SATURDAY 05 JULY 2025

SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002dy62)
Castel, Brunetti and Boccherini

The Baroque ensemble Concerto 1700 performs a selection of 18th century string trios composed in Spain. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Jose Castel (1737-1807)
String Trio no 1 in B flat major
Concerto 1700

12:41 AM
Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798)
String Trio in D, Op 3 no 6
Concerto 1700

12:55 AM
Jose Castel (1737-1807)
String Trio no 4 in G minor
Concerto 1700

01:10 AM
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
String Trio in G, Op 34 no 2
Concerto 1700

01:30 AM
Jose Castel (1737-1807)
String Trio no 3 in E flat major
Concerto 1700

01:39 AM
Jose Castel (1737-1807)
Minuetto, from String Trio no 2 in F major
Concerto 1700

01:43 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
"Si, si, fellon, t'intendo.." & "Fra Tempeste funeste a quest'alma" (Rodelinda)
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)

01:48 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no.92 (H.1.92) in G major, 'Oxford'
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Peeter Lilje (conductor)

02:16 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for Flute and Continuo in E minor, BWV 1034
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Charles Medlam (viola da gamba), Terence Charlston (harpsichord)

02:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54
Dina Yoffe (piano), Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Bruggen (conductor)

03:03 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Petrushka (1911)
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kiril Kondrashin (conductor)

03:37 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Impromptu in G flat major, Op 51
Krzysztof Jablonski (piano)

03:42 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
"Begl'occhi, bel seno" Costumo de grandi for soprano, 2 violins and continuo
Susanne Ryden (soprano), Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)

03:48 AM
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Les Folies d'Espagne
Lise Daoust (flute)

03:58 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Overture to 'St Paul', Op 36
Reitze Smits (organ)

04:06 AM
Ana Milosavljevic (b.1982)
Red
Ensemble Metamorphosis

04:12 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
3 Chansons de Charles d'Orleans
BBC Singers

04:19 AM
Johann Rosenmuller (1619-1684)
Sinfonia Quinta
Tafelmusik Baroque Soloists

04:31 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Overture to La Forza del destino
Orchestre du Conservatoire de Musique du Quebec, Raffi Armenian (conductor)

04:38 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasy in D minor (KV.397)
Bruno Lukk (piano)

04:45 AM
Jacques Ibert (1890-1962)
Trois Pieces Breves
Academic Wind Quintet

04:53 AM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Villanelle for horn and piano
Tamas Zempleni (horn), Zoltan Kocsis (piano)

04:59 AM
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Peterloo Overture, Op 97
BBC Philharmonic, Ben Gernon (conductor)

05:09 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 in F, BWV.1047
Ars Barocca

05:21 AM
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), William Walton (1902-1983)
Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (director)

05:27 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Peer Gynt Suite no 2, Op 55
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schonwandt (conductor)

05:46 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
4 Songs for women's voices, 2 horns and harp, Op 17
Danish National Radio Choir, Leif Lind (horn), Per McClelland Jacobsen (horn), Catriona Yeats (harp), Stefan Parkman (conductor)

06:01 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sinfonietta for orchestra
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)


SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002f77q)
Start the day 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 (m002f77s)
Nicola Benedetti pops in

Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack to start the weekend!

Nicola Benedetti - superstar violinist and artistic director of Edinburgh International Festival - joins Tom to talk about what matters to her ahead of her epic solo tour in the autumn.

Will Pound (harmonica and melodeon) and Delia Stevens (multi-instrumentalist) join Tom live in the studio with their reimaginings of Holst's The Planets and to bring Saturday Morning vibes ahead of their appearances at Fishguard International Festival, and FolkEast Festival in Suffolk.

Plus the continuation of BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century – Norwegian composer, improviser and rock guitarist Øyvind Torvund marks generative A.I’s breakthrough year 2023 in his new work for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.


SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002f77v)
Jools with music for Saturday lunchtime

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 Kapsberger, Beethoven and Jimmie Lunceford, with performances by Maria Joao Pires and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. His guest is the poet and podcaster Pádraig Ó Tuama who introduces music he loves by The Bonny Men, Max Richter and Sibelius arranged for uileann pipes.

To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".


SAT 13:00 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century (m002f77x)
Part two: Hopes and fears

Naga Munchetty explores the landmark events of the 21st century via the lens of music. Part two: 2009 to 2016.

In 2025, BBC Radio 3 challenged contemporary composers to tell the story of the century thus far with music. Each of the resulting "25 for 25" commissions is inspired by an event that has somehow defined the first quarter of the century.

Part two charts the years 2009-2016 - from the "Miracle on the Hudson" through to the Paris Climate Agreement. This episode features the music of Donnacha Dennehy, Natalie Holt, Karen Tanaka, Errollyn Wallen, Elena Kats-Chernin, Aileen Sweeney, Gavin Higgins and Anselm McDonnell.


SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002f77z)
Vaughan Williams's Symphony No.5 in Building a Library with Kate Kennedy and Gillian Moore

Gillian Moore with the best new recordings of classical music.

1405
Conductor Alice Farnham joins Gillian for a look at some of the week's new releases.

1500
Building a Library
Kate Kennedy picks her favourite recording of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 5.

Premiered at the Proms in June 1943, Vaughan Williams's fifth symphony calls for the smallest orchestra of any of his symphonies, and its mellowness is in stark contrast to the angry violence of its immediate predecessor. From the gentle horn calls and string cantibile of the opening, through the delicate scherzo, poignant romanza and passacaglia finale, the work is infused with a sense of deep peace - balm from the horrors of the Second World War.

1545
Record of the Week: Gillian’s top pick.

To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Record Review”


SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002f781)
Prehistoric Cinema

To mark the latest release in the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World Rebirth, Matthew Sweet looks at music for films set in prehistoric times, or that feature dinosaurs in a modern setting.


SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m001zggl)
Jess Gillam with... Chloé van Soeterstède

Jess Gillam and conductor Chloé van Soeterstède share the tracks they love, with music from Schubert, Khachaturian, CPE Bach, Dani Howard, Mulatu Astatke and Mitski.


SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002f785)
Gounod's Faust

Gounod's Faust from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, staring Stefan Pop, Carolina López Moreno and Adam Palka, and conducted by Maurizio Benini.

Disillusioned with life, the aged Faust resolves to kill himself. But he's stopped in his tracks by the devil in the form of Méphistophélès, who makes him an offer he can't refuse - youth, wealth and the beautiful Marguerite. Goethe's epic poem Faust was a major inspiration for composers during the 19th century, and Gounod's version includes a ballet, exhilarating choral writing and some memorable melodies including Marguerite's dazzling jewel song.

Presented by Martin Handley in conversation with Sarah Hibberd.

Gounod: Faust
Faust ..... Stefan Pop (tenor)
Marguerite ..... Carolina López Moreno (soprano)
Méphistophélès ..... Adam Palka (bass)
Valentin ..... Boris Pinkhasovich (baritone)
Siebel ..... Hongni Wu (mezzo-soprano)
Martha ..... Monika-Evelin Liiv (mezzo-soprano)
Wagner ..... Ossian Huskinson (bass-baritone)
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Maurizio Benini (conductor)

Recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in May.


SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002f787)
Sounds of Independence

Lopa Kothari curates a selection of roots-based music marking 50 years of independence for Cabo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mozambique. We hear music from Cabo Verde’s beloved Cesária Évora, whose voice brought morna to the world stage, as well as Mozambique’s Fany Pfumo, a pioneering artist whose work championed his country’s sound on the global scene. Plus sounds from África Negra, the iconic band formed just a year before independence in São Tomé and Príncipe and are still touring more than five decades later.

Produced by Gabriel Francis and Fatuma Khaireh

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3 To listen on most smart speakers, just say, “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet”


SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002f789)
New choral works performed by EXAUDI

Tom Service presents world premieres of new choral works performed by EXAUDI, including hush, shush, shh by Jake Thorpe, Doce me facere by Michael Finnissy and Keepsakes by Hollie Harding. Plus Mark David Boden's Chasing Sunlight performed by Sinfonia Cymru at the New Music Biennal Festival in Bradford and Hannah Hartmann's Message from the Lighthouse performed by Jennifer Torrence at Tectonics in Glasgow.

SUNDAY 06 JULY 2025

SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002f78c)
World Premiere of Wynton Marsalis's Concerto for Orchestra

Marsalis's Concerto for Orchestra was commissioned by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble in this first ever performance of the work. The conductor is Cristian Măcelaru, who has a long-standing relationship with the composer. The premiere is preceded by Yunchan Lim's stunning rendition of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18
Yunchan Lim (piano), WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru (conductor)

01:05 AM
Wynton Marsalis (b.1961)
Concerto for Orchestra
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru (conductor)

01:44 AM
Imogen Holst (1907-1984)
Leiston Suite for brass quartet
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)

01:50 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Etudes: Book 2
Roger Woodward (piano)

02:16 AM
Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022)
Night's Black Bird for orchestra
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)

02:31 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet no 64 in D major, Op 76 no 5
Engegard Quartet

02:49 AM
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Overture à due chori in B flat
Cappella Coloniensis, Hans-Martin Linde (conductor)

03:13 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Toccata Festiva, Op 36a
Antonio Garcia (organ), Bern Chamber Orchestra, Philippe Bach (conductor)

03:29 AM
Louis Spohr (1784-1859)
Sechs Deutsche Lieder for soprano, clarinet and piano, Op 103
Jean Stilwell (mezzo soprano), Amici Chamber Ensemble

03:51 AM
Christopher Simpson (c.1605-1669)
The Four Seasons - Autumn
Les Voix Humaines, Arparla

04:05 AM
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560)
Elegie sur la mort de Josquin Musae Jovis (6 part)
Montreal Early Music Studio, Christopher Jackson (director)

04:14 AM
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Die Eiserne Brigade (The Iron Brigade)
Esbjerg Ensemble, Jorgen Lauritsen (director)

04:21 AM
Anonymous
Daphne
Angharad Gruffydd Jones (soprano), Concordia, Mark Levy (conductor)

04:26 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), arr. Ralf Gothoni
Ombra mai fu – from the opera "Xerxes"
Ralf Gothoni (piano)

04:31 AM
Mel Bonis (1858-1938)
Salome, Op 100
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor)

04:36 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Omnes de Saba venient - motet for 8 voices
Montreal Early Music Studio, Christopher Jackson (director)

04:38 AM
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Arabesque
Shirley Brill (clarinet), Piotr Spoz (piano)

04:43 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for 2 violins, 2 oboes and bassoon in D major, RV 564
Camerata Bern, Sergio Azzolini (bassoon/director)

04:53 AM
Paule Maurice (1910-67)
Tableaux de Provence - 5 pieces for saxophone and orchestra
Julia Nolan (saxophone), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)

05:08 AM
Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (c.1710-1791) [previously attrib. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)]
Il Pianto di Maria, cantata
Maria Keohane (soprano), European Union Baroque Orchestra, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)

05:33 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 7 in C major, Op 105
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Tabita Berglund (conductor)

05:54 AM
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989)
Quartet for strings no 2
Musicians from the Chamber Music Conference and Composer's Forum of the East

06:17 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
3 Fantasy Pieces, Op 73
Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn), Simon Smith (piano)


SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002f75y)
Wake up your senses with classical music

Mark Forrest presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk

To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’


SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m002f760)
Your perfect Sunday soundtrack

Petroc Trelawny sits in for Sarah Walker, with three hours of classical music to reflect, restore and refresh.

Today Petroc’s playlist includes vibrant Haydn played by Il Giardino Armonico, a classic recording of Carl Maria von Weber and a superb lilting Waltz movement from a Symphony by British composer Adam Pounds.

There is also stunning Mozart playing from Vikingur Olafsson, lush string sounds from Ravel and Isle Weber, and Tenebrae sing Brahms in this morning's Choral Reflection.

Plus, Sibelius captures the sunrise with the help of Tine Thing Helseth…

A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3


SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002f762)
Daniel Katz

Daniel Katz is a renowned art dealer, collector and gallery owner who has very much beaten his own path through the tangled forests of the art world.

Although he left school at the age of 14, his energetic curiosity brought him early success, making a profit of £15 on the first bronze he bought, and discovering something quite unexpected inside a grandfather clock.

Danny is an expert on European sculpture, but has also branched out into new fields, including antiquities, Old Masters, Impressionist paintings and Modern British Art. He’s worked closely with museums, exhibitions and libraries around the world.

Danny's choices include Schubert, Mahler, Sibelius and Bernstein.


SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002f764)
A journey to Grieg's Peer Gynt

Sara Mohr-Pietsch takes us on a musical journey towards Edvard Grieg's music for the play Peer Gynt. It was a commission he wasn't happy with, but it resulted in some of his best tunes, including Morning and In the Hall of the Mountain King. On the way we hear other music for plays by Mendelssohn, Thomas Arne and Jocelyn Pook, and music inspired by folklore by Wagner and singer Kerry Andrew.

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."


SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002f0kt)
Portsmouth Cathedral

Live from Portsmouth Cathedral.

Introit: Christus vincit (Martin Baker)
Responses: Philip Moore
Psalm 139 (Parry)
First Lesson: Isaiah 35 vv1-10
Canticles: Stanford in C
Second Lesson: Hebrews 10 v35-11 v1
Anthem: The Lord is my light and salvation (John Rutter)
Hymn: Thomas, holy blissful martyr (Becket New)
Voluntary: Dance-Rondo (Philip Moore)

David Price (Organist and Master of The Choristers)
Sachin Gunga (Sub-Organist)

To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.


SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002f766)
Unusual Instruments - Remembering Louis Moholo-Moholo

Alyn Shipton presents jazz records of all styles as requested by you with music today featuring some unusual instruments including the clavichord, bass clarinet and piccolo bass. Plus we remember the late South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, a highly collaborative musician who made an important contribution to jazz in the UK.

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 (m002f768)
Live from the York Early Music Festival

Hannah French is joined by a live audience at the National Centre for Early Music to celebrate the opening weekend of the 2025 York Festival of Early Music. There's live music from Ensemble Hesperi, from mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and harpsichordist Thomas Allery, and a chance to catch up with a stalwart of the international early music scene - soprano Catherine Bott, who is the recipient of this year's York Early Music Lifetime Achievement Award.


SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m002f76b)
Miniatures

Simon Chandler and Yasmin Taheri read a selection of prose and poetry exploring tiny things in this week's Words and Music small but perfectly formed episode taking a microscope to the miniature. We'll hear about dolls and their houses, model making and netsuke figures as well as examples of small literary forms such as limericks, haiku and flash fiction. Musically our soundtrack includes piano miniatures from Erik Satie (who died 100 years ago this month), Debussy's Petite Suite and Rolfe Kent's score for the film 'Downsizing'.

You can find plenty more about Satie on BBC Sounds as part of Radio 3's Satie day

Producer: Jessica Treen

Readings:
Matsuo Basho – The Old Pond
Enid Blyton – The Enchanted Village
Tim Dunn – Model Villages
Edward Lear – The Was An Old Man With A Beard
William Shakespeare – Romeo & Juliet
TH White – Mistress Masham’s Repose
Edward Lear – There Was A Young Lady Whose Nose
The World’s Smallest Vacuum Cleaner – European Cleaning Journal
Edward Lear – There Was An Old Man In A Boat
Simon Garfield – In Miniature
Anon – For Want of A Nail
Edmund de Waal – The Hare with Amber Eyes
Margaret Atwood – Cat’s Eyes
WB Yeats – The Dolls
Emily Dickinson – It’s Such A Little Thing To Weep
Jessie Burton – The Miniaturist
Aingelda Ardizzone – The Little Girl and The Tiny Doll
Ray Bradbury – A Sound Of Thunder
Matsuo Basho – Wake, Butterfly
Jo Shapcott – Quark
Neil Jordan - The Well of Saint Nobody
Lydia Davis – Lost Things
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – The Little Prince
Matsuo Basho – Spring is Passing


SUN 19:15 Sunday Feature (m002f76d)
The Hiawatha Phenomenon

Uchenna Ngwe uncovers the story of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s stratospheric concert hit, The Song of Hiawatha, 150 years after the composer's birth, examining how this now obscure cantata became one the most popular musical works of the early twentieth century. Uchenna's contributors help her evaluate how Hiawatha's Native American themes contributed to its enormous success, and the questions these now present for modern audiences. She visits the Royal Albert Hall in London to find evidence of the elaborate staged and costumed performances that drew gigantic audiences between the wars, and she hears from Native American advocates about ways we can engage with this music today.


SUN 20:00 Record Review (m002f76g)
Building a Library on Vaughan Williams's Fifth Symphony

A complete performance of the recording of Vaughan Williams's Fifth Symphony recommended by Kate Kennedy in yesterday's Record Review., plus some of the best new releases this week.


SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m002f76j)
Knussen: A God of small things

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore present BBC Radio 3's series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. In this episode, Gillian explores the sparkling, magical, crystalline music of Oliver Knussen, leading to a full performance of his landmark third Symphony, first heard at the BBC Proms in 1979. We’ll delve into fairytale worlds of Hans Werne Henze, examine the the compositions of Kaija Saariaho and encounter the multiple layers of sound within the music of Elliot Carter.

Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3


SUN 22:00 Ultimate Calm (m002brxm)
Hania Rani: Series 4

Sounds exploring the beauty in absence

Polish composer, pianist and vocalist Hania Rani believes that absence can hold as much meaning as presence, offering spaces of stillness, suspension and reflection. In this final episode of the series, she shares delicate musical selections that explore invisibility and vanishing sound, with pieces by Laurie Spiegel, Morton Feldman and Joanna Brouk.

She reflects on the power of silence, the mystery of minimalism, and the emotional weight of what is left unsaid.

Produced by Silas Gray
A Reduced Listening production


SUN 23:00 The Night Tracks Mix (m001gtt3)
Music for night owls

Hannah Peel with a magical sonic journey for late-night listening. Subscribe to receive your weekly mix on BBC Sounds.


SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002f76m)
One Leg One Eye’s Listening Chair

Ian Lynch is perhaps best known as one of the founding members of deadly Dublin band Lankum, but the freedom his solo project One Leg One Eye offers him has led to his “happiest experience recording music”. Setting up his shruti box and uilleann pipes in abandoned spaces across his home city, he creates dark, forbidding drone sounds that lead us into sometimes transcendent, sometimes terrifying musical places. For his Listening Chair, Ian chooses the song that gifted his other band its name - John Reilly Jr.’s folk ballad ‘False Lankum’.

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 07 JULY 2025

MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002f76p)
Musical inspirations: Vaughan Williams, Respighi & Mussorgsky

Stanislav Kochanovsky conducts the WDR Symphony Orchestra in evocative and well-loved works by Vaughan Williams, Respighi and Mussorgsky. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Stanislav Kochanovsky (conductor)

12:47 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Concerto gregoriano
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Stanislav Kochanovsky (conductor)

01:14 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), arr. Maurice Ravel
Pictures at an Exhibition
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Stanislav Kochanovsky (conductor)

01:46 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op 42
Duncan Gifford (piano)

02:07 AM
Traditional Swedish
Swedish Folk Dance
Andreas Borregaard (accordion)

02:09 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Symphony of Psalms
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Choir, Colin Davis (conductor)

02:31 AM
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
Symphony no 3 in G minor, Op 36
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Graziella Contratto (conductor)

03:06 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581
Kimball Sykes (clarinet), Pinchas Zukerman (violin), Donnie Deacon (violin), Jane Logan (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)

03:40 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Kol Nidrei Op 47
Adam Krzeszowiec (cello), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)

03:53 AM
William Mathias (1934-1992)
A May magnificat for double chorus, Op 79 no 2
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

04:02 AM
Frantisek Jiranek (1698-1778)
Bassoon Concerto in G minor
Sergio Azzolini (bassoon), Collegium Marianum

04:16 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Waltz in A flat major, Op 69 no 1
Kevin Kenner (piano)

04:19 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Op 53
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)

04:31 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Alto Saxophone Concerto in E flat major, Op 109
Virgo Veldi (saxophone), Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tarmo Leinatamm (conductor)

04:44 AM
Traditional, arr. Fritz Kreisler
Farewell to Cucullain 'Londonderry Air' - an old Irish melody arr for piano trio
Moshe Hammer (violin), Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cello), William Tritt (piano)

04:49 AM
Clement Janequin (c.1485-1558)
La Chasse
Ensemble Clement Janequin, Dominique Visse (counter tenor), Bruno Boterf (tenor), Vincent Bouchot (baritone), Francois Fauche (baritone), Massimo Moscardo (bass), Eric Bellocq (guitar), Massimo Moscardo (lute), Mattheu Lusson (bass gamba)

04:54 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Pohjola's daughter - symphonic fantasia, Op 49
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Colin Davis (conductor)

05:09 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Wind Sinfonietta, Op 73
BBC National Orchestra of Wales (conductor), Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)

05:27 AM
Kaspar Forster (1616-1673)
Viri Israelite (dialogus de Juditha e Holoferne for chorus and instruments)
Gundula Anders (soprano), David Cordier (counter tenor), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Harry van der Kamp (bass), La Capella Ducale, Musica Fiata Koln, Roland Wilson (director)

05:44 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 11 in F minor, Op 95 'Serioso'
Merel Quartet

06:05 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Piano Concerto no 2 in D minor, Op 40
Victor Sangiorgio (piano), West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Verbitsky (conductor)


MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002f9k4)
The finest classical music to elevate your morning

Tom McKinney 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, Norwegian composer, improviser and rock guitarist Oyvind Torvund marks generative A.I’s breakthrough year 2023 in his new work for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

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 (m002f9k6)
Relax into the day with classical

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”


MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002f9k8)
Live from London's Wigmore Hall

Linton Stephens 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. Three of Scandinavia’s foremost artists, violinist Johan Dalene, cellist Andreas Brantelid and pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, gather to perform Korngold's vibrant Piano Trio in D Op. 1 and Ravel’s mesmerising Piano Trio in A minor.

This week on Classical Live, we will hear music inspired by the Arts including Stravinsky's Apollon Musagete which is based on the Greek myth of Apollo, the god of music, poetry, and the arts, and his relationship with the Muses.

Elsewhere, there's chamber music from sold out concerts at the Hay Festival, recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 3 in May this year. Today pianist Danny Driver performs Faure and the Kleio String Quartet will play Alice Mary Smith's String Quartet in E “Tubal Cain”.

Plus, piano compositions by Rachmaninov are woven throughout the week. Today, pianist Mikhail Pletnev joins the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Dima Slobodeniouk in a performance of Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1

Live from Wigmore Hall, London, presented by Petroc Trelawny

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Piano Trio in D Op. 1

Maurice Ravel
Piano Trio in A minor

Johan Dalene (violin)
Andreas Brantelid (cello)
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)

***

Igor Stravinsky
Apollon Musagete
BBC Philharmonic
Andrew Davis (conductor)

Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No 4 in A flat
Danny Driver (piano)

Alice Smith
String Quartet in E “Tubal Cain”
Kleio String Quartet

Serge Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1
Mikhail Pletnev (piano)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk (conductor)

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".


MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002f9kb)
Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Honesty, Integrity, Poetry

Donald Macleod unpacks some of the defining qualities in the character and music style of Grace Williams, one Wales’s most celebrated composers.

Elegy for Cynddylan
Jason Carder, trumpet
Paula Fan, piano

Missa Cambrensis: II. Gloria in excelsis Deo. IIb. Laudamus te
April Fredrick, soprano
Angharad Lyddon, mezzo-soprano
Robert Murray, tenor
Paul Carey Jones, bass-baritone
Côr Heol y March
BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, conducted by Adrian Partington

Castell Caernafon
BBC Philarmonic, conducted by John Andrews

Four Medieval Welsh Poems
Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone
Paula Fan, piano/harpsichord
Rachel Kay Green, harp

Trumpet Concerto
Howard Snell, trumpet
London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Groves


MON 17:00 In Tune (m002f9kd)
In session with stellar classical artists

Live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.


MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m001r255)
Power through with classical music

Back-to-back classical music for 30 minutes, ranging from Bach's chorus "Wachet auf" (Sleepers wake!), to Cecilia McDowall's sublime choral setting of a Marian devotional cry for help "Alma redemptoris Mater" (Living mother of the redeemer... assist your people...). There are musical "novelettes" by Poulenc and Glazunov, a lush film score by Pino Donaggio, and a comic depiction of a game of football by Shostakovich.

Producer: Helen Garrison


MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002f9kg)
Mahler's Symphony No.1 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.3

The BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo in Beethoven's Egmont Overture and, with soloist Sir Stephen Hough, the Piano Concerto No 3. Plus Mahler's 'Titan' Symphony.

Recorded at the Barbican on 25th April. Presented by Ian Skelly.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor

Interval

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 1 in D major (Titan)

Stephen Hough (piano)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)

As a pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven held his listeners spellbound. That’s quite a common response to hearing Stephen Hough play, too. Profound insight meets jaw-dropping artistry whenever Hough plays the piano, and it’s hard to imagine a more compelling interpreter of Beethoven’s darkest piano concerto.

And that’s just the first half. Then we’re off to the sunlit meadows and storm-swept vistas of Gustav Mahler’s epic First Symphony. Mahler wrote bigger symphonies; darker ones too. But he never wrote anything fresher or more passionate. This is the sound of a young artist with big dreams and an even bigger imagination: a stirring climax to an evening brimming with poetry, drama and the sheer joy of creation.


MON 21:45 The Essay (m002f9kj)
Music in Bloom

Fibonacci

Katie Derham delves into the surprising connections between classical music and and gardening, with guests who have a passion for both.

In this episode, Katie Derham finds out more about the Fibonacci Sequence and why gardeners and musicians are drawn to a series of numbers.

Marcus Du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics and author of Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity. He explains which composers have been drawn to the Fibonacci Sequence and how it appears in music, and how we can recognise the Golden Ratio.

Dr Sarah Robinson studies biomechanics at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University. She shows Katie her team's Silvert-Gilt medal winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, which was inspired by the Fibonacci Sequence, and explains the fascinating places that the number sequence appears in nature.

Producer: Sofie Vilcins


MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002f9kl)
Blissful sounds for after-hours

Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.


MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002f9kn)
YolanDa Brown sits in

British saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown is sitting in for Soweto Kinch this week. YolanDa’s resumé exemplifies her deep love of music and her mission to share its magic far and wide. As an artist, her music blends jazz, soul, and reggae, and she has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance and many more. YolanDa is also a prolific broadcaster and has hosted radio and television series, including her educational series “YolanDa's Band Jam”.

This week YolanDa is sharing some of her best loved tracks from across the jazz spectrum. She will also be welcoming British neo-soul royalty Omar as her Flowers guest.

From Monday to Thursday Omar will be selecting four contemporary artists that he would like to celebrate and spotlight. To begin his week, Omar chooses a leading saxophonist and close friend.

Plus, there’s music from Yazmin Lacey, Branford Marsalis, and Meredith Monk.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'

TUESDAY 08 JULY 2025

TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002f9kq)
20 Years of the Amaryllis Quartet

The Amaryllis Quartet has been performing in major concert halls from Hamburg to Tokyo for 20 years. In this birthday concert at Solothurn in Switzerland, chamber music classics by Beethoven and Brahms are performed alongside a new work by the Swiss oboist, composer and conductor Heinz Holliger. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 5 in A major, Op 18 no 5
Amaryllis Quartett

01:00 AM
Heinz Holliger (b.1939)
nicht Ichts – nicht Nichts, 10 Monodisticha after Angelus Silesius
Amaryllis Quartett

01:19 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
String Quintet no 2 in G major, Op 111
Amaryllis Quartett, Lena Eckels (viola)

01:49 AM
Heinz Holliger (b.1939)
(S)irató for Orchestra
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer (conductor)

02:05 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Oboe Concerto in C major, K.285d/314a
Heinz Holliger (oboe), ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, Leif Segerstam (conductor)

02:26 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), arr. Glenn Gould
Cadenza for Piano Concerto no 1 in C major, Op 15
Lukas Geniusas (piano)

02:31 AM
Francesco Corteccia (1502-1571)
Musica della commedia di Francesco Corteccia recitata al secondo convito
Ensemble Weser Renaissance, Manfred Cordes (conductor)

02:49 AM
Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957)
Sommernacht (Summer Night): pastoral intermezzo for string orchestra, Op 58
Camerata Bern

03:00 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Violin Sonata in E flat major, Op 18
Minami Yoshida (violin), Jean Desmarais (piano)

03:28 AM
Mirko Krajci (b.1968)
Four Dances from the ballet 'Don Juan'
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mirko Krajci (conductor)

03:36 AM
Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773)
Trio Sonata in E flat major
Atrium Musicium Chamber Ensemble

03:44 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
2 chorale-preludes on 'Herzlich tut mich verlangen', Op 122 nos 9 and 10
Jan Bokszczanin (organ)

03:50 AM
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Piano Sonata in B minor, Op 40 no 2
Beatrice Rana (piano)

04:08 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Première rapsodie arr. for clarinet and orchestra
Kari Kriikku (clarinet), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)

04:16 AM
Annibale Gregori (?-c.1633)
Ciaccona a 2 soprani, from 'Ariosi concenti, Op 9'
Andrea Inghisciano (cornet), Gawain Glenton (cornet), Giulia Genini (soloist), Guido Morini (harpsichord), Maria Gonzalez (organ)

04:22 AM
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Suite for chamber orchestra
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)

04:31 AM
John Wilbye (1574-1638)
Draw on sweet night for 6 voices
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (director)

04:36 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), transc. Zoltan Kocsis
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Zsolt Szatmari (clarinet), Zoltan Kocsis (piano)

04:42 AM
Unico Wilhelm Van Wassenaer (1692-1766)
Concerto no 5 in F minor (from Sei Concerti Armonici 1740)
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend (conductor)

04:53 AM
Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
7 Elizabethan Lyrics, Op 12
Kathryn Rudge (mezzo soprano), James Baillieu (piano)

05:07 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Meeresstille und gluckliche Fahrt - overture, Op 27
National Orchestra of France, Riccardo Muti (conductor)

05:21 AM
Heinz Holliger (b.1939)
From 5 Little pieces for solo oboe: nos 2, 4 & 5
Vera Flurina Gassmann (oboe)

05:26 AM
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 60
John Storgards (violin), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor)

05:55 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata no 3 in B minor, Op 58
Jakub Kuszlik (piano)

06:23 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Romance for viola and piano
Steven Dann (viola), Bruce Vogt (piano)


TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002f7d5)
Kickstart your day with the best classical music

Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk

To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’


TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002f7d7)
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.

1230 Album of the Week.

To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”


TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002f7d9)
Live concert from the BBC Philharmonic

Linton Stephens 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 will hear music inspired by the Arts including Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending based on poetry by George Meredith, a suite from Rameau's ballet Les Boréades and Korngold's musical take on Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Plus there is a live concert from the BBC Philharmonic and conductor Jack Sheen encompassing this theme with music by Respighi, Gipps and Rachmaninov.

Elsewhere, there's chamber music from sold out concerts at the Hay Festival, recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 3 in May this year. Today the Mithras Trio perform a piece composed by one of the most important female composers from France, Mélanie Bonis.

Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending
Nathaniel Anderson-Frank (violin)
BBC Concert Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth (conductor)

Mélanie Bonis
Soir et Matin, Op 76
Mithras Trio

Jean-Philippe Rameau
Suite - Les Boréades
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Fabio Biondi (conductor)

BBC Radio 3: 25 FOR 25
Oyvind Torvund
Among the Clouds
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gabriella Teychenne (conductor)

Robert Schumann
Kinderszenen, Op 15
Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano)

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
'Much Ado About Nothing' Suite, Op 11
Geneva Lewis (violin)
Llyr Williams (piano)

***

Live with the BBC Philharmonic

Ottorino Respighi
Trittico Botticelliano

Ruth Gipps
A knight in armour

Sergei Rachmaninov
The Isle of the Dead

BBC Philharmonic
Jack Sheen (conductor)

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".


TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002f7dc)
Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Music in the Blood

Grace Williams's musical ambitions took her to London, where she discovered a cohort of fellow young women composers determined to support and champion each other’s music. But was interwar Britain ready for what Grace and her friends had to offer? Presented by Donald Macleod.

Suite for 9 Instruments (1st mvt, Allegro moderato)
London Chamber Ensemble

Hen Walia
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Jac van Steen

Sextet (2nd, Allegro scherzando; 3rd mvt, Andante. Tranquillo e semplice)
London Chamber Ensemble

Elegy for Strings
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ryan Bancroft

Suite for 9 Instrument (2nd mvt, Andantino; 3rd mvt, Allegro con brio)
London Chamber Ensemble


TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002f7dg)
World-class classical music – live

As they approach the end of a worldwide tour with performances at Cadogan Hall in London, Petroc Trelawny introduces live music by BEATrio, and hears from banjo player Bela Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda, and drummer Antonio Sánchez about the launch of their self-titled debut album. Plus the tenor James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook perform ahead of their appearances across the circuit of summer music festivals.


TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002f7dj)
Classical music for focus or relaxation

Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.


TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002f7dl)
Mahler's Symphony No.9

Conductor Yoel Gamzou, an artist steeped in Gustav Mahler's music, describes this piece as the one he "loves most in the world" and here he guides the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in a personal and all encompassing performance of Mahler's Symphony No.9.
Like Beethoven, Schubert and Bruckner before him, the Ninth was to be the last symphony he finished. As he composed it, in the Dolomites during a period of ill-health and personal sorrow and anxiety, he considered this a last journey, from the faltering start, through, as Mahler describes it, a "clumsy" country waltz, via a virtuosic and defiant Mahlerian Rondo-Burleske, to a transcendental final Adagio; one which Yoel Gamzou describes as the "most heart-breaking farewell there is". This is music which stretches the bounds of orchestral writing, from a composer aware not only of his own mortality, but also mourning the end of an "old Europe" in the opening decade of the Twentieth Century.

Recorded at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall in April 2025 and presented by Mark Forrest

Mahler: Symphony No.9

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Yoel Gamzou (conductor)

To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".


TUE 21:45 The Essay (m002f7dn)
Music in Bloom

Restoration

Katie Derham delves into the surprising connections between classical music and and gardening, with guests who have a passion for both.

It takes knowledge, passion and imagination to bring lost spaces and lost music back to life. In this episode of Music in Bloom, Katie meets two people doing just that, returning to the 16th century to explore a castle garden and discovering how a musicologist is making it possible to perform lost music from 450 years ago.

John Watkins shows Katie around the restored gardens at Kenilworth Castle, which were created by Robert Dudley for a visit by Queen Elizabeth I in 1575. He explains the unusual sources used to recreate the gardens, and how important the soundscape is to the space.

Magnus Williamson is Professor of Early Music at the University of Newcastle, and has worked restored Elizabethan part books. It needs a dash of archaeology, a lot of research, and a musical ear to work out how to fill in the musical gaps.

Producer: Sofie Vilcins


TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002f7dq)
Immersive music for moonlight

Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.


TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002f7ds)
Omar’s Flowers

YolanDa Brown, sitting in all week for Soweto Kinch, presents 'Round Midnight - a weeknight celebration of jazz from across the spectrum, with a particular focus on new UK music.

Tonight YolanDa welcomes back pioneer of neo-soul Omar, to share his second Flowers pick and this time he goes for a rising London pianist and vocalist.

There’s also music from Alfa Mist, Koi Forest, and Monty Alexander.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.

WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2025

WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002f7dv)
Schubert, Liszt, Mahler and Beethoven

Baritone Konstantin Krimmel performs songs by Liszt and Mahler, recast here for string quartet accompaniment and played by the Mandelring Quartet. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
String Quartet in B flat major, D.112
Mandelring Quartet

01:01 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Gustav Michell (author)
Verlassen
Konstantin Krimmel (baritone), Mandelring Quartet

01:05 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Heinrich Heine (author)
Anfangs wollt ich fast verzagen

01:07 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Henriette von Schorn (author)
Sei still

01:11 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Heinrich Heine (author)
Vergiftet sind meine Lieder

01:12 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr.Aribert Reimann, Friedrich von Bodenstedt (author), Mikhail Lermontov (author)
Gebet

01:16 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Heinrich Heine (author)
Morgens steh ich auf und frage

01:18 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), arr. Aribert Reimann, Ferdinand von Saar (author)
Des Tages laute Stimmen schweigen

01:23 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Stefan Heucke, Friedrich Ruckert (author)
Ich atmet' einen linden Duft, from 'Rückert-Lieder'

01:26 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Stefan Heucke, Friedrich Ruckert (author)
Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder

01:27 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Stefan Heucke, Friedrich Ruckert (author)
Um Mitternacht

01:34 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Stefan Heucke, Friedrich Ruckert (author)
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, from 'Rückert-Lieder

01:41 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), arr. Stefan Heucke
Der Tamboursg'sell, from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn'

Konstantin Krimmel (baritone), Mandelring Quartet

01:47 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet in F minor, Op 95 no 11 'Serioso'
Mandelring Quartet

02:07 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Adagietto, from Symphony no 5 in C sharp minor
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Philippe Bach (conductor)

02:17 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Unstern! Sinistre, disastro
Jos Van Immerseel (piano)

02:22 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Rondino in E flat major, WoO 25
Festival Winds

02:31 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Harold en Italie - symphony for viola and orchestra, Op 16
Milan Telecky (viola), Radio Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Ondrej Lenard (conductor)

03:16 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Jesu, meine Freude - motet BWV.227
Choir of Latvian Radio, Aivars Kalejs (organ), Orchestra of Latvian Radio, Sigvards Klava (conductor)

03:38 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Piano Trio in E flat major, Hob.15.10
Niklas Sivelov (piano), Bernt Lysell (violin), Mikael Sjogren (cello)

03:48 AM
Anon., John Coperario (1570-1626),William Lawes (1602-1645), arr. Pedro Memelsdorff and Andreas Staier
Court Masques under Charles I and II
Pedro Memelsdorff (recorder), Andreas Staier (harpsichord)

03:59 AM
Elena Kats-Chernin (b.1957)
Russian Rag
Donna Coleman (piano)

04:05 AM
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)
Sensemaya
Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Christian Vasquez (conductor)

04:12 AM
Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
Ave Regina for double choir, MH.140
Ex Tempore, Florian Heyerick (director)

04:24 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
La Romanesca
Maria Cleary (harp)

04:31 AM
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Ruslan i Lyudmila (overture)
KBS Symphony Orchestra, Hubert Soudant (conductor)

04:37 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Serenade to music
Bette Cosar (soprano), Delia Wallis (mezzo soprano), Edd Wright (tenor), Gary Dahl (bass), Alexander Skwortsow (violin), Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bruce Pullan (conductor)

04:51 AM
William Walton (1902-1983)
3 Pieces for organ (from the film Richard III)
Ian Sadler (organ)

04:57 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)

05:04 AM
Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915)
Fantasy in A minor for two pianos
Aglika Genova (piano), Liuben Dimitrov (piano)

05:09 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Zoltan Kocsis (arranger)
Concert rondo for horn and orchestra in E flat major, K371
Laszlo Gal (horn), Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zoltan Kocsis (conductor)

05:16 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Fechtschule (Fencing School)
Stockholm Antiqua

05:24 AM
Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Divertimento Concertante for double bass and orchestra
Jurek Dybal (double bass), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ruben Silva (conductor)

05:48 AM
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942)
Trio for clarinet, cello and piano Op 3
Trio Luwigana

06:14 AM
Alexander Arutunyan (1920-2012)
Concerto for trumpet and orchestra
Stanislaw Dziewor (trumpet), Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Gabriel Chmura (conductor)


WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002f7gt)
Embrace the morning calm of classical music and birdsong

Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk

To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’


WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002f7gw)
A feast of great music

Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.

1000 Playlist starter – listen and send us your ideas for the next step in our musical journey today.

1030 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 (m002f7gy)
Berlioz's Harold in Italy from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Linton Stephens 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 will hear music inspired by the Arts including Berlioz's Harold in Italy performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Jonathan Bloxham. This symphonic poem is based on Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage," which depicts a melancholy wanderer's experiences in Italy. Additionally we will hear Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, recomposed by Max Richter and Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.

Elsewhere, there's chamber music from sold out concerts at the Hay Festival, recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 3 in May this year. Today pianist Danny Driver performs Ravel's impressionistic Gaspard de la Nuit and the Mithras Trio will play one of Germaine Tailleferre's most famous works, her Piano Trio.

Claude Debussy
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis (conductor)

Maurice Ravel
Gaspard de la Nuit
Danny Driver (piano)

Max Richter/Vivaldi
The Four Seasons Recomposed: No. 2 Summer (L'Estate)
Eloisa-Fleur Thom (violin)
12 Ensemble

Hector Berlioz
Harold in Italy
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)

Germaine Tailleferre
Piano Trio (1916-17 rev. 1978)
Mithras Trio

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".


WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002f7h0)
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Solemn Vespers from Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, to mark the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the College.

Introit: Christe Jesu, pastor bone (Taverner)
Opening responses: Francis Grier
Psalm 84 (Armstrong)
First Lesson: Haggai 1 vv6-9
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 2 vv4-10
Office hymn: Urbs Jerusalem beata (Plainsong)
Magnificat (Errollyn Wallen) (broadcast premiere)
Anthem: Bring us, O Lord God (Harris)
Hymn: Christ is made the sure foundation (Westminster Abbey)
Marian Antiphon: Mater Christi sanctissima (Taverner)
Voluntary: Alleluyas (Preston)

Peter Holder (Director of Music)
Richard Moore (Sub-Organist)

Recorded 10 June.

To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.


WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002f7h2)
Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Evacuee

A part-time teaching job seems a sensible option while Grace Williams was working to make it as a composer but when war is declared, Grace Williams is evacuated out of London along with her pupils. Life in Grantham brings new challenges, and romance! With Donald Macleod.

Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon (The Conflict; The Nuptial Feast)
BBC Philarmonic, conducted by John Andrews

Symphony No 1 (3rd & 4th mvts)
BBC NOW, conducted by Emilia Hoving

Sea Sketches (1st mvt, High Wind; 2nd mvt, Sailing Song; 5th mvt, Calm Sea in Summer)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Jac van Steen

Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Andrew Penny


WED 17:00 In Tune (m002f7h4)
The classical soundtrack for your evening

Live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.


WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002f7h6)
The perfect classical half hour

An engaging mix of classical music for half an hour, featuring Dvorak’s serene serenade for strings, as well as the string quartet that won the Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz both the Polish National Prize and first prize at the International Composers’ Competition in Liège, plus the Dunedin consort plays tribute to the Glory of God in Bach’s mass in B minor


WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002d7kh)
Beethoven from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Elena Schwarz joins the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a concert bookended with contrasting works by Beethoven, ending with his ground-breaking First Symphony and beginning with his dark, dramatic Coriolan Overture. That arresting opening inspired Unsuk Chin to compose her Beethoven homage 'subito con forza' a brilliant, witty and eye-opening response to hallmark gestures which permeate his music.

The Shakespeare link continues as Soprano Jennifer France encapsulates the role of Shakespeare's Ophelia in Hans Abrahamsen's multi award-winning song cycle 'let me tell you'. The character's troubled mind and apparent fragility are portrayed in crystalline and stratospheric vocal colour and a unique orchestral soundworld. However, it is her own strength of character and perspective which shine through. "Let me tell you...." she implores - and we listen to her words.

Presented by Mark Forrest and recorded at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on 17 May 2025.

Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Hans Abrahamsen: let me tell you

8.15pm Interval

Unsuk Chin: subito con forza
Beethoven: Symphony No.1

Jennifer France (soprano)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Elena Schwarz (conductor)

To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".


WED 21:45 The Essay (m002f7h8)
Music in Bloom

Penderecki

Katie Derham delves into the surprising connections between classical music and and gardening, with guests who have a passion for both.

Composer Krzysztof Penderecki is known for his Modernist masterpieces and avant-garde music, as one of Poland's foremost composers. His music has been heard by many after being used in The Shining and Twin Peaks. Composing in a variety of styles, he burst on to the music scene as a firebrand, before turning to neo-Romanticism. A key inspiration for his composing was his garden in Lusławice, where he created labyrinths, formal gardens and an enormous collection of trees. In this episode, Katie meets two people who knew him as a musician and as a gardener.

Katie Derham speaks to Jan Topolski, who was part of the team at Adam Mickiewicz Institute who created the immersive website Penderecki's Garden, where visitors can explore the composer's life, music and gardens. He explains how the project combined two of Penderecki's greatest loves. Visit https://pendereckisgarden.pl/en/

Anna Schmidt created her film 'Paths Through The Labyrinth, a portrait of Krzysztof Penderecki' by spending a year with the composer and uncovering his thoughts on how his gardens inspired his music, and vice versa. She talks with Katie about how Penderecki about what it was like to follow this titan of contemporary music, and how his generosity, warmth and philosophies are seen in the gardens at Lusławice.

Producer: Sofie Vilcins


WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002f7hb)
Music for the still of night

Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.


WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002f7hd)
New from Lakecia Benjamin

YolanDa Brown, sitting in all week for Soweto Kinch, presents 'Round Midnight - a weeknight celebration of jazz from across the spectrum, with a particular focus on new UK music.

Omar returns to give out a third bouquet to an artist he admires, and tonight it’s the turn of an American producer and pianist, and friend of the show.

Plus there is music from Georgia Cécile, Zara McFarlane, and Sonny Rollins.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.

THURSDAY 10 JULY 2025

THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002f7hg)
Handel from Budapest

Handel's Dixit Dominus, Nisi Dominus and Salve Regina performed by soloists with the Hungarian Radio Chorus and Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Matthias Church, Budapest. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Nisi Dominus, HWV.238
József Csapó (counter tenor), Attila Sebők (tenor), Szabolcs Hámori (bass), Hungarian Radio Chorus, Budapest, Zoltán Pad (director), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Václav Luks (conductor)

12:43 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Salve Regina, HWV.241
Nóra Ducza (soprano), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Vaclav Luks (conductor)

12:55 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Dixit Dominus in G minor, HWV.232
Nóra Ducza (soprano), Alíz Ballabás (soprano), József Csapó (counter tenor), Attila Sebők (tenor), Szabolcs Hámori (bass), Hungarian Radio Chorus, Budapest, Zoltán Pad (director), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Vaclav Luks (conductor)

01:28 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), arr. Federico Colli
Lascia la spina cogli la rose, from 'Il Trionfo del Tempo e del disinganno'
Federico Colli (piano)

01:31 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Flute sonata in B minor, HWV 367b
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Terence Charlston (harpsichord), Charles Medlam (viola da gamba)

01:45 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita for keyboard no 6 in E minor, BWV.830
Ilze Graubina (piano)

02:17 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Georg Muffat (1653-1704)
Trio Sonata no 12 'Ciacona' (Corelli) & Passacaglia from Sonata no 5 (Muffat)
Stockholm Antiqua

02:31 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Eggen (conductor)

03:24 AM
Alec Wilder (1907-1978)
Suite no 1 for tuba and piano 'Effie Suite'
Saruschan Aghamiri (tuba), Shih-Yu Tang (piano)

03:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Quartet for flute and strings in A major, K.298
Joanna G'froerer (flute), Martin Beaver (violin), Pinchas Zukerman (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)

03:42 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Friedrich Schiller (author)
Die Gotter Griechenlands, D.677b
Christoph Pregardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)

03:47 AM
Fini Henriques (1867-1940)
Air for string orchestra
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Borge Wagner (conductor)

03:54 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Suite no 2 in D major
Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin), Rosanne Hunt (cello), Linda Kent (harpsichord)

04:00 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
2 Nocturnes for piano, Op 62
Yulianna Avdeeva (piano)

04:13 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Romance for violin & orchestra Op 26 in G major arr. for violin & choir
Borisas Traubas (violin), Polifonija, Sigitas Vaiciulionis (conductor)

04:22 AM
Juan Crisostomo Arriaga (1806-1826)
Los Esclavos Felices - overture
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)

04:31 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Magnificat BuxWV Anh. I
Marieke Steenhoek (soprano), Miriam Meyer (soprano), Bogna Bartosz (contralto), Marco van de Klundert (tenor), Klaus Mertens (bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Amsterdam Baroque Chorus, Ton Koopman (conductor)

04:38 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Overture to Mireille
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnanyi (conductor)

04:46 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
12 Variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen for cello and piano', Op 66
Antonio Meneses (cello), Menahem Pressler (piano)

04:56 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto no 3 in G major, BWV.1048
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer (artistic director)

05:10 AM
Jan Sandstrom (b.1954)
Surge, aquilo for 16 voices
Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble

05:17 AM
Lepo Sumera (1950-2000)
Pala aastast 1981 (A Piece from 1981)
Kadri-Ann Sumera (piano)

05:25 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Gammelnorsk Romance met Variasjoner, Op 51
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ole Kristian Ruud (conductor)

05:50 AM
Antoine Reicha (1770-1836)
Oboe Quintet in F major, Op 107
Les Adieux

06:18 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Jane Grey Fantasy, Op 15
Scott Dickinson (viola), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Teresa Riveiro Bohm (conductor)


THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002f7sb)
Ease into the day with classical music

Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk

To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’


THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m002f7sd)
Your perfect classical playlist

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.

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 (m002f7sg)
Strauss' Don Quixote from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Linton Stephens 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 will hear music inspired by the Arts including Chausson's Viviane inspired by the Arthurian legend of Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, and her affair with the wizard Merlin plus Strauss' Don Quixote from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales which depicts the adventures of Miguel de Cervantes's famous literary character.

Elsewhere, there's chamber music from sold out concerts at the Hay Festival, recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 3 in May this year. Today Ravel's unique and lyrical String Quartet in F is played by the Kleio String Quartet.

Serge Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Mikhail Pletnev (piano)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk (conductor)

Hubert Parry
Songs of Farewell
Polyphony
Stephen Layton (conductor)

Maurice Ravel
String Quartet in F
Kleio String Quartet

Ernest Chausson
Viviane, Op.5
Ulster Orchestra
Jac van Steen (conductor)

Johannes Brahms
Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56b, for two pianos
GrauSchumacher Piano Duo

Richard Strauss
Don Quixote, Op. 35
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".


THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002f7sj)
Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Return to Wales

Williams retreats to her parents' home in Barry, having seemingly turned her back on composing. She soon feels the urge to write music again but her views on artistic standards in Wales put her in conflict with some key Welsh institutions. Presented by Donald Macleod.

The Dancers (2nd mvt, Tarantella; 4th mvt, Lose the Pain in the Snow)
Richard Hickox Singers
City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Richard Hickox,

Penillion
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Groves

Symphony No 2 (1st & 2nd mvts)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Martyn Brabbins

The Parlour (extract)
Edith Coates, mezzo-soprano (Grandmamma)
Edward Byles, tenor (Papa)
Noreen Berry, mezzo-soprano (Mamma)
Anne Pashley, soprano (Louisa),
Janet Hughes, mezzo-soprano (Augusta)
Jean Allister, contralto (Aunt Genevieve)
David Lennox, tenor (Uncle Steve)
John Gibbs, baritone (Dr Charlton)
Marian Evans (Rosalie)
Welsh National Opera Chorus
City of Birmingham Orchestra, conducted by Bryan Balkwill


THU 17:00 In Tune (m002f7sl)
Live classical music for your commute

Live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.


THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002f7sn)
30 minutes of classical inspiration

Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.


THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002f7sr)
Sinfonia Cymru - Songs for the Earth

'Not your average orchestra' is how Sinfonia Cymru like to introduce themselves; its players are young, adventurous and often enjoy dancing between classical and other musical styles. For this concert from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Sinfonia Cymru have joined with classical and folk violinist, Bridget O’Donnell and jazz bassist, Misha Mullov-Abbado to create a programme celebrating our deep connection with nature. We’ll hear music inspired by Celtic, Nordic, American, Eastern European and Middle Eastern traditions. There are traditional folk tunes alongside contemporary songwriters and classical composers – evoking land and sea, sun and moon, the spirit of the winds and the cycles of the seasons.

Presented by Linton Stephens.

Trad. Norwegian (arr. Danish String Quartet): Old Reinlender from Sonndala
Ofra Haza (arr. Mullov-Abbado): Na'ama
Simmy Singh: Whispers of the Wind
Julian Herreros Rivera (arr. Mullov-Abbado): Solo Dios Sabe Si Vuelvo
Misha Mullov-Abbado: Equinox
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Leonid Desyatnkov): Cuatro Estaciones Portefias, III. Primavera
Debussy (arr. Mullov-Abbado): La Mer, Il. Jeux de Vagues
Trad. North American (arr. Mullov-Abbado): Down to the River
Trad. Scottish (arr. Maxwell Quartet): Fear a’Bhàta / Da Full Rigged Ship / Da New Rigged Ship
Trad. Welsh (arr. Mullov-Abbado): Lloer Dirion Lliw’r Dydd
Trad. Bulgarian (arr. Mullov-Abbado): Kopanitsa

Bridget O’Donnell (violin)
Misha Mullov-Abbado (double bass)
Sinfonia Cymru


THU 21:45 The Essay (m002f7sw)
Music in Bloom

Community

Katie Derham delves into the surprising connections between classical music and and gardening, with guests who have a passion for both.

One in eight households in the UK have no access to a garden, but we all understand the benefits of having access to an outside space. And we all understand the positive effects that listening to and playing music can have on our lives. In this episode, Katie Derham meets two people who are ensuring that their communities have access to gardens and to music, and discovers the surprising parallels between how they work in urban spaces.

Errol Fernandes is Head of Horticulture at the Horniman Museums and Gardens. He tells Katie how an unexpected space cultivated his love of gardening, and how he works with the community in South London.

Kate Whitley is a composer and founder of The Multi-Story Orchestra. She explains how the orchestra works in unusual spaces and works with communities to create new music, and how her own love of gardening gives her time to reflect on how she composes.

Producer: Sofie Vilcins


THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002f7t3)
Immersive music for after-hours

Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.


THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002f7tb)
Fresh from Kandace Springs

YolanDa Brown, sitting in all week for Soweto Kinch, presents 'Round Midnight - a weeknight celebration of jazz from across the spectrum, with a particular focus on new UK music.

Tonight Omar concludes his week highlights artists who are ‘living legends’ that inspire him, for our Flowers series. His final bunch goes to one of contemporary jazz’s most in-demand musicians.

Omar’s new album “Brighter The Days” is out now via Impressive Collective / BBE Records.

Also in the programme, there's music from Mama Terra, Yazz Ahmed, and Samara Joy.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.

FRIDAY 11 JULY 2025

FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002f7tg)
Medieval music from Spain

The female vocal ensemble Psallentes performs spellbinding anonymous medieval music unearthed from the 13th century manuscript at Las Huelgas, Spain. John Shea presents.

12:31 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
O Maria, virgo regia / Organica cantica. Motet (Codex Las Huelgas)
Psallentes, Hendrik Vanden Abeele (conductor)

12:32 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Ave lux luminum / Salve, virgo, rubens rosa. Motet (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:33 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Rex, virginum amator. Kyrie (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:37 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Verbum bonum et suave. Prosa (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:40 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Virgo, sidus aureum. Prosa (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:51 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:53 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Salve, sancta Christi parens. Prosa (Codex Las Huelgas)

12:58 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Rex eterne maiestatis. Prosa (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:05 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Benedicamus Domino cum cantico (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:07 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Benedicamus virgini matri (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:07 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Benedicamus, sane per omnia (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:10 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Salve, regina glorie. Prosa (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:15 AM
Anonymous 13th Century
Mulier misterio. Motet (Codex Las Huelgas)

01:18 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula (Dendermonde Codex): Excerpts

01:54 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Deus enim in prima. Antiphon, from Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula
Psallentes, Hendrik Vanden Abeele (conductor)

01:56 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), orch. Luc Brewaeys
No.3 La Puerta del Vino - from Preludes Book II
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Daniele Callegari (conductor)

01:59 AM
Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Alleluja. Paratum cor meum
Guy de Mey (tenor), Ian Honeyman (tenor), Max van Egmond (bass), Ricercar Consort

02:13 AM
Flor Alpaerts (1876-1954)
James Ensor Suite
Flemish Radio Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik (conductor)

02:31 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Horn Concerto No 2 in E flat major
Markus Maskuniitty (horn), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Junichi Hirokami (conductor)

02:51 AM
Clara Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 17
Erika Radermacher (piano), Eva Zurbrugg (violin), Angela Schwartz (cello)

03:19 AM
William Walton (1902-1983)
Johannesburg Festival Overture
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, David Atherton (conductor)

03:27 AM
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Oboe Concerto in E flat (arr for trumpet)
Geoffrey Payne (trumpet), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Michael Halasz (conductor)

03:36 AM
Judith Weir (1954-)
The Bagpiper's String Trio
Nanos Trio

03:43 AM
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959)
Part-song book - 4 madrigals for mixed chorus
Danish National Radio Choir, Stefan Parkman (conductor)

03:53 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck
Angela Cheng (piano)

04:01 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594), Petrarch (author)
Cantai hor piango - madrigal for 5 voices
King's Singers

04:07 AM
Andrew Huggett (b.1955)
Canadian folk-song suite for accordion and piano
Joseph Petric (accordion), Guy Few (piano)

04:21 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Adagio for Strings, Op 11
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)

04:31 AM
George Gershwin (1898-1937), transc. Percy Grainger
Love Walked In (transcribed for piano)
Dennis Hennig (piano)

04:35 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in F for violin, 2 oboes, 2 horns, bassoon & cello, RV.569
Zefira Valova (violin), Anna Starr (oboe), Markus Muller (oboe), Anneke Scott (horn), Joseph Walters (horn), moni Fischaleck (bassoon), Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko (director)

04:48 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), orch. Arnold Schoenberg
Chorale Prelude, BWV.654
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Edo de Waart (conductor)

04:56 AM
Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979)
Three Pieces for Cello and Piano
Samuel Niederhauser (cello), Denis Linnik (piano)

05:04 AM
Chan Ka Nin (b.1949)
Four seasons suite
Ottawa Winds, Michael Goodwin (conductor)

05:16 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Sonatine
Aldo Ciccolini (piano)

05:29 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
'Burlesque de Quixotte' Suite in G minor, TWV.55:G10
La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider (conductor)

05:49 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Serenade no 1 in D major, Op 11
Zermatt Music Festival Academy Students


FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002f7r3)
Wake up with classical music

Tom McKinney 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, Norwegian composer, improviser and rock guitarist Oyvind Torvund marks generative A.I’s breakthrough year 2023 in his new work for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

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 (m002f7r5)
Great classical music 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”


FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002f7r7)
Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade performed by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Linton Stephens 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 will hear music inspired by the Arts including Webern's Im Sommerwind based on Bruno Wille's poem about the beauty of nature, Janacek's String Quartet No 1 'Kreutzer Sonata' inspired by Leo Tolstoy's dramatic novella, and Rimsky-Korsakov's musical response to 'One Thousand and One Nights', Scheherazade Op. 35, symphonic suite.

Elsewhere, there's chamber music from sold out concerts at the Hay Festival, recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 3 in May this year. Today pianist Danny Driver performs Debussy's Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir and La fille aux cheveux de lin.

Anton Webern
Im Sommerwind
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Lorenzo Viotti (conductor)

Claude Debussy
Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir
Danny Driver (piano)

Claude Debussy
La fille aux cheveux de lin
Danny Driver (piano)

Leos Janacek
String Quartet No 1 'Kreutzer Sonata'
Leonkoro Quartet

Serge Rachmaninov
Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, op. 30
Mikhail Pletnev, piano
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk, (conductor)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Trio in E flat major K.498 (Kegelstatt) for clarinet, viola and piano
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Jorg Widmann (clarinet)
Frank Braley (piano)

Avril Coleridge-Taylor
Sussex Landscape
Ulster Orchestra
Daniele Rustioni (conductor)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade, Op. 35, symphonic suite
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Tugan Sokhiev (conductor)

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".


FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002f7r9)
Grace Williams (1906-1977)

Notes and Revisions

Donald Macleod traces Williams’s final decade and the late works that sealed her stature as a major musical voice in Britain. She continues to have run-ins with musicians who don’t meet her exacting standards, and a figure from her past makes a surprise visit.

Two Choruses
Frank Lloyd, horn
Cristopher Larkin, horn
Caryl Thomas, harp
Richard Hickox Singers, conducted by Richard Hickox,

Ballads
BBC Philarmonic, conducted by John Andrews

Missa Cambrensis (IVa, Sanctus)
April Fredrick, soprano
Angharad Lyddon, mezzo-soprano
Robert Murray, tenor
Paul Carey Jones, bass-baritone
Côr Heol y March
BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, conducted by Adrian Partington

Fairest of Stars
Janet Price, soprano
London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Groves


FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002f7rd)
Live from Bradford Live

Petroc Trelawny presents a special edition of In Tune live from the newly restored Bradford Live.

Located in the heart of Bradford City centre, the venue first opened in 1930 and has served as a ballroom, theatre, cinema, and legendary music venue, hosting acts like The Beatles and Tom Jones. After closing in 2000 and standing derelict for nearly two decades, it was saved from demolition by a local campaign. Now, following an ambitious restoration, it’s set to reopen this year— Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture.

We catch up with James Sill and the Bantam of the Opera Choir, a unique choir formed by Bradford City AFC fans, who will be joined on stage by Lesley Garrett. Plus we have live music from Ben Crick and the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra and local brass ensemble the Hammonds Band.


FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002f7rj)
Switch up your listening with classical music

Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.


FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m002f7rn)
Cheltenham Festival

In honour of 80 years of spying in Cheltenham the BBC Concert Orchestra are live at the Cheltenham Festival with conductor Karen Ni Bhroin and singer/presenter Clare Teal and a concert of music associated with espionage.

Lalo Schifrin: Mission Impossible theme
Maurice Jarre: Lawrence of Arabia Theme
Malcolm Williamson: Our Man in Havana (Suite) 1. Prelude; 3. Serenade; 4. Beatrice’s Aria
John Williams: Schindler’s List theme
John Barry, arr Stanley Black: James Bond themes medley

INTERVAL

Elizabeth Kelly: Lace Machine Music
William Alwyn: Odd Man Out Suite: Police Chase & Nemesis (Finale)
Johnny Douglas: The Railway Children (Main Titles)
Charles Williams: The Devil’s Galop (Dick Barton special agent)
Quincy Jones: Soul Bossa Nova

Singer Clare Teal
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor Karen Ni Bhroin


FRI 21:45 The Essay (m002f7rs)
Music in Bloom

Lost and Found

Katie Derham delves into the surprising connections between classical music and and gardening, with guests who have a passion for both.

A Victorian garden became overgrown and neglected, only to be discovered and restored in the 1990s. In this episode, Katie Derham visits the Lost Gardens of Heligan to discover the fascinating story of the gardeners who tended them, their loss in the First World War, and how the gardens were brought back to glory.

Alasdair Moore, Heligan's Head of Gardens, shows Katie around, reflecting on how they keep traditions alive, and why the people really are the centre of this story about gardening.

She also meets Cornish musician Merv Davey, who has uncovered stories of music that was also lost and found. What does this music say about Cornwall, and what really makes music Cornish anyway?

Producer: Sofie Vilcins


FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002f7rx)
Resonant voice, futuristic folk, and ancient poetry

Verity Sharp handpicks a selection of new releases, and journeys into the dense thickets of experimental sound. There she finds Lebanese vocalist Julia Sabra singing into the cavernous concrete of Tripoli’s unfinished domed theatre, encounters gamelan-infused percussion from Australian drummer Will Guthrie and his Nantes-based ensemble Nist-Nah, and tunes into ancient frequencies with Monasunne, who reawaken Anglo-Saxon poetry in its original Old English.

Plus, a mutant reassembly of early Iranian piano recordings from Siavash Amini, caustic rap from Nyege Nyege affiliates MC Yallah and Debmaster, and some futuristic folk from Swiss micro-choir, Alice.

Produced by Gabriel Francis
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 (m002f7s0)
Women in Jazz mixtape

YolanDa Brown, sitting in all week for Soweto Kinch, presents 'Round Midnight - a weeknight celebration of jazz from across the spectrum, with a particular focus on new UK music.

YolanDa’s Friday Night Mixtape guest is Women in Jazz co-founder Lou Paley. Women in Jazz are an organization and creative network dedicated to addressing gender imbalances within the jazz music industry and supporting women who are artists within the genre including Celeste, Jas Kayser, and Yazz Ahmed.

Tonight, Lou has put together a special 30-minute mixtape spotlighting artists from across the generations who are pioneers and who have paved the way for women in jazz.

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'