SATURDAY 30 AUGUST 2025
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002h8sw)
Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Sibelius's Violin Concerto
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is joined by violinist Midori for Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), arr. Andre Caplet
Clair de lune
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott (conductor)
12:37 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
The Rite of Spring, 1947 version
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott (conductor)
01:12 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 47
Midori (violin), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Jonathan Nott (conductor)
01:46 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude, from Partita no 3 in E
Midori (violin)
01:49 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Ondine - from Preludes Book 2
Philippe Cassard (piano)
01:53 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
String Quartet in G minor, Op 10
Bartok String Quartet
02:18 AM
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
Scherzo in B major Op 87
Marten Landstrom (piano), Stefan Lindgren (piano)
02:31 AM
Ludvig Norman (1831-1885)
String Sextet in A major, Op 18
Stockholm String Sextet
02:57 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 4 in G major, Op 58
Nelson Goerner (piano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen (conductor)
03:32 AM
Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
6 Variations for violin and guitar, Op 81
Laura Vadjon (violin), Romana Matanovac (guitar)
03:40 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Capriccio-Scherzo, Op 25c
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
03:49 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Let mine eyes run down with tears, Z.24
Grace Davidson (soprano), Aleksandra Lewandowska (soprano), Damien Guillon (counter tenor), Samuel Boden (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe (director)
03:58 AM
Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990)
Three Gymnopedies
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Myer Fredman (conductor)
04:07 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Concerto for 3 oboes in B flat major
Peter Westermann (oboe), Michael Niesemann (oboe), Piet Dhont (oboe), Musica Antiqua Koln, Reinhard Goebel (director)
04:16 AM
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Siete canciones populares espanolas
Jard van Nes (mezzo soprano), Gerard van Blerk (piano)
04:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Overture in the Italian Style, D.590
Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marcello Viotti (conductor)
04:39 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Flute Quartet in G major, K.285a
Joanna G'froerer (flute), Martin Beaver (violin), Pinchas Zukerman (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)
04:50 AM
Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613)
Miserere
Camerata Silesia, Anna Szostak (conductor)
05:01 AM
Marcel Tournier (1879-1951)
Images for harp and string quartet, Op 35
Erica Goodman (harp), Amadeus Ensemble
05:11 AM
Ferenc Farkas (1905-2000)
5 Ancient Hungarian Dances for wind quintet
Tae-Won Kim (flute), Hyong-Sup Kim (oboe), Pil-Kwan Sung (oboe), Hyon-Kon Kim (clarinet), Sang-Won Yoon (bassoon)
05:21 AM
Alessandro Piccinini (1566-c.1638)
Toccata; Mariona alla vera spagnola, chiaccona
United Continuo Ensemble
05:30 AM
Florence Price (1887-1953)
Symphony no 3 in C minor
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Valentina Peleggi (conductor)
06:03 AM
Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585)
Gloria from Mass Puer natus est nobis for 7 voices
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
06:12 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata in C major, K.309
Anna Vinnitskaya (piano)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002hn3s)
Kickstart your day with the best classical music
Shari Vahl 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 (m002hn3v)
Jess Gillam hosts, with Max Richter and Tamsin Waley-Cohen
Jess Gillam sits in this week, playing the best classical music to start your weekend.
She talks to Max Richter ahead of the release of his new album "Sleep Circle", a hallucinatory 90-minute trip into the liminal space between wakefulness and sleep in which dreams begin to take shape, marking the tenth anniversary of his landmark project SLEEP.
And Tamsin Waley-Cohen tells Jess about the world-premiere of a new violin concerto by composer Nick Martin, celebrating the sculptures of Dame Barbara Hepworth on the 50th anniversary of her death, which she's performing throughout September with Manchester Camerata.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 11:00 BBC Proms (m002hn3x)
2025
BBC Proms: Folk Songs and Dances
Live at the BBC Proms: Ryan Bancroft conducts the wind, brass and percussion of the London Symphony Orchestra in folk-song arrangements by Vaughan Williams, Grainger and Arnold.
Linton Stephens presents, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Ralph Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite
Gunther Schuller: Eine kleine Posaunenmusik
c
11.35
Interval:
Lt Col Lauren Petritz-Watts is the first ever female director of the Royal Corps of Army Music and she talks to Linton Stephens about the importance of folk music in works by Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold and Percy Grainger that was specifically commissioned by the Forces.
Michael Tippett: Triumph: A paraphrase on music from ‘The Mask of Time’
Malcolm Arnold: English Dances, Set No. 1 (version for wind band)
Percy Grainger: The Lads of Wamphray
Trad. arr. Percy Grainger: Country Gardens
Percy Grainger: A Lincolnshire Posy
Peter Moore (trombone)
London Symphony Orchestra wind, brass and percussion
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
The London Symphony Orchestra's wind, brass and percussion celebrate the brilliant colours of folk-song arrangements by Vaughan Williams, Grainger and Arnold. They also perform Gunther Schuller’s eclectic trombone concerto Eine kleine Posaunenmusik, with its hints of jazz and daring technical demands. The LSO’s former Principal Trombone Peter Moore is the soloist.
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m0026gfq)
Satire and the Stave
Satire and the State
In the first episode of this six part series, writer and satirist Chris Addison (The Thick Of It, Veep) explores how composers have used music to challenge the power of the state throughout the ages - sometimes with playful parodies, sometimes with bold defiance.
Chris has selected tracks to demonstrate that music has often been a voice for resistance. This programme features music by Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Sullivan, Roxanna Panufnik, Charles Ives, and more.
In this series, Chris Addison - himself a classical music devotee, keen amateur choral singer and opera buff - takes listeners on a tour of how composers have used their music to question, parody, and challenge power and ideas over the years. Classical music can amplify the most glorious and spectacular state power. But it can also undermine it - satirising and thumbing the nose of the status quo. Composers have used classical music to critique, undermine and even lampoon - often in cleverly nuanced, surprising ways that reconnect us to the flawed humans - and shared humanity - beneath the pomposity. Each episode in this series takes a big idea, and illustrates it with a playlist of entertaining and diverse music spanning the entire history of Western classical music.
Leonard Bernstein: Slava! - concert overture
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein, conductor
Charles Ives: Variations on 'America', orch. William Schuman
St Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No 45 in F sharp minor H.
1.45 (Farewell)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Neville Marriner, conductor
Jean Sibelius: Finlandia Op 26
Philharmonia Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Gilbert and Sullivan: When Britain Really Ruled the Waves (Iolanthe)
Donald Adams, bass
New Symphony Orchestra of London
D’Oyly Carte Opera Chorus
Isidore Godfrey, conductor
Claudio Monteverdi: L' Incoronazione di Poppea
Il Pomo d'Oro
Jakub Józef Orliński, countertenor
Roxanna Panufnik: Letters From Burma – IV: Kintha Dance
Nicholas Daniel (oboe)
Sacconi Quartet
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No 9 in E flat major, Op 70
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Petrenko, conductor
Produced by James C Taylor
An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002hn40)
BBC Proms Composer: Shostakovich with Ben Gernon and Andrew McGregor
Ben Gernon picks five indispensable recordings by BBC Proms Composer: Shostakovitch, plus some of the week's new releases
Presented by Andrew McGregor
2.30pm
Proms Conductor
Conductor Ben Gernon joins Andrew with five key recordings by this week's BBC Proms Composer, Dmitri Shostakovich
3.30pm
Proms Recording
A recent Building a Library recommendation of a work by a key composer featured in this year's BBC Proms
Brahms
Symphony no.1
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Yannick Nezet-Seguin
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002hn42)
Bernard Herrmann
Matthew Sweet on the music of Bernard Herrmann - his work with Alfred Hitchcock on Marnie, with Orson Welles on Citizen Kane, and with François Truffaut on The Bride Wore Black. And there's more Herrmann in the Classic Thriller Soundtracks Prom on 4 September at
7.30, with music from Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest and Taxi Driver.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m0024p80)
Jess Gillam with... Nico Muhly
Jess Gillam is joined by composer Nico Muhly to share the music they love, including Angélique Kidjo covering Talking Heads, The Punch Brothers covering Debussy, music by John Adams, Rameau, Byrd and a very famous bit of Beethoven.
SAT 18:00 Music Planet (m002hn46)
Global Encounters session: Giridhar Udupa and Kasia Kapela
Kathryn Tickell shares the results of a new chapter of our Global Encounters sessions - a special feature where two musicians are invited to collaborate remotely, drawing on their deep knowledge of traditional instruments to push the boundaries of folk and classical music. This time, we invited Indian ghatam virtuoso Giridhar Udupa and Polish violinist and singer Kasia Kapela to join forces and record new music exclusively for Music Planet.
Elsewhere in the show, more cross-genre collaborations with a track from Africa Express’s new album Bahidorá and a song from the forthcoming project of British folk band Mishra and sufi vocalist Deepa Shakthi; and we hear a classic track from Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, the Texan singer and master accordionist who helped popularize the conjunto, or norteño, a subgenre of regional Mexican music which developed in Southern Texas.
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 New Generation Artists (m002hn48)
2025 Proms season showcase: Elizaveta Ivanova and Santiago Sanchez
As part of a special series showcasing current members of Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme, we introduce specially recorded performances by flautist Elizaveta Ivanova and tenor Santiago Sanchez.
Clara Schumann: Lorelei [Heine]
Nadia Boulanger: Was will die einsame Trane?
Liszt: O Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst S.298
Liszt: Es muss ein Wunderbares sein S.314
Santiago Sanchez (tenor)
Ian Tindale (piano)
Gaetano Donizetti: Flute Sonata in C major
Elizaveta Ivanova (flute)
Sanja Bizjak (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 19:30 BBC Proms (m002hn4b)
2025
Handel’s Alexander’s Feast
Live at the BBC Proms: Peter Whelan conducts the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Chorus in Handel's Alexander's Feast, with soloists Hilary Cronin, Hugh Cutting and Stuart Jackson.
Presented by Hanna French live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
George Frideric Handel: Alexander’s Feast 1742 version (sung in English)
Hilary Cronin (soprano)
Hugh Cutting (counter-tenor)
Stuart Jackson (tenor)
Irish Baroque Chorus
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Peter Whelan (conductor)
Award-winning Baroque dynamos Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, praised for their ‘stylish verve’ and ‘rich insight and charisma’, make their Proms debut with a Handel rarity that celebrates the power of music itself. Alexander’s Feast is an oratorio of operatic intensity, setting John Dryden’s poem about the musician Timotheus, who stirs Alexander the Great to destructive revenge. The piece is heard for the first time at the Proms in the three-part version the composer made for performances in Dublin in 1742.
In the interval Dr Julia Hartley discusses what we know about the real Alexander and the way Persia has inspired opera composers.
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002hn4f)
Premieres from the BBC Proms 2025
Tom Service presents World premieres from this year's BBC Proms, including works by ZEBRA, a mesmerising new work by Mark Simpson written for his friend Sean Shibe, who plays electric guitar with the BBC Philharmonic, and Ryan Wigglesworth's homage to Laura Samuel, the former leader of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra who died last year. Plus the UK premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Before we fall, a cello concerto written for Johannes Moser, and the tenor Allan Clayton gives the world premiere of Tom Coult's Monologues for the Curious.
Tom also showcases some of the most exciting new releases, from Ying Wang's RE:Wilding album, plus Julian Wozny, David Lee Myers and Timo Kaukolampi.
SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 2025
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002hn4k)
Minetti Quartet with viola player Nils Mönkemeyer
At the 2024 Schubertiade Hohenems festival in Austria, a performance of Dvorák's "American" String Quintet and Schubert's String Quartet no 15. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
String Quartet no 15 in G major, D.887
Minetti Quartet
01:16 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
String Quintet in E flat major, Op 97 'American'
Minetti Quartet, Nils Mönkemeyer (viola)
01:52 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Adagio ma non troppo, from 'String Quintet no 4 in G minor, K.516'
Minetti Quartet, Nils Mönkemeyer (viola)
02:02 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Four Dances (Annina; Wein, Weib & Gesang; Sans-souci; Durch's Telephon)
ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, Peter Guth (conductor)
02:25 AM
Anonymous
2 Songs: "Fortune, my foe" for solo voice & "Go and catch" for voice and lute
Paul Agnew (tenor), Christopher Wilson (lute)
02:31 AM
Fernando Lopes-Graca (1906-1994)
Cancoes regionais portuguesas, Op 39
Ricercare Chorus, Rodrigo Gomes (piano), Pedro Teixeira (conductor)
03:14 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cello Suite no 1 in G major, BWV.1007
Claudio Bohorquez (cello)
03:29 AM
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Adagio, from Symphony no 3
Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic, Kristjan Jarvi (conductor)
03:41 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Tarantella from Venezia e Napoli, S.162
Janina Fialkowska (piano)
03:50 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Cinderella's waltz from Zolushka suite no 1, Op 107
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
03:55 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Sonata in D major for 3 violins and continuo
Il Giardino Armonico
04:02 AM
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Prelude, theme and variations for horn and piano
Mindaugas Gecevicius (horn), Ala Bendoraitiene (piano)
04:13 AM
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
Regina Coeli
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)
04:18 AM
Witold Maliszewski (1873-1939)
Festive Overture in D major, Op 11
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lukasz Borowicz (conductor)
04:31 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Gavotte in D major, Op 49 no 3
Stefan Lindgren (piano)
04:36 AM
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Méditation, from 'Thaïs'
David Nebel (violin), Giorgi Iuldashevi (piano)
04:42 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Ballet music from Otello, Act III
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Ros-Marba (conductor)
04:48 AM
Jean Hotteterre (1677-1720)
La Noce Champetre ou l'Himen Pastoral - from Pieces pour la Muzette, Paris
Ensemble 1700
05:01 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
05:16 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Recitative and Leonora's aria from 'Fidelio'
Anja Kampe (soprano), Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Miguel Angel Gomez Martinez (conductor)
05:24 AM
François René Gebauer (1773-1845)
Trio in E minor for flute, clarinet & bassoon, Op 32 no 2
Andrea Kolle (flute), Fabio di Casola (clarinet), Maria Wildhaber (bassoon)
05:37 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nisi Dominus (Psalm 127) for voice and orchestra, RV.608
Matthew White (counter tenor), Arte dei Suonatori, Eduardo Lopez Banzo (conductor)
05:57 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Piano Concerto no 1 in B flat minor, Op 23
Stephen Hough (piano), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, John Storgards (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002hmys)
Embrace the morning calm of classical music and birdsong
Mark Forrest presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With 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’.
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m002hmyv)
Your perfect Sunday soundtrack
Sarah Walker with three hours of classical music to reflect, restore and refresh.
Today, Sarah has some top-notch conductor and composer pairings - Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts Brahms, Sir Simon Rattle takes on Sibelius 5 and Daniel Barenboim brings us Fauré.
This week’s choral reflection is a wonderful, classic recording of Allegri's Miserere, and there's also a terrific recording of Saint-Saëns's Second Piano Concerto in full…
Plus, an overture from George Gershwin which is bursting at the seams with hummable tunes...
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m00253c0)
Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey
Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey, grew up in care, and when she left school, she worked first for the gas board, then as a social worker and as an actor on stage and television. The idea that she would one day sit in the House of Lords never crossed her mind.
When she was in her early 30s she decided to study for a degree. That led to a PhD, academic posts and eventually a Professorship in Cultural Studies at Middlesex University. She entered the House of Lords as a crossbench peer 20 years ago, where she has campaigned for change in areas such as modern slavery and fast fashion. She recently wrote a memoir called Eight Weeks, in which she pieces together her upbringing, drawing on care records and her own reflections on her childhood.
Her music choices include works by Ravel, Errolyn Wallen, Philip Glass and Puccini.
Presenter Michael Berkeley
Producer Clare Walker
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002hmyx)
A journey to the Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II
Sara Mohr-Pietsch plans a route to the Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II. It was originally written for choir and orchestra, but became much more popular just for instruments. On the way we hear other music written at the same time, with pieces by Wagner and Saint-Saens; we sample some Viennese cafe music; and there are other pieces written for rivers, including music for the River Thames and the Rhine.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map.'
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002h8bp)
Edington Priory Church
From Edington Priory Church during the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy.
Introit: Upon your heart (Eleanor Daley)
Responses: Matthew Martin
Office hymn: Hostis Herodes impie (Plainsong)
Psalm 34 (Martin)
First Lesson: Isaiah 43 vv16-21
Canticles: Evening Service in F minor (Gray)
Second Lesson: John 2 vv1-11
Anthem: Sweetest of sweets (Howells)
Hymn: I heard the voice of Jesus say (Kingsfold)
Marian Antiphon: Alma redemptoris mater (Plainsong)
Voluntary: Biblical Dances (The Wedding in Cana) (Eben)
Alexander Hamilton, Peter Stevens, Jeremy Summerly (Conductors)
Charles Maxtone-Smith, Daniel Blaze (Organists)
Recorded 20 August.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002hmyz)
Remembering Sheila Jordan
Alyn Shipton presents a selection of your jazz requests including tracks from Duke Ellington, Stanley Clarke, Count Basie and music remembering the late singer Sheila Jordan.
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 (m002hmz1)
Women in the Old Testament
Hannah French presents music inspired by Biblical women Eve, Judith and Bathsheba, performed by soprano Shira Patchornik, conductor Ottavio Dantone and the Accademia Bizantina.
SUN 18:00 Words and Music (m001bl5g)
All Fingers and Thumbs
Fingers and thumbs define us – they can signify our identity and family heritage. One of the first things a baby does is suck its thumb, until Struwwelpeter’s great tall tailor comes to cut it clean off.
Sylvia Plath contemplates her bleeding thumb stump, while Ted Hughes remembers her fingers leaping and somersaulting across the keyboard. There are magic fingers, hitchhiking thumbs, spin bowling experts and light-fingered thieves, with readings from Roald Dahl, Sarah Waters, Ian McEwan and Lorna Goodson – brought to life by Clare Perkins and Sean Barrett.
Musically, dextrous fingers predominate as players – from Martha Argerich to Anoushka Shankar – ply them with great skill. The piano, harp, drums and the thumb piano, the mbira are all on show with works from Rachmaninov, Sally Beamish and Thomas Ades.
Producer: Katy Hickman
READINGS:
Omar Khayyám – ‘The Moving Finger Writes’
Sinead Morrissey – Genetics
H. Frith and E.H. Allen – Chiromancy, Or the Science of Palmistry
Sylvia Plath – Cut
Ted Hughes – Fingers
Lorna Goodson – I Am Becoming My Mother
Darian Leader – Hands, What We Do With Them
Dr Heinrich Hoffmann – The Story of Little Suck-A-Thumb
Roald Dahl – The Magic Finger
Ian McEwan – Lessons
Emily Dickinson – I Held A Jewel In My Fingers
Sir Thomas Wyatt – Of his love that pricked her Finger with a Needle
Thomas Hood – Song of the Shirt
Stephanie Norgate – Variations On A Plain Theme
E.T.A Hoffman, translated by Martyn Clarke – Musical Writings
F.N.S. Creek – Teach Yourself Cricket
Sarah Waters – Fingersmith
Hadara Bar-Nadav – Thumb
Tom Robbins – Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
SUN 19:30 BBC Proms (m002hmz4)
2025
Pekka Kuusisto and Katarina Barruk
Live at the BBC Proms: Pekka Kuusisto directs the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra with singer Katarina Barruk, guitarist Arnljot Nordvik & drummer Christer Jørgensen
Presented by Andrew McGregor, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Katarina Barruk: songs based on the joik indigenous song-type from Sábmie
Michael Tippett: Divertimento on ‘Sellinger’s Round’
Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 3, ‘Mishima’ – Blood Oath (fifth movement)
Hannah Kendall: Weroon Weroon (UK premiere)
Johann Sebastian Bach arr. Reger): Chorale Prelude ‘O Mensch, bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross’, BWV 622
Caroline Shaw: Plan & Elevation – The Beech Tree (fifth movement)
c.
8.05pm
Interval: Andrew McGregor is joined by harpsichordist and music director Joseph McHardy who picks some highlights from the week ahead at the BBC Proms, a week that includes a performance of Shostakovich's blistering opera The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, St Vincent and the Jules Buckley orchestra and Simon Rattle conducting Chineke! Orchestra in Shostakovich's 10th Symphony.
c.
8.25pm
Arvo Pärt: Fratres
Dmitry Shostakovich arr. R. Barshai: Chamber Symphony (from String Quartet No. 8)
Pekka Kuusisto brings the strings of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra to the Proms for a programme that reflects on human injustice. Shostakovich wrote his String Quartet No. 8 in Dresden, contemplating the Allied bombing of the city during the Second World War. For some, the work also speaks of the oppression of the Russian people under Stalin’s rule. In a different time and place, singer and composer Katarina Barruk – one of only a handful of remaining speakers of the Ume Sámi language – is a living beacon for her native tongue and culture, performing songs that combine the traditional and the modern.
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m0020ylq)
Adventures in sound
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m0020hw7)
The ambient hour
Join Elizabeth Alker with a selection of fresh music from genre-defying artists as we journey through landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds. 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 whose sound is infused with the spirit of rock, pop and electronica.
This week, hypnotic moto perpetuo in a new work for three vibraphones and 20-channel 1-bit electronics by Tristan Perich with Ensemble 0; a hazy, sonic landscape conjured by Manchester's Black Brunswicker; and Caroline Shaw with a contemporary take on a much-loved song by Franz Schubert.
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
MONDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2025
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002hmz7)
Slovakia National Day
A concert from the Bratislava Music Festival featuring music by Slovak composers Ilja Zeljenka and Ján Zimmer, alongside Bizet's Symphony in C. Slovak violinist Milan Pala is the soloist in Ján Zimmer's Violin Concerto. Plus music from other Slovak composers and performers to celebrate the country's national day. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Ilja Zeljenka (1932-2007)
Sarcasms
Slovak Sinfonietta, Zilina, Marián Lejava (conductor)
12:44 AM
Ján Zimmer (1926-1993)
Concerto for violin and orchestra, Op 15
Milan Pala (violin), Slovak Sinfonietta, Zilina, Marián Lejava (conductor)
01:15 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Symphony no 1 in C
Slovak Sinfonietta, Zilina, Marián Lejava (conductor)
01:43 AM
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)
Cantabile
Peter Michalica (violin), Elena Michalicova (piano)
01:47 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Divertimento in B flat major, K.439b`2
Bratislava Wind Trio
02:03 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Faust's Aria "Salut, demeure chaste et pure" -- from Act III of 'Faust'
Peter Dvorsky (tenor), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ondrej Lenard (conductor)
02:08 AM
Ilja Zeljenka (1932-2007)
Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra
Marian Lapsansky (piano), L'Vov Virtuosi, Volodymir Duda (artistic leader)
02:31 AM
Alexander Moyzes (1906-1984)
Symphony no 8, Op 64
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ladislav Slovak (conductor)
02:59 AM
Julius Kowalski (1912-2003)
Violin Partita in Sixth-tone System
Milan Pala (violin)
03:09 AM
Vladimir Godar (b.1956)
Lyric Cantata
Eva Suskova (soprano), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mario Kosik (conductor)
03:29 AM
Eugen Suchon (1908-1993)
Ballade for Horn and Orchestra
Peter Sivanic (horn), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mario Kosik (conductor)
03:38 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody no 2 in C sharp minor
Ladislav Fantzowitz (piano)
03:48 AM
Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729)
Concerto in G major for flute, bassoon, cello, double bass and harpsichord
Vladislav Brunner jr. (flute), Jozef Martinkovic (bassoon), Juraj Alexander (cello), Juraj Schoffer (double bass), Milos Starosta (harpsichord)
03:58 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), orch. Henri Busser
Printemps (symphonic suite)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ludovit Rajter (conductor)
04:15 AM
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Trio for violin, viola and cello in G major
Viktor Simcisko (violin), Alzbeta Plazkurova (viola), Jozef Sikora (cello)
04:31 AM
Mirko Krajci (b.1968)
Four Dances from the ballet 'Don Juan'
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mirko Krajci (conductor)
04:38 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Aria with Variations, HWV 430 'Harmonious Blacksmith'
Marian Pivka (piano)
04:44 AM
Eugen Suchon (1908-1993)
Nocturne
Jan Slavik (cello), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mario Kosik (conductor)
05:00 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Symphonies and Dances
Bratislava Wind Quintet
05:16 AM
John Tavener (1944-2013)
The Hidden Treasure
Mucha Quartet
05:43 AM
Jan Cikker (1911-1989)
Slovak Suite, op 22
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mirko Krajci (conductor)
06:06 AM
Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900)
Poem for violin and piano
Jela Spitkova (violin), Tatiana Franova (piano)
06:09 AM
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959)
Variations on a Slovak theme for cello and piano
Peter Jarusek (cello), Daniela Varinska (piano)
06:19 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Polonaise in A major, Op 40 no 1 (arr. for orchestra)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnanyi (conductor)
06:25 AM
Michal Vilec (1902-1979)
Na rozhl'adni (On the Watchtower)
Ivica Gabrisova-Encingerova (flute), Matej Vrabel (piano)
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002hn39)
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’
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002hn3c)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
Georgia Mann 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 (m002hn3f)
Sibelius Symphony no. 2 in D major from the BBC Proms
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Throughout the week, we are featuring highlights from this year's BBC Proms. In today's programme, Sibelius's gripping Symphony No. 2 in D major is played by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and conductor Andris Nelsons, and Marie Jacquot conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Georges Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1 .
There's also music from Switzerland's Verbier Festival, with Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major K. 581 played by clarinetist Pierre Génisson with Quatuor Ebène, Schumann's second Symphony played by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, and harpist Tjasha Gafner playing her own arrangement of a Haydn Piano Sonata.
Georges Bizet
L' Arlésienne – Suite No. 1
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Marie Jacquot (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Clarinet Quintet in A major K. 581
Pierre Génisson (clarinet)
Quatuor Ebène
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D major
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Andris Nelsons (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Piano Sonata in A-flat, Hob. XVI:43, arr. Gafner
Tjasha Gafner (harp)
Robert Schumann
Symphony no 2 in C Major, Op.61
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
Gabor Takacs-Nagy (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dy5r)
The Harlem Renaissance
Making Strides
As World War I ends, an African American cultural revolution is taking place in Harlem. Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he discovers how Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith pioneered a new way to play piano.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid over-development led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture in the city, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In Monday’s episode, Donald explores the music of Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, who learned to play on a rotting organ in his mother’s basement, but would later help develop a new, more sophisticated way to play piano, called ‘stride’, which defined the music of the Harlem Renaissance. He got his start performing at a gangster’s club, then made a name for himself at the highly competitive ‘rent parties’, raucous affairs which took place in people’s tiny New York flats. A flamboyant performer, ‘The Lion’ was never seen without his bowler, with a cigar between his lips, and was known for dancing as he played.
Take The ‘A’ Train
Billy Strayhorn, Composer
Duke Ellington, Piano
Ella Fitzgerald, Vocals
Stuff Smith, Violin
Ben Webster, Saxophone
Alvin Stoller, Drums
Barney Kessel, Guitar
Joe Mondragon, Double Bass
Harlem Joys
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, , Composer and Piano
Jo ‘The Tiger’ Jones, Drums
Carolina Shout
James P. Johnson, Composer
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Piano
Jo ‘The Tiger’ Jones, Drums
Rippling Waters
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Echoes of Spring
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Lion’s Boogie Woogie
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Willie’s Blues
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
The Harlem Strut
James P. Johnson, Composer and Piano
Contrary Motion
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Finger Buster
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Puss Johnson, Drums
Pork and Beans
Lucky Roberts, Composer
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Piano
Here Comes the Band
Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Composer and Piano
Puss Johnson, Drums
Produced in Cardiff by Alice McKee
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002hn3j)
Music news and live classical music
Petroc Trelawny with live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians
MON 18:30 BBC Proms (m002hn3l)
2025
Shostakovich’s ‘Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District’
Live at the BBC Proms: John Storgårds conducts the BBC Singers, the BBC Philharmonic and English National Opera Orchestra & Chorus with star soloists in Shostakovich’s operatic tragedy. In this, Shostakovich’s anniversary year, a chance to hear his blistering operatic tragedy on a theme of oppression and murder. Amanda Majeski stars as Katerina – the defiant “Lady Macbeth” of the title – with tenor Nicky Spence as her lover Sergey, and Brindley Sherratt as the brutal patriarch Boris.
During the interval the cultural historian Rosamund Bartlett talks to Martin Handley about Shostakovich's opera The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, and its cultural context in Stalin's Russia.
Presented by Martin Handley, live from the Royal Albert Hall and presented semi-staged, in two parts.
Dmitry Shostakovich: The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (sung in English)
Amanda Majeski, Katerina
Brindley Sherratt, Boris/Ghost of Boris
John Findon, Zinovy
Thomas Mole, Mill-hand/Priest
Nicky Spence, Sergey
Ava Dodd, Aksinya/Convict
Ronald Samm, Shabby Peasant
Alaric Green, Steward
Chuma Sijeqa, Police Sergeant
William Morgan, Teacher
Sir Willard White, Old Convict
Niamh O'Sullivan, Sonyetka
BBC Singers
Chorus of English National Opera
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Brass Section of the Orchestra of English National Opera
John Storgårds, conductor
Ruth Knight, director
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m0020ymg)
Music for night owls
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002hn3n)
James Mason’s 4/4
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Soweto's guest for 4/4 this week is master jazz-funk guitarist and keyboardist James Mason. He was a member of Roy Ayers’ iconic Ubiquity band, and featured on the seminal 1977 album "Lifeline" which includes the funk and disco classic “Running Away”. In that same year, James released his debut solo album, "Rhythm of Life". A jazz-funk gem, it was not until the 90s that the record's status was fully recognised, becoming a key dance floor selection in the acid jazz scene.
James recently performed at We Out Here Festival and at The Jazz Cafe with his ensemble, presenting music from "Rhythm of Life" for the first time in over a decade.
On 'Round Midnight from Monday to Thursday, James is sharing four of his best loved albums, and tonight he begins with a pick from one of jazz fusion’s most influential groups.
Also in the programme, music from Brighde Chaimbeul, Divine Earth and Matt Wilde.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
TUESDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2025
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002hn3q)
A Wagner Feast with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Ólafur Sigurðarson sings majestic arias from some of Wagner's most well-known operas and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra perform well-loved preludes and overtures under the direction of Eva Ollikainen. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Prelude to act 3 of 'Lohengrin'
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
12:34 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Was duftet doch der Flieder, from 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'
Olafur Sigurdarson (baritone), Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
12:41 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Prelude to act 3 of 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
12:47 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Overture to 'Der fliegende Holländer' - The Flying Dutchman
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
12:58 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Die Frist ist um, from 'Der fliegende Holländer'
Olafur Sigurdarson (baritone), Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
01:10 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Overture to 'Tannhäuser'
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
01:32 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Wotan's Farewell, from act 3 of 'Die Walküre'
Olafur Sigurdarson (baritone), Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen (conductor)
01:48 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Duet: Bei Mannern, from Die Zauberflote
Isabel Bayrakdarian (soprano), Russell Braun (baritone), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
01:52 AM
Gheorghi Arnaoudov (b.1957)
Brahms versus Wagner (Imaginarium super Mathilde Wesendonck), for piano quintet
Elena Dikova (piano), Teodora Hristova (violin), Yordan Dimitrov (violin), Demna Gigova (viola), Hristo Tanev (cello)
01:58 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883), transc. Franz Liszt
Isolde's Liebestod transc. Liszt for piano, S447
Francois-Frederic Guy (piano)
02:06 AM
Johann Schobert (c.1735-1767)
Keyboard Concerto in G major
Eckart Selheim (pianoforte), Collegium Aureum, Franzjosef Maier (director)
02:31 AM
Veljo Tormis (1930-2017)
Jaanilaulud (St. John's Day Songs)
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
02:48 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for oboe and keyboard, BWV.1030
Douglas Boyd (oboe), Knut Johannessen (harpsichord)
03:05 AM
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Suite, from Much Ado About Nothing, Op 11
Bern Chamber Orchestra, Kaspar Zehnder (conductor)
03:22 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne in B minor, Op 97
Stephane Lemelin (piano)
03:26 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Syrinx for solo flute
Ivica Gabrisova-Encingerova (flute)
03:29 AM
Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908-2002)
Suite Medievale for flute, harp and string trio
Arpae Ensemble
03:44 AM
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Trauermusik for viola and string orchestra
Rivka Golani (viola), Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
03:52 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Gratia sola Dei
Currende, Erik van Nevel (conductor)
03:59 AM
Leo Smit
Concerto for piano & wind
Bart van de Roer (piano), Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Lucas Vis (conductor)
04:12 AM
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704)
Sonata Prima a 4 (Opera Decima Sesta)
Maniera
04:22 AM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Villanelle for horn and orchestra
Esa Tukia (horn), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Adelson (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Intermezzo in A major, Op 118 no 2
Jane Coop (piano)
04:38 AM
Leif Strand (1942-2021), arr. Oivind Westby
Men går jag över engarna (But I Walk Across the Meadows)
Ole Edvard Antonsen (trumpet), Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
04:44 AM
John Dowland (1563-1626)
Thou mighty God; When David's life; When the poore criple for 4 voices
Ars Nova, Bo Holten (director)
04:55 AM
Hilda Sehested (1858-1936)
Tre Fantasistykker (3 Fantasy pieces)
Nina Reintoft (cello), Malene Thastum (piano)
05:05 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Seascape, Op 53
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
05:12 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Dover beach for voice and string quartet, Op 3
Urszula Kryger (mezzo soprano), Royal String Quartet
05:21 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Recorder Concerto in A minor
Leonard Schelb (recorder), Raphael Alpermann (harpsichord), Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck (conductor)
05:31 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
A la Chapelle Sixtine (Miserere de Allegri et Ave verum corpus de Mozart)
Jos Van Immerseel (piano)
05:40 AM
George Shearing (1919-2011)
Music to Hear (Five Shakespeare Songs)
Vancouver Chamber Choir, Peter Berring (piano), David Brown (double bass), Jon Washburn (director)
05:53 AM
Paul Gilson (1865-1942)
La Mer - symphonic sketches
Flemish Radio Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002hmzw)
Wake up 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’
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002hmzy)
The very best of classical music
Georgia Mann 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 (m002hn00)
Mozart's Symphony No. 31 in D major, ‘Paris’ from the BBC Proms
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Throughout the week, we are hearing highlights from this year's BBC Proms. Today's programme's highlights include Mozart's grand Symphony No. 31 in D major, ‘Paris’, played by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conductor Klaus Mäkelä. They are also joined by violinist Janine Jansen for Sergey Prokofiev's poetic Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, and the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera are conducted by Carlo Rizzi in Gioachino Rossini's William Tell Overture.
There's also featured performances from Switzerland's Verbier Festival, with Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30, played by Quatuor Ebène.
Gioachino Rossini
William Tell – overture
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera
Carlo Rizzi (conductor)
Tchaikovsky
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30
Quatuor Ebène
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 31 in D major, ‘Paris’
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)
Sergey Prokofiev
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major
Janine Jansen (violin)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä (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 (m001dy7v)
The Harlem Renaissance
Shuffle Along
As the Harlem Renaissance picks up steam, two composers set out to create the first all Black Broadway musical. Joined by Wynton Marsalis, Donald Macleod discovers the legacy of Shuffle Along.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers, and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In 1917, Josephine Baker was just 11 years old, not yet an icon of the Jazz Age, when she stood in terror, watching race rioters burn her hometown of East St Louis. She decided then she’d do anything to get out, and her opportunity came in the form of a new Broadway musical, composed by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle. The pair had devised a musical to be performed entirely by African-American actors, musicians and dancers - the first of its kind to feature on Broadway. It was Baker’s big break as a dancer, and some say it was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance.
Dear Old Southland
Turner Layton, Composer
Sidney Bechet, Soprano saxophone and clarinet
Noble Sissle, Vocal
Chester Burrill, Trombone
Demas Dean, Wendell Culley and Clarence Brereton, Trumpet
Gil White and Jerome Don Pasquall, Tenor saxophone
Chauncey Haughton, Clarinet and alto saxophone
Jimmy Jones, Bass
Oscar Madera, Violin
Erskine Butterfield, Piano
Wilbert Kirk, Drums
Jimmy Miller, Guitar
Dream Rag
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
St Louis Blues
W. C. Handy, Composer
Selwyn Gibson, Vocals
The Americas Brass Band
Memphis Blues
W. C. Handy, Composer
Selwyn Gibson, Vocals
The Americas Brass Band
Indianola
S. R. Henry, Composer
Selwyn Gibson, Vocals
The Americas Brass Band
Shuffle Along Medley
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Ivan Harold Browning, Vocals
Raggin the Rag
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Memories of You
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Love Will Find a Way
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Noble Sissle, Composer
Ivan Harold Browning, Vocals
Everything Reminds Me of You
Eubie Blake, Composer
Noble Sissle, Composer
Ehud Asherie, Piano
Troublesome Ivories
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Charleston Rag
Eubie Blake, Composer and Piano
Produced in Cardiff by Alice McKee
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002hn03)
Classical artists live in the studio
Petroc Trelawny welcomes Alistair Hogarth, Joshua Ellicott and Laura van der Heijden ahead of performances at the Lammermuir Festival.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002hn05)
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
TUE 19:30 BBC Proms (m002hn07)
2025
Adès conducts the BBC SO
Live at the BBC Proms the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thomas Adès performs Sibelius, Adès & Gabriella Smith's organ concerto Breathing Forests with soloist James McVinnie.
Presented by Tom Service at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Jean Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
Gabriella Smith: Breathing Forests (UK premiere)
c.
8.10pm
Interval: Eleanor Barraclough is the author of Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age and has spent the past five years exploring the history of trees, forests and woodlands in northern cultures. She joins Tom Service to talk about trees and nature writing
c.
8.30pm
Thomas Adès: Five Spells from The Tempest
Jean Sibelius: The Tempest – Suite No. 1
James McVinnie (organ)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Adès (conductor)
Composer and conductor Thomas Adès has long been a fan of Sibelius: ‘He’s obsessed with nature – you’ve always got this sense that he is on the edge of some vast wilderness.’ Adès drew inspiration from the Finnish composer’s incidental music for The Tempest when writing his own opera on the Shakespeare play. He conducts suites from both these storm-laden, supernatural works, along with The Swan of Tuonela, in which Sibelius summoned up his skill as a bard of Swedish folk tales. James McVinnie is the soloist in Gabriella Smith’s organ concerto Breathing Forests, a cavernous ‘sonic forest’ and howl of protest against natural destruction.
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m0020yn4)
The constant harmony machine
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002hn09)
Fresh from Ruby Rushton
‘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.
Leading jazz and funk guitarist and keyboardist James Mason is back with his second 4/4 choice of the week, and tonight he selects a much-loved 15-minute jazz-fusion track.
There’s also music from Awen Ensemble, MOMO, and Johanna Summer.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
WEDNESDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2025
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002hn0c)
Brahms Symphony No 3 at the BBC Proms
A BBC Proms performance from 2024 that includes Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Wigglesworth. Leading international mezzo-soprano Alice Coote lends her glowing voice to Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, after a symphony by Brahms that is both menacing and mellifluous. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony no 3 Op 90
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
01:07 AM
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) Op 4
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
01:35 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Kindertotenlieder
Alice Coote (mezzo soprano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
02:00 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Impromptu No 2 in E Flat, D899
Rudolf Buchbinder (piano)
02:05 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in G minor, Op 20, No 3
Quatuor Mosaiques
02:24 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
12 Ecossaises (D.299)
Ralf Gothoni (piano)
02:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mass in C major, K.317 'Coronation'
Arianna Venditelli (soprano), Emilie Renard (mezzo soprano), Rupert Charlesworth (tenor), Marcell Bakonyi (bass), Coro Maghini, Claudio Chiavazza (director), Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro de Marchi (conductor)
02:58 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Piano Trio No 1 in D minor, Op 49
Tori Trio, Jin-kyong Jee (cello), Kyon-min Kim (violin), Sook-hyon Cho (piano)
03:29 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Tu es Petrus - motet for 6 voices
Silvia Piccollo (soprano), Emanuela Galli (soprano), Fabian Schofrin (alto), Marco Beasley (tenor), Daniele Carnovich (bass), Emanuela Galli (soloist), Diego Fasolis (conductor)
03:35 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto in C minor for treble recorder, RV.441
Michael Schneider (recorder), Camerata Koln
03:46 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Kol Nidrei, Op 47
Shauna Rolston (cello), Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
03:58 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Pastorella in F, BWV.590
Hans van Nieuwkoop (organ)
04:09 AM
Flor Alpaerts (1876-1954)
Romanza for Violin and Orchestra
Guido De Neve (violin), Flemish Radio Orchestra, Michel Tabachnik (conductor)
04:16 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
9 Variations on 'Quant' e piu bello' by Paisiello for piano, WoO.69
Theo Bruins (piano)
04:22 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Sonata no 9 for 2 violins and continuo in F major, Z.810
Simon Standage (violin), Agata Sapiecha (violin), Marcin Zalewski (viola da gamba), Lilianna Stawarz (harpsichord)
04:31 AM
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Overture to L'Italiana in Algeri (Italian Girl in Algiers)
Capella Coloniensis, Gabriele Ferro (conductor)
04:39 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sonata for cello and piano in D minor
Ola Karlsson (cello), Lars David Nilsson (piano)
04:51 AM
Leokadiya Kashperova (1872-1940)
Night
BBC Singers, Hilary Campbell (conductor)
04:54 AM
Albert Moeschinger (1897-1985)
Quintet on Swiss folksongs for wind, Op 53
La Strimpellata Bern
05:14 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
'Sabato' from 'Pyrmonter Kurwoche', TWV 42:g3
Albrecht Rau (violin), Heinrich Rau (viola), Clemens Malich (cello), Wolfgang Hochstein (harpsichord)
05:22 AM
Gertrude van den Bergh (1793-1840)
Rondeau, Op 3
Frans van Ruth (piano)
05:29 AM
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Six Rosary Sonatas
Daniel Sepec (violin), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Michael Behringer (harpsichord & organ), Lee Santana (theorbo)
06:09 AM
Dag Wiren (1905-1986)
String Quartet no 2, Op 9
Saulesco Quartet
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002hlgt)
Start your 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’
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002hlgw)
Relax into the day with classical
Georgia Mann 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 (m002hlgy)
Hilary Hahn playing Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor from the BBC Proms
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Throughout the week, we are featuring highlights from this year's BBC Proms. In today's programme Dvořák's lyrical Violin Concerto in A minor is played by Hilary Hahn with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and conductor Andris Nelsons, who also perform Arvo Part's heart wrenching Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten. We'll also hear mezzo-soprano Avery Amereau in Ottorino Respighi's Il tramonto, played by the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera conducted by Carlo Rizzi.
There's also summer music making from the Verbier Festival, with Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 101 in D, 'Clock', played by the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy, harp music by Henriette Renie performed by Tjasha Gafner, and a Mazurka by Agustin Mangoré played by guitarist Thibaut Garcia.
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 101 in D, 'Clock'
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
Gábor Takács-Nagy (conductor)
Arvo Pärt
Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Andris Nelsons (conductor)
Henriette Renié
Légende d‘après 'Les Elfes‘ de Leconte de Lisle
Tjasha Gafner (harp)
Antonín Dvořák
Violin Concerto in A minor
Hilary Hahn (violin)
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Andris Nelsons (conductor)
Agustín Barrios Mangoré
Mazurka appassionata
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
Ottorino Respighi
Il tramonto
Avery Amereau (mezzo)
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera
Carlo Rizzi (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002hlh0)
St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh
From St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, during the Charles Wood Summer School.
Introit: Let all mortal flesh keep silence (Bairstow)
Responses: Margaret Burke
Office hymn: O thou who camest from above (Hereford)
Psalm 91 (Alcock)
First Lesson: Deuteronomy 11 vv1-12
Canticles: Blair in B minor
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 9 vv6-15
Anthem: O Lord, thou hast searched me out (Rutter)
Hymn: Glorious things of thee are spoken (Abbot’s Leigh)
Voluntary: Fugue in G minor, Op 7 No 3 (Dupré)
David Hill (Director of Music)
Philip Scriven (Organist)
Recorded 20 August.
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m001dybk)
The Harlem Renaissance
Rivers
Donald Macleod is joined by Wynton Marsalis, as he discovers how the poetry of Langston Hughes inspired the music of the Harlem Renaissance.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
As a young man, Langston Hughes dreamed of being a poet in Harlem, a place he had come to think of as “the greatest Black city in the world” - but his father had other ideas. He wanted Langston to pursue engineering, not believing an African American man could succeed as a writer. Despite his father’s wishes, Langston did make it to Harlem, where he would become one of the defining voices of the renaissance and his writing would inspire a generation of musicians.
Good Morning/Harlem
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Charles Mingus and the Horace Parlan Quintet
Mamie’s Blues
Jelly Roll Morton, Composer and Piano
Dippermouth Blues
King Oliver, Composer
Fletcher Henderson, Arranger
Louis Armstrong, Cornet
Lil Hardin Armstrong, Piano
Bill Johnson, Banjo
Baby Dodds, Drums
Johnny Dodds, Clarinet
Honore Dutrey, Trombone
Good Morning Blues
Count Basie, Composer and Piano
Jimmy Rushing, Vocals
Buck Clayton, Trumpet
Motto/Dead in There
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Charles Mingus and the Horace Parlan Quintet
Same in Blues/Comment on Curb
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Charles Mingus and the Horace Parlan Quintet
The Weary Blues
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Leonard Feather’s All-Star Sextet
Boogie: 1.AM
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Charles Mingus and the Horace Parlan Quintet
Could Be/Bad Luck Card/Bad Man
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Leonard Feather’s All-Star Sextet
Consider Me
Langston Hughes, Composer and Vocals
Charles Mingus and the Horace Parlan Quintet
Minstrel Man/Dream Variation/I, Too
Margaret Bonds, Composer
Malcolm J. Merriweather, Vocals
Ashley Jackson, Harp
The Dessoff Orchestra
Produced in Cardiff by Alice McKee
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002hlh3)
Classical artists live in session
Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason performs live.
WED 19:30 Classical Mixtape (m002hlh5)
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
WED 20:00 BBC Proms (m002hlh7)
2025
St. Vincent
Live at the BBC Proms: St. Vincent joins Jules Buckley and his orchestra in brand-new symphonic arrangements from her eclectic back-catalogue.
Presented by Elizabeth Alker, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
St. Vincent (vocals)
with Rachel Eckroth (keyboards)
Jules Buckley Orchestra
Jules Buckley (conductor)
She’s the queen of ‘raw emotion, electrifying rock and unrestrained self-expression’. Now, fresh from three 2025 Grammy wins – including Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Album – St. Vincent makes her BBC Proms debut in a unique UK performance. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and fascinating artists in modern music, the chart-topping American ‘art-rock siren’ collaborates with Jules Buckley and his orchestra, performing brand-new symphonic arrangements of tracks from her eclectic back catalogue.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m0021pym)
Dissolve into sound
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002hlh9)
One from Anteloper
‘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.
James Mason has another record from his collection for our 4/4 feature, and tonight he takes on the difficult job of choosing an album from the catalogue of one of his favourite groups, who are straight out of the UK acid jazz scene.
Also in the programme, music from NTBM, Pharaoh Sanders and Koma Saxo & Sofia Jernberg.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
THURSDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2025
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002hlhc)
Radovan Vlatković plays Strauss's Horn Concerto no 1
The legend of the French Horn Radovan Vlatković plays Strauss's first Horn Concerto with the Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Ivan Repušić, they play Smetana's Vltava and Croatian composer Blagoje Bersa's Sunny Fields. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
The Hebrides, Op 26 - Overture, Fingal's Cave
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
12:42 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Horn Concerto no 1 in E flat major
Radovan Vlatkovic (french horn), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
12:59 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Allegro from Horn Concerto no 3 in E flat major, K.447
Radovan Vlatkovic (french horn), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
01:03 AM
Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934)
Sunny Fields
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
01:20 AM
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Vltava from Má vlast - My Homeland
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Repusic (conductor)
01:32 AM
Marko Ruzdjak (1946-2012)
April is the Cruellest Month
Zagreb Guitar Trio
01:40 AM
Traditional, arr. Vladimir Ruzdjak
Green Woods
Vladimir Ruzdjak (baritone), Zagreb Soloists
01:44 AM
Dora Pejacevic (1885-1923)
Symphony no 1 in F sharp minor, Op 41
Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
02:31 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Piano Trio no 2 in E minor, Op 67
Altenberg Trio Vienna
02:58 AM
Anonymous
Lauda Jerusalem (Psalm)
Claire Lefilliatre (soprano), Marnix De Cat (alto), Han Warmelinck (tenor), Currende, Erik van Nevel (director)
03:18 AM
Iris Szeghy (b.1956)
Cello Concerto
Andrej Gal (cello), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marian Lejava (conductor)
03:45 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and fugue no 5 in D major, BWV.874 from Das Wohltemperierte Klavier
Kamiel D'Hooghe (organ)
03:53 AM
Rene Eespere (b.1953)
Festina lente
Tallinn Music High School Chamber Choir, Evi Eespere (director)
04:01 AM
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909)
Smutna opowiesc - A sorrowful tale, Op 13
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrzej Straszynski (conductor)
04:12 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Serenata in vano, FS 68 (for clarinet, horn, bassoon, cello & d.bass)
Festival Ensemble of the Festival of the Sound, James Campbell (conductor)
04:19 AM
Victor Young (1899-1956)
My foolish heart - song
Gwilym Simcock (piano)
04:31 AM
August Enna (1859-1939)
The Match Girl: overture
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Hannu Koivula (conductor)
04:37 AM
Gertrude van den Bergh (1793-1840)
Lied fur pianoforte
Frans van Ruth (piano)
04:42 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), arr. Alan Civil
Suite for Brass Quintet
Brass Consort Koln
04:52 AM
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012), arr. David Lindup
Murder on the Orient Express - music from the film
BBC Philharmonic, Rumon Gamba (conductor)
05:04 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), Ludwig Holty (author)
Die Schiffende
Benjamin Appl (baritone), Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)
05:07 AM
Henricus Albicastro (fl.1700-06)
Trio Sonata, Op 8 no 11
Ensemble 415, Chiara Banchini (conductor)
05:19 AM
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948)
Suite Concertino in F major for bassoon and small orchestra, Op 16
Christopher Millard (bassoon), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
05:39 AM
Leonel Power (1370-1445)
Missa Alma redemptoris mater
Hilliard Ensemble
06:00 AM
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium'
Jaap van Zweden (violin), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly (conductor)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002hlvr)
Brighten your 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 (m002hlvt)
Celebrating classical greats
Georgia Mann 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 (m002hlvw)
Camille Saint‐Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor, ‘Organ’ from the BBC Proms
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
All this week, we are featuring the best of the BBC Proms 2025. In today's programme Camille Saint‐Saëns' powerful Symphony No. 3 in C minor, ‘Organ’ is played by organist Rachel Mahon with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marie Jacquot, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are conducted by Klaus Mäkelä in Bela Bartok's dazzling Concerto for Orchestra.
There's also summer music making from Switzerland with highlights from the Verbier festival. Today, Max Bruch's Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola is played by clarinettist Pierre Génisson and viola player Antoine Tamestit with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy. There's also Ernest Bloch
from violinst Boris Brovtsyn, and guitarist Thibaut Garcia plays Mangoré's La Catedral.
Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)
Agustín Barrios Mangoré
La Catedral
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
Camille Saint‐Saëns
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, ‘Organ’
Rachel Mahon (organ)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Marie Jacquot (conductor)
Ernest Bloch
Violin Sonata No. 1
Boris Brovtsyn, violin
Julien Quentin, piano
Max Bruch
Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola in E minor, op. 88
Pierre Génisson (clarinet)
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
Gábor Takács-Nagy (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 (m001dyd7)
The Harlem Renaissance
Symphony in Black
Duke Ellington was a musician who defined the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells Donald Macleod how Ellington’s music inspires him.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In the 1920s, African American musicians made their names in the segregated nightclubs of Harlem. Duke Ellington arrived in Harlem a total unknown, but his residency at the infamous Cotton Club gave him national recognition as an originator of big band jazz. But he didn’t want to play to white-only audiences forever. His composition Symphony in Black featured in one of the first films with an entirely Black cast to be widely distributed, launching the career of Billie Holiday and becoming a new landmark in the Harlem Renaissance.
Swing Session (Soda Fountain Rag)
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Black Beauty
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
The Mooche
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Lonnie Johnson, Guitar
Fred Guy, Banjo
Sonny Greer, Drums
Wellman Braud, Bass
Bubber Miley and Arthur Whetsol, Trumpet
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Trombone
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Bubber Miley and Louis Metcalf, Trumpet
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Trombone
Rudy Jackson, Alto saxophone and clarinet
Otto Hardwick, Clarinet and tenor saxophone
Harry Carney, Clarinet)
Fred Guy, Banjo
Bass Edwards, Tuba
Sonny Greer, Drums
Black and Tan Fantasy
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Bubber Miley and Louis Metcalf, Trumpet
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Trombone
Rudy Jackson, Alto saxophone and clarinet
Otto Hardwick, Clarinet and tenor saxophone
Harry Carney, Clarinet)
Fred Guy, Banjo
Bass Edwards, Tuba
Sonny Greer, Drums
It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet
Mort Herbert, Bass
Trummy Young, Trombone and Sackbut
Ray Hall, Recorder
Barney Bigard, Clarinet
Danny Barcelona, Drums
Creole Rhapsody
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams and Freddie Jenkins, Trumpet
Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol and Joe Nanton, Trombone
Harry Carnet, Clarinet and baritone saxophone
Fred Guy and Sonny Greer, Banjo
Johnny Hodges, Alto saxophone
Wellman Braud, Bass
Barney Bigard, Tenor saxophone
Reminiscing in Tempo
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams and Freddie Jenkins, Trumpet
Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol and Joe Nanton, Trombone
Harry Carnet, Clarinet and baritone saxophone
Fred Guy and Sonny Greer, Banjo
Johnny Hodges, Alto saxophone
Wellman Braud, Bass
Barney Bigard, Tenor saxophone
Symphony in Black
Duke Ellington, Composer and Piano
Billie Holiday, Vocals
Otto Hardwick, Alto saxophone
Johnny Hodges, Alto saxophone
Harry Carney, Baritone Saxophone
Wellman Braud, Bass
Barney Bigard, Clarinet
Sonny Greer, Drums
Fred Guy, Guitar
Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol and Lawrence Brown, Trombone
Freddie Jenkins, Arthur Whetsol and Cootie Williams, Trumpet
Produced in Cardiff by Alice McKee
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002hlvz)
Live classical music for your drive
Petroc Trelawny welcomes conductor Vasily Petrenko to the In Tune studio ahead of his BBC Prom with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Plus there's live music from pianist Dominic Degavino.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002hlw1)
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
THU 19:30 BBC Proms (m002hlw3)
2025
Classic Thriller Soundtracks
Live at the BBC Proms. BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Edwin Outwater play film scores by Bernard Herrmann, who died fifty years ago. There's also music by Lalo Schifrin and Quincy Jones; and Sterling Elliot is the soloist in Korngold's Cello Concerto.
Presented by Katie Derham, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Herrmann Prelude (North by Northwest)
Herrmann Suite: Psycho (Prelude; The Murder; Finale)
Raksin Laura
Herrmann Suite: Vertigo
Korngold Cello Concerto
INTERVAL: Steven C. Smith's is the author of the biography, A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann. He talks about the film scores created by the composer.
Quincy Jones Ironside theme
Quincy Jones, arr Guy Barker In the Heat of the Night
Herrmann Twisted Nerve
Herrmann Taxi Driver (Nightpiece)
Isaac Hayes Shaft
Quincy Jones On Days Like These (Italian Job)
Schifrin Shiftin Gears (Bullitt)
Quincy Jones It's Caper Time (Italian Job)
Sterling Elliot (cello)
Singers Lance Ellington, Ashton Jones
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor Edwin Outwater
From the shrieking strings of Psycho to the brooding jazz-club sleaze of Taxi Driver: Bernard Herrmann’s music is the soundtrack to the greats of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Join the BBC Concert Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor and Curator Edwin Outwater to celebrate the composer’s iconic film scores. A programme rich with suspense and drama also includes excerpts from film scores by Quincy Jones, David Raksin and Lalo Schifrin.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002hlw5)
An adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002hlw7)
A spiritual song from The Circling Sun
‘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, Soweto has welcomed jazz-funk maestro James Mason as his 4/4 guest. Tonight, rounding off his week of picks from his music shelves, James spotlights an album that had a profound impact on him, and which is one of jazz’s timeless treasures.
There’s also music from Grifton Forbes-Amos, London Brew and Linda Sikhakhane.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight.'
FRIDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2025
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002hlw9)
Mark Padmore and Julius Drake in Madrid
The forest is a common motif in the work of Romantics: both as a beautiful idyll and as a frightening, mysterious place. Forests, and nature more generally, form the inspiration for this song recital from Madrid. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Im Frühling, D.882
Mark Padmore (tenor), Julius Drake (piano)
12:35 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
In der Fremde, Op 39 no 1
12:37 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Erstes Grün, from 12 Gedichte, Op 35
12:39 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Lust der Sturmnacht, from 12 Gedichte Op 35
12:41 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Der Lindenbaum, from Winterreise
12:46 AM
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Ich atmet' einen linden Duft, from Rückert-Lieder
12:49 AM
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Nature, the Gentlest Mother, from 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson
12:53 AM
George Butterworth (1885-1916)
Loveliest of trees, from 6 Songs from a Shropshire Lad
12:56 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
At Day-Close in November, from Winter Words, Op 52
12:58 AM
Tansy Davies (b.1973)
Destroying Beauty
01:01 AM
Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Le rossignol des lilas
01:03 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
L´ombre des arbres, from Ariettes oubliées
01:05 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
The Auld Aik, from Who are These Children? Op 84
01:08 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Die Mutter Erde, D.788
01:11 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Silent Noon, from The House of Life
01:15 AM
Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
The Tiger
01:19 AM
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Prison, Op 83 no 1
01:21 AM
Sally Beamish (b.1956)
Hoopoe, from 4 Songs from Hafez
01:27 AM
Clara Schumann (1810-1856)
Am Strande
01:29 AM
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
The Housatonic at Stockbridge, from 114 Songs
01:33 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Die Mainacht, op 43 no 2
01:37 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Betelgeuse, from 12 Humber Wolfe Songs, Op 48
01:40 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Frühlingsglaube, D. 686
Mark Padmore (tenor), Julius Drake (piano)
01:44 AM
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Klid (Silent woods), B182
Shauna Rolston (cello), Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
01:51 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Cantata no. 51 BWV.51 (Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen)
Maria Keohane (soprano), Sebastian Philpott (trumpet), European Union Baroque Orchestra, Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor)
02:07 AM
Clara Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 7
Alice Burla (piano), Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Mario Venzago (conductor)
02:31 AM
Edward Rushton (b.1972)
Comfort & Courage
Hexagon Ensemble
02:46 AM
Grace Williams (1906-1977)
Symphony no 2
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
03:27 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata no 12 in F major, K.332
Annie Fischer (piano)
03:42 AM
Zygmunt Noskowski (1846-1909)
The Steppe, Op 66 - symphonic poem
Santander Orchestra, Lawrence Foster (conductor)
04:01 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Funeral Sentences
Grace Davidson (soprano), Alex Potter (counter tenor), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Peter Kooij (bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe (director)
04:16 AM
Louis Andriessen (1939-2021)
Le voile du bonheur
Vera Beths (violin), Vera Beths (vocalist), Reinbert de Leeuw (piano)
04:24 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
'L'Eraclito amoroso' for Soprano and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Susanne Ryden (soprano), Rebeka Ruso (viola da gamba), Rafael Bonavita (theorbo), Daniela Dolci (harpsichord), Daniela Dolci (director)
04:31 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Overture in C major
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Lionel Bringuier (conductor)
04:41 AM
Felipe Lluch (c.1700-c.1750)
Flute Sonata in D major
La Guirlande
04:54 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Gaspard de la nuit (Scarbo)
Plamena Mangova (piano)
05:05 AM
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Scheherazade - symphonic suite, Op 35
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Sedares (conductor)
05:53 AM
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Deuxieme Suite de Pieces en Trio in G minor
La Petite Bande
06:15 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
St Paul's Suite, Op 29 no 2
Seoul Chamber Orchestra, Yong-Yun Kim (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002hlrp)
The best classical music wake-up call
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’
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002hlrr)
A feast of great music
Georgia Mann 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 (m002hlrt)
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor from the BBC Proms
Linton Stephens showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.
Throughout the week, we are featuring highlights from this year's BBC Proms. In today's programme pianist Khatia Buniatishvili plays Tchaikovsky's passionate Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jaime Martin, the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera and conductor Carlo Rizzi play Elgar's In the South, and violinist Inmo Yang is soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marie Jacquot in Pablo de Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy.
There's also more from Switzerland's Verbier Festival, with highlights from guitarist Thibaut Garcia's recital, including arrangements of Nicolò Paganini's virtuosic Caprice No. 24, and the Adagio from Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata.
Edward Elgar
In the South (Alassio)
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera
Carlo Rizzi (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Adagio sostenuto, from Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 27/2 ('Moonlight') (arr. Mangoré)
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
Pablo de Sarasate
Carmen Fantasy
Inmo Yang (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Marie Jacquot (conductor)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor
Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Jaime Martín (conductor)
Nicolò Paganini
Caprice No. 24 in A minor (arr. J. Williams)
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
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 (m001dy9m)
The Harlem Renaissance
Marching Out
Louis Armstrong gets his big break as the Harlem Renaissance comes to an end. Jazz composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis tells Donald Macleod how the movement changed music.
The northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighbourhood, but rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them. In the early 1900s, in what became known as the Great Migration, African Americans from the south moved north to New York in droves, searching for work after the war, and hoping to escape the racial violence tearing through America. Harlem became a centre for Black culture, drawing in poets like Langston Hughes, thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and musicians. These musicians pioneered new forms of jazz and blues, subverted the expectations of Black performers and broke through into the mainstream. This week, Donald Macleod is joined by jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, as he traces the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance, transporting us from rent parties to nightclubs to Broadway, as we hear a joyful, soulful explosion of sound.
In 1924, a twenty-three-year-old Louis Armstrong arrived in New York with no classical training, hoping to make a career as a trumpeter. His playful style and charismatic ad libs made him stand out in the orchestra; soon he had a residency at Connie’s Club and Fats Waller was recruiting him to liven up his musical. But as Armstrong was getting his big break, Harlem was crumbling under the Great Depression. Louis had to make a decision: stay in Harlem where he made his name, or move back to the South…
Sugar Foot Stomp
Fletcher Henderson, Composer and Piano
Louis Armstrong, Composer and Trumpet
Elmer Chambers and Joe Smith, Trumpet
Charlie Dixon, Banjo
Ralph Escudero, Bass
Buster Bailey and Don Redman, Clarinet
Kaiser Marshall, Drums
Coleman Hawkins, Saxophone
Charlie Green, Trombone
Naughty Man
Don Redman, Composer
Fletcher Henderson, Piano
Louis Armstrong, Elmer Chambers and Howard Scott, Trumpet
Charlie Dixon, Banjo
Ralph Escudero, Bass
Buster Bailey, Don Redman and Coleman Hawkins, Clarinet
Kaiser Marshall, Drums
Coleman Hawkins, Don Redman and Buster Bailey, Saxophone
Charlie Green, Trombone
West End Blues
King Oliver, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Mandy Carr, Banjo
Zutty Singleton, Drums
Earl Hines, Piano
Jimmy Strong, Clarinet
Fred Robinson, Trombone
Muskrat Ramble
Kid Ory, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet
Johnny St Cyr, Banjo
Lil Armstrong, Piano
Johnny Dodds, Clarinet
Kid Ory, Trombone
St Louis Blues
W. C. Handy, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Cornet
Bessie Smith, Vocal
Fred Longshaw, Harmonium
Sobbin’ Hearted Blues
Mary H. Bradford, George Davis and R. C. Layer, Composers
Louis Armstrong, Cornet
Bessie Smith, Vocal
Fred Longshaw, Piano
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, Composers
Andy Razaf, Lyrics
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Fred Robinson, Trombone
Homer Hobson, Trumpet
Jimmy Strong, Tenor saxophone and clarinet
Crawford Wethington and Bert Curry, Alto saxophone
Carroll Dickerson, Violin
Gene Anderson, Piano
Zutty Singleton, Drums
Mancy Carr, Banjo
Black and Blue
Fats Waller, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Arvell Shaw, Bass
Barney Bigard, Clarinet
Barrett Deems, Drums
Billy Kyle, Piano
Trummy Young, Trombone
Hotter Than That
Lil Hardin Armstrong, Composer and Piano
Louis Armstrong, Cornet, trumpet and vocal
Lonnie Johnson, Guitar
Johnny St. Cyr, Banjo
Johnny Dodds, Clarinet
Kid Ory, Trombone
Laughin’ Louie
Clarence Gaskill, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Scoville Browne, Clarinet
Bill Oldham, Bass
Mike McKendrick, Banjo
Charlie Beal, Piano
Albert Johnson, Tenor saxophone
Albert Johnson and George Oldham, Clarinet
George Oldham and Scoville Browne, Alto saxophone
Keg Johnson, Trombone
Zilner Randolph and Elmer Whitlock, Trumpet
Sid Catlett, Drums
Stardust
Hoagy Carmichael, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Lionel Hampton, Vibraphone
Harold Scott and George Orendorff, Trumpet
Charlie Jones, Tenor saxophone and clarinet
Marvin Johnson, Alto saxophone
Joe Bailey, Bass
Henry Prince, Piano
Lionel Hampton, Drums
Bill Perkins, Banjo
Les Hite, Baritone saxophone and alto
Luther Graven, Trombone
I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
Harold Arlen, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
When the Saints Go Marching In
James M. Black and Katherine E. Purvis, Composer
Louis Armstrong, Trumpet and vocal
Alfred Di Lernia, Banjo
Buddy Catlett, Bass
Buster Bailey, Clarinet
Danny Barcelona, Drums
Marty Napoleon, Piano
Tyree Glenn, Trombone
Produced in Cardiff by Alice McKee
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002hlrx)
Live classical music for your drive
Petroc Trelawny talks to Grammy-winning singer Angélique Kidjo ahead of her BBC prom.
There's also live music from award-winning Jazz trumpeter Olivia Cuttill and her quintet.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002hlrz)
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music. Music from Respighi, Kodaly, White, Mahler, Rachmaninov, and Price.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (m002hls1)
2025
Chineke!
Live at the BBC Proms: Jonathon Heyward conducts Chineke! Orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 and music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Valerie Coleman and James Lee III.
Linton Stephens presents, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: The Bamboula
Valerie Coleman: Fanfare for Uncommon Times
James Lee III: Visions of Cahokia (European Premiere)
c.
8.15pm
During the interval the pianist and music director Allyson Devenish joins Linton Stephens to focus on tonight's orchestra, Chineke!
c.
8.35pm
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minor
Chineke! Orchestra
Jonathon Heyward (conductor)
Experience the ‘electric atmosphere’ of a performance by the Chineke! Orchestra – Europe’s first minority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra. They perform Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony: over 50 minutes of brutality, violence, despair and terror, followed by two minutes of triumph. A portrait of life – and death – in Stalin’s Russia, it’s a fierce act of musical testimony. The Prom opens with the steady thrum of Coleridge-Taylor’s orchestral dance The Bamboula, while works by US composers James Lee III and Valerie Coleman form the concert’s American-accented centre.
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002hls3)
Wojciech Rusin at the Late Junction Prom
Jennifer Lucy Allan introduces highlights from an exclusive performance recorded live from a night of adventurous sounds at the Late Junction Prom in Bristol. Featuring a special collaborative performance at the Bristol Beacon from Polish-born audio visual artist and 3-D instrument maker, Wojciech Rusin with Bristol-based performance artist Jo Hellier.
Wojciech Rusin is a Polish-born audio-visual artist, who developed his practice in Bristol, and currently lives in London. His work often occupies a space of imagined future pasts – hyperreal uncanny digital visuals, that draw on classical art, various mythologies, alchemy and renaissance choral music. He is a skilled instrument maker, and has created a range of 3D printed pipes, which often emerge from the bags of many an improviser during Late Junction sessions.
Wojciech will be joined on stage by Jo Hellier. Jo is a Bristol-based interdisciplinary artist and performer. She uses embodiment and somatic movement practices, extended vocal technique and witchcraft to amplify awareness in the body and imagination. Her work which spans across live art, dance, installation and music, explores queer ecologies and ways to expand and transform relationships between the human and non-human.
We’ll hear the pair playing selections from Wojciech’s last three albums, some completely rearranged with moments of improvisation on electronics and his invented pipes.
Alongside highlights from the live show, Jennifer will be taking listeners behind the scenes during the day of the Prom, catching Wojciech after his sound-check for a chat about myths and choral music, to take a look at his instruments made especially to debut at the Prom, and to make a humble request for a 3-D printed pipe playing tutorial from Wojciech’s instrument bag.
You can find more highlights from the Late Junction Prom, including live performances from Sarahsson and Angel Bat Dawid, on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002hls5)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.