SATURDAY 24 MAY 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002c0vd)
Bulgarian Culture and Cyrillic Day
An Opera Gala from Sofia to celebrate the national holiday of Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Alphabet. Grigor Palikarov directs the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and soloists. Plus a whole night of music by Bulgarian composers and performers. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Overture to I Vespri siciliani
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Grigor Palikarov (conductor)
12:40 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
'Vieni t’affretta' - Lady Macbeth's aria from act 1 of Macbeth
Alexandrina Pendatchanska (soprano), BNRSO
12:49 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Gomez da Silva's Aria from Ernani
Deyan Vatchkov (bass), BNRSO
12:55 AM
Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Intermezzo from 'Cavalleria rusticana'
BNRSO
12:59 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
'Ove son io' - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's Duet from Macbeth
Kiril Manolov (baritone), Alexandrina Pendatchanska (soprano), BNRSO
01:03 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Intermezzo - Prelude to Act 4 from Carmen
BNRSO
01:05 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
'Avec la garde montante' from Act 1 of Carmen
Bulgarian National Radio Children's Choir, BNRSO
01:08 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
March and Chorus from Act 4 of Carmen
Bulgarian National Radio Children's Choir, Bulgarian National Radio Mixed Chorus, BNRSO
01:13 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Prelude: Dawn Over the Moscow River, from Khovanshchina
BNRSO
01:20 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Boris' Monologue - from Act 2 of Boris
Deyan Vatchkov (bass), BNRSO
01:26 AM
Dobri Hristov (1875-1941)
Devoyche - Young Maiden
Alexandrina Pendatchanska (soprano), BNRSO
01:29 AM
Veselin Stoyanov (1902-1969)
Hitar Petar's Aria - from Hitar Petar
Kiril Manolov (bass), BNRSO
01:33 AM
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor
Bulgarian National Radio Mixed Chorus, BNRSO
01:45 AM
Dobri Hristov (1875-1941)
In Your Kingdom
Seven Saints Chamber Choir
01:47 AM
Johann Christoph Pezel (1639-1694)
Sonatina no 69 for 2 trumpets and organ
Ivan Hadliyski and Roman Hajiyski (trumpet), Velin Iliev (organ)
01:50 AM
Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978)
Variations on the Bulgarian Folk Song "Gorda Stara Pianina", Op 3
Krassimir Gatev (piano)
02:15 AM
Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-1974)
Spring in Thrace - suite
BNRSO, Mark Kadin (conductor)
02:31 AM
Marin Goleminov (1908-2000)
String Quartet no 3 on an Old Bulgarian Theme
Avramov String Quartet
02:52 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), transc. Igor Stravinsky
3 Movements from Petrushka
Shura Cherkassky (piano)
03:10 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Ma mere L'Oye
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Emil Tabakov (conductor)
03:28 AM
Dobrinka Tabakova (b.1980)
Such Different Paths
Hugo Ticciati (violin), Thomas Reif (violin), Hana Hobiger (viola), Gregor Hrabar (viola), Alessio Pianelli (cello), Ruiko Matsumoto (cello)
03:45 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Sonata in A major, HWV 361 (trans. to B flat)
Blagoj Angelovski (trumpet), Velin Iliev (organ)
03:54 AM
Boyan Vodenitcharov (b.1960)
Improvisations 4 & 5
Boyan Vodenitcharov (piano)
04:06 AM
Georgi Kostov (1941-2024)
Ludicrous Dance for children's chorus
Bulgarian National Radio Children's Choir, Hristo Nedyalkov (conductor)
04:09 AM
Filip Kutev (1903-1982)
St Herman - Symphonic Poem
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassil Stefanov (conductor)
04:18 AM
Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-1974), Marina Tsvetaeva (lyricist)
To Grandma, from Subdued Songs
Sofia Chamber Choir, Vassil Arnaudov (conductor)
04:23 AM
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Three Preludes
Aglika Genova (piano), Liuben Dimitrov (piano)
04:31 AM
Boyan Ikonomov (1900-1973)
Days on the river Drava - Heroic Overture
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mark Kadin (conductor)
04:41 AM
Petar Yanev (b.1967)
Rhythms in Re
Petar Yanev (bagpipes), Eolina Quartet
04:48 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violoncello concerto in G major, RV 413
Stefan Popov (cello), Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, Emil Tabakov (conductor)
04:59 AM
Milko Kolarov (b.1946)
Why is the Spout Dripping?
Bulgarian National Radio Children's Choir, Iva Vaglenova (piano), Hristo Nedyalkov (conductor)
05:03 AM
Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978)
Four Frescoes, Op 69
Krassimir Gatev (piano)
05:09 AM
Krasimir Kyurkchiyski (1936-2011)
Variations on a theme by Handel
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dimitar Manolov (conductor)
05:29 AM
Plamen Djourov (b.1949)
Alto Saxophone Concerto
Boris Petrov (alto saxophone), Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Plamen Djourov (conductor)
05:52 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in C major, K.299
Georgi Spasov (flute), Suzana Klincharova (harp), Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, Plamen Djurov (conductor)
06:20 AM
Ivan Spassov (1934-1996)
Solveig's Songs
Sofia Chamber Choir, Vassil Arnaudov (conductor)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002cbrb)
Start the day on the right note with classical music
Emma Clarke presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
SAT 09:00 Saturday Morning (m002cbrd)
American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton drops by
Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack to start the weekend!
This morning Tom chats to the brilliant charismatic American mezzo Jamie Barton. The NY Times describes her "Opera’s Nose-Studded Rock Star" - she's a former star soloist at the Last Night of the Proms and winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World, and is back in the UK this week. Always in demand in opera houses across the world, Jamie is also passionate about being a voice for women, queer people and marginalised communities in the arts. She chats to Tom about the magic of her voice and some of her secret tricks, how late night radio brought her to music and why she's on a mission to open the doors to everyone to opera.
Author and artist Tove Jansson's beloved series of books on the Moomins turns 80 this year so Tom heads to Moominvalley to explore the music found there. Singer Emma Klingenberg tells us about how music shaped Tove Jannson's world and Finnish bass player and composer Lauri Porra - who also happens to be the great-grandson of Jean Sibelius - tells us about his new album 'Seasons in Moominvalley' for piano and string ensemble in which he captures their musical essence.
Plus the continuation of BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century. This week, violinist Rakhi Singh and composer and producer Seb Gainsborough commemorate the Manchester Arena Bombing which took place on 22nd May 2017, in their piece There is nothing in the Sky. The work features 22 bells, one for each of the lives lost that night
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002cbrg)
Jools with some of his most-loved recordings
Jools shares his lifelong passion for classical music and the beautiful connections with jazz and blues. With fascinating guests each week, who bring their own favourite music and occasionally perform live in Jools's studio.
Today, Jools's choices include music by Pergolesi, Szymanowska and Bennie Moten, with performances by Philippe Jaroussky, Julia Lezhneva and Mason Bates. His guest is the singer songwriter Billy Bragg who introduces music he loves by Orff, Beethoven and Vaughan Williams, as well as some Gaelic psalm-singing.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m002cjcw)
Harmony in Neurodiversity
Anna Devin and Elizabeth Watts
Neurodivergence is more prevalent among musicians than the general population. Soprano Elizabeth Watts, who has ADHD, explores how neurodiversity influences the lives and creativity of fellow musicians. She is joined by fellow soprano Anna Devin, who has dyslexia and dyspraxia, for a candid conversation about how their unique ways of thinking shape their experiences in music and life. Along the way, they share meaningful pieces that reflect their personal journeys.
Today, Anna shares several pieces that highlight aspects of singing that are difficult for her, such as learning fast text in a foreign language. She also shares pieces that give her creative freedom, for example through improvising ornaments or through a sound world that brings a visual scene to life. Elizabeth brings one recording that keeps her brain awake and engaged, and another that she uses to bribe herself to do tasks she would otherwise put off completing.
Adding a scientific lens to the discussion, Professor Catherine Loveday offers explanations and insights into the relationship between neurodiversity and musical creativity.
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002cbrj)
Stravinsky's Les Noces in Building a Library with Jonathan Cross and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.
1405
Kirsten Gibson makes her pick of the best new releases including Purcell from mezzo Helen Charlston and Schubert violin sonatas from Peter Hanson
1500
Jonathan Cross chooses his favourite recording of Stravinsky's Les Noces
Recommended recording:
Stravinsky: Les Noces
Amelie Raison (soprano)
Pauline Leroy (mezzo-soprano)
Martial Pauliat (tenor)
Renaud Delaigue (bass)
Ensemble Aedes
Les Siecles
Mathieu Romano (conductor)
Aparte AP300
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 (m000fffp)
Jane Austen
Matthew Sweet talks to composer Isobel Waller-Bridge about her score for the 2020 film of Emma, and looks back at other Jane Austen adaptations over the years. From famous Mr Darcy's like Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth to Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, and Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson as the Dashwood Sisters. Featuring music by Rachel Portman, Patrick Doyle, and Dario Marianelli, whose 2005 score for Pride and Prejudice is our classic score of the week.
(first broadcast in 2020)
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002cbrm)
Jess Gillam with... Enyi Okpara
Jess Gillam swaps favourite music with conductor Enyi Okpara, from a brass band classic, to Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony, plus music by Anna Meredith and Cecile McLorin Salvant
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002cbrp)
John Adams's Antony and Cleopatra
Live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City: John Adams conducts his latest opera, based on Shakespeare's immortal drama and starring Julia Bullock and Gerald Finley as the irresistible Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her conflicted Roman lover Antony. This Met première of Adams's lyrical and richly orchestrated score is a new staging that transports the story of troubled romance and political strife from ancient Rome to the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s.
Presented from the Met by Debra Lew Harder, with commentator Ira Siff.
Adams: Antony and Cleopatra
Cleopatra ..... Julia Bullock (soprano)
Antony ..... Gerald Finley (bass-baritone)
Caesar ..... Paul Appleby (tenor)
Octavia ..... Elizabeth DeShong (mezzo-soprano)
Charmian ..... Taylor Raven (mezzo-soprano)
Eros ..... Brenton Ryan (tenor)
Agrippa ..... Jarrett Ott (baritone)
Enobarbus ..... Alfred Walker (bass-baritone)
Lepidus.....Kevin Short (bass-baritone)
Scarus.....Michael Adams (baritone)
Iras.....Eve Gigliotti (mezzo-soprano)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Conductor John Adams
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Opera on 3".
SAT 21:45 Music Planet (m002cbrr)
Arabic Makam and polyphony from Norway
Kathryn Tickell curates a selection of new roots-based music from across the globe, including fresh sounds from Tehran-born ensemble leader and tar player Araz Salek, whose work investigates the intersection of Turkish and Arabic makam music with the Iranian dastgāh tradition. Plus polyphony courtesy of the Norwegian vocal group Kvedarkvintetten, and a journey through Athens, Greece, on the notes of Babo Koro’s music - their new album Opsis takes inspiration from the meeting of two rich musical traditions, those of the Mediterranean and of the Balkan.
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 (m002cbrt)
Japanese focus - works by Dai Fujikura and Misato Mochizuki
Tom Service presents the world premiere of Dai Fujikura's Concerto for sho and ensemble, alongside Misato Mochizuki's Etheric Blueprint from 2006 with Kazuki Yamada conducting the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in a concert given last month. Also featured tonight: For Anthony Braxton by Tyshawn Sorey - commissioned and performed by pianist Jonathan Biss in a recent concert at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester; Belfast's Hard Rain Ensemble perform Deirdre Gribbin's Ghost Memories, Portuguese percussion from the Drumming Mallet Quartet live in Lisbon, and soprano Stephanie Lamprea with a recent work for voice and electronics by Scottish composer Erin Thomson, recorded at Juliet Fraser's Eavesdropping Festival at London's Cafe Oto in March. We also have the latest release from American electronic duo Matmos and continuing the Japanese theme, new work from composer Hideki Umezawa and Japanese prog rockers Happy Family.
SUNDAY 25 MAY 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002cbrw)
Boston Symphony Orchestra at the 2023 BBC Proms
Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the eminent orchestra for Gershwin's Piano Concerto plus music by Stravinsky, Ravel & Carlos Simon. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Carlos Simon (b.1986)
Four Black American Dances
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
12:47 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Petrushka
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
01:25 AM
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
Piano Concerto in F
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
01:59 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
La Valse
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
02:13 AM
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Quartet for flute/violin and strings (T.309/3) in A major
Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, Plamen Djurov (conductor)
02:31 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Iberia: Images for Orchestra, no 2
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Jun Markl (conductor)
02:53 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in B minor, Op 33 no 1
Ysaye Quartet
03:11 AM
Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775-1838)
Concertino for bassoon and orchestra in B flat major
Juhani Tapaninen (bassoon), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
03:30 AM
Leonhardt Lechner (c.1553-1606)
Deutsche Spruche von Leben und Tod
Danish National Radio Choir, Stefan Parkman (conductor)
03:41 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
16 German Dances, D.783
Ralf Gothoni (piano)
03:52 AM
Charles Avison (1709-1770)
Concerto Grosso no 4 in A minor (after Domenico Scarlatti)
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon (director)
04:06 AM
Jacques Arcadelt (c.1505-1568)
Il Bianco E Dolce Cigno
Banchieri Singers, Denes Szabo (conductor)
04:08 AM
Franz Doppler (1821-1883)
Fantasie Pastorale Hongroise, Op 26
Ensemble Pyramide
04:21 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Concert waltz for orchestra no 1 in D major, Op 47
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Kazuyoshi Akiyama (conductor)
04:31 AM
Andre Jolivet (1905-1974)
Chant de Linos for flute and piano
Ales Kacjan (flute), Bojan Gorisek (piano)
04:41 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Jane Grey Fantasy, Op 15
Scott Dickinson (viola), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Teresa Riveiro Bohm (conductor)
04:53 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Jubilate Domino, omnis terra, BuxWV.64
Bogna Bartosz (contralto), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman (conductor)
05:01 AM
Ludvig Norman (1831-1885)
2 Charakterstücke for piano, Op 1
Bengt-Ake Lundin (piano)
05:11 AM
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (c.1739-1799)
Overture to the opera "L'amant anonyme"
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
05:20 AM
Alexandre Pierre Francois Boely (1785-1858)
Messe des fetes solennelles
Marcel Verheggen (organ)
05:28 AM
Antoine Reicha (1770-1836)
Clarinet Quintet in B flat major, Op 89
Joze Kotar (clarinet), Slovenian Philharmonic String Quartet
05:52 AM
Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978)
Sonatina Concertante, Op 28
Ivan Eftimov (piano)
06:10 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Peer Gynt Suite no 2, Op 55
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schonwandt (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002cbtc)
Ease into the day with classical music
Mark Forrest presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford with birdsong and the best in classical music. This week's dawn chorus is the familiar purring coo of the turtle dove, with music including Vivaldi's Tortora. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m002cbtf)
Your perfect Sunday soundtrack
Sarah Walker with three hours of classical music to reflect, restore and refresh.
Today, Sarah shares an ancient Estampie, based on the music of the 12th century troubadour Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, and a work by Tchaikovsky written for a good cause.
She’ll also feature the opening movement of Alice Mary Smith’s Symphony in C minor, and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto featuring Martin Frost on the basset clarinet. And we’ll hear one of Prokofiev’s most celebrated melodies, from the 2nd movement of his Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor.
Plus, Sarah looks forward to the summer with music from Rebecca Clarke...
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002cbth)
Adam Buxton
The comedian, writer and podcaster Adam Buxton first burst onto our TV screens 30 years ago. He and his friend Joe Cornish created The Adam and Joe Show, which featured pranks, songs and re-enactments of famous films like Titanic and Trainspotting using their childhood stuffed toys.
Along with work on radio and film, an eye for the weird and wonderful quirks of music videos, and a multi-award winning interview podcast, he has also written two memoirs. The first, Ramble Book, included a very poignant account of his father’s final months, when he lived with Adam and his family until his death at the age of 91.
More recently, his book I Love You Byeee! includes reflections on losing his mother – as he says, ‘to death – we didn’t get separated in a shop.’ And both books include plenty of musings on growing up and his many personal obsessions.
Adam's musical choices include Ravel, Grieg and Thelonious Monk.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002cbtk)
A journey to Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Sara Mohr-Pietsch takes us on a musical journey towards the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Scored for soprano and an ensemble of eight cellos, the piece is a mix of Brazilian lyricism with harmony and part-writing inspired by the baroque style of his hero Johann Sebastian Bach. On the way we encounter Bach-inspired music by Felix Mendelssohn and Nina Simone, a piece for 40 cellos by Pablo Casals, and Brazilian music by Ernesto Nazareth and the eighteenth-century composer André da Silva Gomes.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002c0ng)
Croydon Minster
From Croydon Minster.
Introit: An Easter Sequence (Offertory) (Leighton)
Responses: Radcliffe
Office hymn: At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (Salzburg)
Psalm 99 (How)
First Lesson: Hosea 13 vv4-14
Canticles: Stanford in A
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15 vv50-58
Anthem: Sing ye to the Lord (Bairstow)
Hymn: Lord of the dance (Trad, arr. Bertalot)
Voluntary: Psalm Prelude Set 2, Op 32 No 3 (Sing unto him a new song) (Howells)
Justin Miller (Director of Music)
Stephen Disley (Interim Sub Organist)
Recorded 12 May.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002cbtm)
Miles Davis at 99
Alyn Shipton plays jazz records as requested by you including selections from Samara Joy, Django Reinhardt and Jimmy McGriff plus music to commemorate what would have been the 99th birthday this month of trumpeter Miles Davis.
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 (m002cbtp)
Jane Austen's Music
As part of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, Hannah French is joined by Professor Jeanice Brooks of Southampton University to explore what we know of Austen's musical capabilities, tastes, and some of the music familiar to her.
The programme includes piano pieces, chamber music and songs by Joseph Haydn, Charles Dibdin, Ignace Pleyel, Muzio Clementi, André Grétry, Niccolò Piccinni, Georgiana Cavendish and Harriet Abrams.
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m001rhy0)
Scents and Perfumes
Tom Hollander and Anna Maxwell Martin reading prose and verse, from roses to rotting rubbish, from Marie Antionette's perfume to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, from chrysanthemums in DH Lawrence to cyanide in a Poirot story: today's programme conjures our sense of smell with music from Duke Ellington, Chopin, Gustav Holst, Edith Piaf to Gounod.
Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo
READINGS:
Scent of Irises by DH Lawrence
Scent by Yrsa Daley-Ward
Havisham by Carol Ann Duffy
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
My Mother's Perfume by Pascale Petit
Ars Poetica XVI, from the collection Bright Fear, by Mary Jean Chan
As A Perfume by Arthur Symons
Exotic Fragrance, from Les Fleurs du mal, by Charles Baudelaire
Odour Of Chrysanthemums by D.H. Lawrence
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
Elixir by Theresa Levitt
The Adventure in the Egyptian Tomb by Agatha Christie
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend
Song of Myself by Walt Whitman
SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m002cbts)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: Behind the Voice
For the 100th anniversary of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s birth, German baritone Benjamin Appl presents a personal tribute to his mentor and friend. He delves into previously unpublished letters and diaries to get behind the heroic figure and paint a complex portrait of Dieter through his inner thoughts and feelings, from his time fighting for the Nazi Regime to his symbolic performance in Britten’s War Requiem, and from the peak of his fame in the 1960s, 70s and 80s to his private life away from singing.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau became a powerful cultural icon in the post-war world, and particularly in Britain through his close connections with both Benjamin Britten and his long-time accompanist Gerald Moore. In post-war Germany, he was a singular figure, presenting old songs in a new way and thereby creating a bridge to the traditional world of art song and poetry. He also became one of the first artists to fully embrace new technology and he made over 400 recordings in his lifetime.
Benjamin Appl talks to some of those who knew Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau best to shed light on his enduring importance beyond the world of Germany Art Song and to assess his legacy. He talks to close friends and collaborators, the mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender who, like Dieter, grew up in Berlin, and performed on the operatic stage with him, and to the conductor-pianist Christoph Eschenbach who accompanied him in many recitals and recordings. Benjamin also talks to bass-baritone and fellow Fischer-Dieskau student, Andreas Schmidt, who is now Professor at the University of Music in Munich, and to the cellist Manuel Fischer-Dieskau, who is Dieter's third son.
In Berlin, Benjamin finds out what it was like to work in Fischer-Dieskau's masterclasses from two Lied-pianists who worked with him over many years: Claar ter Horst, who teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, and Karola Theill, who is Professor of Song Interpretation at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock. Benjamin also visits the Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Archive at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin where he talks to the curator, Jean-Christophe Gero about his legacy.
Benjamin travels to The Red House, Aldeburgh to visit the Archive of Britten Pears Arts where he talks to Head of Library and Archive, Dr Christopher Hilton, about the enduring importance of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in British culture, particularly after taking part in the premiere of Britten's War Requiem in 1962 in Coventry Cathedral. They look at the manuscript of the War Requiem together with the composer Sir John Rutter, who sang as a boy chorister alongside Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the 1963 Decca recording of the work.
Contributors:
Christoph Eschenbach
Brigitte Fassbaender
Manuel Fischer-Dieskau
Jean-Christophe Gero
Christopher Hilton
John Rutter
Andreas Schmidt
Claar ter Horst
Karola Theill
Presenter: Benjamin Appl
Producer: Elizabeth Arno
Mix Engineer: Marvin Ware
SUN 20:00 Brass Banding with Hannah Peel (m002cbtv)
Swiss brass takes flight
Hannah explores Switzerland's top bands with a piece taking her from Paris to Saigon, and ending up in the middle of the Sahara desert. Plus, composer Edward Gregson welcomes us into his studio to talk about the future of brass band composition and recommend a piece. Elsewhere in the programme there’s a poignant film soundtrack from an Icelandic composer, a 1930s suite by Imogen Holst, and a dramatic prelude from Wilfred Heaton.
Produced by Olivia Swift
A Reform Radio production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m002cbtx)
Gubaidulina: Religious Rebel
Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore explore the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. This is a story about a hundred years of change. Of war. Of oppression. Of steps towards equality. Of censorship. Of rapid, inescapable technological advancement. Of machines. Of transport. Of science... And it's the story of how art and music responded, the story of the composers who defined the 20th century, who created 'modern' musical art which would shock, appall and fascinate in equal measure, changing the way we listen for ever.
This week, Gillian explores the spiritually-charged music of Sofia Gubaidulina (1931-2025), including a full performance of the work which led to her recognition outside of the Soviet Union: the Violin Concerto 'Offertorium'. The score of this piece had to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union for performance in Europe by it’s dedicatee Gidon Kremer, who was in exile, having refused to return to the country after a two-year period of permission to perform worldwide. Gillian discovers how the composer reconnected with her nationality through folk music, and explores how Gubaidulina's incorporation of the music of her devout faith into her work represented a major act of rebellion.
"I am a religious Russian Orthodox person and I understand ‘religion’ in the literal meaning of the word, as ‘re-ligio’, that is to say the restoration of connections, the restoration of the ‘legato’ of life. There is no more serious task for music than this." — Sofia Gubaidulina
Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”
SUN 22:00 Ultimate Calm (m002bgq1)
Hania Rani: Series 4
Brighten your day with a colour-filled soundtrack ft. Patrick Watson
Brighten up your world with Polish composer, pianist, and vocalist Hania Rani as she shares an hour of musical selections inspired by the full spectrum of colour. Hania compares composers' work to visual artists’ and shares pieces that demonstrate this kind of ‘painting in sound’, including Maurice Ravel, Kaija Saariaho, and JJJJJerome Ellis.
Plus, we’re transported to the musical safe haven of someone else who paints in sound—the Montreal singer-songwriter Patrick Watson. He shares a track from the album he always returns to when he wants to slow the world down.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production
SUN 23:00 The Night Tracks Mix (m001bzmf)
Music for the evening
Sara Mohr-Pietsch with a magical sonic journey for late-night listening. Subscribe to receive your weekly mix on BBC Sounds.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002cbtz)
Sherelle's Listening Chair
Elizabeth Alker presents the finest in genre-defying music, and welcomes the electronic musician Sherelle into the Listening Chair. A Boiler Room favourite and 6 Music resident, the ever-inventive Sherelle weaves adventurous and energetic DJ sets of high-BPM music selected from across the decades of dance history. And this spring saw the release of WITH A VENGEANCE, a tour-de-force production fusing footwork, jungle breaks and infectious pitch-shifted vocal hooks. In the Listening Chair, and away from the club dancefloor, the track she’s picked reflects a more mellow side to her musical being.
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 26 MAY 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002cbv1)
A Winter Journey from Madrid
Baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Malcolm Martineau perform Schubert's beloved song cycle, 'Winterreise'. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Wilhelm Müller (author)
Winterreise D.911
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano)
01:40 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Meeresstille und gluckliche Fahrt - Overture, Op 27
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Simone Young (conductor)
01:54 AM
Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921)
L'Invitation au voyage
Christa Pfeiler (mezzo soprano), Rudolf Jansen (piano)
02:00 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Vallée d'Obermann, from 'Années de pèlerinage, première année: Suisse, S. 160'
Piotr Alexewicz (piano)
02:14 AM
Edward Rushton (b.1972)
Comfort & Courage
Hexagon Ensemble
02:31 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Andre Previn (conductor)
03:06 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Lute Partita in C minor, BWV.997
Konrad Junghanel (lute)
03:28 AM
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Sonata sopra 'Santa Maria ora pro nobis', SV 206 11
Collegium Vocale 1704, Collegium 1704, Vaclav Luks (conductor)
03:36 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Four pieces for viola and piano
Lise Berthaud (viola), Xenia Maliarevitch (piano)
03:47 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Adagietto, from Symphony no 5 in C sharp minor
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Philippe Bach (conductor)
03:57 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasia for piano in C minor, K.475
Juho Pohjonen (piano)
04:10 AM
Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896)
"Adieu! Mignon" from "Mignon", Act 2
Benjamin Butterfield (tenor), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
04:15 AM
Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889)
Variations on "Casta diva - Ah! Bello" from Bellini's 'Norma'
Alison Balsom (trumpet), John Reid (piano)
04:22 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Die Fechtschule
La Scintilla Orchestra, Riccardo Minasi (conductor)
04:31 AM
Deividas Kukta (20th century)
Štai čia šviesa
Jauna Muzika, Vaclovas Augustinas (conductor)
04:36 AM
Anonymous
Istampitta "Belicha"
Ensemble Unicorn, Michael Posch (conductor), Michael Posch (recorder)
04:43 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Ballade no 3 in A flat major, Op 47
Anika Vavic (piano)
04:51 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Slavonic Dance no 10 in E minor, Op 72 no 2
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:58 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in D minor, Op 42
Pavel Haas Quartet
05:11 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Mi restano le lagrime - from 'Alcina' (Act 3 sc 5)
Nancy Argenta (soprano), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Monica Huggett (conductor)
05:18 AM
Zygmunt Noskowski (1846-1909)
The Pearls of Moniuszko - 15 Songs for orchestra
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
05:36 AM
Archduke Rudolf of Austria (1788-1831)
Trio for clarinet, cello and piano
Amici Chamber Ensemble
05:57 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Nocturnes for orchestra
NFM Chorus, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Jose Maria Florencio (conductor)
06:23 AM
William Hugh Albright (1944-1998)
Morning reveries (excerpt from 'Dream rags')
Donna Coleman (piano)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002cbyf)
Rise and shine with classical music
Linton Stephens presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford, including 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. This week, violinist and co-founder of the Manchester Collective Rakhi Singh commemorates the Manchester Arena Bombing which took place on 22nd May 2017, in her piece There is nothing in the Sky. The work is recorded by the BBC Philharmonic and features 22 bells, one for each of the lives lost that night. It’s a collaboration with music producer Sebastian Gainsborough.
You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002cbyh)
Celebrating classical greats
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favorites.
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 (m002cbyk)
Violinist Anthony Marwood and accordion player James Crabb live from London's Wigmore Hall
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
We begin the programme with a live concert from London’s Wigmore Hall. Violinist Anthony Marwood and accordion player James Crabb give the English premiere of Thomas Adès’s Märchentänze alongside Crabb’s own arrangement of The Lark Ascending, which enhances the mystical beauty of Vaughan Williams’s original. These are flanked by intoxicating dances by Astor Piazzolla, and two fiery Gaelic reels.
Elsewhere we have music from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, who bring us a feast of Romantic repertoire with Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture, and Beethoven’s passionate Eroica Symphony with conductor Clemens Schuldt.
And Elizabeth also has stunning recordings from the Perth Piano Series. Today, French pianist Bertrand Chamayou dazzles in music by Liszt and Ravel.
Live from Wigmore Hall, introduced by Petroc Trelawny.
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Crabb)
Trad. Tango Suite: S.V.P.
Tzigane, Tango and Preparense
Ralph Vaughan Williams (arr. Crabb)
The Lark Ascending
Thomas Adès
Märchentänze
Sally Beamish (arr. Crabb)
Lament from Seavaigers
Scottish/Border Trad.(arr. Crabb)
Struan Robertson’s Rant/Cuckold come out of the Amery
Anthony Marwood (violin) & James Crabb (accordion)
***
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Clemens Schuldt (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
The Mermaid’s Song
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano)
Melvyn Tan (piano)
Franz Liszt
2 Legends - No. 2 “St. Francis walking on the waters”
Bertrand Chamayou, piano
Wagner
The Flying Dutchman Overture
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Clemens Schuldt (conductor)
Maurice Ravel
Gaspard de la Nuit, M. 55
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live”
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002cbym)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Becoming a Guardian
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s endeavours to become the guardian of his brother’s son Karl - a relationship which from the start was built upon rocky foundations. Today he follows Beethoven's actions following the death of his brother Caspar Carl, and investigates why Beethoven sought to remove his nephew from the care of his surviving parent, Johanna.
Allegro and Minuet, WoO 26 (Excerpt)
Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute
Alain Marion, flute
Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’ (Scherzo. Allegro vivace)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Leonore Prohaska, WoO 96 (Funeral March)
Nicholaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
Béla Drahos, conductor
Piano Sonata No 28 in A, Op 101
Igor Levit, piano
Sehnsucht, WoO 146
Roderick Williams, baritone
Iain Burnside, piano
Das Geheimnis, WoO 145
Roderick Williams, baritone
Iain Burnside, piano
Der Mann von Wort, Op 99
Roderick Williams, baritone
Iain Burnside, piano
Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92 (Allegretto)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002cbyp)
Wind down from work with classical music
Petroc Trelawny introduces live music from pianist Nikita Lukinov. Plus the winner of the Scottish Young Musicians Solo Performer of the Year drops into the In Tune studio.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002cbyr)
Classical music for your journey
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music, by composers including Sibelius, Louise Farrenc and Ravel.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002cbyt)
Richard Goode
American pianist Richard Goode performs a programme of Haydn, Mozart and Brahms at Wigmore Hall in London. Piano sonatas by Haydn and Mozart are contrasted with Brahms's sets of lyrical piano pieces composed at the end of his life.
Recorded earlier this month at Wigmore Hall, and presented by Ian Skelly.
Haydn: Piano Sonata in B minor, H.
16.32
Haydn: Piano Sonata in D major H.
16.24
Mozart: Rondo in A minor, K.511
Brahms: 6 Klavierstucke Op.118
Interval
Mozart: Piano Sonata in D major, K.576
Brahms: 4 Klavierstucke Op.119
Richard Goode (piano)
MON 21:45 The Essay (m001nh6q)
EarthWorks
Town
Archaeologist and artist Rose Ferraby explores traces of human history around the British Isles in this second series of EarthWorks. Through her essays she considers how cultural spaces such as towns, graves, fields and monuments reflect so much about the way we live and die. These are places that have changed over time but which still feature large today, establishing a dialogue between past lives and ourselves.
The first essay of this second series takes us to a Roman town close to Rose's heart, found beneath Aldborough, in North Yorkshire. What do towns show us about individuals and society? What connections develop between the inhabitants of this place and the excavators across two thousand years? The archaeological discoveries tell stories of continental connections, the come and go of people and the everyday stuff of life. And as the team digs down each summer, a new community is forged in the remains of the town. Such encounters are illuminating, showing how our worlds change, buried below pasture, lost to time.
Rose Ferraby is an archaeologist and artist whose work explores our changing relationship with landscape and materials. As a researcher with the University of Cambridge, she co-directs the Aldborough Roman Town Project, and her artwork seeks to inspire new ways of seeing archaeological landscapes and animating objects in museum settings. She contributed to the British Museum’s World of Stonehenge exhibition in 2022.
Produced by Mark Smalley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002cbyw)
A meditative moonlight soundtrack
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 (m002cbyy)
Kahil El’Zabar’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.
Soweto’s guest from Monday to Thursday this week is the internationally renowned multi-percussionist, vocalist, and bandleader Kahil El’Zabar. Kahil is also a former chair of the Chicago based organisation the Association for the Advancement of Creative musicians, also known as the AACM.
Kahil will be selecting some of his best-loved albums, one track per night, for the section of the programme we call 4/4. The AACM turn 60 this month, and in honour of their anniversary, Kahil’s selections will feature records by artists who are members of the organisation.
First up, he chooses an album by a boundary-pushing avant-garde jazz group.
Plus there’s music from Brandee Younger, DARGZ, Brandon Woody.
TUESDAY 27 MAY 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002cbz0)
Rachmaninov and Thomas Adès with the Oslo Philharmonic
A colourful programme which opens with Thomas Adès's wonderfully opulent suite for large orchestra, from his opera 'Powder Her Face'. Then pianist Sir Stephen Hough joins the orchestra in Rachmaninov's breathtaking Paganini Rhapsody, before the Russian's most popular - and romantic - second symphony. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Thomas Adès (b.1971)
Three-Piece Suite, from the opera 'Powder Her Face'
Oslo Philharmonic, Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
12:42 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op 43
Stephen Hough (piano), Oslo Philharmonic, Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
01:07 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Nocturne in E flat major, Op 9 no 2
Stephen Hough (piano)
01:12 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Symphony no 2 in E minor, Op 27
Oslo Philharmonic, Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
02:19 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943), arr. Alan Arnold
Vocalise, Op 34 no 14 arr. Arnold for viola and piano
Gyozo Mate (viola), Balazs Szokolay (piano)
02:25 AM
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Caprice Valse, Op 10 no 5, 'Album de Mai'
Zheeyoung Moon (piano)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Georg Christian Lehms (author)
Cantata no 170 'Vergnugte Ruh', beliebte Seelenlust', BWV.170
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo soprano), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)
02:52 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
String Quintet in G minor, K.516
Pinchas Zuckerman (violin), Jessica Linnebach (violin), Jethro Marks (viola), Donnie Deacon (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)
03:30 AM
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Ballet Music for the Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
03:39 AM
Rudolf Tobias (1873-1918)
Sonatina no 1 in A flat major
Vardo Rumessen (piano)
03:48 AM
Antonio Sacchini (1735-1786)
Trio sonata in G major
Violetas Visinskas (flute), Algirdas Simenas (violin), Gediminas Derus (cello), Daumantas Slipkus (piano)
03:59 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Pimen's Monologue from 'Boris Godunov'
Robert Holl (bass), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)
04:05 AM
Eric Ewazen (b.1954)
Andante from Concerto for Marimba and Strings
Heigo Rosin (percussion), Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Risto Joost (conductor)
04:16 AM
Henry Litolff (1818-1891)
Scherzo - Concerto Symphonique no 4, Op 102
Arthur Ozolins (piano), Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
04:24 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Meditation sur le premier prelude de Bach (Ave Maria)
Kyung-Ok Park (cello), Myung-Ja Kwun (harp)
04:31 AM
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)
Moto perpetuo, Op 11
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
04:36 AM
Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632-1692)
Improvisations on Passacaglia, Toccata and Canario
Paolo Pandolfo (viola da gamba), Thomas Boysen (theorbo), Alvaro Garrido (percussion)
04:47 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Des pas sur la neige - no 6 from Preludes, Book 1
Danae O'Callaghan (piano)
04:52 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), arr. Luc Brewaeys
La cathedrale engloutie - (no 10 from Preludes - Book 1)
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Daniele Callegari (conductor)
04:59 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Friedrich Schiller (author)
Der Alpenjager - The Alpine hunter, D.588b
Christoph Pregardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
05:05 AM
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
And then I knew 'twas wind
Charlotte Norholt (flute), Sanna Ripatti (viola), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp)
05:20 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Serenade for string orchestra in E minor, Op 20
Seoul Chamber Orchestra, Yong-Yun Kim (conductor)
05:32 AM
Augusta Holmes (1847-1903)
La vision de la reine
BBC Singers Women's Voices, Morwenna Del Mar (cello), Alison Martin (harp), Annabel Thwaite (piano), Hilary Campbell (conductor)
05:50 AM
Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797)
Ballet music from "Les Troqueurs"
Capella Coloniensis, William Christie (conductor)
06:05 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata no 30 in E major, Op 109
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
06:24 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Motet Salve Regina (4 high parts)
Montreal Early Music Studio, Christopher Jackson (director)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002cc0c)
Roll out of bed into classical music
Linton Stephens presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002cc0f)
A feast of great music
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favorites.
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 (m002cc0h)
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
All week, Elizabeth is featuring brilliant performances from the Perth Piano Series. Today we’ll hear Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in Chopin, with his Two Nocturnes and his dramatic Second Sonata, and Nikita Lukinov performs Arno Babadjanian’s Six Pictures for piano.
We are also shining a light on the BBC performing groups across the week on Classical Live and today the BBC National Orchestra of Wales play music by Louise Farrenc, Anna Clyne, Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9.
Plus 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, violinist and co-founder of the Manchester Collective Rakhi Singh commemorates the Manchester Arena Bombing which took place on 22nd May 2017, in her piece There is Nothing in the Sky, recorded by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Maurice Ravel
Tombeau de Couperin
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Christoph Koenig (conductor)
Frederic Chopin
Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Op 35
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano)
Louise Farrenc
Overture No. 2
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Christoph Koenig (conductor)
25 for 25:
Rakhi Singh
There is Nothing in the Sky
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Lee Reynolds (conductor)
Antonio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto in D, RV208 ‘Il Grosso Mogul’
Rachel Podger (violin and director)
Brecon Baroque
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op.70
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Christoph Koenig (conductor)
Arno Babadjanian
6 Pictures for piano
Nikita Lukinov (piano)
Anna Clyne
Glasslands
Jess Gillam (saxophone)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Christoph Koenig (conductor)
Scarlatti
Sonata in A Major, K 24
Sonata in F Minor, K 466
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, (piano)
Chopin
2 Nocturnes, Op. 27
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano)
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 (m002cc0k)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Humiliated in Court
Donald Macleod tells the story of Beethoven's courtroom battles over custody of his nephew, Karl. Today, The authorities revoke Beethoven's guardianship of Karl, leaving the internationally famous composer humiliated. As Donald follows the ongoing conflict between Beethoven and his sister-in-law Johanna, he also examines what impact this venomous and public dispute was having on young Karl.
Music, Love and Wine, Op 108 No 1
Edith Mathis, soprano
Alexanser Young, tenor
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Andreas Röhn, violin
Georg Donderer, cello
Karl Engel, piano
Behold my love how green the groves, Op 108 No 9
Edith Mathis, soprano
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Andreas Röhn, violin
Georg Donderer, cello
Karl Engel, piano
Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93 (Allegro vivace)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Piano Sonata No 29 in B flat, Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’ (Allegro)
Murray Perahia, piano
String Quintet in C minor, Op 104 (Allegro con brio)
Nash Ensemble
Missa Solemnis in D, Op 123 (Agnus Dei)
Edda Moser, soprano
Hanna Schwarz, contralto
René Kollo, tenor
Kurt Moll, bass
Bernard Bartelink, organ
Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation Chorus
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002cc0m)
Classical artists live in session
Petroc Trelawny talks to star soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and classical guitar duo Roxane Elfasci and Baptiste Erard perform live.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002cc0p)
Half an hour of the finest classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music by Telemann, Gjeilo, Coleridge-Taylor, Grainger, Debussy, Mangore, and Schubert.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002cc0r)
Mark Elder conducts Mahler
The BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with soloists Alice Coote and David Butt Philip. Plus Schreker's bejewelled Kammersymphonie.
Recorded at the Barbican London on 23rd May. Presented by Martin Handley.
Franz Schreker: Kammersymphonie
Interval
Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Alice Coote (mezzo)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)
When Gustav Mahler confronted eternity, he turned to the poetry of classical China. Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) is the result: a symphony that distils every last drop of life’s sorrow and sweetness into six heart-piercing songs. Mahler’s Viennese contemporary Schreker, meanwhile, went for broke: pouring white-hot sensuality and Klimt-like colours into a chamber symphony that positively burst with outsize emotions.
In other words, it’s a magnificent way for the BBC Symphony Orchestra to end its season – and the most perfect showcase imaginable for guest conductor Sir Mark Elder. Sir Mark is a legend among British musicians; an artist of undimmed energy and insight who brings a lifetime’s experience to everything he conducts. Two of Britain’s finest singers join him in music that leaves few listeners unmoved: this should be very special indeed.
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m001nh9m)
EarthWorks
Grave
Archaeologist Rose Ferraby continues the second series of EarthWorks. In this essay, she considers graves as sites of slow accumulation, where the lives and deaths of human history intercut and overlap. We begin at the British Museum where Rose holds in her hands the Folkton Drums, three decorated chalk objects discovered in the grave of a Neolithic child in the Yorkshire Wolds over 5000 years ago. The encounter invites reflections on how human rituals of death - such as the practice of installing grave goods - have sought to meet the loss of bereavement. For Rose, there is a peculiar privilege wrapped up in the work of the archaeologist, this chance to encounter and handle the remains of previous generations, to become closely connected with the sites where a life has been shifted into the land. Archaeology, she concludes, is about people, empathy and humanity.
Produced by Mark Smalley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002cc0t)
Music for the darkling hour
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 (m002cc0w)
Brand new from Ines Valesco
‘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.
Multi-percussionist Kahil El’Zabar has selected another record from his AACM collection, and tonight he has chosen an album by a leading Chicago free jazz trio.
Also in the programme, music from BADBADNOTGOOD, Christian McBride and Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jasmine Myra.
WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002cc0y)
Rachmaninov's First Symphony at the 2023 BBC Proms
John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic and Dame Sarah Connolly is the soloist in songs by Dora Pejačević and Alma Mahler-Werfel. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Overture to 'Oberon'
BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards (conductor)
12:40 AM
Dora Pejacevic (1885-1923)
Three Songs
Sarah Connolly (mezzo soprano), BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards (conductor)
12:52 AM
Alma Mahler (1879-1964), orch. David Matthews and Colin Matthews
Three Songs
Sarah Connolly (mezzo soprano), BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards (conductor)
01:01 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Symphony no 1 in D minor, Op 13
BBC Philharmonic, John Storgards (conductor)
01:45 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
24 Preludes, Op 34 for piano
Igor Levit (piano)
02:21 AM
Dora Pejacevic (1885-1923)
Nocturne for orchestra
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Pavle Despalj (conductor)
02:26 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Ave Verum Corpus, K.618
BBC Singers, BBC Concert Orchestra, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
02:31 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Sonata in D major (Wq.83/H.505)
Les Coucous Benevoles
02:48 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Rossiniana - suite from Rossini's 'Les riens'
West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
03:14 AM
Gordon Jacob (1895-1984)
5 Pieces arranged for harmonica and strings
Gianluca Littera (harmonica), I Cameristi Italiani
03:29 AM
Karl Joachim Andersen (1847-1909)
Au Bord de la Mer for flute and piano, Op 9
Andrea Kolle (flute), Alexander Boeschoten (piano)
03:35 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Overture to Lo Speziale, H.28.3
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Antoni Ros-Marba (conductor)
03:42 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Havanaise for violin and orchestra, Op 83
Moshe Hammer (violin), Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Kazuhiro Koizumi (conductor)
03:53 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Friedrich Schiller (author)
Der Pilgrim, D.794
Christoph Pregardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
03:57 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
6 Variations on an Original Theme in F major, Op 34 for piano
Boris Berman (piano)
04:12 AM
Alfred Whitehead (1887-1974)
Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd)
Tudor Singers of Montreal, Patrick Wedd (director)
04:18 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Bassoon Concerto in A minor, RV 498
Jane Gower (bassoon), Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
04:31 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Une Barque sur l'ocean (no 3 from Miroirs)
Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
04:39 AM
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)
Cantabile
Peter Michalica (violin), Elena Michalicova (piano)
04:44 AM
Antonio Soler (1729-1783)
Fandango for keyboard in D minor, R 146
Scott Ross (harpsichord)
04:55 AM
Carlos Chavez (1899-1978)
Symphony no 2, 'Sinfonia India'
Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Christian Vasquez (conductor)
05:08 AM
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Two works: Nocturne in B flat major, Op 16 no 4; Dans le désert, Op 15
Kevin Kenner (piano)
05:21 AM
Ivan Zajc (1832-1914)
Eva and Zrinski's duet from the opera 'Nikola Subic Zrinski' (1876)
Mirella Toic (soprano), Ratomir Kliskic (baritone), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Pavle Despalj (conductor)
05:29 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Quintet for strings in G minor, K.516
Oslo Chamber Soloists
06:05 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), arr. Benno Sachs
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Basel Chamber Orchestra, Heinz Holliger (conductor)
06:18 AM
Michele Mascitti (c.1663-1760)
Sonata III, from 'Violin Sonatas, Op 1, libro primo'
Eva Saladin (violin), Daniel Rosin (cello), Johannes Keller (harpsichord)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002cbvt)
Breakfast with the best classical music
Linton Stephens presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002cbvw)
Your perfect classical playlist
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favorites.
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 (m002cbvy)
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition from Perth
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Today, Elizabeth has music from the Ulster Orchestra who perform Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Stanford’s Concert Variations on Down Among the Dead Men, and Johann Wagenaar’s Cyrano de Bergerac.
There is also has more from the Perth Piano Series in Scotland with Nikita Lukinov playing Mussorgsky’s epic Pictures at an Exhibition, and also performing his own improvisation on that piece’s themes. Also in today's programme Elizabeth marks 100 years since the birth of the great German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with some exclusive recordings made in Munich in the 1950s.
Johann Wagenaar
Cyrano de Bergerac, Op. 23
Ulster Orchestra
Jac van Steen (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
'Wie rafft ich mich auf in der Nacht' Op. 32 No. 2
'Es traumte mir, Ich sei dir teuer' Op. 57 No. 3
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone)
Hermann Reutter (piano)
Modest Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition
Nikita Lukinov (piano)
Nikita Lukinov
Improvisation on themes from Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
Nikita Lukinov (piano)
Gabriel Fauré
Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op. 80
Ulster Orchestra
Jac van Steen (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Ian Farrington)
Bassoon Quartet in B flat (Sonata K. 292)
Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble
Ludwig van Beethoven
'An die ferne Geliebte' Op. 98
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone)
Hermann Reutter (piano)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live”
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002cbw0)
St Davids Cathedral
From St Davids Cathedral for the Eve of the Ascension.
Introit: Introit for Ascension (Paul Edwards)
Responses: Leighton
Psalms 15, 24 (Hopkins, Barnby)
First Lesson: 2 Samuel 23 vv1-5
Office hymn: The head that once was crowned with thorns (St Magnus)
Canticles: Dyson in D
Second Lesson: Colossians 2 v20 – 3 v4
Anthem: God is gone up (Finzi)
Hymn: Hail the day that sees him rise (Llanfair)
Voluntary: Choral No 3 in A minor (Franck)
Simon Pearce (Organist & Master of the Choristers)
Laurence John (Assistant Director of Music)
Recorded 19 May.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002cbw2)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Possessiveness and Jealousy
Donald Macleod delves into Beethoven’s increasing possessiveness over his nephew Karl, and his eventual triumph in winning back guardianship from Karl’s mother, Johanna. Today Donald also traces how Karl was becoming unruly at school, and at times, not wanting to have contact with his uncle Ludwig.
Minuet, WoO17 (Mödlinger Tänze, No 2)
Capella Istropolitana
Oliver Dohnanyi, conductor
Piano Sonata No 30 in E, Op 109 (Prestissimo)
Steven Osborne, piano
Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 ‘Choral’ (Excerpt)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
Resignation, WoO 149
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Iain Burnside, piano
Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel, WoO150
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Iain Burnside, piano
Piano Sonata No 31 in A flat, Op 110
Anne Queffélec, piano
Produced by Luke Whitlock
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002cbw5)
Music news and live classical music
Food historian Marc Meltonville talks Georgian cookery in the In Tune studio ahead of ‘Handel’s Kitchen’ at the Handel Hendrix House Museum.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m001q74g)
Classical music to inspire you
Back to back classical music specially chosen for you to enjoy, including a Spanish Farruca on guitar by De Falla, a beautiful lament by Rachmaninov, Eric Coates calling all the workers to attention, and a bluesy piano piece by Madeleine Dring. All that and a theme tune to a popular television drama series from the 1970s, which may send a chill down your spine.
Producer: Helen Garrison
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002cbw7)
Denis Kozhukhin plays Rachmaninov from Glasgow
Rachmaninov's sweeping Fourth Piano Concerto performed by Denis Kozhukhin is the centrepiece of a concert that opens with Matthias Pintscher conducting something new and powerful from his student Ricardo Ferro plus a piece of his own music. After the interval, we plunge into the deliriously Romantic world of Schoenberg’s Pelléas und Mélisande - a lush orchestral saga of doomed love which drove audiences wild in Mahler’s Vienna when it premiered in 1905.
Presented by Kate Molleson and recorded at Glasgow's City Halls on 20 March 2025.
Ricardo Ferro: [Apsinthos] (World Premiere)
Matthias Pintscher: Neharot
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor
interval
Schoenberg; Pelleas and Melisande
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m001nh9z)
EarthWorks
Quarry
"What I love about quarries is that they’re a kind of accidental place. A place that has been formed during the making of something else - an inverse echo of our built world." Archaeologist Rose Ferraby takes us to Beer on England's Jurassic coast where she considers the quarry as a space where the ingrained relationships between people and stone are revealed. Worked since Roman times, the stone was used to build fine villas, cathedrals and local houses, while the caves were a hideaway for smuggled brandy, entangling human and natural worlds. The empty voids still stand, containers for ongoing stories of stone.
Produced by Mark Smalley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002cbw9)
Immersive music for late night listening
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002cbwc)
One from Elliot Galvin
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Tonight Kahil El’Zabar is back with another album that he holds dear, for 4/4. For his third selection, Kahil spotlights a record by a kinetic band led by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
We will also hear from the current chair of the AACM, composer Renee Baker, as part of this week’s celebrations of the organisation's sixth decade.
Plus there’s music from Andy Bey, Jason Yarde, and Resavoir.
THURSDAY 29 MAY 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002cbwf)
Mozart from Bucharest
The Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra plays Mozart's Symphony no 38 'Prague' and Alexandru Tomescu performs the composer's second violin concerto. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Overture to Don Giovanni
Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Gabriel Bebeselea (conductor)
12:37 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 2 in D, K.211
Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Gabriel Bebeselea (conductor), Alexandru Tomescu (violin)
12:58 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony no 38 in D, K 504 'Prague'
Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Gabriel Bebeselea (conductor)
01:28 AM
Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Menuetto from 'Nannerls Notenbuch'
Vera Kooper (piano)
01:32 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), orch. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Acis and Galatea, K. 566 (Overture and prelude to Act II)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Andrew Manze (conductor)
01:42 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Reminiscences on Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'
Ferruccio Busoni (piano)
01:56 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony no 4 in B flat, Op 60
BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Non sa che sia dolore - cantata, BWV 209
Robin Johannsen (soprano), Leonard Schelb (flute), Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Raphael Alpermann (harpsichord), Bernhard Forck (conductor)
02:52 AM
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
La creation du monde, Op 81
Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian (director)
03:11 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 17
Erika Radermacher (piano), Eva Zurbrugg (violin), Angela Schwartz (cello)
03:39 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Stanislav Kochanovsky (conductor)
03:54 AM
Jacques Casterede (1926-2014)
Fantaisie Concertante for euphonium and piano
David Thornton (euphonium), Joanne Seeley (piano)
04:02 AM
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983)
Concert Suite from the ballet 'Estancia', Op 8a
Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Vasquez (conductor)
04:16 AM
Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729)
Suite from 'Céphale et Procris'
Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
04:24 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Quid trepidas
Currende, Erik van Nevel (conductor)
04:31 AM
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Flute Concertino, Op 107
Maria Filippova (flute), Ekaterina Mirzaeva (piano)
04:39 AM
Janez Gregorc (1934-2012)
Sans respirer, sans soupir
Slovene Brass Quintet
04:45 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Mulier misterio. Motet (Codex Las Huelgas)
Psallentes, Hendrik Vanden Abeele (conductor)
04:48 AM
Marianne Martinez (1744-1812)
Sinfonia in C major
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
05:00 AM
Sarah Lianne Lewis (b.1988)
The sky didn't fall
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Emilie Godden (conductor)
05:09 AM
Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)
3 sacred pieces (SWV.415, SWV.138, SWV.27)
Cologne Chamber Chorus, Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann (conductor)
05:20 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
L'Arlesienne Suite no 1
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Marko Munih (conductor)
05:38 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Nocturnal after John Dowland Op 70 for guitar
Sean Shibe (guitar)
05:56 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Serenade in C major for strings, Op 48
Radio Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Rajter (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002cbz2)
Birdsong and Bach to banish those morning blues
Linton Stephens presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m002cbz4)
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.
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 (m002cbz6)
Stravinsky's Firebird from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
This week on Classical Live, we have special recordings from the Perth Piano Series, held at Perth Concert Hall in Scotland. Today, Bertrand Chamayou plays music by Schumann and Jeneba Kanneh-Mason performs Debussy and Scriabin’s turbulent Second Sonata.
Elizabeth also has a spotlight on the BBC performing groups in recent concert recordings. Today, it’s the turn of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra who we’ll hear perform three dramatic masterpieces – Hector Berlioz’s Le Carnaval Romain and Symphonie Fantastique, plus Igor Stravinsky's magical Firebird Suite given in Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
Claude Debussy
Girl with the Flaxen Hair
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano)
Alexander Scriabin
Sonata No 2
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano)
Igor Stravinsky
The Firebird Suite
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
Antonin Dvorak
String Quintet in E flat major, Op. 97
Calefax Reed Quintet
Robert Schumann
Fantasie in C major, Op. 17
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
Hector Berlioz
Le carnaval romain
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live”
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002cbz8)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Adolescent Conflicts
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s increasing dependence upon his nephew Karl - a period when Beethoven’s own health was steadily in decline. Donald also explores Karl’s desire for greater independence from his uncle, including wanting to drop out of university and pursue his own life.
Bagatelle No 2, Op 126 (Allegro)
Cordelia Williams, piano
Der Kuss, Op 128
Roderick Williams, baritone
Iain Burnside, piano
Missa Solemnis in D, Op 123 (Gloria)
Laura Aikin, soprano
Bernarda Fink, alto
Johannes Chum, tenor
Ruben Drole, bass
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 ‘Choral’ (Scherzo)
Danish Chamber Orchestra
Ádám Fischer, conductor
String Quartet No 12 in E flat, Op 127 (excerpt)
Takács Quartet
Produced by Luke Whitlock
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002cbzb)
Live classical music for your drive
Artistic director Miguel Marin talks to Petroc about the 20th anniversary of the Flamenco Festival and traditional Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionáird performs live.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002cbzd)
Expand your horizons with classical music
An Iberian-flavoured mix of classical music for half an hour, featuring choral music by Tomás Luis de Victoria and Joaquín Turina’s portrayal of scenes from José Más’ Novel La Orgía, plus Stephen Hough performs Federico Mompou’s depiction of the watery installations of Barcelona’s Montjuic Park.
Producer: Dean Craven
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002cbzg)
James MacMillan and the BBC Singers
Sir James MacMillan directs the BBC Singers in a programme ranging from Palestrina's epoch-defining Missa Papae Marcelli to some of his own choral compositions. And, to start with, two choral classics of the twentieth century: a gem in praise of the Virgin by the nineteen-year-old Benjamin Britten and Sir John Tavener's apocalyptic Hymn to the Mother of God. The voices of the award-winning BBC Singers resound in the spacious acoustics of Norwich's Cathedral of St John the Baptist, one of the most splendid Victorian Gothic Revival buildings in the country.
Presented by Ian Skelly.
Britten: Hymn to the Virgin
John Tavener: Hymn to the Mother of God
Judith Weir: Ave Regina Caelorum
MacMillan: The Culham Motets
c.
8.15pm Interval
MacMillan: O Virgo Prudentissima
Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
Recorded 23 May at Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
THU 21:45 The Essay (m001nh8y)
EarthWorks
Field
Archaeologist Rose Ferraby travels to a field close to Fountains Abbey, in North Yorkshire. These places seem so completely natural to the landscapes we live in on these isles that they’ve almost come to represent an idea of tradition – emblematic of our green and pleasant land; but the patterns of enclosure that thread the British landscape reflect shifts in power and society over time as well as the changing ecological impacts of land use. Looking beyond the pastoral idyll, Rose sees how the different parts of field systems - boundaries, hedgerows, dung deposits and the "organic archives" of soil - offer insights into the relationships between people and the natural world.
Produced by Mark Smalley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002cbzj)
Dissolve into a nocturnal soundworld
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002cbzl)
A Dorothy Ashby 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.
Soweto spins a track by jazz harp virtuoso Dorothy Ashby, inspired by Japanese music traditions.
All this week, Kahil El’Zabar has been Soweto’s 4/4 guest, guiding us round is record collection. Tonight, for his fourth and final selection, Kahil chooses an album by the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
And Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble will be performing on Thursday 6th June 2025 at Ronnie Scott's in London.
Also in the programme, music from Joe Henderson, Ferg's Imaginary Big Band, and Rachel Duns.
FRIDAY 30 MAY 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002cbzn)
Croatian Statehood Day
Music by Croatian composer Alfi Kabiljo, 'Water and Fire for G.F. Händel', alongside a performance of Holst's suite 'The Planets' by the Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, from Zagreb. Celebrating Croatian Statehood Day, the night also features other music by Croatian composers and performers. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Alfi Kabiljo (1935-2025)
Water and Fire for G.F. Händel
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Pascal Rophé (conductor)
12:41 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
The Planets, Op 32
Croatian Radio-Television Choir, Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Pascal Rophé (conductor)
01:31 AM
Renato Rozic (b.1958)
Sonata Concertante, Op 47
Sebastian String Quartet
01:51 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 27 in B flat major, K.595
Ivan Krpan (piano), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Enrico Dindo (conductor)
02:23 AM
Georg Karl Wisner von Morgenstern (1783-1855)
Quatuor 'Allegro for String Quartet'
Sebastian String Quartet
02:31 AM
Boris Papandopulo (1906-1991)
Croatian Mass in D minor, Op 86
Nada Ruzdjak (soprano), Marija Klasic (alto), Zrinko Soco (tenor), Vladimir Ruzdjak (baritone), Ivan Goran Kovacic Academic Choir of Zagreb, Vladimir Kranjcevic (conductor)
03:29 AM
Milko Kelemen (1924-2018)
Variations for piano
Ivo Pogorelich (piano)
03:40 AM
Zlatko Tanodi (b.1953)
Knot (premiere recording)
Joze Haluza (violin), Varazdin Chamber Orchestra
03:50 AM
Luka Sorkocevic (1734-1789), arr. Frano Matusic
Symphony no 3 in D major
Dubrovnik Guitar Trio
03:58 AM
Vatroslav Lisinski (1819-1854)
Porin - Overture
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazushi Ono (conductor)
04:08 AM
Dora Pejacevic (1885-1923), Rainer Maria Rilke (author)
Liebeslied, Op 39
Katia Markotich (mezzo soprano), HRT Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
04:14 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
2 pieces for cello & piano, Op 2
Monika Leskovar (cello), Ivana Svarc-Grenda (piano)
04:23 AM
Giulio Schiavetto (fl.1562–5, Croatia), transc. Dr Lovro Zupanovic
Madrigal: Fior ch' all' intatta (O flower, so chaste)
Slovenian Chamber Choir, Vladimir Kranjcevic (director)
04:25 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Allegro from Horn Concerto no 3 in E flat major, K.447
Radovan Vlatkovic (french horn), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
04:31 AM
Vatroslav Lisinski (1819-1854)
2 Mazurkas in E flat major
Vladimir Krpan (piano)
04:34 AM
Traditional, arr. Darko Petrinjak
6 Renaissance Dances
Zagreb Guitar Trio
04:45 AM
Rudolf Matz (1901-1988)
Ballade for violin, cello & piano
Zagreb Piano Trio
04:53 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
The Hebrides, Op 26 - Overture, Fingal's Cave
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
05:04 AM
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
Unter der Linden grune
Pavao Masic (organ)
05:10 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata no 17 in D minor 'Tempest', Op.31/2
Lana Genc (piano)
05:34 AM
Boris Papandopulo (1906-1991)
Nad grobom ljepote djevojke, Op 39 (By the grave of the Beauty)
Slovenian Chamber Choir, Vladimir Kranjcevic (director)
05:42 AM
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
Cello Concerto in D major, G.478
Boris Andrianov (cello), Varazdin Chamber Orchestra, David Geringas (conductor)
06:02 AM
Dora Pejacevic (1885-1923)
Life of Flowers, Op 19
Ida Gamulin (piano)
06:22 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Idila Op 25b (1902)
Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002cc10)
Launch the day with classical music
Linton Stephens presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002cc12)
The best classical morning music
Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favorites.
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 (m002cc14)
Vilde Frang performs Elgar's Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Today, the BBC Symphony Orchestra bring us music by Albert Roussel, alongside Anatoly Lyadov’s ever-popular tone poem The Enchanted Lake, and they are also joined by star Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang for Edward Elgar’s majestic Violin Concerto.
Elizabeth also has more from the recent Perth Piano Series in Scotland. Today, Bertrand Chamayou plays Glinka, Nikita Lukinov performs Debussy and Jeneba Kanneh-Mason captivates in Prokofiev’s virtuosic wartime 7th Piano Sonata sometimes referred to as his 'Stalingrad' sonata.
Albert Roussel
Bacchus et Ariane Suite No. 2
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Ariane Matiakh (conductor)
Claude Debussy
Images - Book I
Nikita Lukinov (piano)
Edward Elgar
Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61
Vilde Frang (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
Sergey Prokofiev
Piano Sonata No 7 in B flat, Op. 83 ‘Stalingrad’
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, (piano)
Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in G, Op 76 No 1
Pavel Haas Quartet
Anatoly Lyadov
The Enchanted Lake
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Ariane Matiakh (conductor)
Mikhail Glinka (arr Balakirev)
L’Alouette (The Lark)
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live”
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002cc16)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Declining Years
Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s final years and his ever-changing relationship with this nephew Karl. This was a period when Karl was increasingly unhappy. leading to an attempt to take his own life. However, after Beethoven’s death, Karl emerges as his own person and can finally follow a path of his own choosing.
Waltz in E flat, WoO 85
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
Tremate, empi, tremate, Op 116
Janice Watson, soprano
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Gwynne Howell, bass
Corydon Orchtesra
Matthew Best, conductor
String Quartet No 15 in A minor, Op 132 (Molto adagio)
Tokyo String Quartet
Elegischer Gesang ‘Sanft wie du lebtest‘, Op 118
Collegium Musicum 90
Richard Hickox, conductor
Piano Sonata No 12 in A flat, Op 26 (Marche Funebre)
András Schiff, piano
Produced by Luke Whitlock
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002cc18)
Classical artists live in the studio
Pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen performs live and Petroc introduces live music from vocalist Sandra-Mae Lux and her band.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002cc1b)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m002cjd3)
Paris in the Jazz Age
The BBC Concert Orchestra, live from Alexandra Palace, with violinist and conductor Fiona Monbet, in Gershwin's American in Paris, and clarinettist Giacomo Smith in works by Ellington, Reinhardt and Debussy.
A Friday Night is Music Night featuring French music and jazz from the early years of the 20th century. The orchestra is joined by the effortlessly virtuosic clarinettist Giacomo Smith.
Presented by Katie Derham.
Cole Porter, arr Stanley Black: I love Paris
Sidney Bechet, arr Guy Barker: Si tu vois ma mère
Pierre Louiguy, arr Leon Young: La vie en rose
Bud Powell, arr Giacomo Smith: Parisian Thoroughfare
Gershwin: An American in Paris
INTERVAL
Debussy: Première rhapsodie
Django Reinhardt, arr Guy Barker: Nuages
Robert Farnon: A la claire fontaine
Duke Ellington: Paris Blues
Clarinet: Giacomo Smith
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor: Fiona Monbet
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m001nh7g)
EarthWorks
Monument
Rose Ferraby concludes this series of EarthWorks with a visit to a monumental Neolithic henge: Arbor Low in Derbyshire. Although it’s hard to know exactly what went on at these henges when they were built, we do know that they were places of communal gathering. It remains a dramatic feature within a ceremonial landscape, attracting people then and now. Rose reflects on the making and meaning of such a place, how community was cemented as a result of constructing the henge together. At a time when small groups shifted around the landscape with their animals, following cycles of seasons, such monuments seem to have provided the solid, static points at which to come together, allowing for rare moments of congregation. In the present, it continues to draw people in, its solid stones somehow creating a sense of firm grounding for the future.
Produced by Mark Smalley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002cc1d)
Charms, Totems and Jars of Snakes
Join Verity Sharp as she serves up our latest round of ear-bending adventures in sound.
We meet scattered drum and synth rituals to ward off evil from Portuguese duo Amuleto Apotropaico as well as Roxane Métayer’s hypnotic ‘totemic modulations’ from the forest floor. Elsewhere, there’s snake-like tape manipulations; plus poetic reflections from Fred Moten meet the clattering bass of Brandon López.
Produced by Alex Yates
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask BBC Sounds to play Late Junction”
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002cc1g)
AACM at 60
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Tonight, Soweto pays homage to the pioneering Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, also known as the AACM, who turn 60 this month.
The organisation was founded in 1965, by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, with pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and trumpeter Phil Cohran. Over the past six decades, the ACCM has been at the forefront of avant-garde and improvised music. It has nurtured, supported, and recorded some of jazz’s leading innovators, including Henry Threadgill, Nicole Mitchell, Isaiah Collier, and Tomeka Reid.
Joining Soweto are two AACM appreciators and forward-facing jazz artists; cornetist, multi-instrumentalist, and AACM member Ben LaMar Gay, and clarinettist, multi-instrumentalist, and key part of Chicago’s music community Angel Bat Dawid.
Ben LaMar Gay and Angel Bat Dawid will each be sharing a mini-mixtape, featuring some of the AACM artists that have influenced them and sharing their reflections on the AACM’s impact and legacy.