SATURDAY 16 AUGUST 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002grg6)
Reveries: Fauré, Hahn and Dubois
The Classica Quartet plays chamber works by three French composers in a musical journey that traverses Romanticism, Symbolism and Impressionism. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Piano Quintet in F sharp minor
Classica Quartet, Meagan Milatz (piano)
01:01 AM
Theodore Dubois (1837-1924)
Piano Quartet
Classica Quartet
01:32 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Piano Quintet no 1 in D minor, Op 89
Classica Quartet, Meagan Milatz (piano)
02:05 AM
Theodore Dubois (1837-1924)
Chant Pastoral
Kalevi Kiviniemi (organ)
02:09 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Cello Sonata no 2 in G minor, Op 117
Andreas Brantelid (cello), Bengt Forsberg (piano)
02:31 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
L'Arlesienne Suite no 1
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Marko Munih (conductor)
02:49 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op 31
Mark Padmore (tenor), Thomas Muller (horn), Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Duncan Ward (conductor)
03:13 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for solo violin no 2, BWV.1003
Rachel Podger (violin)
03:36 AM
Johannes Cornago (fl.1450-1475)
Donde estas que no te veo
Montserrat Figueras (soprano), Hesperion XX, Jordi Savall (director)
03:39 AM
William Byrd (1543-1623)
Browning à 5
Rose Consort of Viols, John Bryan (viol), Alison Crum (viol), Sarah Groser (viol), Roy Marks (viol), Peter Wendland (viol)
03:44 AM
Chan Ka Nin (b.1949)
Four seasons suite
Ottawa Winds, Michael Goodwin (conductor)
03:56 AM
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Nocturne for flute and piano
Valentinas Gelgotas (flute), Audrone Kisieliute (piano)
04:00 AM
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Krakowiak
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)
04:04 AM
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Folk sketches for small orchestral ensemble
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)
04:09 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Hymn to St Cecilia for chorus Op 27
BBC Singers, David Hill (conductor)
04:20 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
The Four Seasons - Spring
Davide Monti (violin), Il Tempio Armonico
04:31 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Romance for viola and piano
Steven Dann (viola), Bruce Vogt (piano)
04:38 AM
Philip Glass (b.1937)
Music in similar motion for ensemble
Ricercata Ensemble, Ivan Siller (director)
04:50 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
The Hebrides, Op 26, overture in B minor, Fingal's Cave
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Marek Janowski (conductor)
05:00 AM
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704)
Sonata Prima a 4 (Opera Decima Sesta)
Maniera
05:10 AM
Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
7 Elizabethan Lyrics, Op 12
Kathryn Rudge (mezzo soprano), James Baillieu (piano)
05:25 AM
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Las cuatro estaciones portenas
Musica Camerata Montreal
05:48 AM
Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)
Excerpts from Act One of La Liberazione di Ruggiero
Suzie Le Blanc (soprano), Barbara Borden (soprano), Dorothee Mields (soprano), Christian Hilz (baritone), Tragicomedia, Stephen Stubbs (director)
06:08 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Swan Lake Ballet Suite
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Marko Munih (conductor)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002h0kh)
Start your 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 (m002h0kk)
Tom talks to Sir Mark Elder
Tom talks to conductor Sir Mark Elder ahead of his appearance at the BBC Proms on 18 August conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mass of Life by Frederick Delius.
Tom also hears from American composer Gabriella Smith, whose organ concerto Breathing Forests receives its UK premiere at the Proms on 2 September.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002h0km)
The pianist and bandleader picks his favourite classical music
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.
Jools's choices today include music by Britten, Vivaldi and Ray Charles, with performances by Friedrich Gulda, the CBSO and Django Reinhardt. His guest is the record producer and writer Joe Boyd who talks about his recent global music book 'And the Roots of Rhythm Remain' and introduces music he loves by Bartok, Ravi Shankar, Gottschalk and Toumani Diabaté.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m002h0kp)
Piano Stories
Kathryn Stott
Piano technician to the greats, Ulrich Gerhartz is in conversation about pianos with his friend and Kathryn Stott.
Ulrich Gerhartz is talking pianos with some of the greatest pianists of our age. Ulrich is Director of Concert and Artist Services at Steinway and Sons in London. For the last 30 years he’s been piano technician to the stars of the piano world. When they sit down at a keyboard, it's his job to ensure that these top musicians have the best instrument possible set up for their particular taste and touch.
Great pianists take Ulrich on tour; into recording studios; and to the world’s finest concert halls. Tuning is a small part of what he does as he spends hours preparing each piano to suit each performer.
Here Ulrich is in conversation with his friend, the pianist Kathryn Stott. They discuss memories of choosing a piano for Kathy to record music by her soul composer, Fauré; being in studio together for days on a Messiaen project; and both coming across the same very special piano in Zimbabwe.
Fauré: Nocturne No. 1 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 33 No. 1
Messiaen: 20 Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus: No. 15, Le baiser de l'enfant-Jésus
Kabalevsky: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op. 50
Smetana: Dreams: Celebration of Czech Country Folk
Korngold: Quintet, Op.15: Adagio
Fitkin: Circuit
Nadia Boulanger: La Mer
Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer Production
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002h0kr)
BBC Proms Composer: Puccini with Flora Willson and Andrew McGregor
Flora Willson picks five indispensable recordings by this week's BBC Proms Composer: Puccini, plus the rest of the week's new releases
Presented by Andrew McGregor
2.30pm
Ahead of Tuesday's BBC Proms performance of Puccini's Suor Angelica, Flora Willson joins Andrew with her five must-have recordings by the composer
3.30pm
Proms Recording
The recent Building a Library recommendation of a piece by a key composer in this year's BBC Proms
Richard Strauss
Alpine Symphony (selection)
Berlin Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m001qn81)
Family Films
Of all the genre titles the 'family film' is perhaps the trickiest to define. Its intention, clearly, is to entertain and appeal to the whole family - togetherness. But what are the specific ingredients that make it so? Nevertheless, cinema goers seem to have a good sense of what an advertised family film might have to offer.
Matthew Sweet looks back at this category of film, which seemed to spring into existence in America around the 1930s, and he foregrounds the music of some of the best and most defining examples.
The programme includes music from Home Alone, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Gulliver's Travels, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, ET - The Extra Terrestrial, Kiki's Delivery Service, Paddington 2 and the Classical Score of the Week - the Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell score for Shrek.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002h0kw)
Jess Gillam with... Roderick Williams
Jess Gillam shares favourite music with baritone and composer Roderick Williams.
Roderick Williams is one of Britain’s best-known singers, appearing in many opera productions, and on countless recordings. He also sang at the coronation of King Charles III. On This Classical Life, he joins Jess Gillam to talk about his life and career, which also encompasses his work as a composer, and he brings along some of his favourite music to play, including tracks by French organist and composer Olivier Messiaen, British composer Eleanor Alberga, and American singer songwriter Michael McDonald. Jess, meanwhile, has music by Duke Ellington and Rachmaninov.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”
SAT 18:00 Music Planet (m002h0ky)
Highlights from Tapestry Festival
On her return from Southampton’s Tapestry Festival, Lopa Kothari shares live recordings of some of her favourite performances, as well as chats with the musicians and a special session with Southampton Salty Sea Dogs recorded at the harbour.
The show features music from British-Indian sarod player Soumik Datta, young Irish singer and guitarist Muireann Bradley, folk musician Sam Lee, and more.
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 19:00 BBC Proms (m002h0l0)
2025
Shostakovich’s Fifth by Heart
Live at the BBC Proms: The Aurora Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Collon perform Shostakovich Symphony No 5 from memory.
Presented by Katie Derham, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
A musical and dramatic exploration of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5
c.
7.40
Interval
c.
8pm
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in in D minor (performed from memory)
Aurora Orchestra
Max Revell, actor/dancer
Nicholas Collon, conductor
Explore a symphony from the inside out. Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra reflect this year’s Shostakovich anniversary with a Prom that takes the audience under the hood of a 20th-century masterpiece and into the mind of the man who made it. Actors join the Aurora’s players to bring to life a symphony born in the shadow of Stalin’s regime – music on the edge of life and death by a composer treading a dangerous line between political obedience and artistic defiance.
SAT 21:15 New Generation Artists (m002h0l2)
2025 Proms season showcase: Alim Beisembayev, James Atkinson, and Sterling Elliott
As part of a special series showcasing current members of Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme, we introduce specially recorded performances at the BBC's iconic studios in Maida Vale by pianist Alim Beisembayev, baritone James Atkinson, and cellist Sterling Elliott.
Mozart: Sonata in D major K.311
Alim Beisembayev (piano)
Vaughan Williams: Love-sight
James Atkinson (baritone)
Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Delius: Romance for cello and piano
Sterling Elliott (cello)
Jonathan Ware (piano)
The BBC New Generation Artists scheme was founded in 1999 to support some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists, singers and ensembles at the start of their international careers, through performance and broadcast opportunities. The distinguished list of alumni now numbers well over a hundred, among them many of the most exciting musicians working on the world stage today.
SAT 21:45 The Lebrecht Interview (m002h0l4)
Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero
Norman Lebrecht talks to the pianist Gabriela Montero about growing up in Venezuela and about the heartbreak of living as an exile for the last few years, fighting for human rights, political transparency and music education in her country. She recalls taking part in the Chopin competition in Warsaw, for which she got a bronze medal; and Gabriela explains what happens artistically and scientifically when she improvises, something that has become her trademark of her performing career.
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002h0l6)
With Soosan Lolavar
Composer Soosan Lolavar guest presents the show for the next two weeks, with the usual mix of live recordings, new releases and interviews. Tonight: Lawrence Dunn's new work Lori written for Zubin Kanga as part of his ongoing Cyber Soloist project exploring the realm of performer/technology interface; new music from Iranian electroacoustic composer Deniz Tafaghodi and British composer Nekka Cummins; we hear violinist-composer Sarah Saviet live at Eavesdropping festival; and from a concert given in Munich earlier this year, Rebecca Saunders' To An Utterance, performed by pianist Nicolas Hodges and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
SUNDAY 17 AUGUST 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002h0l8)
Bach in Madrid
An all-Bach programme from Japanese baroque violinist Hiro Kurosaki and Spanish harpsichordist Ignacio Prego opened the Encuentro Silva de Sirenas Festival [FESS Madrid] with a monograph dedicated to the music for both instruments by Johann Sebastian Bach, under the title All Bach. The concert featured two of the Six sonatas for violin and harpsichord and two solo works, for violin and harpsichord respectively. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata in B minor, BWV.1014
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
12:43 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita no 3 in E major, BWV.1006
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin)
12:58 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
French Suite no 4 in E flat major, BWV.815
Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:12 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata no 6 in G major, BWV.1019
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:29 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Adagio from Violin Sonata in G major, BWV.1021
Hiro Kurosaki (baroque violin), Ignacio Prego (harpsichord)
01:33 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), orch. Arnold Schoenberg
Prelude and fugue in E flat major BWV.552 (St Anne)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Edo de Waart (conductor)
01:50 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita no 4 in D major, BWV.828
Schaghajegh Nosrati (piano)
02:22 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Louis James Lefebure-Wely (1817-1869)
Liebster Jesu wir sind hier, BWV 731 and Lefébure-Wély: Sortie in G minor
Antonio Garcia (organ)
02:31 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Sheherazade, Op 35
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru (conductor)
03:16 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), arr. Mauricio Sotelo
Sonata in F minor, K.184; Interludio – Alegrías; Sonata in G minor, K.450
Chen Halevi (clarinet), Daniel Borovitzky (piano), Gringolts Quartet, Agustin Diassera (percussion)
03:29 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne no 1 in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
03:38 AM
Gabriel Charpentier (1925-2019)
Mass I
Tudor Singers of Montreal, Patrick Wedd (artistic director)
03:47 AM
Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799)
Concerto grosso for strings and continuo in F major, Op 3 no 3
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam
03:58 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Morrò, ma prima in grazia, Amelia's aria from 'Un Ballo in maschera'
Birgitte Christensen (soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Petr Popelka (conductor)
04:03 AM
Hilda Sehested (1858-1936)
Tre Fantasistykker (3 Fantasy pieces)
Nina Reintoft (cello), Malene Thastum (piano)
04:14 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Rapsodie espagnole
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:31 AM
Philip Sparke (b.1951)
Pantomine for Euphonium in B major
Valerian Alfare (euphonium), Edward Cervenka (piano)
04:37 AM
John Field (1782-1837)
Andante inédit in E flat major for piano
Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano)
04:44 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
The Four Seasons - Summer
Davide Monti (violin), Il Tempio Armonico
04:55 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Four Stockholmsdikter (4 Stockholm poems) vers. for voice & piano (Op.38)
Karl-Magnus Fredriksson (baritone), Stefan Nilsson (piano)
05:06 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Suncana Polja
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Kazushi Ono (conductor)
05:23 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in D minor, Op 76 no 2 'Fifths'
Signum Quartet
05:45 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Fantasia for piano, chorus and orchestra in C minor, Op 80
Anton Kuerti (piano), Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
06:04 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Suite no 2 in F major, HWV.427 (1720)
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
06:13 AM
Diego Ortiz (c.1510-1570), Pierre Sandrin (c.1490-c.1561)
3 pieces:
Ortiz: La Spagna (from Trattado de glosas, Rome 1553); Sandrin: Doulce Memoire (from Le Paragon des chansons, Paris 1538); Ortiz: Recercada segonda sobre doulce memoire (from Tratado de glosas, Rome 1553)
Trio Montparnasse
06:20 AM
Gheorghi Arnaoudov (b.1957)
Laus Solis, for orchestra
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Milen Nachev (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002h0vk)
Brighten your day 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 (m002h0vm)
Your perfect Sunday soundtrack
This week, Sarah's selections include sparkling Bach from a band that knows its music inside out - Bach Collegium Japan, Chopin performed by award-winning Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, and a musical wedding cake by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Sarah’s Choral Reflection features the ORA Singers performing a stunning piece by the prodigiously productive Flemish composer Philippe de Monte: Super flumina Babylonis (By the Rivers of Babylon).
Plus, a work by Scottish composer Helen Leach, written from the unique perspective of a bee…
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m0027k72)
Ursula Jones
Ursula Jones is “nothing short of a musical icon” – at least according to the Royal Philharmonic Society, who made her an honorary member last year at the age of 92. She has devoted her life to music, and has long championed the work of young performers – she gave Daniel Barenboim his first break as a conductor in London, when he was just 23.
Ursula was born in Lucerne in 1932, where her father was one of the founders of the Lucerne Festival, so famous musicians, including the likes of Richard Strauss, were never far away.
She came to London in 1954 and worked as a secretary for the Philharmonia Orchestra, moving on to co-found the English Chamber Orchestra in 1960. She married the eminent trumpet player Philip Jones, and later managed his Brass Ensemble.
Music isn’t her only fascination: she completed a doctorate in archaeology at the age of 60, and in 2021 she cycled 100km to raise money for the charity Brass for Africa.
Ursula's choices include music by Britten, Mozart and Handel.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m0023gvj)
A journey to Tarrega's Memories of the Alhambra
Sara Mohr-Pietsch maps the musical terrain around Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra, wandering down sonic avenues that link music across time and space. From Chabrier's España to Shaw's Plan and Elevation via musical postcards from Vienna and Florence, Sara charts a musical journey towards Tarrega's evocative guitar classic.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002gr81)
St James's Church Piccadilly, London
From St James's Church Piccadilly, London with Genesis Sixteen.
Introit: Pater noster (Palestrina)
Responses: Smith
Psalms 69, 70 (Stanford, Luther)
First Lesson: Isaiah 55 vv8-13
Magnificat Quarti toni (Palestrina)
Second Lesson: 2 Timothy 2 vv8-19
Nunc dimittis a 8 (Palestrina)
Anthem: Caro mea vere cibus est (Palestrina)
Hymn: Jesu, grant me this, I pray (Song 13)
Voluntary: The woods so wilde (Gibbons)
Harry Christophers, Eamonn Dougan, Emma Warren (Conductors)
Michael Haslam (Organist)
Recorded 10 July.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002h0vr)
Dame Cleo Laine Remembered
Alyn Shipton presents a special tribute edition celebrating singer Dame Cleo Laine featuring a wide range of music from her remarkable back catalogue including collaborations with Ray Charles, Mel Torme, John Williams and her husband Sir John Dankworth.
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 (m002h0vt)
Le Concert Spirituel
Hannah French explores the history and music of Le Concert Spirituel - a hugely popular Parisian concert series which began in 1725 and ran for 65 years until the French Revolution signed its death warrant. The concerts made stars of many composers and performers, including Jean-Marie Leclair, Francois-Joseph Gossec, Michel-Richard DeLalande and Jean-Joseph de Mondonville.
SUN 18:00 Delius (m002h0vw)
Frederick Delius's Violin Concerto, with Tasmin Little and Welsh National Opera Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. Recorded in May 1991 in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.
SUN 18:45 Sunday Feature (m002h0vy)
Delius - A Yorkshireman?
Composer Frederick Delius, born in Bradford to immigrant parents, defied expectations by turning away from the family wool business to pursue a life in music. Though he left Yorkshire early and once described Bradford as “filthy,” his deep ties to the region endured—reflected in his love of cricket and the local landscapes that echo through his later compositions.
As Bradford celebrates its status as UK City of Culture in 2025, Bradford born presenter, Nick Ahad explores the life and legacy of Delius, drawing parallels between the composer’s immigrant roots and his own heritage, and questions what it means to be a “Bradfordian”. He reflects on how Delius’s international voice continues to resonate in today’s world.
SUN 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h0w0)
2025
Le Concert Spirituel
Live at the BBC Proms: Hervé Niquet conducts Le Concert Spirituel in Striggio's epic Mass ‘Ecco sì beato giorno', as well as works by Benevolo, Corteccia and Palestrina.
Presented by Hannah French, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Striggio Mass ‘Ecco sì beato giorno
Striggio Motet ‘Ecce beatam lucem
Interspersed with works by Benevolo, Corteccia and Palestrina
Le Concert Spirituel
Hervé Niquet (director)
Before there was Tallis’s mighty Spem in alium there was Striggio’s 40-part Mass: a sumptuous Renaissance epic in surround sound. Lost for centuries, it returns to the Proms in the expert hands of period specialists Le Concert Spirituel under Hervé Niquet. Their musical ritual – a concert recreation of a festal Mass – also includes the ‘heavenly harmony’ of the equally striking (and supersized) Ecce beatam lucem and music by Italian 16th- and 17th-century composers Benevolo and Coteccia, as well as motets by Palestrina, whose 500th anniversary falls this year.
The programme will also be interspersed with works by Benevolo, Corteccia and Palestrina.
There will be no interval.
SUN 21:30 New Generation Artists (m002h0w2)
2025 Proms season showcase: Giorgi Gigashvili
As part of a special series showcasing current members of Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme, we introduce specially recorded performances from both St George's, Bristol, and the BBC's iconic studios in Maida Vale, by the Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili.
Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No 2 in B minor, Op 61
Giorgi Gigashvili (piano)
Scarlatti: Sonata In C Major Kk.487
Giorgi Gigashvili (piano)
The BBC New Generation Artists scheme was founded in 1999 to support some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists, singers and ensembles at the start of their international careers, through performance and broadcast opportunities. The distinguished list of alumni now numbers well over a hundred, among them many of the most exciting musicians working on the world stage today.
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m00209qk)
Music for the darkling hour
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002h7d0)
Nocturnes
Join Elizabeth Alker with a selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists as we journey through landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds that this week reflect the glorious light, joy and mystery of high summer. Along the way, we'll hear from emerging independent producers whose work plays with orchestral textures and classical form as well as the latest sounds from a new generation of contemporary composers who look to embrace the spirit of rock, pop and electronica.
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
MONDAY 18 AUGUST 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002h0w4)
Unsuk Chin, Mozart and Prokofiev from Berlin
Leonidas Kavakos conducts the German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin in Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony and Mao Fujita is the soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto no 27. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Unsuk Chin (b.1961)
Subito con Forza
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Leonidas Kavakos (conductor)
12:37 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 27 in B flat major, K.595
Mao Fujita (piano), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Leonidas Kavakos (conductor)
01:09 AM
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Dans le genre gothique, from '25 Préludes dans tous les tons, Op 31'
Mao Fujita (piano)
01:12 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony no 6 in E flat minor, Op 111
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Leonidas Kavakos (conductor)
01:57 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Piano Trio no 2 in C minor, Op 66
Enrico Pace (piano), Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Eckart Runge (cello)
02:26 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no 182, BWV.182 (Himmelskonig, sei willkommen): Sonata
Zefira Valova (violin), Alexis Kossenko (recorder), Les Ambassadeurs, Alexis Kossenko (director)
02:31 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Sea Pictures, Op 37
Kristina Hammarstrom (mezzo soprano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)
02:54 AM
Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940)
Cello Sonata no 1 in G major
Andrei Ionita (cello), Lilit Grigoryan (piano)
03:36 AM
Henri Sauguet (1901-1989)
La Nuit (1929)
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Daniel Swift (conductor)
03:48 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Rondo for piano in C minor, Op 1
Ludmil Angelov (piano)
03:57 AM
Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981)
Variations and fugue on a theme by Kuhnau
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, David Porcelijn (conductor)
04:10 AM
Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710)
Xácaras and Canarios (Instrucción de música sobre la guitara española")
Eduardo Eguez (guitar)
04:20 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), transc. Zoltan Kocsis
Arabesque no 1 in E major
Bela Horvath (oboe), Anita Szabo (flute), Zsolt Szatmari (clarinet), Gyorgy Salamon (bass clarinet), Pal Bokor (bassoon), Tamas Zempleni (horn), Peter Kubina (double bass)
04:24 AM
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Evening in Transylvania and Swineherd's Dance, from 'Hungarian Pictures, Sz. 97'
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Zsolt Hamar (conductor)
04:31 AM
Robert White (c.1538-1574), James MacMillan (b.1959)
Christe qui lux es et dies (White) & A Child's Prayer (MacMillan)
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (director)
04:40 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Mellanspel ur Sången, Op 44
Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic, Kristjan Jarvi (conductor)
04:45 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Concerto in E major, BWV.1042
Terje Tonnessen (violin), Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
05:03 AM
Vincente Adan (fl.1775-1787)
Divertimento 2.o Nuevo
Dagmara Kapczyńska (harpsichord), Komale Akakpo (dulcimer)
05:16 AM
Paul Gilson (1865-1942)
La Captive : Suite from Act 1. Ballet-Pantomime
Flemish Radio Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
05:39 AM
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805-1900)
6 Characteerstykker med indledende Smaavers af H.C Andersen, Op 50
Nina Gade (piano)
05:51 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Missa Sancta no 2 in G major J.251, Op 76 'Jubelmesse'
Henriette Schellenberg (soprano), Laverne G'Froerer (mezzo soprano), Keith Boldt (tenor), George Roberts (baritone), Vancouver Chamber Choir, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Jon Washburn (conductor)
06:17 AM
John Field (1782-1837)
Aria; Nocturne & Chanson
Barry Douglas (piano), Camerata Ireland
06:25 AM
Heinrich Joseph Baermann (1784-1847)
Adagio in D major (extract from Clarinet Quintet no 3 in E flat major, Op 23)
Joze Kotar (clarinet), Slovenian Philharmonic String Quartet
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002h0q3)
Live from Slimbridge Wetland Centre
Tom McKinney starts your day with the very best classical music and the sounds of the Severn Estuary with a live dawn chorus from a bird hide at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. He takes to the water to explore the wetlands by canoe, meets local naturalists who bring the area to life. Special musical guests are Miranda Rutter and members of the traditional music group Leveret playing music from Miranda's latest album Bird Tunes.
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 (m002h0q5)
The very best of classical music
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002h0q7)
Shostakovich 5 from the Royal Albert Hall
Elizabeth Alker showcases highlights summer festivals home and abroad including the Aurora Orchestra playing Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony by heart at the Proms.
Throughout the summer we’ll be hearing from some of the best music-making at this year’s BBC Proms. Today the Aurora Orchestra and their founder and principal conductor Nicholas Collon play Shostakovich’s powerful 5th Symphony by heart.
There are also highlights from across the Scottish capital with summer music making from the Edinburgh International Festival. Today the Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and conductor Jonathan Sells give us music by Bach and Purcell and the Sitkovetsky Trio play Cecile Chaminade’s Piano Trio no 2.
Plus, Mozart from Germany's Schwetzingen Festival - a rarely heard arrangement of his 40th Symphony for violin, cello and piano four hands.
From the Schwetzingen Festival:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 (arr. Carl Burchard)
Daniel Dodds (violin)
Raphaela Gromes (cello)
Duo Tal & Groethuysen (Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen - piano)
From the Edinburgh International Festival:
JS Bach
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV. 225
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Jonathan Sells (Conductor)
Cecile Chaminade
Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor
Sitkovetsky Trio
From the BBC Proms:
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 5
Aurora Orchestra
Nicholas Collon (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 (m002h0q9)
Fred and Eric
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
In today's programme, we meet Eric Fenby, a young musician from Scarborough who never thought he'd meet his hero. When he first encountered the music of Frederick Delius, he was simply entranced - and when he read that the composer was blind, paralysed and struggling to write, Eric vowed he “would do anything to be the means of his finishing that music."
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Wilson
Irmelin
Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Mark Elder
Requiem: V. The snow lingers yet on the mountains
Rebecca Evans, soprano
Peter Coleman-Wright, baritone
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Richard Hickox
Brigg Fair
London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth
Songs of Farewell
Waynflete Singers
Southern Voices
Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002h0qc)
Bruce Liu
Pianist Bruce Liu performs live for presenter Katie Derham ahead of his forthcoming Prom with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Plus there's the latest from the classical music world.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002h0qf)
Expand your horizons with classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music with music from Sammartini, Schubert, Rachmaninov, Mozart and Rimkus.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
MON 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h0qh)
2025
Elder conducts A Mass of Life
Live at the BBC Proms: BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, LPO Chorus plus starry soloists conducted by Sir Mark Elder in Delius's exhilarating A Mass of Life.
Presented by Martin Handley at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Frederick Delius: A Mass of Life
Interval: The writer and musicologist Daniel Grimley joins Martin Handley to discuss the genesis of Delius's musical response to the prose of the great German philosopher Nietzsche.
Jennifer Davis (soprano)
Claudia Huckle (contralto)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
Roderick Williams (baritone)
BBC Symphony Chorus
London Philharmonic Choir
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)
‘No other English composer offers more beauty in sound,’ Thomas Beecham said of Delius. There’s no more extravagant, impassioned or overwhelming a canvas for that beauty than A Mass of Life. Taking Nietzsche’s rapturous prose-poem Also sprach Zarathustra as a starting point, Delius imagined a secular Mass – a cantata for orchestra, chorus and soloists celebrating the transcendent power and triumph of the human spirit in the face of death.
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m00209r8)
The music garden
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002h0qk)
Lakecia Benjamin’s Flowers
‘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.
From Monday to Thursday this week, American saxophonist, composer and educator Lakecia Benjamin will be giving Flowers to four artists that have influenced her.
Lakecia is one of the exciting names in the contemporary jazz generation. A mentee of greats including Billy Harper, Reggie Workman, and Gary Bartz, she has already been nominated for five Grammy awards, and calls on a range of influences including jazz, funk and R&B in her compositions.
Lakecia’s albums include her widely celebrated Pursuance: The Coltranes, which offers her unique tribute to Alice and John Coltrane, and her 2023 release Phoenix, which saw her call on guest artists including Dianne Reeves, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, and Angela Davis.
She now returns with a new release, titled Noble Rise, featuring fellow virtuosic saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.
Kicking off her week on Flowers, Lakecia chose a leading bassist, vocalist and friend of the show, and a track from the more straight-ahead end of their catalogue. Lakecia's Flowers week was recorded backstage at this year's Love Supreme Festival, ahead of her performance there.
Also in the programme, music from Nok Cultural Ensemble, Laura Jurd and Brigitte Beraha.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
TUESDAY 19 AUGUST 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002h0qm)
Orlando di Lasso: The song of the Sibyls
Ensemble Irini explores the mystical through Lasso's astonishingly chromatic Prophecies of the Sibyllines and Byzantine pieces dedicated to the Virgin Mary. They performed in the Church of Santes Creus, Catalunya on the Feast of the Assumption. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Audi benigne conditor
12:36 AM
John Koukouzeles
Chaire Nimphi
12:40 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Excerpts from Prophetiae Sibyllarum
12:47 AM
Anonymous, arr. Lila Hajosi
Cheruvikon, himne dels querubins
12:53 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Excerpts from Prophetiae Sibyllarum
01:01 AM
Nectarios of Aegina (1846-1920), arr. Lila Hajosi
Agni Parthene - O Virgin Pure
01:06 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Excerpts from Prophetiae Sibyllarum
01:12 AM
Anonymous, arr. Lila Hajosi
Gnosin agnoston gnonai from the Akathist
01:16 AM
Anonymous, arr. Lila Hajosi
Polyeleos - Psalms 134 and 135
01:21 AM
Anonymous, arr. Lila Hajosi
Fragment of the Polyeleos
Ensemble Irini, Lila Hajosi (conductor)
01:23 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Overture - Nabucco
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Alun Francis (conductor)
01:32 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Va Pensiero chorus from Nabucco
Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
01:37 AM
Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722)
Biblical sonata for keyboard no 2 in G minor "Saul cured by David through music"
Luc Beausejour (harpsichord)
01:52 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Stabat Mater for 8 voices
Silvia Piccollo (soprano), Teresa Nesci (soprano), Marco Beasley (tenor), Furio Zanasi (bass), Paolo Crivellaro (organ), Alberto Rasi (viola da gamba), Theatrum Instrumentorum, Chorus of Swiss Radio, Lugano, Diego Fasolis (conductor)
01:58 AM
Mel Bonis (1858-1938)
Salome, Op 100
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor)
02:03 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome, Op 54
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Challender (conductor)
02:13 AM
Mathurin Forestier (fl.1500-1535)
Agnus Dei (Missa 'Baises moy')
Huelgas Ensemble, Paul van Nevel (conductor)
02:18 AM
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)
A Requiem in our Time, Op 3
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska (conductor)
02:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Double Concerto in A minor for Violin and Cello, Op 102
Solve Sigerland (violin), Ellen Margrete Flesjo (cello), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Per Kristian Skalstad (conductor)
03:06 AM
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Noches en los jardines de Espana
Philip Pavlov (piano), Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Marinov (conductor)
03:29 AM
John Wilbye (1574-1638)
Draw on, sweet night (the second set of madrigals)
Ensemble Daedalus, Roberto Festa (director)
03:34 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Trio sonata for flute, violin and continuo in B minor, Wq.143
Les Coucous Benevoles
03:44 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Nocturne in E minor, Op 107
Stefan Lindgren (piano)
03:51 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Two Pieces for String Octet, Op 11
Helena Winkelman (violin), Camerata Variabile Basel
04:01 AM
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
El Salón México
San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)
04:13 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Silence and Music - madrigal for chorus
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (conductor)
04:19 AM
Frederick Jacobi (1891-1952)
Fantasy for viola and piano
Cathy Basrak (viola), William Koehler (piano)
04:31 AM
Otto Nicolai (1810-1849)
Overture, The Merry Wives of Windsor
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
04:40 AM
Clara Schumann (1810-1856)
Scherzo in D minor, Op 10 no 1
Angela Cheng (piano)
04:45 AM
Ester Magi (1922-2021)
Duo rahvatoonis for flute and violin
Jaan Õun (flute), Ulrika Kristian (violin)
04:48 AM
Ester Magi (1922-2021)
Bucolic
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Arvo Volmer (conductor)
04:57 AM
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Harp Suite
David Tanenbaum (guitar), William Winant (percussion), Scott Evans (percussion), Joel Davel (drums)
05:13 AM
Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-c.1678)
O quam bonus es - motet for 2 voices
Cappella Artemisia
05:23 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Cello Concerto no 1 in A minor, Op 33
Luka Šulić (cello), Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Shuntaro Sato (conductor)
05:44 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sonata for flute, viola and harp
Felix Renggli (flute), Jurg Dahler (viola), Sarah O'Brien (harp)
06:02 AM
Francois Couperin (1668-1733)
Treizieme concert à deux violes
Violes Esgales (duo)
06:12 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op 34
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002h14l)
Live from Westonbirt, The National Arboretum
Wake up to a morning of pure inspiration with Tom McKinney, bringing you the finest classical music to start your day right — including Bach Before 7.
This time, Tom broadcasts live from the heart of nature at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, where music meets the forest. He’s joined by curator Dan Crowley to hear the stories behind some of the trees, and embarks on a unique Sensing Nature walk — experiencing the woodland through touch, scent, and sound.
Plus, live music from Bristol Ensemble Wind Quartet.
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 (m002h14n)
Relax into the day with classical
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002h14q)
Delius’ A Mass of Life from the BBC Proms
Elizabeth Alker showcases highlights from major summer music festivals including visits to this year's Edinburgh Festival and from the BBC Proms, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder performing the epic and rarely heard Delius Mass of Life. Among the starry line of performers are soloists Jennifer Davis, Claudia Huckle, David Butt Philip and Roderick Williams who join the BBC Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir.
Plus we shine a light on the former and current Radio 3 New Generation Artists performing at the Proms. Today, pianist Benjamin Grosvenor performs Ravel’s bluesy Piano Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Ryan Bancroft.
And there are highlights from Scotland with summer music making from the Edinburgh International Festival. Today the Sitkovetsky Trio perform Shostakovich's Piano Trio no 2
Maurice Ravel
Piano Concerto in G major
Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
From the Edinburgh International Festival:
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor
Sitkovetsky Trio
From the BBC Proms:
Frederick Delius
A Mass of Life
Jennifer Davis (soprano)
Claudia Huckle (contralto)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
Roderick Williams (baritone)
BBC Symphony Chorus
London Philharmonic Choir
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)
Sofia Gubaidulina
Revue Music for Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Band
Synergy Vocals
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".
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002h14s)
A bid for freedom
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
In today's programme, Delius' father puts pressure on his son to join the family business: the wool trade. A strict disciplinarian, Delius Sr doesn't see music as a serious career to pursue, so he puts the young composer to work as a salesman. Meanwhile, Delius hatches a plan to make a break for it.
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
North Country Sketches, III. Dance
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox
Florida Suite: III. Sunset – Near the Plantation
English Northern Philharmonia, conducted by David Lloyd-Jones
Violin Sonata No. 3: Movts 2 & 3
Tasmin Little, violin
Piers Lane, piano
Violin Sonata No. 1, 2nd part: With vigour and animation
Tasmin Little, violin
Piers Lane, piano
Paa Vidderne (On the Mountains)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002h14v)
Drivetime classical
Katie Derham with live music from cellist Sam Lucas and pianist Simon Over, who are performing at Summer at Snape on Wednesday 20th August. There's also live jazz from vocalist Clare Wheeler, trumpeter Graham South and pianist Adam Fairhall, who are performing at Southwell Music Festival on Friday 22nd August. And Katie hears from Tom McKinney ahead of Radio 3 Breakfast live from the Pump Room, Bath.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002h14x)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
TUE 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h14z)
2025
Pappano Conducts Puccini and Strauss
Live at the BBC Proms: the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Antonio Pappano in Strauss and with soprano Carolina López Moreno in Puccini's Suor Angelica.
Presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten – Symphonic Fantasy
c.
7.55pm interval
The writer and musicologist Flora Willson joins Sara to pick her Proms highlights for the week ahead
c.
8.15pm
Giacomo Puccini: Suor Angelica
Carolina López Moreno.... Sister Angelica
Kseniia Nikolaieva... Princess
Elena Zilio.... Monitress
Angela Schisano.... Mistress of the novices
Sarah Dufresne.... Sister Genovieffa
Monika-Evelin Liiv.... Abbess
Tiffin Choir
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Two of the 20th-century’s most powerful operas come together in a concert by Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra. Motherhood – longed-for or feared, inevitable or impossible – is the thread binding the devastating melodrama of Puccini’s one-act Suor Angelica to Strauss’s darkly ambiguous fable Die Frau ohne Schatten (‘The Woman without a Shadow’) each a battle for humanity and its future. Soprano Carolina López Moreno stars as Puccini’s tragic Sister Angelica, whose past conceals a terrible secret.
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m00209v1)
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 (m002h151)
One from Robert Mitchell’s TRUE THINK
‘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 Flowers guest, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, is back to highlight another artist that she admires. Tonight she chooses a drummer, producer and educator, who is also a personal mentor.
Plus there’s music from The WAITIKI 7, Mary Ancheta Quartet, and Chip Wickham.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002h153)
Hungarian National Day
A concert from the Budapest Festival Orchestra is the centrepiece of the programme celebrating Hungary's National Day. It commemorates the unification of the state by St Stephen in the 11th Century. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
King Christian II Suite, Op 27
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
12:38 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 4 in G major, Op 58
Francesco Piemontesi (piano), Budapest Festival Orchestra, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
01:13 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Ferruccio Busoni
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV.140
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)
01:17 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), arr. Wilhelm Kempff
Minuet from Suite in G Minor, HWV 434
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)
01:19 AM
Magnus Lindberg (b.1958)
Chorale
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
01:26 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 7 in C major, Op 105
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Robin Ticciati (conductor)
01:48 AM
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
For Children - Book 1 (nos 1-6)
Marta Fabian (cimbalom), Agnes Szakaly (cimbalom)
01:53 AM
Laszlo Lajtha (1892-1963)
Three Nocturnes, Op 34
Julia Paszthy (soprano), Istvan Matuz (flute), Ida Lakatos (harp), New Budapest Quartet
02:13 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Les Preludes - symphonic poem after Lamartine (S.97)
Hungarian State Orchestra, Janos Ferencsik (conductor)
02:31 AM
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967)
Missa brevis (...tempore belli)
Chamber Choir of Pecs, Alice Komaromi (soprano), Aniko Kopjar (soloist), Eva Nagy (soloist), Agnes Tumpekne Kuti (soprano), Timea Tillai (soloist), Janos Szerekovan (soloist), Joszef Moldvay (soloist), Istvan Ella (organ), Aurel Tillai (conductor)
03:05 AM
Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000)
La Cour du Roi Mathias – Danse des Chevaliers,
Kwang-Ku Lee (horn), Im-Su Lee (clarinet), Il-Hwan Bai (cello), Hyon-Suk Chae (double bass), Jun-Soo Chung (violin), Bong-Rak Choi (bassoon), Korean Chamber Ensemble, Hae-Won Won (violin)
03:22 AM
Ernst von Dohnanyi (1877-1960)
Ruralia Hungarica, Op 32b
Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Andras Korodi (conductor)
03:45 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata in B flat major, K.333
Gabor Farkas (piano)
04:04 AM
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Ave Generosa
Orpheus Women's Choir, Albert Wissink (director)
04:09 AM
Stan Golestan (1875-1956)
Arioso and Allegro de concert
Gyozo Mate (viola), Balazs Szokolay (piano)
04:18 AM
Francois Couperin (1668-1733)
Bruit de Guerre
Hungarian Brass Ensemble
04:22 AM
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Italian serenade
Bartok String Quartet
04:31 AM
Karl Goldmark (1830-1915)
In Italien - overture, Op 49
Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Geza Oberfrank (conductor)
04:42 AM
Henryk Gorecki (1933-2010)
Two Songs for choir of 4 equal voices, Op 33
Alla Polacca Choir, Sabina Wlodarska (director)
04:46 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), transc. Zoltan Kocsis
Pavane pour une infante defunte
Zsolt Szatmari (clarinet), Zoltan Kocsis (piano)
04:52 AM
Ernst von Dohnanyi (1877-1960)
Passacaglia for flute solo, Op 48 no 1
Lorant Kovacs (flute)
05:02 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no 59 in A major 'Fire'
Budapest Strings, Botvay Karoly (conductor)
05:21 AM
Janos Decsenyi (b.1927)
An Epitaph from Aquincum
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Katalin Szokefalvi-Nagy (soprano), Istvan Ella (organ), Peter Gazda (conductor)
05:37 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Horn Concerto no 1 in E flat major, Op 11
Ferenc Tarjani (horn), Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Antal Jancsovics (conductor)
05:54 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Sextet for piano and winds
Anita Szabo (flute), Bela Horvath (oboe), Zsolt Szatmari (clarinet), Tamas Zempleni (horn), Pal Bokor (bassoon), Zoltan Kocsis (piano)
06:11 AM
Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967)
Summer evening (Nyari este)
Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Gyorgy Lehel (conductor)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002h18w)
Live from The Pump Room, Bath
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from the cultural and social heart of Bath for over 200 years, the Pump Room, as part of Radio 3's tour of Gloucestershire and Somerset. With birdsong, Bach Before 7, Jane Austen read by Gloria Obianyo ('Rosalind' in As You Like It at Theatre Royal Bath, directed by Ralph Fiennes) and the very best of live music. Tom also visits the house of composer and astronomer William Herschel where he not only put on concerts but discovered the planet Uranus. 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 (m002h18y)
Celebrating classical greats
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m002h190)
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 from the BBC Proms
Elizabeth Alker showcases an afternoon of great summer music-making including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Shostakovich and Beethoven from Edinburgh.
Throughout the summer we’ll be hearing from some of the best music-making at this year’s BBC Proms. Today, the BBC National Chorus of Wales lower voices join BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Ryan Bancroft in Shostakovich’s Symphony No 13 "Babi Yar".
Plus there are highlights from Scotland, with summer music making from the Edinburgh International Festival. Today the Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and conductor Jonathan Sells perform music by Purcell; and the Sitkovetsky Trio perform chamber music by Beethoven.
From the Edinburgh International Festival:
Henry Purcell
Jehovah, quam multi sunt hostes mei, Z.135
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Jonathan Sells (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Trio in D Op. 70 No. 1 "Ghost"
Sitkovetsky Trio
From the BBC Proms:
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 13 'Babi Yar'
BC National Orchestra of Wales Chorus
BBC National Orchestra of Wales Orchestra
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002h192)
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh
Live from St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, during the Edinburgh International Festival.
Introit: Father Eternal (Jackson)
Responses: Cecilia McDowall
Office hymn: Lord, from the depths to thee I cried (Martyrdom)
Psalm 104 (Russell, Martin)
First Lesson: 2 Samuel 18 vv19-33
Canticles: Edington Service (Ives)
Second Lesson: Mark 12 vv13-27
Anthem: Festival Te Deum (Britten)
Hymn: All my hope on God is founded (Michael)
Voluntary: Paean (Howells)
Duncan Ferguson (Director of Music)
Imogen Morgan (Assistant Director of Music)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002h194)
Pleasures and responsibilities
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
In today's programme, Delius finally breaks free of his parents' clutches and lands in Paris. Here, he chooses to socialise with artists rather than musicians, rubbing shoulders with Edvard Munch, Paul Gaugin... and a beautiful young painting student.
Koanga: Prologue (extract)
John Alldis Choir
London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Groves
3 Small Tone Poems, No. 2. Winter Night (Sleigh Ride)
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bo Holten
Paris, Song of a Great City
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
Koanga: Act II (extract)
John Alldis Choir
London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Charles Groves
Piano Concerto in C minor, I. Allegro ma non troppo
Piers Lane, piano
Ulster Orchestra, conducted by David Lloyd-Jones
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002h196)
Live classical performance and interviews
Katie Derham is joined by the violinist Zoe Beyers, who announces her new position as leader of the Britten Sinfonia. Plus, Joshua Bell speaks about his upcoming performance at the BBC Proms. And Katie is joined by Tom McKinney, who is in Wells ahead of Breakfast live tomorrow.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002h198)
Classical music for focus or relaxation
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music from composers such as Telemann, Bruckner, Chopin, Schubert, Suk and Tchaikovsky.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
WED 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h19b)
2025
Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky
Live at the BBC Proms: the Philharmonia and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali with pianist Bruce Liu in Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.
Presented by Ian Skelly, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Gabriela Ortiz: Antrópolis
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major
c.
20.30pm Interval: Helen Wallace, the Head of Music at the Barbican Centre in London, joins Ian Skelly live at the Royal Albert Hall to introduce Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and discuss the appeal of depicting artwork that has exercised composers across the ages.
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Maurice Ravel)
Bruce Liu (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
Chopin Piano Competition-winner Bruce Liu – hailed for the ‘breathtaking beauty’ of his playing – makes his Proms debut with Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed Second Piano Concerto. He joins the Philharmonia Orchestra and Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali for a work that balances the intimacy of chamber music with huge scope and virtuosity. Take a visit to Mexico City’s cabarets and dance halls in Gabriela Ortiz’s Antrópolis – a vivid homage to urban nightlife – while Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition conjures an orchestral kaleidoscope of strange scenes and images, climaxing with the splendour of the Great Gate of Kyiv.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m00209vr)
The late zone
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002h19d)
Fresh from Chief Adjuah
‘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.
Lakecia Benjamin has a third bouquet to give out this evening for our Flowers feature, and tonight she chooses a record by a Grammy award-winning artist and bandleader from New Orleans.
Plus, there is also music from Sarathy Korwar, John Escreet, and BINA.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
THURSDAY 21 AUGUST 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002h19g)
Respighi and Mahler from Turin
Daniel Harding leads the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's 'Titan' Symphony. They are joined by violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann to play Respighi's Concerto Gregoriano. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Concerto gregoriano
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding (conductor)
12:59 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), arr. Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst
Erlkönig, D. 328 arr. for violin (encore)
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin)
01:03 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sarabande from Partita No 1 in B minor BWV.1002 (encore)
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin)
01:06 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Symphony No 1 in D 'Titan'
RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding (conductor)
02:01 AM
Alma Mahler (1879-1964), Rainer Maria Rilke (lyricist)
Bei dir ist es traut
Franziska Heinzen (soprano), Benjamin Mead (piano)
02:04 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Kindertotenlieder
Zandra McMaster (mezzo soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen (conductor)
02:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Bassoon Concerto in B flat, K 191
Dag Jensen (bassoon), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Berglund (conductor)
02:49 AM
Florence Price
Concert Overture no 2
BBC Concert Orchestra, Jane Glover (conductor)
03:05 AM
Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832)
Grand Quartet for 4 flutes in E minor, Op 103
Valentinas Kazlauskas (flute), Albertas Stupakas (flute), Lina Baublyte (flute), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute)
03:27 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Images - set 1 for piano
Daniil Trifonov (piano)
03:42 AM
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Ballet Music from Hrabina 'The Countess'
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
03:57 AM
Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006)
Three Nonsense Madrigals
King's Singers
04:05 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), arr. Arnold Schoenberg
Rosen aus dem Suden: waltz arr. Schoenberg for harmonium, piano & string quartet
Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian (director)
04:14 AM
Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (1709-1758)
Harpsichord Concerto in G minor
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpsichord), Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
04:31 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Op 53
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
04:41 AM
Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694)
Halt was du hast
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier (director)
04:47 AM
Signe Lykke (b.1984)
A world seen from above
Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
05:04 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Scherzo no 2 in B flat minor, Op 31
Valerie Tryon (piano)
05:14 AM
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Trumpet Concerto in E flat major
Odin Hagen (trumpet), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Per Kristian Skalstad (conductor)
05:33 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Ma Mère l'Oye
National Orchestra of France, Hans Graf (conductor)
06:01 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Gloria in D major, RV.589
Ann Monoyios (soprano), Matthew White (counter tenor), Colin Ainsworth (tenor), Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Ivars Taurins (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002h1sy)
Live from The Bishop's Palace, Wells
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from the stunning Grade II-listed gardens of The Bishop's Palace, Wells, where he encounters the famous bell-ringing swans that live in the palace's moat. Tom also takes us to Wells cathedral to explore it's rich musical history spanning over 1100 years. With birdsong, the dawn chorus, Bach Before 7 and live music from viol player Jonathan Rees and sackbuttist Emily White. 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 (m002h1t0)
A feast of great music
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002h1t2)
Pictures at an Exhibition from the Royal Albert Hall
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances from summer festivals including Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition played by the Philharmonia Orchestra at the BBC Proms.
Throughout the summer we’ll be hearing from some of the best music-making at this year’s BBC Proms. Today's highlights include Maurice Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's ever popular Pictures at an Exhibition played by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and Richard Strauss's Symphonic Fantasy drawn from his opera Die Frau ohne Schatten performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.
Plus we shine a light on the former and current Radio 3 New Generation Artists performing this week at the Proms. Today, violinist Janine Jansen performs Leonard Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's Symposium with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Gaffigan.
And there are highlights from the Edinburgh International Festival too, with summer music making from the Scottish capital. Today we will hear Mozart's 'Dissonance' Quartet played by the Belcea Quartet, and the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists are conducted by Jonathan Sells in Handel's Dixit Dominus.
From the Edinburgh International Festival:
George Frideric Handel
Dixit Dominus, HWV. 232
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Jonathan Sells (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quartet No 19 in C "Dissonance"
Belcea Quartet
Leonard Bernstein
Serenade after Plato's Symposium
Janine Jansen (violin)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
James Gaffigan (conductor)
From the BBC Proms in London:
Richard Strauss
Die Frau ohne Schatten – Symphonic Fantasy
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Modest Mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Maurice Ravel)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (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 (m002h1t4)
Success and supporters
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
In today's programme, Delius has found his voice as a composer but he cannot yet call music his livelihood. Performances of his works have been sporadic, publishers and promoters seem altogether uninterested - but that all changes when a young conductor named Thomas Beecham hears his work.
Appalachia (Variations on an old slave song): 7. Andante con grazia
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
Appalachia (Variations on an old slave song): 9. Allegro alla marcia, 10. Marcia: molto lento maestoso
Chorus of the Welsh National Opera
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
A Village Romeo and Juliet: The Walk To The Paradise Garden
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
3 Partsongs (1907-8): 1. On Craig Dhu (An impression of nature)
Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, conducted by Paul Spicer
Double Concerto
Tasmin Little, violin
Paul Watkins, cello
BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002h1t6)
Discover classical music and artists
Katie Derham speaks to harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani who is hosting a lecture-recital at the V&A exploring Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, with harpsichords from the V&A collection. Mahan's new recording of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book I will be released on 29th August via Hyperion.
Plus, Katie speaks to Tom McKinney as he prepares to present from The Bishop's Palace, Wells, as part of Radio 3 Breakfast's tour of Gloucestershire and Somerset.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002h1t8)
The perfect classical half hour
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music including relaxing works by Mozart, Rachel Portman and Jules Massenet.
Producer: Kevin Satizabal Carrascal.
THU 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h4w3)
2025
Beethoven’s Ninth
Live at the BBC Proms: The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir with conductor Fabio Luisi perform music by Bent Sørensen, Anna Clyne and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Presented by Martin Handley, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Bent Sørensen: Evening Land
Anna Clyne: The Years
c.
8.10pm
During the interval, Martin Handley is joined by Anna Clyne to reflect on her love of the music of Beethoven and how she finds creative inspiration from him in her own music.
c.
8.30pm
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, ‘Choral’
Clara Cecilie Thomsen, soprano
Jasmin White, contralto
Issachah Savage, tenor
Adam Pałka, bass
Danish National Concert Choir
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Fabio Luisi, conductor
A concert of musical roars and whispers. A childhood memory inspires Bent Sørensen’s Evening Land – a sonic view from a window onto the calm, silent landscape of rural Denmark. Inspired by the isolation of the Covid-19 lockdowns, Anna Clyne’s The Years explores ideas of solitude and the passing of time, setting a text by Stephanie Fleischmann. Written when Beethoven was progressively deaf, the Ninth Symphony is a monumental statement of defiant hope, climaxing in a musical shout of joy. Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in a programme that charts the extremes of human experience and emotion.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m0020yjy)
Music for the evening
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002h1tb)
A classic from Billie Holiday
‘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.
All this week, Lakecia Benjamin has been Soweto’s guest for Flowers, giving props to some of the artists that she admires. Concluding her selections, Lakecia pays homage to one of UK jazz’s powerhouse bands, whose mission is to spread joy far and wide.
Lakecia’s latest single, Noble Rise, is out now via Ropeadope.
Also in the show, music from Conor Chaplin, Esther Bennett and Naïssam Jalal.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
FRIDAY 22 AUGUST 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002h1td)
BBC Proms 2024: Beethoven, Bruckner and Tüür
Yunchan Lim, the youngest winner ever of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, makes his Proms debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, performing Beethoven’s final piano concerto, the ‘Emperor’. Bookending the Prom are Bruckner’s First Symphony and Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Aditus. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Erkki-Sven Tuur (b.1959)
Aditus
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi (conductor)
12:40 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 5 in E flat major, Op 73 'Emperor'
Yunchan Lim (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi (conductor)
01:18 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Wilhelm Kempff
Siciliano from Flute Sonata in G minor, BWV.1031 (arr. piano)
Yunchan Lim (piano)
01:23 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony no 1 in D minor (version 'Linz')
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi (conductor)
02:08 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Sonata in C major H.
16.50 for piano
Louis Schwizgebel (piano)
02:24 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Creatures of Prometheus (Die Geschopfe des Prometheus), Overture, Op 43
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek (conductor)
02:31 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
String Quartet in E minor
Artis Quartet
02:52 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Missa in duplicibus minoribus II
Maitrise de Garcons de Colmar, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Ensemble Cantus Figuratus der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Dominique Vellard (director)
03:27 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Andante and Rondo Ungarese in C minor, Op 35
Juhani Tapaninen (bassoon), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
03:37 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Estampes
Yannick Van de Velde (piano)
03:51 AM
Imants Zemzaris (b.1951)
The Light springs
Juris Gailitis (flute), Indulis Suna (violin)
03:57 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Harpsichord Concerto no 4 in A major, BWV.1055
Arianna Radaelli (harpsichord), Café Zimmermann
04:12 AM
Johann Bach (1604-1673)
Unser Leben ist ein Schatten
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier (director)
04:21 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
2 pieces for cello & piano, Op 2
Monika Leskovar (cello), Ivana Svarc-Grenda (piano)
04:31 AM
Ludomir Rozycki (1883-1953)
Symphonic Poem: Mona Lisa Gioconda, Op 31
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wojciech Czepiel (conductor)
04:41 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Aria: 'O wie angstlich, o wie feurig' - from 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail'
Michael Schade (tenor), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
04:46 AM
Sebastien Le Camus (c.1610--1677), Gaspard le Roux, Michel Lambert (1610-1696)
Air à deux parties “Délices des étés” (Le Camus); Pièce pour clavecin (Le Roux); Air de cour “Goûtons un doux repos” (Lambert)
Ground Floor, Juliette Perret (soprano), Marc Mauillon (tenor), Elena Andreyev (cello), Etienne Galletier (theorbo), Gwennaelle Alibert (harpsichord), Angelique Mauillon (harp)
04:55 AM
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805-1900)
6 Fantasiestucke, Op 54
Nina Gade (piano)
05:11 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Violin Fantasy in C major, Op 131
Thomas Zehetmair (violin), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor)
05:27 AM
Jorgen Jersild (1913-2004)
3 Danish Romances for Choir
Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (conductor)
05:38 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Piano Trio No 1 in F major, Op 18
Stefan Lindgren (piano), Ulf Forsberg (violin), Mats Rondin (cello)
06:09 AM
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Vltava (Moldau) - from 'Ma Vlast'
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox (conductor)
06:22 AM
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Automne, Op 35 no 2
Valerie Tryon (piano)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002h1vl)
Live from Tyntesfield, Somerset
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from in and around Tyntesfield in North Somerset — the striking Victorian Gothic house built by William Gibb. We will be there to catch the sounds of the dawn chorus in the grounds, setting the scene for Bach Before 7 and live performances from the Bristol based vocal ensemble, The Fitzhardinge Consort, and from Mared Pugh Evans - official harpist to His Majesty the King.
Tom also explores the house’s remarkable art and collection in conversation with Tyntesfield’s curator, Dr Miranda Garrett — uncovering the stories behind one of the National Trust’s most fascinating properties. 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 (m002h1vq)
Your perfect classical playlist
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002h1vv)
Puccini's Suor Angelica at the BBC Proms
Elizabeth Alker showcases the best in summer music-making UK and beyond, including another chance to hear Puccini's Suor Angelica conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano at the BBC Proms.
Throughout the summer we’ll be hearing some fo highlights from this year’s BBC Proms. Today’s selection includes Giacomo Puccini's opera Suor Angelica sung by Carolina López Moreno, Kseniia Nikolaieva, Elena Zilio, Angela Schisano, Sarah Dufresne and Monika-Evelin Liiv with the Tiffin Choir and London Symphony Chorus joining London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. There's also Tchaikovsky's lyrical second Piano Concerto performed by pianist Bruce Liu with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
Plus, there are highlights from the Scottish capital, with summer music making from the Edinburgh International Festival. Today Henry Purcell's Funeral Sentences are sung by the Monteverdi Choir with the English Baroque Soloists conducted by Jonathan Sells, and the Belcea Quartet play Beethoven's F major String Quartet from his series of "late quartets".
From the BBC Proms in London:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major
Bruce Liu (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
From the Edinburgh International Festival:
Henry Purcell
Funeral Sentences, Z.860
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Jonathan Sells (Conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F major, Op. 135
Belcea Quartet
From the BBC Proms:
Giacomo Puccini
Suor Angelica (sung in Italian)
Carolina López Moreno (Sister Angelica)
Kseniia Nikolaieva (Princess)
Elena Zilio (Monitress)
Angela Schisano (Mistress of the novices)
Sarah Dufresne (Sister Genovieffa)
Monika-Evelin Liiv (Abbess)
Tiffin Choir
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Antonio Pappano (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 (m002h1vy)
A last hurrah
Donald Macleod meets the people who found themselves bewitched by Frederick Delius - both the man and his music.
In today's programme, war arrives in Europe, Delius - married to a German, living in France - feels trapped in the eye of the storm. He and Jelka are forced to flee France, but they discover they have not quite escaped upheaval.
String Quartet, 2. Quick & lightly
Fitzwilliam Quartet
Cello Sonata
Alexander Baillie, cello
John Thwaites, piano
Hassan: Closing Scene: The Caravan recedes farther and farther into the distance
Britten Sinfonia, conducted by Jamie Phillips
A Late Lark
Henriette Bonde-Hansen, soprano
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bo Holten
Dance Rhapsody No. 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Norman Del Mar
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002h1w2)
Wind down from work with classical music
Katie Derham with live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.
FRI 18:00 BBC Proms (m002h1w6)
2025
Paraorchestra and The Breath (Bristol)
Charles Hazlewood and Paraorchestra return for a unique collaboration with award-winning duo The Breath, supported by composer Oliver Vibrans.
Presented by Sarah Walker, live from Bristol Beacon.
Ríoghnach Connolly (voice/flute/shruti)
Stuart McCallum (guitars)
Paraorchestra
Charles Hazlewood (conductor)
Paraorchestra returns for a unique collaboration. Award-winning duo The Breath – featuring guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer Ríoghnach Connolly – is known for its understated take on folk and psychedelia. Led by its Artistic Director Charles Hazlewood, the Paraorchestra’s fearless and holistic approach to large-scale orchestral music-making expands on The Breath’s unique sound-world. Multi-instrumental compositions from The Breath are supported by composer Oliver Vibrans and combined with ethereal vocals for an other-worldly landscape.
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (m002h1wb)
2025
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Live at the BBC Proms: the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska in Górecki's Symphony No.3. Plus violinist Joshua Bell joins for de Hartmann's Violin Concerto.
Presented by Martin Handley at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Three Chorales – No. 1: ‘Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland’ (orch. Respighi)
Thomas de Hartmann: Violin Concerto (UK premiere)
Interval
The musicologist Daniel Elphick talks to Martin Handley about Gorecki and why his 3rd Symphony became a cult success.
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’
Joshua Bell (violin)
Francesca Chiejina (soprano)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
‘Perhaps people find something they need in this piece ... something they were missing.’ Henryk Górecki’s ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’ translates a century’s loss and pain into sound, gathering up the broken pieces – of history, prayer and poetry – and giving them a home in music that’s as much requiem as a symphony. Joshua Bell is the soloist in Ukraine-born composer Thomas de Hartmann’s emotive, cinematic Violin Concerto, a lament for the Nazi destruction of his homeland. The concert opens with Respighi’s warmly expansive reworking of an organ chorale prelude by J. S. Bach.
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002h1wg)
City circuitry, resonant revisions
Verity Sharp presents the symphony of sounds that form our cities, ritualistic and resonant toy piano jazz musings and fire-scorched Lebanese ballads in another slice of adventurous listening.
Featuring Marcin Dymiter’s project ‘Electromagnetism of the City’, in which he attempts to encompass the sounds that cities emit; from the drones of machinery to the fleeting beeps and unexpected harmonies found in the technology that surrounds us. Resonance takes centre stage with Mark Micchelli’s toy piano rendition of Alice Coltrane, looping and combining with ringing bells to create a new take on a spiritual standard. There’s also fiery and urgent cries from SANAM, fusing arabic tradition with distorted bass and frenzied guitar work.
Elsewhere there’s a rapid fire assault from Mexican outfit Titanic and a righteously melodic return to melding genres for four piece Led Bib as they explore their intimate chemistry through thundering saxophone and drum-led rhythms.
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 (m002h1wl)
Isobella Burnham’s Caribbean Jazz mixtape
‘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.
In this Friday night edition, Soweto is joined by Barbados-raised, London-based bassist and vocalist Isobella Burnham. After studying music in Barbados, Isobella further honed her sound playing at some of London’s leading jazz jams, and as part of Tomorrow’s Warriors. She is an in-demand session musician, performing and touring with the likes of Tom Misch, Jorja Smith, and Connie Constance. Isobella is also a rising bandleader, and has released a groove-infused debut EP titled Dancin’ Garuda and most recently a more introspective EP titled Foam Under The Bridge.
Tonight, ahead of the UK (bar Scotland) bank holiday weekend, and warming up for Notting Hill and Leeds carnivals, Isobella has curated a 30-minute mixtape of rhythm-filled and dance-inspiring sounds from some of the vast range of jazz musicians from the Caribbean diaspora.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'