outstanding music by women in the film industry today.
We hear about her highly innovative work on the latest Marvel blockbuster "Captain America: Brave New World". She describes how she recorded the score for "The Only Girl In the Orchestra", adapting classical favourites for double basses. The film itself has just won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.
Laura tells us about being mentored by two remarkable woman composers - Nadia Boulanger and the perhaps less well-known Louise Talma, about whose work she is passionate. We hear from her mentees Emily Rice and Carla Patullo, and about her professional collaboration with her wife Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum.
Laura's choice of Classic Score is "The Cider House Rules" which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999, by the British composer Rachel Portman who was the first female composer to win an Academy Award.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Sound of Cinema.”
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m0028l5f)
Jess Gillam with... Jeneba Kanneh-Mason
Jess's guest this week is the pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason.
Award-winning pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason has been captivating audiences with her playing from an early age, she holds the Victoria Robey Scholarship at the Royal College of Music and in 2021 she made her BBC Proms debut at the age of 19.
Jess and Jeneba talk about her life in music and swap favourite tracks to listen to, including music by Kaija Saariaho, Rachmaninov and Beyoncé.
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m0028l5h)
Ethel Smyth's The Forest (Der Wald)
Ethel Smyth's one-act dramatic opera set in a German forest in the Middle Ages. John Andrews conducts the international cast of soloists with the BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Der Wald is a taut, brooding drama where the simplicity of village life comes under threat from the uncontrollable desires unleashed by the darkness of the forest. Richly orchestrated, harmonically daring, and demanding a huge expressive range from the cast, the narrative drives relentlessly forward from wedding to tragedy in a single act, observed pitilessly by the eternal spirits of the forest. Smyth wrote it between 1899 and 1901 to a German libretto by Henry Brewster. It was her second opera, premiered in 1902 in Berlin. This performance uses Smyth’s own English version of the libretto.
Landgrave Rudolf - Morgan Pearse (baritone)
Iolanthe, his mistress - Claire Barnett-Jones (mezzo-soprano)
Heinrich, a young woodcutter - Robert Murray (tenor)
Peter, a woodman - Matthew Brook (bass)
Roschen, Peter's daughter, betrothed to Heinrich - Natalya Romaniw (soprano)
A Pedlar, with a bear - Andrew Shore (baritone)
Peasants, Huntsmen, Chorus of Wood Spirits - BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Orchestra
John Andrews (conductor)
Synopsis: In the prologue, wood spirits sing of the peace of the eternal forest. The action begins on the day before the wedding of Röschen with the young woodcutter Heinrich. Peasants celebrate the happy event and buy trinkets from a pedlar to give to Röschen, who sings of her happiness. Suddenly a weird horn-call is heard: it signals the sinister Iolanthe, mistress of Rudolf, the local Landgraf. Heinrich comes to find Röschen, bringing with him a forbidden present: a newly-killed deer, which they hide down the well. The lovers look forward to the morrow, and Röschen goes into her cottage. Iolanthe next comes upon Heinrich and, impressed with his good looks, attempts to lure him into her service. He refuses and she vows vengeance. Her chance comes when the deer is revealed in the well. Iolanthe forces Heinrich to choose between going with her, or suffering the penalty for killing the deer. He chooses the latter, and her huntsmen stab him. In the epilogue, the wood spirits resume their commentary on the transience of human concerns. (Synopsis with kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes)
SAT 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0028l5k)
A celebration of music by women composers
Live from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester
Presented by Mark Forrest
'I have spent my life trying to create a kind of cathedral of sound'. The words of Sofia Gubaidulina, one of the most significant living composers in the world. Her music, deeply spiritual and dramatic, forms the backbone of the BBC Philharmonic's celebration of International Women's Day.
In this programme Anja Bihlmaier makes her Manchester debut as the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor to explore this kaleidoscopic programme. There's the UK premiere of 'Dreydl' by the genre-defying Olga Neuwirth, alongside music from Sarah Gibson, 'beyond the beyond' is a BBC commission, written as Sarah's joy at becoming a mother was tempered by a progressive and terminal illness. This concert will see the posthumous premiere of the work.
To finish, the F minor Symphony by Emilie Meyer. A trailblazer in her lifetime, Mayer's music earns her a place amongst the greatest composers of the 19th century.
Olga Neuwirth: Dreydl
Sofia Gubaidulina: The Light of the end
8.10 Interval
Sarah Gibson: beyond the beyond (BBC commission, world premiere)
Emilie Mayer: Symphony in F minor
Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
SAT 21:45 Music Planet (m0028l5m)
International Women’s Day
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Lopa Kothari invites some of today’s finest female global roots musicians to share a track by an artist that has inspired them.
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 22:45 New Music Show (m0028l5p)
Shiva Feshareki's Bab-Khaneh: Gatehouse of Memory
Kate Molleson celebrates International Women's Day 2025 on the New Music Show, with a selection of cutting-edge live recordings, including the world premiere recording of a new piece by Shiva Feshareki, from the recent BBC Symphony Orchestra Total Immersion: Symphonic Electronics day. Plus, music from some of the best women composers, including Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Kaija Saariaho, and Lucia Dlugoszewski, and Kate's selection of new releases.
Full list of samples used by Shiva Feshareki in her piece Bab-Khaneh: Gatehouse of Memory:
Hayedeh - Gole Sang
Foreigner - Waiting for a Girl Like You (Live)
Paul McCartney & Wings - My Love
Henry Purcell - Dido and Aeneas (The St Anthony Singers & English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anthony Lewis)
Shlump - Zero Gravity
Truth - Strange Dreams (Biome Remix)
SUNDAY 09 MARCH 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m0028l5r)
Songs of Travel with Vaughan Williams and Schubert from Slovenia
Tenor Mihael Strniša and pianist Simon Dvoršak perform Vaughan Williams's Songs of Travel, followed by Schubert's Winterreise in an arrangement for voice and piano trio. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Songs of Travel
Mihael Strnisa (tenor), Simon Dvorsak (piano)
12:56 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), arr. Daniel Behle
Winterreise, D.911 (arr. for voice & piano trio)
Mihael Strnisa (tenor), Simon Dvorsak (piano), Neza Nahtigal (violin), Neza Verstovsek (cello)
01:35 AM
Uros Krek (1922-2008)
Sinfonietta
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Rossen Milanov (conductor)
02:04 AM
Milko Lazar (b.1965)
Prelude (Allegro moderato)
Mojca Zlobko-Vajgl (harp), Bojan Gorisek (piano)
02:12 AM
Milko Lazar (b.1965)
Passacaglia (Largo)
Mojca Zlobko Vaigl (harp), Bojan Gorisek (piano)
02:17 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Rhapsody for alto, male chorus and orchestra, Op 53
Mirjam Kalin (alto), Slovenicum Chamber Choir, Choir Consortium Classicum, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Marko Munih (conductor)
02:31 AM
Ludwig Schuncke (1810-1834)
Grande Sonata for piano in G minor (dedicated to Robert Schumann), Op 3
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
02:53 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Suite from "Les Indes galantes"
Neue Dusseldorfer Hofmusik, Mary Utiger (director)
03:26 AM
Yann Tiersen (b.1970)
Comptine d'un autre été, from the film 'Amelia'
Claire Huangci (piano)
03:29 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Idila, Op 25b (1902)
Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
03:37 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento for 2 flutes and cello in C major, Hob.4.1, 'London trio' no 1
Les Ambassadeurs
03:46 AM
Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
2 sacred pieces: Spes mea, Christe Deus; Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Cologne Chamber Chorus, Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann (conductor)
03:57 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Prelude and Fugue in C major, K.394
Christoph Hammer (fortepiano)
04:05 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Romeo and Juliet, fantasy, Op 18
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, John Storgards (conductor)
04:20 AM
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Concerto in C minor for 2 oboes, bassoon and strings, FaWV L:c2
Shai Kribus (oboe), Mirjam Huttner (oboe), Sergio Azzolini (bassoon), Camerata Bern, Sergio Azzolini (director)
04:31 AM
Hideo Mizokami (1936-2002)
Lullaby
Kotaro Fukuma (piano)
04:35 AM
Flor Alpaerts (1876-1954)
Romanza for Violin and Orchestra (1928)
Guido De Neve (violin), Flemish Radio Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik (conductor)
04:41 AM
Traditional, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), arr. Marius Loken
Skålhalling & Guds sønn har gjort meg fri (from Grieg 4 Psalms)
Oslo Chamber Chorus, Hakon Nystedt (director)
04:48 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Keyboard Concerto no 5 in F minor, BWV.1056
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Risor Festival Strings
04:58 AM
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710)
4 pieces from "Instrucción de música sobre la guitara española"
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar), Pedro Estevan (percussion)
05:15 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
On hearing the first cuckoo in spring for orchestra (RT.
6.19) (1911/12)
Symphony Nova Scotia, Georg Tintner (conductor)
05:23 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Cello Sonata in F major, Op 5 no 1
Danjulo Ishizaka (cello), Shai Wosner (piano)
05:47 AM
Robert White (c.1538-1574), James MacMillan (b.1959)
Christe qui lux es et dies (White) & A Child's Prayer (MacMillan)
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (director)
05:56 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Serenade in C major for strings, Op 48
Radio Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Rajter (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m0028lbz)
Start your Sunday the Radio 3 way with Tom McKinney
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s classical breakfast show with music that captures the mood of Sunday morning. Email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Breakfast."
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m0028lc2)
Your perfect Sunday soundtrack
Sarah Walker with three hours of classical music to reflect, restore and refresh.
Today, there’s warming orchestral music from Sibelius, the sound of rain realised in a Chopin prelude, while Aaron Copland conjures up the dusty heat of the Wild West.
Sarah also shares a piece written about the Apollo moon landings, a classic recording of Wagner and a string piece by George Walker which will send shivers down your spine.
Plus, music inspired by a haiku about a stray cat…
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m0028lc6)
Dr Sian Williams
Dr Sian Williams was a familiar face and voice on BBC Breakfast, television news, and Radio 4 for many years, and she’s now a presenter on Radio 3 Unwind on BBC Sounds. There she hosts a three hour programme every morning, sharing a restorative selection of music with the aim of supporting your well-being. She also presents Life Changing on Radio 4, interviewing people who have lived through extraordinary events.
In 2012, she started to train as a psychologist and was awarded a doctorate in Counselling Psychology four years ago. Since then she has been working in the NHS primarily, with first responders who are experiencing anxiety, stress and trauma.
Sian's musical selection includes Mozart, Rachmaninov, Max Richter and Vivaldi.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m0028lcb)
A journey to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Sara Mohr-Pietsch embarks on a journey of musical sightseeing, exploring the fusion of European symphonic style with the swing of American jazz. We are all headed towards the destination of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin's rhapsody is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written and a work that both understood and defined America like no other before or since. Along the way, Sara stops at Aaron Copland, Johann Sebastian Bach, Florence Price, Ferde Grofe, Tchaikovsky and Billie Holiday.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map"
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m00288t4)
Truro Cathedral
Last week's service from Truro Cathedral on Ash Wednesday.
Introit: O Lord in thy wrath (Gibbons)
Responses: Byrd
Psalm 51 (Hervey)
First Lesson: Isaiah 1 vv10-18
Canticles: The Short Service (Gibbons)
Second Lesson: Luke 15 vv11-32
Anthem: Out of the deep (Gibbons)
Hymn: Lord Jesus, think on me (Southwell)
Voluntary: Passacaglia in D minor (Buxtehude)
James Anderson-Besant (Director of Music)
Andrew Wyatt (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 (m0028lcg)
Blossom Dearie - Emma Rawicz - Esperanza Spalding - Ivy Benson
Alyn Shipton presents jazz records of all styles from the past to the present as requested by you including music from Blossom Dearie, Emma Rawicz, Esperanza Spalding, Ivy Benson, Nina Simone and more. Get in touch: jrr@bbc.co.uk or use #jazzrecordrequests on social
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Jazz Record Requests”
SUN 17:00 The Early Music Show (m0028lcl)
Palestrina 500
Hannah French is joined by members of Stile Antico to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Born in the hill town of Palestrina near Rome, Giovanni Pierluigi is considered one of the finest composers of music for the church. His surviving output is prolific, consisting of over 100 settings of the Mass in Latin, and more than 250 motets.
The early music group Stile Antico have spent the last couple of years recording many of Palestrina's works ahead of the quincentenary, and three members of the ensemble chat with Hannah about the composer's life, including connections with the famous Papal Chapel at St Peter’s Rome and the church Santa Maria Maggiore.
They introduce their recording of Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli - the setting of the mass which is reputed to have saved church music from being banned by the Catholic Church.
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m0028lcr)
Selfless Love
From Princess Scheherazade who offers to marry a murderous king in order to save her father, to Tinkerbell drinking poison to save Peter Pan, today’s Words and Music explores themes of selfless love and sacrifice.
For centuries, writers and composers have been inspired by biblical examples of selfless love, from the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), to King David pleading to have died in place of his son. The Crucifixion becomes a metaphor in Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince and Benjamin Britten’s Corpus Christi Carol, sung by Jeff Buckley.
Families make everyday sacrifices, giving up their wages in Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes, while Bill Withers sings of his grandma, whose hands tended unwed mothers and picked him up when he fell.
Elsewhere, Iphigenia is sacrificed to the gods in Gluck’s opera about the Trojan war, while the boys in Lord of the Flies plan a much darker sacrifice. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s futuristic novel Never Let Me Go, three young friends who were bred to be organ donors contemplate their approaching deaths.
And selfless love can be political. Nelson Mandela vows that his is a cause for which he is prepared to die, while Wilfred Owen deplores the empty words that sent so many to their deaths in the trenches. In an archive recording from the Second World War, John Gielgud read a letter from a young RAF pilot to his mother. And diary entries from Captain Scott describe the selfless bravery of a dying man on the doomed 1912 mission to the Antarctic.
The readers are Pearl Mackie and Matthew Tennyson.
Producer: Hannah Sander
READINGS:
Scheherazade traditional tale translated by NJ Dawood
January 22nd, Missolonghi Byron
If I can stop one heart from breaking Emily Dickinson
Peter Pan and Wendy JM Barrie
The Sacrifice George Herbert
Lord of the Flies William Golding
If We Must Die Claude Mckay
Off the Record Curtis Sittenfeld
The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde
Rivonia trial speech Nelson Mandela
Dulce et Decorum Est Wilfred Owen
Ballet Shoes Noel Streatfeild
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
Diaries Cpt Robert Falcon Scott
Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro
Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare
Meditation XVII John Donne
A Shropshire Lad A E Housman
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m0028lcw)
Suster Bertken
Who of us doesn't occasionally have the urge to run away from it all? To go and live in the middle of a forest and spend our days staring at trees.
Professor Janina Ramirez uncovers the little known 500-year-old story about Suster Bertken who did choose to run away from this world, but rather than opting for a forest, she put herself right in the middle of a very busy Dutch city. How does that work?
Around 1456 at the age of 30, Berta Jacobsdochter opted to become an anchoress. This means that after a bishop led her Requiem Mass, she was bricked up in a cell attached to the Buurkerk in the centre of Utrecht in the Netherlands for the remainder of her life in order that she could live a solitary life of prayer and contemplation of Christ. On becoming an anchoress, Berta took on the new name of Suster Bertken. Food was delivered to her through a window, but she had no heating, no shoes, ate no meat or dairy, and wore a hair shirt. She lived in this 4 metre square cell for 57 years, dying at the incredible age of 87.
In her cell, as well as living a life of prayer and contemplation, Suster Bertken wrote religious tracts, poems and songs. When she died, some of these were printed and thus she became the first Dutch woman whose texts appeared in print.
Professor Janina Ramirez of Oxford University is a Medieval scholar with a special interest in anchoresses. Alongside Dr Dieuwke van der Poel of Utrecht University, Janina unravels the intriguing and thought-provoking story of Suster Bertken’s life. As a modern audience we may be appalled or even spooked by Suster Bertken opting to live in the way that she did. But Janina and Dieuwke, as well considering the obvious privations, explore the advantages for a woman of living the life of an anchoress in Medieval Europe. They wonder if far from withdrawing from society, Suster Bertken may have cleverly taken on a pivotal and highly influential role as a woman in her city.
Suster Bertken’s songs have been largely unsung but some of them have been specially recorded for this programme and so will be heard in the world for the first time ever, outside of her tiny cell.
Suster Bertken’s song The World Held Me in Its Power is performed by Ensemble Trigon conducted by Margot Kalse.
All other Suster Bertken songs are specially recorded and performed by Margot Kalse. Translations to English by Myra Scholz.
Plus interviews with Dr Andrea van Leerdam from the Special Collections of Utrecht University Library and Dr Lieke Wijnia, Head of Research & Collections, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam and Fellow, Center of Religion and Heritage, University of Groningen
And Janina reads the poem: When I Turn Thirty by Anne Broeksma.
A Must Try Softer Production produced by Rosie Boulton.
SUN 20:00 Drama on 3 (m0028ld0)
The Defectors
Drama by Al Smith
Presented by Paul French
On a quiet suburban street in Ealing there's a house like none other. All of its windows are blacked out and while kids play in the street and neighbours wash cars in driveways, the activities inside the house on Gunnersbury Avenue are shrouded in mystery. That's because it's the home of the North Korean embassy in London, and this is a story inspired by the high profile 2016 defection of its Deputy Ambassador, Thae Yong-ho.
Presented by Paul French, our programme mixes documentary with drama (written by Al Smith) to explore a real life story of espionage. It’s le Carré with an usual twist of suburbia and a snapshot of the world's only communist hereditary monarchy.
After a distinguished career in Pyongyang’s foreign service, Thae Yong-ho moved to London with his wife and children. Unlike his colleagues, the family embraced British life, sending their boys to London schools, joining the local tennis club and cultivating a taste for Indian restaurants. All the while, Thae was monitoring the North Korean exile community in Britain, liaising with the few organisations supportive of the DPRK, as well as ensuring the reputation of his country. Then, in 2016, Thae received a message recalling the family to Pyongyang, forcing him to make an impossible choice.
The programme brings together the stories of those who made the choice to escape from one of the most impregnable and secretive countries in the world knowing they can never return, never contact their family and former friends, never knowing if those people closest to them were punished for their decision to flee. Whether for a senior Party loyalist in privileged Pyongyang, or a struggling family faced with famine and poverty, leaving the world’s most reclusive and secretive state is a monumental decision with massive ramifications.
As well as the thrilling account inspired by Thae Yong-ho's defection, Paul French explores the experiences of ordinary North Koreans who’ve escaped and made the perilous journey to the UK. Their stories never made the newspapers, they didn’t excite the interest of the intelligence services, but their actions are no less brave or committed.
Thae . . . . . Andrew Leung
Oh . . . . . Liz Sutherland Lim
Ambassador . . . . . David K S Tse
Kwan . . . . . Dan Li
Ken . . . . . David Hounslow
Hyuk . . . . . Nicholas Goh
Jae . . . . . Michael Miller
Jang . . . . . Chris Lew Kum Hoi
Jenny . . . . . Ruth Everett
Ron . . . . . Samuel James
Ari . . . . . Rose Esconda
Boy . . . . . Aurelius Eideberg
Presented by Paul French and drama written by Al Smith.
Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Connolly-Davis
Sound designer: Peter Ringrose
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko
A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 3
SUN 21:30 Compline (m0028ld4)
Lent 1
A reflective service of night prayer for the first Sunday in Lent, from the Church of St Bartholomew the Great, London. With words and music for the end of the day, including works by Mundy, Tallis and Taverner.
Introit: In trouble and adversity (Taverner)
Preces (Plainsong)
Hymn: Glory to thee, my God, this night (Tallis)
Psalm 91 (Plainsong)
Reading: 2 Corinthians 6 vv1, 3-4
Responsory: Into thy hands, O Lord (Plainsong)
Canticle: Nunc dimittis (Tallis)
Anthem: O Lord, the maker of all thing (Mundy)
Rupert Gough (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Compline”.
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m0020pnw)
Immerse yourself
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m0025md2)
Paola Mendoza’s Listening Chair
To round off the weekend's celebrations of this year's International Women’s Day, Elizabeth Alker welcomes activist, author and film-maker Paola Mendoza to the Unclassified Listening Chair to select a track that transports her elsewhere. Paola was born in Colombia and has spent her adult life in America campaigning on issues including abortion and immigration. She co-founded the Women’s March, serving as its artistic director, as well as the Resistance Revival Chorus, the critically-acclaimed women’s choir that believes “joy is an act of resistance.” Elsewhere in the show, Elizabeth offers up a vibrant selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists who take us on a journey through landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds.
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 10 MARCH 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m0028ld8)
Carnival - A Musical Portrait of Brahms and Saint-Saëns
Cellist Andrei Ioniţă and friends play Brahms and Saint-Saëns including Carnival of the Animals at a concert in the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Cello Sonata no 1 in E minor, Op 38
Andrei Ionita (cello), Daria Tudor (piano)
12:54 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op 120 no 1
Anna Hashimoto (clarinet), Florian Mitrea (piano)
01:15 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Danse macabre, Op 40
Daria Tudor (piano), Florian Mitrea (piano)
01:24 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Carnival of the Animals
Andrei Ionita (cello), Daria Tudor (piano), Anna Hashimoto (clarinet), Florian Mitrea (piano), Valentin Serban (violin), Elisabeta Nedelciu (violin), Alexandru Spinu (viola), Vlad Silaev (double bass), Ioana Balasa (flute), Ilinca Lorentz (percussion), Bogdan Constantin (percussion)
01:47 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony no 3 in F major, Op 90
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
02:22 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Saltarelle, Op 74
Lamentabile Consort, Jan Stromberg (tenor), Gunnar Andersson (tenor), Bertil Marcusson (baritone), Olle Skold (bass)
02:28 AM
Francois Schubert (1808-1878), arr. Pablo Casals
Die Biene (The Bee) or L'Abeille – from 12 Bagatelles, Op 13 no 9
Jan-Erik Gustafsson (cello), Heini Karkkainen (piano)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Ferruccio Busoni
Keyboard Concerto no 1 in D minor, BWV.1052
Teo Gheorghiu (piano), Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra
02:51 AM
Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377)
La Messe de Nostre Dame
Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly (conductor)
03:22 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sonetto 123 di Petrarca (S.158 No.3): Io vidi in terra angelici costumi
Janina Fialkowska (piano)
03:29 AM
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Polovtsian dances (Prince Igor)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Challender (conductor)
03:40 AM
Carl Ludwig Lithander (1773-1843)
Divertimento no 1 for flute and fortepiano
Mikael Helasvuo (flute), Tuija Hakkila (pianoforte)
03:49 AM
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)
Aino's aria "Tuli kevat, tuli toivo" - from Aino, Op 50
Aulikki Eerola (soprano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kari Tikka (conductor)
03:56 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Quatre pièces fugitives, Op 15
Diana Ketler (piano)
04:09 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Adagietto, from Symphony no 5 in C sharp minor
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Philippe Bach (conductor)
04:19 AM
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), arr. Oivind Westby
Trumpet Concerto in D major
Ole Edvard Antonsen (trumpet), Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
04:31 AM
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), arr. Manuel Barrueco
Cádiz, from 'Suite española, Op 47' (1887)
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (guitar)
04:36 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Two Waltzes, Op 54
Sebastian String Quartet
04:43 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Première rapsodie arr. for clarinet and orchestra
Kari Kriikku (clarinet), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
04:52 AM
Bernhard Molique (1802-1869), transc. Giulio Regondi, arr. Joseph Petric & Erica Goodman
6 Songs without words
Joseph Petric (accordion), Erica Goodman (harp)
05:05 AM
Johannes Bernardus van Bree (1801-1857)
Concert Overture in B minor
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jac van Steen (conductor)
05:16 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata no 12 in F major, K.332
Annie Fischer (piano)
05:31 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35
Joshua Bell (violin), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
06:06 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
3 Mazurkas, Op 56
Szymon Nehring (piano)
06:19 AM
Lazaro Valvasensi (1585-1661)
O quam suavis est Domine spiritus tuus
Giovanni Battista Buonamente (1595-1642)
Sonata decima sopra Cavaletto zoppo
Andrea Inghisciano (cornet), Gawain Glenton (cornet), Giulia Genini (soloist), Guido Morini (harpsichord), Maria Gonzalez (organ)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m0028k1m)
Sunrise 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 (m0028k1p)
Refresh your morning with classical 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 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”
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m0028k1r)
Live from London's Wigmore Hall
Tom McKinney with specially recorded music from across the UK and Europe. Includes cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih live from London's Wigmore Hall playing Prokofiev and Kabalevsky.
Elsewhere, Tom begins a week-long celebration of women conductors, shining the Classical Live Artist's Spotlight on the Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, formerly Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Gražinytė-Tyla directs the CBSO in a performance of Elgar's Violin Concerto, with soloist Vilde Frang, as well as Robert Schumann's 'Spring Symphony'.
Tom also selects highlights from the recent 'Michael McHale and Friends' festival at the Portico of Ards, featuring exclusive performances from the festival's namesake pianist.
***
1pm
Live from Wigmore Hall, presented by Hannah French
Sergei Prokofiev
Cello Sonata in C major, Op.119
Julius Isserlis
Ballade in A minor
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Cello Sonata in B-flat major, Op.71
Steven Isserlis (cello)
Connie Shih (piano)
***
2pm
Robert Schumann
Symphony No.1 in B-flat major, Op.38 'Spring'
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor)
From the Portico of Ards
Gabriel Fauré
Fantaisie, Op.79
Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė (flute)
Michael McHale (piano)
Mathilde de Rothschild
Mazurka in B minor, Op.2 No.6
Fryderyk Chopin
Nocturne in E major, Op.62 No.2
Michael McHale (piano)
***
3pm
Edward Elgar
Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61
Vilde Frang (violin)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor)
From the Portico of Ards
Howard Ferguson
Four Short Pieces, Op.6
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m0028k1t)
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953)
First Waltz
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
In this first episode, from a Midwest Methodist family to the mystical salons of Chicago's bohemian scene, we follow the first steps of Ruth Crawford in life... and in composition.
Little Waltz
Jenny Lin, piano
Five Songs to Poems by Carl Sandburg
I. Home Thoughts
II. White Moon
Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
Gilbert Kalish, piano
Theme and Variations
Jenny Lin, piano
Trad, arr Ruth Crawford Seeger:
"Go to Sleepy"
"All Around the Kitchen"
"Mary Wore a Red Dress"
Mike and Peggy Seeger
Diaphonic Suite No. 2 for bassoon and cello
III. Con brio
Wolfgang Rüdiger, bassoon
Helmut Menzler, cello
Kaleidoscopic Changes on an Original Theme, Ending with a Fugue
Virginia Eskin, piano
Diaphonic Suite No. 3 for Flute
I. Scherzando
Jayn Rosenfeld, flute
Whirligig
Jenny Lin, piano
Excerpt of an archive of Ruth Crawford Seeger singing 'Toodala' with guitar accompaniment
Recorded by Charles Seeger
Private collection, courtesy Peggy Seeger
Preludes for Piano
No 6, Andante Mystico
Bengt Forsberg, piano
Alexander Scriabin:
Symphony No. 1, Op. 26, in E major
IV. Vivace
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Trad, arr Ruth Crawford Seeger:
"Monday Morning Go to School"
Mike and Peggy Seeger
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Julien Rosa
A BBC Audio Wales & West production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week”
MON 17:00 In Tune (m0028k1x)
World-class classical music – live
Ian Skelly is joined in the studio by cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0028k1z)
Classical music for your journey
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0028k21)
The Calidore String Quartet play Beethoven
John Toal introduces the Calidore Quartet in an all-Beethoven programme at the Portico of Ards in County Down: a beautiful Greek-style church on the shores of Strangford Lough.
Beethoven: Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op 95, 'Serioso'
Beethoven: Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op 74, 'Harp'
Beethoven: Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op 59. No. 1, 'Rasumovsky'
Jeffrey Myers, Violin
Ryan Meehan, Violin
Jeremy Berry, Viola
Estelle Choi, Cello
During the interval the Ulster Orchestra performs Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op 33a, conducted by Tom Fetherstonhaugh. As a child his mother, Edith, was certain of his destiny: he would be a musician, and not just an ordinary musician. A childhood friend recalled that “quite often we would talk about the three Bs ... Bach, Beethoven and Brahms.” She was determined that her son should become the fourth B.
MON 21:45 The Essay (m0028k23)
The Little Secrets of Great Works
Neil Young’s ‘Out On The Weekend’
In this series of The Essay, five leading cultural voices choose a great work of art and talk about a small, under-appreciated aspect of the piece that carries great meaning for them.
For this edition, Shetland singer-songwriter and author of Sixty Degrees North and That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz, Malachy Tallack, draws our attention to the briefest of mishaps in Neil Young’s ‘Out on the Weekend’ studio recording. An error which he describes as impossible to unhear once you have heard it.
Producer: Emma Betteridge
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m0028k25)
Harmonious music for nighttime listening
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021psp)
Orlando Le Fleming'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.
British bassist and composer Orlando Le Fleming is this week’s guest on the 4/4 series, where musicians share choice cuts from their home record collection. Tonight, he picks his first record, and it’s from fusion greats Weather Report.
Orlando's new album Romantic Funk: Wandering Talk, is out now.
Plus, there's music from Finn Carter, Snazzback, Laura Jurd & Paul Dunmall, and Emma Smith.
TUESDAY 11 MARCH 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m0028k27)
Arcadia String Quartet with pianist Sergiu Tuhuţiu
A concert from the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata no 12 in F major, K.332
Sergiu Tuhuţiu (piano)
12:46 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 3 in D major, Op 18 no 3
Arcadia String Quartet
01:12 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quintet in F minor, Op 34
Sergiu Tuhuţiu (piano), Arcadia String Quartet
01:57 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no 73 in D major 'La Chasse' (H.
1.73)
Romanian National Chamber Orchestra, Horia Andreescu (conductor)
02:18 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Sarabande, Gigue & Badinerie
Ion Voicu (violin), Bucharest Chamber Orchestra, Madalin Voicu (conductor)
02:25 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Jardins sous la pluie (Estampes, L.100)
Karina Sabac (piano)
02:31 AM
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Stabat Mater
Iwona Hossa (soprano), Anna Borucka (mezzo soprano), Andrzej Lampert (tenor), Polish Radio Chorus, Jaroslaw Brek (bass baritone), Camerata Silesia, Katowice, Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Michal Klauza (conductor)
03:27 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Toccata in G major BWV.916
Jayson Gillham (piano)
03:35 AM
Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
Flute Concerto in F major, GWV 323
Bolette Roed (recorder), Arte dei Suonatori
03:45 AM
Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
The Masque of Pandora (Overture)
BBC Concert Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (conductor)
03:56 AM
Jazeps Vitols (1863-1948)
Romance for violin and piano
Valdis Zarins (violin), Ieva Zarina (piano)
04:03 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Salieri's Aria from Mozart and Salieri - opera in 1 act, Op 48
Robert Holl (bass), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
04:11 AM
Willy Hess (1906-1997)
Suite in B flat major for piano solo, Op 45
Desmond Wright (piano)
04:22 AM
Lorenzo Allegri (1567-1648)
Ballo detto le Ninfe di Senna, from Il primo libro delle musiche
Tragicomedia, Stephen Stubbs (director)
04:26 AM
John Tavener (1944-2013)
The Lamb
Ars Nova Copenhagen, Paul Hillier (conductor)
04:31 AM
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Notturno (Andante) - from String Quartet no 2 in D major
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnanyi (conductor)
04:40 AM
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)
Sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord in G major, A
2:68a
Krzysztof Firlus (viola da gamba), Anna Firlus (harpsichord)
04:49 AM
Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599)
Prado verde y florido - sacred vilancico
Montserrat Figueras (soprano), Maite Arruabarrena (mezzo soprano), Lambert Climent (tenor), Francesc Garrigosa (tenor), Hesperion XX, Jordi Savall (director)
04:55 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Abegg Variations, Op 1
Zhang Zuo (piano)
05:02 AM
Frantisek Xaver Pokorny (1729-1794)
Concerto for Horn, Timpani and Strings in D major
Radek Baborak (horn), Prague Chamber Orchestra, Antonin Hradil (conductor)
05:19 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Phantasy Quintet
Mary Ellen Woodside (violin), Asli Ayben Ozdemir (violin), Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad (viola), Alessandro D'Amico (viola), Rafael Rosenfeld (cello)
05:32 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Suite no 4 in G major, Op 61 "Mozartiana"
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
05:58 AM
Johann Rosenmuller (1619-1684)
Confitebor tibi
Johanna Koslowsky (soprano), David Cordier (counter tenor), Gerd Turk (tenor), Stephan Schreckenberger (bass), Carsten Lohff (organ), Cantus Colln, Konrad Junghanel (lute), Konrad Junghanel (director)
06:13 AM
Walter Braunfels (1882-1954)
Symphonic variations on a French children's song, Op 15
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m0028lfw)
Boost your morning with 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.”
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m0028lfy)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m0028lg0)
Rachmaninov's 3rd Symphony in Concert
Tom McKinney with specially recorded music from across the UK and Europe. Includes Brahms' Clarinet Sonata No.1 and Prokofiev's Flute Sonata—highlights from the recent 'Michael McHale and Friends' festival at the Portico of Ards.
Elsewhere, Tom continues a week-long celebration of contemporary women conductors, today shining the Classical Live Artist's Spotlight on the Ukranian-born Finnish conductor, Dalia Stasevska. Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Stasevska has conducted the orchestra in the First and Last Night of the Proms, and today conducts them in a centrepiece performance of Rachmaninov's 3rd Symphony.
***
1pm
From the Portico of Ards
Johannes Brahms
Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op.120 No.1
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
Philip Hammond
…this hour of quiet…
Michael McHale (piano)
Sergei Prokofiev
Flute Sonata in D major, Op.94
Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė (flute)
Michael McHale (piano)
***
2pm
Jean Sibelius
Pelléas et Mélisande, Op.46
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
***
2.30pm
Radio 3’s 25 for 25 – 2006
Kieran Brunt
The Hologram of St Cecilia
BBC Singers
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Trio in B-flat major, K 502
Amatis Piano Trio
***
3pm
Sergey Rachmaninov
Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.44
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
Lili Boulanger
Psalm 24 'La terre appartient à l'Éternel'
Pascal Bourgeois (tenor)
Radio France Chorus
Lionel Sow (chorus conductor)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (conductor)
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m0028lg2)
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953)
Kaleidoscopic Changes
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
In this second episode, Crawford emerges as a bold and determined young woman who experiments with sound. Along the way, her connection with a new teacher soon evolves into what will become lifelong partnership.
Caprice
Jenny Lin, piano
Sonata for Violin and Piano
Mia Wu, violin
Cheryl Seltzer, piano
Trad:
Those Gambler’s Blues
Carl Sandburg, voice
Trad:
Prisoner Blues
Ozella Jones, voice
Music for Small Orchestra
I. Slow, pensive
Schönberg Ensemble
Oliver Knussen, conductor
Marion Bauer
Four Piano Pieces
III. Toccata
Virginia Eskin, piano
Selection from 19 American Folk Songs for piano
"The Babes in the Woods"
Virginia Eskin, piano
Trad, arr Ruth Crawford Seeger:
"Skip-A To My Lou"
Mike and Peggy Seeger
Three Songs to poems by Carl Sandburg
I. Rat Riddles
Lucy Shelton, soprano
Schönberg Ensemble
Oliver Knussen, conductor
Diaphonic Suite No 4 for oboe and violoncello
I. Moderato
Christian Hammel, oboe
Helmut Menzler, cello
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Julien Rosa
A BBC Audio Wales & West production for BBC Radio 3
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m0028lg4)
The classical soundtrack for your evening
Ian Skelly is joined in the studio by cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0028lg6)
Half an hour of the finest classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites - Carl Orff's O fortuna - the dramatic choral opening of Carmina Burana, two minuets from Bach's first cello suite, the elegant overture from Stravinsky's ballet Pulcinella and Liszt's virtuosic La Campanella for piano. Also in the mix is a potpourri of whirling waltzes from Franz Lehar's operetta The Merry Widow, Marguerite Monnot's Hymn to Love and Samuel Barber's heart-wrenching Adagio for Strings
Producer: Ian Wallington.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0028lg8)
Ravel 150 and Boulez 100
From the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Presented by Tom McKinney
In the first of two concerts celebrating important anniversaries of two iconic French musicians, we open by paying tribute to 20th century revolutionary Pierre Boulez. 'Rituel in memorian Bruno Maderna' is a dazzling canvas of sound and colour at turns raw and muscular and at others deeply meditative.
French star Bertrand Chamayou joins the orchestra for Ravel's by turns jazz-inspired and lyrical Piano Concerto in G.
The world premiere of an orchestration of two early piano pieces by Ravel, 'Sites auriculaires' and his poignant 'Pavane pour une infante défunte' (premiered in Manchester in 1911) precede the luminous final tableau from his ballet 'Daphnis and Chloe' - glowing colours and vivid pictures painted by a master orchestrator.
Boulez: Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna
7.55 Interval
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
Ravel orch Kenneth Hesketh: Sites auriculaires
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
BBC Philharmonic
Mark Wigglesworth
Recorded in Manchester on 11 January 2025
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m0028lgb)
The Little Secrets of Great Works
11/03/2025
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces.
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m0028lgd)
Blissful sounds for night owls
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021ptw)
A Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson classic
Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Bassist and composer Orlando Le Fleming is this week’s guest on 4/4, where musicians share selections from their home record collection. This time, he's pulled out a piece by Branford Marsalis.
Plus, there's a track by Issie Barratt's INTERCHANGE, and new music from Asher Gamedze, Hiro Ama and the Neil Cowley Trio.
WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m0028lgg)
Langer, Bartók and Mendelssohn
The German Symphony Orchestra performs Elena Langer's opera suite after Mozart, 'Figaro gets a Divorce,' and Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony. Patricia Kopatchinskaja joins the musicians for Bartók's exuberant 2nd Violin Concerto. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Elena Langer (b. 1974)
Suite from the Opera 'Figaro gets a Divorce'
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor)
12:50 AM
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Violin Concerto no 2, Sz.;112
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor)
01:30 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Blues, from Violin Sonata no 2 in G major
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin)
01:36 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 3 in A minor, Op 56 'Scottish'
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Maxim Emelyanychev (conductor)
02:15 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), arr. Franz Danzi
Duo from "Le Nozze di Figaro" arranged for 2 cellos: 'Voi, che sapete'
Duo Fouquet
02:18 AM
Jean Hotteterre (1677-1720)
La Noce Champetre ou l'Himen Pastoral - from Pieces pour la Muzette
Ensemble 1700
02:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54
Francesco Piemontesi (piano), Munich Chamber Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado (conductor)
03:02 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
String Quartet no 2 in F major (unfinished)
Ensemble Fragaria Vesca
03:23 AM
Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002)
Sonata for oboe and piano
Senia Trubashnik (oboe), Valerie Tryon (piano)
03:41 AM
Elfrida Andree
Concert Overture in D major
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chloe van Soeterstede (conductor)
03:52 AM
Henriette Bosmans (1895-1952)
Allegro maestoso, from 'Cello Sonata in A minor'
Friedrich Thiele (cello), Amadeus Wiesensee (piano)
04:00 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
O Padre Nostro
Chamber Choir AVE, Andraz Hauptman (conductor)
04:07 AM
Susan Spain-Dunk (1880-1962)
The Farmer's boy - overture for flute and strings
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Bell (conductor)
04:14 AM
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016)
A Sad paven for these distracted tymes for string quartet
Pavel Haas Quartet
04:22 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Caesar's aria 'Al lamp dell'armi' from Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Act 2 Sc 8)
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)
04:25 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
"Where'er you walk" Jupiter's air from Act II, Scene 3 of the opera "Semele"
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)
04:31 AM
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Overture to Candide
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Richard Dufallo (conductor)
04:36 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Trio sonata in C major, Op 3 no 8
Il Seminario Musicale, Gerard Lesne (director)
04:43 AM
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Automne, Op 35 no 2
Valerie Tryon (piano)
04:51 AM
Karol Kurpinski (1785-1857)
Overture, Dwie Chatki (Two Huts)
Sinfonia Varsovia, Grzegorz Nowak (conductor)
05:00 AM
Percy Grainger (1882-1961)
O Danny Boy or Irish tune from County Derry
Edmonton Wind Ensemble, Harry Pinchin (conductor)
05:04 AM
Monk of Salzburg (c.1340-c.1392)
In aller werlt mein liebster hort
Ensemble fur Fruhe Musik Augsburg
05:10 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata in F major, K.280
Sergei Terentjev (piano)
05:30 AM
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Symphonic metamorphosis of themes by Carl Maria von Weber
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)
05:52 AM
Cesar Franck (1822-1890)
Quintet for piano and strings in F minor, M.7
Cristina Ortiz (piano), Fine Arts Quartet
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m0028lz1)
Get going with 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.”
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m0028lz3)
The very best of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, featuring new discoveries, some musical surprises and plenty of familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m0028lz5)
Debussy's 'La mer' from the Netherlands
Tom McKinney with specially recorded music from across the UK and Europe. Includes Mozart's Piano Sonata No.13 in B-flat major and Poulenc's Flute Sonata - highlights from the recent 'Michael McHale and Friends' festival at the Portico of Ards.
Elsewhere, Tom continues a week-long celebration of contemporary women conductors, today shining the Classical Live Artist's Spotlight on the American conductor, Karina Canellakis. Since winning the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award in 2016, Canellakis has become a guest conductor with leading orchestras around the world, including the London Philharmonic. She is currently Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, which she directs today in a centrepiece recording of Debussy's 'La mer'.
***
1pm
From the Portico of Ards
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Sonata No.13 in B-flat major, K.333
Michael McHale (piano)
Francis Poulenc
Flute Sonata
Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė (flute)
Michael McHale (piano)
Antonín Dvořák
The Golden Spinning-Wheel
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Karina Canellakis (conductor)
***
2pm
From the Portico of Ards
Carl Maria von Weber
Grand Duo Concertant, Op.48
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
***
2.30pm
Claude Debussy
La Mer
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis (conductor)
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m0028lz7)
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Live from the Chapel of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Introit: Memento homo (Byrd)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms 65, 66, 67 (Russell, Garrett, Luard Smith)
First Lesson: Genesis 11 vv1-9
Office hymn: Jesu quadragenariae (plainsong)
Canticles: Jesus College Service (Mathias)
Second Lesson: Matthew 24 vv15-28
Anthem: Solus ad Victimam (Leighton)
Voluntary: Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562 (Bach)
David Skinner (Director of Music)
Samuel Kemp, Francis Fowler (Organists)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m0028lz9)
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953)
The Dissonances of Life
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
In this third episode, we see how Crawford is finally writing the 'trees of sound and colour' she dreamt of, creating her masterpieces. But life during the Great Depression is far from easy.
Nineteen American Folk Songs for Piano
"The Three Ravens"
"Frog Went A-Courtin"
Virginia Eskin, piano
Three Chants for Female Chorus
New London Chamber Choir
James Wood, director
String Quartet 1931
Pacifica Quartet
Béla Bartók:
Piano Concerto No 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101
III. Allegro molto
Zoltán Kocsis, piano
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer, conductor
Diaphonic Suite No. 1 for oboe
I. Scherzando
Christian Hommel, oboe
Trad, arr Ruth Crawford Seeger:
"Lost Gander"
from Animal Folk Songs for Children
Mike Seeger, banjo
Preludes for Piano
Prelude No. 4
Jenny Lin, piano
Two Ricercare to poems by Hsi Tseng Tsiang
I. "Sacco, Vanzetti"
Nan Hughes, mezzo-soprano
Joel Sachs, piano
Peggy Seeger:
How I Long For Peace
Peggy Seeger, voice and piano
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Julien Rosa
A BBC Audio Wales & West production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week”
WED 17:00 In Tune (m0028lzc)
Live classical music for your commute
Ian Skelly chats with conductor Alpesh Chauhan, and pianist Eric Lu performs live.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0028lzf)
Classical music to inspire you
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0028lzh)
Ravel 150 and Boulez 100
From the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Presented by Tom McKinney
Fantasy and folklore lead the way in the BBC Philharmonic's continuing birthday celebrations for Ravel and Boulez; Beauty and the Beast, an Old Castle and a hut on chicken's legs all put in an appearance!
'Notations', Boulez's reimagining of his own jewelled piano miniatures opens the concert and Ravel's beautiful orchestration of his own piano duets written for children, form a basis for his entrancing fairy tale ballet, 'Mother Goose' which follows.
Bertrand Chamayou joins the orchestra for the fascinating sound-world of Ravel's Piano Concerto for the left hand and the programme ends at the Great Gate of Kiev in Ravel's personality-filled orchestration of Mussorgsky's piano masterpiece, 'Pictures at an Exhibition'.
Boulez: Notations I-IV
Ravel: Mother Goose (complete ballet)
8.05 Interval
Ravel: Piano Concerto in D for the left hand
Mussorgsky orch Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
BBC Philharmonic
Ludovic Morlot (conductor)
Recorded at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 22 February 2025
To listen on most smart speakers just say, "ask BBC sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m0028lzk)
The Little Secrets of Great Works
12/03/2025
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m0028lzm)
Meditative music for late night solace
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021pyp)
Brand new Daniel Casimir
‘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.
Orlando Le Fleming, the British bassist and composer, is spending the week on the show selecting some of his favourite records in 4/4. Tonight he has picked one by the chameleonic trumpeter, Miles Davis.
Plus, there's music from Carole Nelson, Lucie Hendry and the Will Barnes Quartet, and a piece by Duke Ellington, ahead of a Prom featuring his work tomorrow.
THURSDAY 13 MARCH 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m0028lzp)
Caroline Shaw, Mendelssohn and Mahler at the 2022 BBC Proms
Soprano Miah Persson, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Ryan Bancroft perform Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. Presented by Danielle Jalowiecka.
12:31 AM
Caroline Shaw (b.1982)
Entr’acte for strings
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
12:43 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64
Clara-Jumi Kang (violin), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
01:11 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony no 4 in G major
Miah Persson (soprano), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
02:09 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Sonata no 15 in C major, D.840
Alfred Brendel (piano)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Oster-oratorio, BWV.249
Susanne Ryden (soprano), Tone M. Wik (soprano), Marianne Kielland (contralto), Andrew Carwood (tenor), Lars Johansson Brissman (bass), Norwegian Baroque Orchestra, Joshua Rifkin (conductor)
03:12 AM
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Piano Sonata no 2 in A major, Op 21
Jerzy Godziszewski (piano)
03:41 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Sonata da Chiesa in A major, Op 1 no 3
London Baroque
03:48 AM
Jean-Baptiste Forqueray (1699-1782)
La Morangis, ou La Plissay - chaconne
Teodoro Bau (viola da gamba), Deniel Perer (harpsichord)
03:56 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Romance in G major for violin and orchestra, Op 40
Igor Ozim (violin), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Samo Hubad (conductor)
04:04 AM
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
La Maja y el Ruisenor - from Goyescas
Marilyn Richardson (soprano), Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Kamirski (conductor)
04:11 AM
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Italian serenade
Bartok String Quartet
04:18 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Erster Verlust - First Loss, Op 99 no 1
Kaia Urb (soprano), Heiki Matlik (guitar)
04:21 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Concertino for oboe and wind ensemble in C major (arr. for trumpet)
Geoffrey Payne (trumpet), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Michael Halasz (conductor)
04:31 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Trio no 8 from Essercizii Musici
Camerata Koln, Michael Schneider (recorder), Rainer Zipperling (cello), Yasunori Imamura (theorbo), Sabine Bauer (harpsichord), Harald Hoeren (organ)
04:39 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), arr. Edvard Grieg
Sonata for piano in C major, K545
Julie Adam (piano), Daniel Herscovitch (piano)
04:48 AM
Ludvig Norman (1831-1885)
Rosa rorans bonitatem, Op 45
Eva Wedin (mezzo soprano), Swedish Radio Choir, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Sjokvist (conductor)
04:57 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasiestucke, Op 73
Aljaz Begus (clarinet), Svjatoslav Presnjakov (piano)
05:08 AM
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Tango Suite for two guitars (Parts 2 and 3)
Tornado Guitar Duo
05:17 AM
Ture Rangstrom (1884-1947)
Suite for violin and piano no 1 'In modo antico'
Tale Olsson (violin), Mats Jansson (piano)
05:26 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Rossiniana - suite from Rossini's 'Les riens'
West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
05:52 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantasy for piano in F minor, Op 49
Szymon Nehring (piano)
06:06 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Wind Serenade in D minor, Op 44
I Solisti del Vento, Etienne Siebens (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m0028lf7)
Classical music to set you up for the day
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.”
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m0028lf9)
Celebrating classical greats
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.
1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.
1030 Song of the Day – harnessing the magic of words, music and the human voice.
1115 Playlist reveal – a sequence of music suggested by you in response to our starter today.
1145 Slow Moment – time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection.
1200 “25 for 25: Sounds of the Century” – a series of brand new commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far.
1230 Album of the Week
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m0028lfc)
Appalachian Spring: Marin Alsop's Berlin Philharmonic Debut
Tom McKinney with specially recorded music from across the UK and Europe. Includes Finzi's famous 'Five Bagatelles'- a highlight from the recent 'Michael McHale and Friends' festival at the Portico of Ards.
Elsewhere, Tom continues a week-long celebration of contemporary women conductors, today shining the Classical Live Artist's Spotlight on one of the world's foremost conductors: Marin Alsop. Praised as a 'formidable musician and powerful communicator', Alsop last month became the first U.S.-born woman to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Tom showcases highlights from that history-making concert, including a centrepiece performance of 'Appalachian Spring' by Aaron Copland.
***
1pm
From the Portico of Ards
Gerald Finzi
Five Bagatelles, Op.23
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
Johannes Brahms
Four Ballades, Op.10
Michael McHale (piano)
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Chôros No.10 'Rasga o Coração'
Berlin Radio Chorus
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Marin Alsop (conductor)
***
2pm
Johann Sebastian Bach
Violin Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006
Geneva Lewis (violin)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake (Suite), Op.20a
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Elim Chan (conductor)
Henriette Bosmans
String Quartet
Navarra String Quartet (ensemble)
***
3pm
Aaron Copland
Appalachian Spring (Suite)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Marin Alsop (conductor)
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Harmonia for violin, 2 violas, gamba, dulcian and continuo
Concerto Copenhagen (ensemble)
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (director/harpsichord)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Horn Sonata in F major, Op.17 (arranged for viola & piano)
Timothy Ridout (viola)
Jâms Coleman (piano)
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m0028lff)
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953)
Folk Tales
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
In this fourth episode, we explore how a radical change in her life opens a major new chapter in Ruth Crawford Seeger's musical story, one dedicated to preserving America's folk heritage.
Trad, arr Ruth Crawford Seeger:
"Singing in the Land"
from American Folk Songs for Christmas
Mike, Peggy and Penny Seeger
Andante for strings
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
James Gaffigan, conductor
Trad:
Cindy
Mike Seeger and Peggy Seeger
Béla Bartók
3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, Sz.35a
Zoltan Kocsis, piano
Nineteen American Folk Songs for Piano
"Darby’s Ram"
"What’ll We Do With The Baby?"
"Mammy Loves"
Virginia Eskin, piano
Trad:
"New River Train"
Pete Seeger, vocals and banjo
Trad:
"Midnight Special"
Lead Belly, vocals and guitar
Trad:
"Irene (Goodnight, Irene)"
Lead Belly, vocals and guitar
Charles Seeger:
John Hardy
Schönberg Ensemble
Oliver Knussen, director
Piano Study in Mixed Accents
Jenny Lin, piano
Suite No 1, for five wind instruments and piano
Ensemble Aventure
Excerpt of an archive of Elizabeth Cotten and Ruth Crawford Seeger talking
Recorded by Charles Seeger
Private collection, courtesy Peggy Seeger
Elizabeth Cotten:
"Wilson Rag"
"Freight Train"
Elizabeth Cotten, guitar and vocals
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Julien Rosa
A BBC Audio Wales & West production for BBC Radio 3
THU 17:00 In Tune (m0028lfh)
Wind down from the day with classical
Ian Skelly presents live music and interviews from the world’s finest classical musicians.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0028lfk)
Expand your horizons with classical music
A relaxing sequence of music to start your evening, including music by Elgar, Debussy and Francesca Caccini.
Producer - Ellie Mant
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m0028lfm)
Zakir Hussain's Triple Concerto with the BBC SSO
In December last year, we were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Zakir Hussain. A legendary tabla virtuoso, global ambassador of Indian classical music and four-time GRAMMY winner, Hussain’s extraordinary legacy inspires musicians and music lovers around the world. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and fans across the globe.
Conductor Alpesh Chauhan intended to bring Zakir Hussain's Triple Concerto to Glasgow with Zakir himself playing, and we are grateful to Zakir’s brother and tabla player, Fazal Qureshi, for stepping in to perform in this special celebration concert alongside Niladri Kumar (sitar) and Rakesh Chaurasia (bansuri). Hussain described his composition as “a tale of love, tradition, and the transforming power of art," and this programme consisting of an intoxicating combination of Eastern and Western traditions creates musical magic.
After the interval we hear Rachmaninov's tone poem Isle of the Dead, based on Arnold Böcklin’s haunting painting. Concluding the programme is Stravinsky’s ever-popular Firebird in its 1919 suite form, showcasing the composer’s immaculate skill and vivid use of his compositional palette.
Presented by Kate Molleson, live from City Halls Glasgow.
Zakir Hussain: Triple Concerto for Tabla, Sitar and Bansuri
interval
Sergey Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird – 1919 Suite
Fazal Qureshi, tabla
Niladri Kumar, sitar
Rakesh Chaurasia, bansuri
Alpesh Chauhan, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert"
THU 21:45 The Essay (m0028lfp)
The Little Secrets of Great Works
13/03/2025
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m0028lfr)
Nocturnal music to bewitch the senses
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021py0)
New Pat Metheny
Award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch presents this weekday evening jazz show. It celebrates the thriving UK scene and spotlights the best new music alongside legendary heritage acts.
Every day this week, bass player and composer Orlando Le Fleming has been guesting on our feature 4/4 - selecting gems from his record collection which have impacted his work and life. Tonight, Orlando's final selection is by American pianist Keith Jarrett.
Plus, there's music from Matt Bianco, Marysia Osu and another live track from Theon Cross' recent BBC Proms appearance.
FRIDAY 14 MARCH 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m0028lft)
Vilde Frang performs Elgar's Violin Concerto in Berlin
Accompanied by the German Symphony Orchestra, Vilde Frang plays Elgar's virtuosic Violin Concerto. The programme continues with Wennäkoski's Flounce, written in 2017, and rounds off majestically with Sibelius's Symphony no 2. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Violin Concerto in B minor, Op 61
Vilde Frang (violin), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
01:21 AM
Lotta Wennäkoski
Flounce
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
01:26 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 2 in D major, Op 43
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
02:08 AM
Aulis Sallinen (b.1935)
Elegy for Sebastian Knight, Op 10
Arto Noras (cello)
02:13 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Sacred and profane - 8 medieval lyrics, Op 91
Carmina Chamber Choir, Peter Hanke (conductor)
02:31 AM
Maria Herz (1878-1950)
Concerto for Harpsichord or Fortepiano, String Orchestra and Flute, Op 15
Nadja Saminskaja (piano), Ronny Spiegel (violin), Yuta Takase (violin), Daphne Unseld (viola), Fedor Saminski (cello), Nikola Major (double bass), Christian Madlener (flute)
02:59 AM
Katia Tchemberdji (b.1960)
In Namen Amadeus, for viola, clarinet, piano and tape
Brett Dean (viola), Paul Dean (clarinet), Stephen Emmerson (piano)
03:13 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Suite from Platee (Junon jalouse) - comedie-lyrique in three acts
Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (director)
03:39 AM
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
What is our life? – for 5 voices
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (director)
03:43 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Valse Russe (Miniatures set 3, no 1)
Moshe Hammer (violin), Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cello), William Tritt (piano)
03:47 AM
Igor Kuljeric (1938-2006), arr. Ivana Bilic
Barocchiana for solo marimba
Ivana Bilic (percussion)
04:01 AM
Uuno Klami (1900-1961)
Intermezzo for cor anglais and orchestra
Paivi Kaerkaes (cor anglais), Radion Sinfoniaorkesteri, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
04:05 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Sicut cervus - Like as the hart
Chorus of Swiss Radio, Lugano, Lorenzo Ghielmi (organ), Alberto Rasi (viola da gamba), Diego Fasolis (conductor)
04:10 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony no 1 in D major, Op 25 'Classical'
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik (conductor)
04:24 AM
Johann Christoph Pezel (1639-1694)
Tower Music from Leipzig Intrada 1, 2 & 3
Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble
04:31 AM
Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729)
Sonata in D major for 2 violins and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)
04:40 AM
Anonymous
Hanacpachap cussicuinin from Ritual formulario (Lima, 1631)
Villancico, Peter Pontvik (conductor)
04:44 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Fantasia on an Irish song 'The last rose of summer' for piano, Op 15
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
04:53 AM
Alexina Louie (b.1949)
Songs of Paradise
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Kazuhiro Koizumi (conductor)
05:08 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Christus - Pastorale and Herald Angels Sing (extract)
Walter Coppola (tenor), Franko Tunde (bass), Hungarian Radio Choir, Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Pesko Zoltan (conductor)
05:15 AM
Paul Taffanel (1844-1908)
Wind Quintet in G minor
Matvey Demin (flute), Martin Frutiger (oboe), Fabio di Casola (clarinet), Mischa Greull (horn), Matthias Racz (bassoon)
05:38 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Variations on a theme by Haydn vers. for orchestra, Op 56a
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Simone Young (conductor)
05:58 AM
George Frideric Handel
Dixit Dominus, HWV.232
Hana Blazikova (soprano), Alena Hellerova (soprano), Kamila Mazalova (contralto), Vaclav Cizek (tenor), Tomas Kral (bass), Jaromir Nosek (bass), Collegium Vocale 1704, Collegium 1704, Vaclav Luks (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m0028k56)
Sunny side up 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.”
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m0028k58)
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 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 (m0028k5b)
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet in Concert
Tom McKinney with specially recorded music from across the UK and Europe. Includes Poulenc's Clarinet Sonata and Cecile Chaminade's Flute Concertino - a highlight from the recent 'Michael McHale and Friends' festival at the Portico of Ards.
Elsewhere, Tom continues a week-long celebration of contemporary women conductors, today shining the Classical Live Artist's Spotlight on the Hong Kong–born conductor, Elim Chan. Praised for her 'control and understanding', Chan conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the First Night of the Proms in 2024, and was previously Principal Conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and also Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Tom selects highlights from a recent concert collaboration between Chan and the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, including a centrepiece performance of Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev.
***
1pm
Sergey Rachmaninov
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43
Nelson Goerner (piano)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Elim Chan (conductor)
From the Portico of Ards
Francis Poulenc
Clarinet Sonata
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
John Field, arr. Michael McHale
Nocturne No.5 in B-flat major
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Michael McHale (piano)
Georg Muffat
Armonico Tributo: Sonata No.3 in A major
Concerto Copenhagen (ensemble)
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (director/harpsichord)
***
2pm
From the Portico of Ards
Cecile Chaminade
Concertino, Op.107
Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė (flute)
Michael McHale (piano)
Florence Price
Concert Overture No.2
BBC Concert Orchestra
Jane Glover (conductor)
Robert Schumann
Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op.44
Chaos Quartet
Elisabeth Brauß (piano)
***
3pm
Sergei Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Elim Chan (conductor)
William Grant Still
Mother and Child
Sterling Elliott (cello)
Gabriele Strata (piano)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat major, K.39
Giorgi Gigashvili (piano)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Nil Venditti (conductor)
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m0028k5d)
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953)
A Singing Family
Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) had multiple lives. As Ruth, she was an aspiring poet and teacher, who longed to become a mother. Crawford the composer wrote some of the most daring pages of 20th-century American music, granting her a place among the group of the 'Ultra-Modernists'. And, as the matriarch of the Seeger dynasty, she collected and arranged countless pieces from treasures of the folk tradition. With Kate Molleson, discover the extraordinary life and work of a major American composer, in a story of creative experimentations, of family bonds, and most of all, of joy in music-making, accompanied by the memories of Crawford's daughter and folk legend, Peggy Seeger.
In this fifth episode, we conclude the exploration of Ruth Crawford Seeger's life story, filled with singing evenings in family, new desires to compose again, and a farewell coming too soon.
Rissolty, Rossolty
Schönberg Ensemble
Oliver Knussen, director
Piano Sonata
Jenny Lin, piano
Diaphonic Suite No. 3 for two clarinets
III. Giocoso
Walter Ifrim, clarinet
Ian Semple, clarinet
Piano Study in Mixed Accents (Version 3)
Jenny Lin, piano
American Folk Songs for Children
"Oh, Oh, The Sunshine"
"Goodbye, Julie"
"Down Came A Lady"
"Goodbye, Old Paint"
Mike and Peggy Seeger
Suite for Wind Quintet
Schönberg Ensemble
Oliver Knussen, director
Animal Folk Songs for Children
"Mister Rabbit"
"Old Lady Goose"
Pete and Peggy Seeger
Five Canons, for piano
No 4
Jenny Lin, piano
Excerpt of an archive of Ruth Crawford Seeger singing at the piano
Recorded by Charles Seeger
Private collection, courtesy Peggy Seeger
American Folk Songs for Christmas
"Stars In The Heaven"
"Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow"
Mike, Peggy and Penny Seeger, and members of their family
Peggy Seeger:
"Everything Changes"
Peggy Seeger, vocals
James Hallawell, piano
Diaphonic Suite No 2 for bassoon and cello (or two cellos)
II. Andante cantando
III. Con brio
Wolfgang Rüdiger, bassoon
Helmut Menzler, cello
Presenter: Donald Macleod
Producer: Julien Rosa
Production Coordinator: Ellie Phillips
Mixing: Jonathan Thomas
Composer of the Week is a BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Composer of the Week”
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m0028k5g)
The biggest names in classical music
Ian Skelly is joined by violinist Aisha Syed, who performs live in the In Tune studio.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m0028k5j)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m0028k5l)
Chichester Festival Theatre
Michael Seal conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in Chichester featuring music by composers who also had alternative careers, both inside and outside the musical profession.
Presented by Katie Derham.
Arnold Beckus the Dandipratt
Borodin In the Steppes of Central Asia
Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne: La pastoura als Camps (from 1st series); Bailero (from 1st series)
Tovey Urban Runway
J Strauss II Explosions Polka
INTERVAL
Arr. Michael Seal A Flourish of Trumpets
Nielsen Maskerade Overture
Gipps Song for Orchestra
Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne: La delaïssado (from 2nd series); Malurous qu’o uno fenno (from 3rd series); Lou Coucut (from 4th series)
Puccini The Chrysanthemums
J Strauss II Auf der Jagd Polka (On The Hunt)
Smyth The Boatswain’s Mate Overture
BBC Concert Orchestra
Soprano Ella Taylor
Conductor Michael Seal
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m0028k5n)
The Little Secrets of Great Works
14/03/2025
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces.
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m0028k5q)
Resonance, ratios and slices of Pi
Jennifer Lucy Allan presents her latest findings from the worlds of experimental music and adventurous sound, including a new track from Los Pirañas and a collaboration born in Milan between Maurizio Abate and Luca Venitucci. And, on the date declared to be Pi Day, the annual celebration of everyone’s favourite mathematical constant, we delight in the infinite power of perfect circles and musical sequences with tracks from Nickolas Mohanna’s Speaker Rotations project and Swiss composer Jürg Frey.
Produced by Silvia Malnati
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m0021q1v)
Esperanza Spalding in conversation
An extended conversation between Soweto and the bassist, vocalist, composer and modern jazz great, Esperanza Spalding.
The pair talk about her new collaborative album with Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento, her beginnings on bass, and working with another titan of the music in Wayne Shorter.