SATURDAY 28 MARCH 2026
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002sqpw)
Schmelzer, Chédeville and Biber from Romania
The SEMPRE baroque music ensemble perform in a concert organised as part of the Bucharest Early Music Season on the occasion of Early Music Day 2025. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Arie con la Mattacina
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
12:35 AM
Nicolas Chédeville (1705-1782)
La Moisson, from 'Les Saisons amusantes'
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
12:45 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Sonata Coukoo, for violin and basso continuo
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
12:52 AM
Nicolas Chédeville (1705-1782)
Le Printemps, from 'Les Saisons amusantes'
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
01:04 AM
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Sonata Pastorella, C.106
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
01:10 AM
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Sonata Representativa (Representatio Avium), C.146
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
01:23 AM
Nicolas Chédeville (1705-1782)
L'Automne, from 'Les Saisons amusantes'
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
01:35 AM
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Battalia à 9, C.61
SEMPRE baroque music ensemble, Raluca Enea (director)
01:46 AM
Sven-Eric Johanson (1919-1997)
Fyra visor om arstiderna (4 songs about the Seasons)
Swedish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson (conductor)
01:53 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
The Seasons (Op 67) - ballet in 1 act
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Kazuyoshi Akiyama (conductor)
02:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
24 Preludes for piano, Op 28
Cédric Tiberghien (piano)
03:10 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Ancient Airs and Dances Suite no 3
Amadeus' Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Anna Duczmal-Mróz (conductor)
03:30 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Sonata in F minor TWV.41:f1 for bassoon and continuo
Luka Mitev (bassoon), Helena Kosem Kotar (piano)
03:41 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725), Giovanni Battista Guarini (author)
Cor mio, deh non languire
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Evelyn Tubb (soprano), Deborah Roberts (soprano), Tessa Bonner (soprano), Mary Nichols (alto), Anthony Rooley (director)
03:47 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)
03:57 AM
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
South Ostrobothnian Dances, Op 17 (excerpts)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kari Tikka (conductor)
04:06 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Danse macabre, Op 40
Ouellet-Murray Duo (duo)
04:13 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Sonata da chiesa in F major, Op 1 no 1
London Baroque
04:20 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Overture in C major
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Lionel Bringuier (conductor)
04:31 AM
Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c.1510-1556)
Carole magnus eras
Netherlands Chamber Choir, Paul Van Nevel (conductor)
04:37 AM
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Cordoba (Nocturne) from Cantos de Espana, Op 232 no 4
Henry-David Varema (cello), Heiki Mätlik (guitar)
04:44 AM
Jehan Alain (1911-1940)
Le Jardin suspendu for organ
Tomás Thon (organ)
04:51 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), arr. Henri Büsser
Petite Suite
Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
05:06 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), arr. Jenő Kenessey
Dances of Galanta (Galantai tancok) arr. for piano
Adam Fellegi (piano)
05:22 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Orchestral Suite no 1 in C major, BWV.1066
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
05:42 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in D major, Op 64 no 5 (Hob.III.63) "Lark"
Bartók String Quartet
05:59 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major
François-Xavier Poizat (piano), Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Kai Bumann (conductor)
06:19 AM
Henryk Górecki (1933-2010)
Totus tuus, Op 60
Jutland Chamber Choir, Mogens Dahl (director)
SAT 06:30 Breakfast (m002szs2)
Wake up with classical music
Hannah French presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show. 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 (m002szs4)
Violinist James Ehnes on his half century
Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack for the weekend!
Tom talks to the brilliant multi-award-winning Canadian violinist James Ehnes, who is in the middle of a world tour to celebrate his 50th birthday - James talks to Tom about why he's still as in love with music as ever and why live performance is key for everyone's wellbeing.
Talking of live performance, in 1975 the jazz pianist Keith Jarrett gave one of the most iconic concerts ever recorded - the Koln Concert, a jazz composition that straddled jazz and classical performance, entirely improvised. 50 years later, the pianist Maki Namekawa, who considers Jarrett a mentor, is performing a transcription of it around Europe, including in London. She talks to Tom about why the concert and Jarrett's playing was so special.
And over the last few weeks in our ongoing focus on 'Creators', we've been looking at huge works for orchestra, electronics or singers - today, though, we go tiny and unpick the particular earwormmy power of the 4-note SNCF jingle that's heard in railway stations all over France. Written by Michael Boumendil, it signalled the start of 'sonic branding' - Michael talks to Tom about what those 4 notes mean.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002szs6)
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.
Today, Jools's choices include music by Leonard Bernstein, Josephine Lang and Jimmy McGriff, with performances by Lars Vogt, Dinah Washington and Kurt Elling. His guest is the writer and oncologist Professor Jonathan Waxman who introduces recordings he loves by Andreas Scholl, Janet Baker, Jessye Norman and Flanders and Swann.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Music Matters (m002szs8)
Mark Radcliffe's Choral Odyssey 2
In the second programme of Mark's choral odyssey, we begin with Eric Whitacre's Lux Aurumque, performed by the Eric Whitacre Singers and conducted by the man himself.
We weave through Barber's Agnus Dei, Gorecki's Totus Tuus and the Dies Irae from Mozart’s Requiem, and Mark juxtaposes these with more modern uses of choral sound in music such as Talk Talk's I Believe In You, which features the choir of Chelmsford Cathedral.
He rounds off his odyssey with the beautiful piece There Will Be Rest by Frank Ticheli, performed by one of his favourite vocal ensembles, Voces8.
Presenter: Mark Radcliffe
Producers: Ben Collingwood & Elizabeth Foster
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002szsb)
Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata in Building a Library with Allyson Devenish and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new classical releases.
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2.10pm Andrew is joined by guest reviewer Jeremy Sams, theatre director, translator and composer, to consider some of his favourite new releases.
3pm Building a Library
Pianist Allyson Devenish surveys recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C, Op. 53 "Waldstein" and makes a top recommendation.
Described as "a heroic symphony for piano", Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata is among the most dazzlingly brilliant of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, exploiting the full range of effects on an extended early-19th century keyboard, and has been tackled by the great pianists of every generation since.
Top choice:
Igor Levit (piano)
Sony 19075843182
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3.50pm Record of the Week
Andrew's top classical new release of the week.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002szsd)
Edith hears from Sir Stephen Fry
Your weekly destination for the very best in film soundtracks and movie music, presented by Edith Bowman.
This week, Edith is joined by British composer and musician Antony Genn to discuss his score for the new Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man. Actor, broadcaster and writer Stephen Fry will be sharing his Pick of the Flicks - music from one of the timeless gems of Hollywood’s golden age. We’ll also bring you the latest Harmonising Hollywood segment from Irish conductor and composer Eimear Noone, who shines a spotlight on American composer Don Davis and his iconic music for The Matrix.
And, as always, we’ll round things off with a fresh selection of newly released film and television music.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002ggc4)
Jess Gillam with... Tamsin Waley-Cohen
Jess Gillam swaps music choices with British-American violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen.
Tamsin's picks include the Nash Ensemble playing Franz Schubert, Florence + the Machine, a piece by Grigoras Dinicu that's fizzing with energy, and music from Tamsin's sister Freya Waley-Cohen. Jess brings a mesmeric piece by Leif Kaner-Lidström and a euphoric track from Bon Iver, as well as music from Richard Strauss and Telemann. Tamsin spoke about parenthood as a professional musician, the importance of emotion in music, witchcraft, and much more.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”.
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002szsg)
Verdi's La Traviata
From the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Verdi's La Traviata starring Lisette Oropesa and Piotr Buszewski. Antonello Manacorda conducts.
Verdi's tragic portrayal of an ill-fated Parisian courtesan, Violetta, her encounter with the young bourgeois Alfredo, and their battle to realise true love before she succumbs to tuberculosis.
Presented from New York by Debra Lew Harder and Ira Siff.
Verdi: La Traviata
Violetta ..... Lisette Oropesa (soprano)
Alfredo ..... Piotr Buszewski (tenor)
Giorgio ..... Luca Salsi (baritone)
Baron Douphol ..... Dwayne Croft (baritone)
Flora ..... Edyta Kulczak (mezzo-soprano)
Marquis D'Obigny ..... Christopher Job (bass-baritone)
Annina ..... Tessa McQueen (soprano)
Gastone ..... Ben Reisinger (tenor)
Metropolitan Opera Chorus
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Antonello Manacorda (conductor)
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002szsj)
Joropo in three tracks with Cimarrón
Kathryn Tickell plays the best of new global roots music, including a track from a recent compilation of Guinean revolutionary music, Jewish folk melodies courtesy of Amsterdam Klezmer Band, and a piece from a brand new collaboration between Lebanese multi-instrumentalist Charif Megarbane and Jakarta-based trio Ali.
Elsewhere in the show, Kathryn invites Colombian singer Ana Veydó from the supergroup Cimarrón to pick three tracks that embody the joropo, a traditional music genre and dance style that originated in the plains region of Venezuela and eastern Colombia (the Llanos) and which is characterised by the sound of the harp, cuatro, and maracas.
Produced by Silvia Malnati
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet'.
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002szsl)
Ryoji Ikeda's Metal Music
Kate Molleson presents the Japanese electronic maestro Ryoji Ikeda's Metal Music, recorded at the Barbican Hall in London last month. Plus composer/vocalist Elaine Mitchener, captured in concert at Wigmore Hall; and Tansy Davies selects her Listen List.
SUNDAY 29 MARCH 2026
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002szsn)
Schumann and Beamish from the Meta4 string quartet.
A recital from London's Wigmore Hall featuring Meta4 performing Robert Schumann's String Quartet no 1 and Sally Beamish's String Quartet no 4 'Nine Fragments'. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
String Quartet no 1 in A minor, Op 41 no 1
Meta4
12:58 AM
Sally Beamish (b.1956)
String Quartet no 4, 'Nine Fragments'
Meta4
01:19 AM
Adolf Schulz-Evler (1852-1905),Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Concert arabesque on themes by Johann Strauss for piano
Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
02:31 AM BST
Maciej Malecki (b.1940), Mateusz Pieniazek (author)
Spring, Summer Cantata
Marta Boberska (soprano), Tomasz Rak (baritone), Schola Cantorum Gedanensis, Jan Lukaszewski (choirmaster), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marcin Nalecz-Niesiolowski (conductor)
03:40 AM BST
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Lied (Lenau): Larghetto; Wanderlied: Presto Op 8 nos 3 & 4
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
03:46 AM BST
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Notturno (Andante) - from String Quartet no 2 in D major
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnányi (conductor)
03:55 AM BST
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Tango Suite for two guitars (Parts 2 and 3)
Tornado Guitar Duo (duo)
04:04 AM BST
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Trio Sonata in D minor "La Follia", RV.63
Ensemble Augelletti
04:11 AM BST
Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
Ave Regina for double choir, MH.140
Ex Tempore, Florian Heyerick (director)
04:22 AM BST
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo concertante in B flat major, K.269
Benjamin Schmid (violin), Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Ádám Fischer (conductor)
04:31 AM BST
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Twill soon be midnight (aria from 'Pique Dame')
Joanne Kolomyjec (soprano), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
04:36 AM BST
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Trio sonata in C minor, Op 1 no 8
London Baroque
04:43 AM BST
Étienne Méhul (1763-1817)
Piano Sonata in D major, Op 1 no 1
Arthur Schoonderwoerd (fortepiano)
04:52 AM
Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)
Prelude and Fugue for orchestra, Op 10
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pertti Pekkanen (conductor)
05:02 AM BST
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Dreaming (4 Sketches, Op 15 no 3)
Sterling Elliott (cello), Richard Uttley (piano)
05:07 AM BST
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Symphony no 3 in C minor, Op 78 "Organ Symphony"
Kaare Nordstoga (organ), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Michel Plasson (conductor)
05:42 AM BST
Johan Duijck (b.1954)
Het zachte leven (The gentle life), Op.15
Flemish Radio Choir, Johan Duijck (conductor)
05:57 AM BST
Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli (1630-1670)
Sonata in E minor, Op 4 no 1 (La Bernabea) for violin and continuo
Daniel Sepec (violin), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Lee Santana (theorbo), Michael Behringer (harpsichord)
06:03 AM BST
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
6 Moments Musicaux, D.780
Alfred Brendel (piano)
SUN 06:30 Breakfast (m002szt7)
Start your day with classical music
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 (m002szt9)
Three Hours of Classical Sparkle
Petroc Trelawny brings you three hours of classical music to reflect, restore, and refresh.
On today's show, Petroc has treats aplenty for your Sunday morning, including orchestral gems, magical piano music and a choral reflection to mark Palm Sunday by the Italian composer Felice Anerio.
The complete set of Brahms symphonies by Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe was released in 2024 to rave reviews; we'll hear the meaty first movement of Symphony No.2.
Also, Petroc's Sunday Sequence has a distinctly regal feel to it.
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m0026ks5)
Miranda Hart
Miranda Hart burst into our living rooms in 2009 with her semi-autobiographical, multi-award winning TV sit-com Miranda. Her irrepressible physical comedy and willingness to make fun of herself quickly endeared her to audiences, as she battled through socially awkward situations - particularly dating. She also had to deal with her overbearing mother, while popularising phrases like “Such Fun”, “Keep calm and Gallop on” and “Bear with”.
She then took a leading role in the BBC drama series Call the Midwife as Chummy - Camilla Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne – and appeared in films including Emma, playing Jane Austen’s chatterbox Miss Bates.
Her recent memoir I Haven’t been Entirely Honest With You describes how she lived for years with undiagnosed Lyme disease and the lessons she has learnt – she calls them “treasures” on her journey from illness to recovery.
Miranda's musical choices include Grieg, Bach, Bizet and Mozart.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002pfty)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Vivaldi's Stabat Mater
Sara Mohr-Pietsch explores Vivaldi's setting of the Stabat Mater, a 13th-century hymn to the Virgin Mary. Featuring medieval music from Jordi Savall, sacred works including Gounod's 'Ave Maria', and Sean-nós singing from the Irish band The Bonny Men.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."
SUN 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002sqff)
St Barnabas Church, Ealing
From St Barnabas Church Ealing, London with Imperial College Chamber Choir on the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord.
Introit: Ave Maria (Bruckner)
Responses: Rose
Office Hymn: The Angel Gabriel (Trad. Basque)
Psalms 131, 146 (Robin Flower, Pallav Bagchi)
First Lesson: Isaiah 52 vv1-12
Canticles: Gloucester Service (Kerensa Briggs)
Second Lesson: Luke 1 vv26-38
Anthem: A Hymn to the Virgin (Britten)
Prayer Anthem: Jesu the Very Thought of You is Sweet (Wood)
Hymn: For Mary Mother of Our Lord (St Botolph)
Voluntary: Ancient Sunlight (Judith Bingham)
Patrick Allies (Director of Music)
Simon Hogan (Organist)
Recorded 18 March.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 16:00 Music for Holy Week (m002sztc)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Music for Holy Week
Radio 3’s annual celebration of Easter music on Palm Sunday with concerts from across Europe. Hannah French presents music for Holy Week from Spain and Denmark culminating in the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s new work Angels Unawares, recorded earlier this month in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
4pm
A programme of music by Handel and Bach that recreates an extraordinary event: Good Friday, 1747, when J.S. Bach performed Handel arias in Leipzig during a performance of the St. Mark Passion, the only known instance of artistic interaction between the composers, both born in 1685. The programme presents the seven Handel arias alongside other arias by Bach related to the Easter liturgy. Performed in Barcelona by soloists and the Barcelona Consort directed by Daniel Tarrida.
5pm
An Easter concert of vocal music ranging from the early Renaissance to our own time. With the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and conductor Krista Audere, from Copenhagen. Including works by J.S. Bach, Judith Bingham, Samuel Sebastian Wesley and Sven-David Sandström.
6pm
A celebration of Bulgarian church music given by the St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral Choir in Sofia. Recorded in December the concert celebrates two major Bulgarian choral composers, Dobri Hristov (1875-1941) and Angel Popkonstantinov (1905-1981).
6.30pm
Music from 17th Century Spain by Carlos Patiño. Early music ensemble Los Afectos Diversos under their director Nacho Rodríguez perform Patiño’s Mass for 16 Voices 'Misa Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore' interleaved with other of the Spanish master’s sacred music. Recorded at the Úbeda and Baeza Early Music Festival.
7.30pm
The world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s new work Angels Unawares recorded last week in the Sistine Chapel, Rome. Performed by The Sixteen, vocal soloists and Britten Sinfonia under conductor Harry Christophers, Angels Unawares evokes and explores encounters with angelic presences in the Old and New Testaments and is a setting of a poem by Robert Willis (Dean of Canterbury Cathedral from 2001-2022). It is a vigorous and contemporary expression of belief reflecting the faith which underpins Macmillan's art.
SUN 21:00 20th Century Radicals (m002sztf)
Pierre Boulez: Sensual intellectualism
Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore conclude their landmark series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th Century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. In this final show, they share highlights from the series and pay tribute to some of the composers who they haven’t had the chance to feature. Their primary work for this last dive into the radical sounds of the previous century is one of its landmark works, the piece which placed Pierre Boulez at the vanguard of mid-century modernism: Le marteau sans maître.
Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”.
SUN 22:00 Compline (m002szth)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Lent 6
A reflective service of night prayer from the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Clerkenwell, London. With words and music for the end of the day, including works by Victoria and Tallis.
Introit: Hosanna Filio David (Victoria)
Blessing of Light: Phos Hilaron (Bourgeois/Goudimel)
Preces (Plainsong)
Hymn: Before the ending of the day (Plainsong)
Psalms 4, 31 vv1-6 (Plainsong)
Reading: Zechariah 12 v10
Responsory: Into thy hands, O Lord (Plainsong)
Nunc dimittis (Plainsong)
Anthem: In manus tuas (Tallis)
Daniel Gethin (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Compline”.
SUN 22:30 Night Tracks (m002mb84)
Blissful sounds for after-hours
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m0029xbh)
By The Clock
Music, according to the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, is how we decorate time, and to mark the clocks going forward, Elizabeth Alker celebrates those genre-defying musicians and composers who play with the possibilities of time in their work. Across 60 carefully curated minutes, we'll hear from emerging independent producers whose music twists temporal as well as musical boundaries as they look to embrace the confluence of rock, pop and electronica.
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Unclassified”.
MONDAY 30 MARCH 2026
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002sztk)
Bach, Agrell, Fasch, Vivaldi and Telemann from Bucharest
Il Gardellino perform music by Bach, Agrell, Fasch, Vivaldi and Telemann. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060R
Marcel Ponseele (oboe), Joanna Huszcza (baroque violin), Il Gardellino
12:44 AM
Johan Joachim Agrell (1701-1765)
Concerto, Op 4/2
Jan De Winne (transverse flute), Shalev Ad-El (harpsichord), Il Gardellino
01:01 AM
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Concerto for Transverse Flute, Oboe, and Strings
Jan De Winne (transverse flute), Marcel Ponseele (oboe), Il Gardellino
01:08 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 63 'La Follia'
Il Gardellino
01:19 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto, RV 541
Joanna Huszcza (baroque violin), Ira Givol (viola da gamba), Il Gardellino
01:28 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Concerto for Recorder and Flute in E minor, TWV 52:e1
Jan De Winne (transverse flute), Dimos De Beun (recorder), Il Gardellino
01:42 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Gloria in D RV 589 - Cum Sancto Spiritu
Bavarian Radio Choir, Peter Dijkstra (director), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
01:45 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Rinaldo Alessandrini
Goldberg Variations, BWV.988
Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord), Concerto Italiano
02:31 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Cello Concerto in B minor (Op.104)
Karmen Pecar (cello), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, David de Villiers (conductor)
03:10 AM
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
Grosse Sonate for Pianoforte in E major, Op 41
Tom Beghin (fortepiano)
03:37 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Symphonic dance no 2 (Allegro grazioso) Op 64 no 2
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ingar Bergby (conductor)
03:44 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Te Deum (H.23c.1) in C major (c.1765)
Netherlands Radio Choir, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Antoni Ros-Marbà (conductor)
03:52 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Adagio for clarinet and piano
Kálmán Berkes (clarinet), Zóltan Kocsis (piano)
04:00 AM
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Tarantella, Op 87b
Tomaž Rajterič (guitar)
04:05 AM
Antonio Bertali (1605-1669)
Sonata Prima a 3 for two recorders, bass viol and bass continuo
Le Nouveau Concert
04:12 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Dumka, Op 59 'Russian rustic scene'
Duncan Gifford (piano)
04:22 AM
Howard Cable (1920-2016)
The Banks of Newfoundland
Hannaford Street Silver Band, Stephen Chenette (conductor)
04:31 AM
Juliusz Zarebski (1854-1885)
Polonaise triomphale in A major, Op 11
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paweł Przytocki (conductor)
04:40 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
A la Chapelle Sixtine (Miserere de Allegri et Ave verum corpus de Mozart)
Jos Van Immerseel (piano)
04:49 AM
Pierre de Manchicourt (1510-1564)
Nunc enim si centum lingue sint
Corona Coloniensis, Peter Seymour (conductor)
04:57 AM
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Trumpet Concerto in B flat, Op 7 no 3
Ivan Hadliyski (trumpet), Kamerorchester, Alipi Naydenov (conductor)
05:06 AM
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Chanson Perpetuelle, Op 37
Barbara Hendricks (soprano), Staffan Scheja (piano), Vertavo String Quartet
05:13 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Adagio and allegro in A flat major, Op 70
Lise Berthaud (viola), Adam Laloum (piano)
05:22 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No.38 in D major (K.504), "Prague"
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
05:50 AM
Karl Joachim Andersen (1847-1909)
Au Bord de la Mer for flute and piano, Op 9
Andrea Kollé (flute), Alexander Boeschoten (piano)
05:57 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 1 in F major, Op 18 no 1
Sebastian String Quartet
MON 06:30 Breakfast (m002t008)
Brighten your day with classical music
John Toal 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’.
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002t00b)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
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 (m002t00d)
Beethoven live from London's Wigmore Hall
Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making including a live concert from London's Wigmore Hall. Pianist Paul Lewis and double bassist Tim Gibbs join Norwegian ensemble the Vertavo String Quartet to perform Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto in an arrangement made in 1881 by Vinzenz Lachner, one of four brothers who became composers, and Schubert’s melancholy, often tempestuous ‘Quartettsatz’.
In the week leading up to Good Friday, there is music inspired by spirituality. Handel's Te Deum, a choral setting of the traditional Christian hymn of praise, is performed by Le Concert Spirituel, pianist Kit Armstrong performs music which explores the religious culture of Elizabethan England and the RTS Chorus sing Rachmaninov's The Mother of God, ever-vigilant in prayer. There are also excerpts from a concert by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in which Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross is interspersed with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, juxtaposing Christ’s suffering with human grief and suggesting that art and religion may confer spiritual meaning on life.
Elsewhere in the programme, cellist Li-Wei Qin and pianist Jeremy Young join forces to play Britten's virtuosic Sonata for Cello and Piano in a concert recorded in Sheffield.
Live from Wigmore Hall and presented by Petroc Trelawny
Ludwig van Beethoven (arr. Vinzenz Lachner)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Op. 15
Franz Schubert
String Quartet in C minor D703 'Quartettsatz'
Paul Lewis (piano)
Vertavo String Quartet
Tim Gibbs (double bass)
***
George Frideric Handel
Te Deum, HWV 283 (Excerpts)
Le Concert Spirituel
Hervé Niquet (conductor)
Guillaume de Machaut
Six Songs (arr. for piano)
Kit Armstrong (piano)
Gustav Mahler
Kindertotenlieder: Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgehn
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar, (conductor)
Benjamin Britten
Sonata for Cello and Piano Op.65
Li-Wei Qin (cello)
Jeremy Young (piano)
Sergei Rachmaninov
The Mother of God, ever-vigilant in prayer
RTS Chorus
Hadži Jakov Milutinović (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross: Introduzione. Adagio and Sonata 1: Largo
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar, (conductor)
William Byrd
Walsingham
Kit Armstrong (piano)
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 (m001kh9n)
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
Visionary
Hildegard’s life is changed for ever after she reveals a long-held secret. With Donald Macleod.
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet, they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.
Today, Donald Macleod focuses on Hildegard of Bingen’s story with Hildegard’s biographer, Fiona Maddocks. They examine how her seemingly unremarkable existence, within a provincial German monastery, was rapidly transformed after she confessed to receiving visions from God.
Hildegard: Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans
Anna Sandström, soprano
Armonico Consort, directed by Christopher Monks
Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 8
Ensemble Giardino Di Delizie, directed by Ewa Anna Augustynowicz
Hildegard: Columba Aspexit
Grace Davidson, soprano
Hildegard (ed Wishart): O frondens virga
Emily Burn, voice
Clemmie Franks, voice
Emily Levy, voice
Victoria Couper, voice
Jocelyn West, voice
Vivien Ellis, voice
Stevie Wishart, director
Hildegard: O frondens virga (instrumental)
Augsburg Early Music Ensemble
Leonarda: In Sanguine Gloria, Op 6 No 12
Guilhem Worms, bass-baritone
Ensemble Il Caravaggio, directed by Camille Delaforge
Hildegard: O quam mirabilis
Hildegard: O virga ac diadema
Margriet Tindemans, fiddle
Sequentia, directed by Barbara Thornton
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002t00h)
Live flamenco music from guitarist Paco Peña
Katie Derham presents live music in the studio from flamenco guitarists Paco Peña and Rafael Montilla, ahead of the new Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company production 'Solera' at Sadler's Wells in London. The Fife-based writer Tom Davison talks to Katie about about his new book 'Thank you for the Musick: The Life and Times of James Oswald'.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002t00k)
Take 30 minutes out with a relaxing classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002t00m)
Ulster Orchestra
Emilia Hoving conducts the Ulster Orchestra in a colourful evening of music.
The Ulster Hall programme opens with the vibrant Spanish rhythms of Falla’s Three Cornered Hat Suite No. 1, before guitarist Sean Shibe joins the orchestra for Francisco Coll’s Turia, a shimmering concerto written by the Spaniard in 2017.
After the interval, the mood turns to the epic and poetic, with a selection of movements from Smetana’s Má vlast, painting expansive musical landscapes.
Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 1
Francisco Coll: Turia*
Interval
Smetana: Selection from Má vlast - 3. Šárka; 2. Vltava; 5. Tábor; 6. Blaník
Emilia Hoving – conductor
Sean Shibe – guitar*
Ulster Orchestra
Recorded at the Ulster Hall in Belfast on 20th March 2026
Presented by John Toal
MON 21:45 The Essay (m002t00p)
The Lives of Hildegard of Bingen
Episode 1
Hildegard of Bingen — medieval nun turned composer, mystic, political adviser, botanist, philosopher, theologian, medic, scientist, and later, saint.
Hildegard watches her bones exhumed by inquisitive Victorians. She’s been moved several times since death: stolen, saved, hidden. Denied peace in life and death.
She decides to set the record straight, and tell her extraordinary story.
A childhood filled with visions she can’t explain changes abruptly when she is given away to the Church to become an anchoress. Aged 14, she is shut away in a cell attached to a church. She thinks it’s for life…
Written by Anna Linstrum
Performed by Juliet Stevenson
Produced and directed by Fay Lomas
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Production co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002mcz9)
Immersive music for moonlight
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002t00r)
Salin’s 4/4
Soweto’s guest this week is the formidable Thailand-born, Canada-based drummer and producer Salin. Her music draws influence from Northeast Thailand and from West African 70s psychedelia, creating a unique sound that Salin calls “Afro Thai Funk”.
From Monday to Thursday, Salin is taking us round her record collection, sharing some of the albums that have influenced her. Kicking off her week, Salin chooses a record by an American duo known for their genre transcending sound.
Also in the programme, there is music from Dave Adewumi, Immanuel Wilkins, and Women In Jazz with Alina Bzhezhinska.
‘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.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
TUESDAY 31 MARCH 2026
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002t00t)
Martha Argerich and Renaud Capuçon in Lausanne
Renaud Capuçon conducts the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra with Martha Argerich as the soloist in Beethoven's second piano concerto, paired with Brahms's Serenade no 2. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Coriolan, Op 62, overture
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Renaud Capuçon (conductor)
12:39 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 2 in B flat major, Op 19
Martha Argerich (piano), Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Renaud Capuçon (conductor)
01:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Traumes Wirren, from Fantasiestücke, Op 12
Martha Argerich (piano)
01:12 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Gavotte, from English Suite no 3 in G minor, BWV.808
Martha Argerich (piano)
01:16 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Serenade no 2 in A major, Op 16
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Renaud Capuçon (conductor)
01:44 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Allegro Molto from Piano Sonata in D major, K.381
Martha Argerich (piano), Maria João Pires (piano)
01:48 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Septet in E flat major, Op 20
Michel Lethiec (clarinet), Andre Cazalet (horn), Giorgio Mandolesi (bassoon), Agata Szymczewska (violin), Amihai Grosz (viola), Rafal Kwiatkowski (cello), Jurek Dybal (double bass)
02:31 AM
Louis-Nicolas Clerambault (1676-1749)
L'Isle de Delos (cantate profane)
Isabelle Poulenard (soprano), Ensemble Amalia
02:52 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
4 Impromptus, Op 142, D.935
Alfred Brendel (piano)
03:24 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
In a Summer Garden
Argovia Philharmonic, Douglas Bostock (conductor)
03:40 AM
Daniel Purcell (c.1663-1717)
Sonata in F for recorder and harpsichord
Antoni Sawicz (recorder), Robert Grac (harpsichord)
03:48 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Four pieces for viola and piano
Lise Berthaud (viola), Xénia Maliarevitch (piano)
03:59 AM
Alice Mary Smith (1839-1884)
The Masque of Pandora (Overture)
BBC Concert Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (conductor)
04:10 AM
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Manon, Act 1: Manon and Des Grieux recit and duet
Lyne Fortin (soprano), Richard Margison (tenor), Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Simon Streatfield (conductor)
04:18 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Ferruccio Busoni
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV.659
Igor Levit (piano)
04:23 AM
Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612)
Canzon duodecimi toni à 8, C.174, from 'Sacrae symphoniae'
Cardinal Complex, Jonas Gassmann (conductor)
04:31 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
The Last rose of summer (Groves of Blarney) from Folksong arrangements
Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Paul Turner (piano)
04:35 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), transc. Franz Liszt
Ave Maria (S.558 no 12)
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
04:42 AM
Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799)
Solo (sonata) for cello and continuo in G major, Op 5 no 1
Jaap ter Linden (cello), Ageet Zweistra (cello), Ton Koopman (harpsichord)
04:51 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Eugene Onegin, Op 24 (Act 2: Introduction & waltz)
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
04:59 AM
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791-1844)
Songs for Baritone and Piano
Wolf Matthias Friedrich (baritone), Vera Kooper (piano)
05:09 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Paul McCreesh (conductor)
05:35 AM
Plamen Djourov (b.1949)
Two Ballades, nos I & IV
Eolina Quartet
05:44 AM
Adolf Fredrik Lindblad (1801-1878), Thekla Knös (lyricist)
Drommarne
Swedish Radio Choir, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Sjökvist (conductor)
06:01 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Kinderszenen for piano, Op 15
Eun-Soo Son (piano)
06:20 AM
Dorothy Howell (1898-1982)
Two Pieces for Muted Strings
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Michael Collins (conductor)
TUE 06:30 Breakfast (m002szz7)
Start the day on the right note with classical music
John Toal 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’.
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002szz9)
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”.
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002szzc)
Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making which includes a spotlight on the relationship between music and spirituality. To begin, Vaughan Williams' evocative Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, based on a 16th-century Anglican psalmody, is performed by the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, guitarist Thibaut Garcia plays Mangore's melancholic La Catedral, and later in the programme, Handel's Organ Concerto in F is performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra.
As a centrepiece, Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor is played by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. As a devout Catholic, Bruckner dedicated this final, unfinished work "to the beloved God". There are also excerpts from a concert by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in which Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross is interspersed with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, juxtaposing Christ’s suffering with human grief and suggesting that art and religion may confer spiritual meaning on life.
Elsewhere in the programme, Linton introduces exclusive chamber music recorded at the Crucible, Sheffield as part of the city’s ‘Music In The Round’. Cellist Li-Wei Qin and pianist Jeremy Young join forces to play Brahms and the piano duo Ivana Gavric and Tim Horton play Debussy.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Duncan Ward (conductor)
From Sheffield ‘Music In The Round’:
Johannes Brahms
Sonata in E minor Op. 38
Li-Wei Qin (cello)
Jeremy Young (piano)
Gustav Mahler
Kindertotenlieder: Nun seh' ich wohl, warum
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar, (conductor)
Agustin Barrios Mangore
La Catedral
Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 9 in D minor
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt (conductor)
From Sheffield ‘Music In The Round’:
Claude Debussy
En blanc et noir
Ivana Gavric (piano)
Tim Horton (piano)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross: 3. Sonata 2: Grave e cantabile
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross: 4. Sonata 3: Grave
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
George Frideric Handel
Organ Concerto in F, op. 4/4, HWV 292.
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Marie Jacquot (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 (m001khhq)
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
The Muse of Novara
Leonarda’s talent flourishes within the confines of her convent. With Donald Macleod.
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.
Today, Donald Macleod shifts his focus to Isabella Leonarda, with singer and Leonarda champion Candace Smith. They discuss how Leonarda’s destiny was chosen for her by her eminent Italian family, who committed their daughter to a life of contemplation and isolation while still a teenager. And we see how music thrived alongside the strict observances within the convent in Novara.
Leonarda: Memento rerum
Cappella Artemisia, directed by Candace Smith
Leonarda: Volo Jesum, Op 3 No 4
Kajsa Dahlbäck, soprano
Earthly Angels
Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 3
Cappella Strumentale del Duomo di Novara, directed by Paolo Monticelli
Hildegard: Kyrie
Hildegard: Hymnus cum vox sanguinis
Tiburtina ensemble, directed by Barbora Kabátková
Leonarda: O anima mea
Cappella Artemisia, directed by Candace Smith
Leonarda: Dixit dominus, Op 19
Cappella Artemisia, directed by Candace Smith
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002szzg)
Live music from pianist Antoine Préat
Katie Derham is joined live in studio for a performance by pianist Antoine Préat promoting his new album 'Fortune's Fool'. Also, Katie talks to composer Piers Kennedy about his new music for Holy Week at Salisbury Cathedral.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002szzj)
Classical music for focus or relaxation
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music.
This episode begins with a Romance for cello and piano by Zoltan Kodaly and finishes with a orchestral Lament from William Grant Still's American Suite. In between, we take a journey from Handel's opera Semele, through Schumann's violin concerto and music from Vaughan Williams' Coastal Command, to Michael Nyman's score for The Piano, the vocal ensemble Alamire singing music by 16th-century composer Jactin, and a prelude by Scriabin.
Producer: Andy King
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3'.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002szzl)
Alban Gerhardt plays Britten
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra has a long history with the music of Thea Musgrave; performing a remarkable 36 works by the Scottish composer since 1955. Like Elgar’s work in this programme, which depicts the larger-than-life fictional character of Sir John Falstaff, Musgrave’s Aurora is inspired by the enchanting imagination of William Shakespeare.
Alban Gerhardt joins the BBC SSO to perform Britten’s deeply expressive Cello Symphony, originally dedicated to the great Russian virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich. Commissioned in 1945 by the Ministry of Education for a children’s film titled “Instruments of the Orchestra”, Britten’s cheery tour de force shows off the considerable talents of the orchestra's individual players.
Presented by Kate Molleson, recorded at Glasgow City Halls on 12 March 2026.
Thea Musgrave: Aurora
Britten: Cello Symphony
Interval
Elgar: Falstaff
Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Alban Gerhardt, cello
Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m002szzn)
The Lives of Hildegard of Bingen
Episode 2
Hildegard of Bingen — medieval nun turned composer, mystic, political adviser, botanist, philosopher, theologian, medic, scientist, and later, saint.
She decides it’s time to tell her extraordinary story.
At 14, Hildegard is shut away in a freezing cell, on the side of a Rhineland church. She only has fellow anchoress Jutta of Sponheim and their servant, Gisela, for company. So begins 24 years of hardship and visions, music and hope.
Written by Anna Linstrum
Performed by Juliet Stevenson
Produced and directed by Fay Lomas
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Production co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002szzr)
Music for the still of night
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002szzt)
Brand new Marquis Hill
Drummer and producer Salin is back to share her second 4/4 album of the week, and tonight she chooses an American band who are masters of funk and groove.
Plus music from Gabielle Cassava, Evelyn Axton, and Dominique Fils-Aimé.
‘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.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
WEDNESDAY 01 APRIL 2026
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002szzw)
Ogonek, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev from Berlin
Pianist Alexander Malofeev joins the German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin and conductor Elim Chan in Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto and Prokofiev's Symphony no 5. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Elizabeth Ogonek (b. 1989)
Moondog
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Elim Chan (conductor)
12:39 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto no 2 in C minor op 18
Alexander Malofeev (piano), German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Elim Chan (conductor)
01:12 AM
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951)
Forgotten Melodies, Op 38 - Canzona serenata
Alexander Malofeev (piano)
01:17 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony no 5 in B flat op 100
German Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, Elim Chan (conductor)
01:59 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943), arr. Alan Arnold
Vocalise, Op 34 no 14 arr. Arnold for viola and piano
Gyözö Máté (viola), Balázs Szokolay (piano)
02:04 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Clarinet Quintet in B flat major, Op 34
James Campbell (clarinet), Orford String Quartet
02:31 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
L'Apotheose de la Danse - orchestral suite of dance music by Rameau
Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)
03:09 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Piano Sonata no 2 in B flat minor, Op 35
Zheeyoung Moon (piano)
03:32 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Theme with variations from Sextet in B flat major, Op 18
Wiener Streichsextett (sextet)
03:42 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Romance for violin & orchestra Op 26 in G major arr. for violin & choir
Borisas Traubas (violin), Polifonija (Lithuanian State Chamber Choir), Sigitas Vaiciulionis (conductor)
03:51 AM
Judith Weir (1954-)
The Bagpiper's String Trio
Nanos Trio
03:59 AM
William Byrd (1543-1623)
O Lord, how vain, for voice and 4 viols
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Rose Consort of Viols
04:05 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne no 1 in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
04:14 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
On hearing the first cuckoo in spring for orchestra (RT.
6.19)
Symphony Nova Scotia, Georg Tintner (conductor)
04:22 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Rondino in E flat major, WoO 25
Festival Winds
04:31 AM
Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773)
Trio Sonata in E flat major
Atrium Musicium Chamber Ensemble
04:38 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Largo from 5 Klavierstücke, Op 3 no 3
Ludmil Angelov (piano)
04:47 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Kantate no 5 Ad Pectus - Sicut modo geniti
La Cetra Vocalensemble Basel, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Carlos Federico Sepúlveda (conductor)
04:57 AM
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Adagio for Strings, Op 11
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
05:05 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento for 2 flutes and cello in C major, Hob.4.1, 'London trio' no 1
Les Ambassadeurs
05:14 AM
Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
Fantaisie et variations brillantes sur 2 airs favoris connus
Tomaž Rajterič (guitar)
05:29 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Kol Nidrei Op 47
Adam Krzeszowiec (cello), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
05:42 AM
Ludwig Schuncke (1810-1834)
Grande Sonata for piano in G minor (dedicated to Robert Schumann), Op 3
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
06:04 AM
Fela Sowande (1905-1987)
African suite for harp and strings
CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
WED 06:30 Breakfast (m002t01f)
Rise and shine with classical music
John Toal 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’.
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002t01h)
Relax into the day with classical 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 (m002t01k)
Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances from Sheffield
Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making, which includes a spotlight on the relationship between music and spirituality. To begin, Bach's church cantata Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben performed by the Collegium Vocale Ghent, pianist Kit Armstrong performing music which explores the religious culture of Elizabethan England, and the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart performing Dvořák's Othello overture, exploring implicit religious and moral themes. There are also excerpts from a concert by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in which Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross is interspersed with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, juxtaposing Christ’s suffering with human grief and suggesting that art and religion may confer spiritual meaning on life.
Elsewhere in the programme, there is chamber music recorded at the Crucible, Sheffield. Pianists Ivana Gavric and Tim Horton join forces to perform Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
Collegium Vocale Ghent
Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)
Franz Liszt
Introduction, from 'The Legend of St. Elizabeth'
Kit Armstrong (piano)
Antonín Dvořák
Othello, Op. 93, concert overture
SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart
Juraj Valčuha (conductor)
Gustav Mahler
Wenn dein Mütterlein
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar, conductor
Sergei Rachmaninov
Symphonic Dances
Ivana Gavric (piano)
Tim Horton (piano)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross: 5. Sonata 4: Largo
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross 6. Sonata 5: Adagio
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002t01m)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... from Newcastle Cathedral
Live from Newcastle Cathedral for the Wednesday in Holy Week.
Introit: Tribulationem et dolorem (Gesualdo)
Responses: Tomkins
Psalms 70, 88 (Eccles, Smart)
First Lesson: Isaiah 63 vv1-9
Canticles: Merton College Service (Ēriks Ešenvalds)
Second Lesson: Revelation 14 v18-15 v4
Anthem: Stabat Mater (Eia Mater) (Dvořák)
Hymn: When I survey the wondrous cross (Rockingham)
Prayer Anthem: Crucifixus (Lotti)
Voluntary: Passion Symphony (Crucifixion) (Dupré)
Ian Roberts (Director of Music)
Kris Thomsett (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 (m001khbk)
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
New rules
Hildegard becomes a leader and strikes out on her own. With Donald Macleod.
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.
Today, Donald Macleod returns to the story of Hildegard of Bingen with Hildegard’s biographer, Fiona Maddocks. We see Hildegard begin to use her new-found renown to push against some of the strictest rules of her order, eventually resolving to set up her own community of nuns and follow her religious vocation as she sees fit.
Hildegard: Caritas abundant (instrumental)
Barbora Kabátková, medieval harp
Hana Blažiková, medieval harp
Margit Übellacker, dulce melos
Hildegard: Ordo Virtutum (Prologue and Scene 1)
Sequentia, directed by Benjamin Bagby
Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 7
Emanuele Breda, violin
Barbara Mauch-Heinke, violin
Daniela Wartenberg, cello
Toshinori Ozaki, theorbo
Sofya Gandilyan, harpsichord
Hildegard: Ave generosa
Hildegard: Ave Maria O auctrix [instrumental]
Augsburg Early Music Ensemble
Hildegard: Antiphon, O quam mirabilis est
Anonymous 4
Leonarda: Lauda Jerusalem Dominum, Op 10
Nova Ars Cantandi, directed by Giovanni Acciai
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002t01q)
Music by Gershwin and Amy Beach live in the studio
Katie Derham presents live music in the studio from pianist Libby Burgess, cellist Cara Berridge and violinist Sophie Rosa ahead of their performances at the New Paths Music Festival. Also, Katie interviews Jessica Walker and Sholto Biscoe, the co-directors of a new music festival called QueerScore.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002lcq7)
A laid-back sequence of classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music including Debussy’s Reverie, a prelude by Bach and an arrangement of the African-American spiritual, Deep River.
Producer, Kevin Satizabal Carrascal.
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002t01v)
Pictures at an Exhibition
Presented live, from the Royal Festival Hall in London, by Martin Handley.
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Three Screaming Popes
Bela Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1, Sz. 36, BB 48a
-Interval-
Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Alina Ibragimova (violin)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner (conductor)
It's often said that a picture paints a thousand words, and tonight Edward Gardner takes to the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Mussorgsky's fantastical depiction of a hut on hen’s legs flying through a fairytale forest in his Pictures at an Exhibition, while Mark Anthony Turnage's portrayal of three robed priests venting their pain and rage raises the curtain on this evening's concert. Russian-born violinist Alina Ibragimova is the soloist in a work that, composed on the brink of war, remained unperformed and unpublished during Bartók's composer's lifetime - his Violin Concerto no. 1.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m002t01x)
The Lives of Hildegard of Bingen
Episode 3
Hildegard of Bingen — medieval nun turned composer, mystic, political adviser, botanist, philosopher, theologian, medic, scientist, and later, saint.
She decides it’s time to tell her extraordinary story.
Freed from anchorage, Hildegard is now responsible for a community of nuns. Beset by visions, she has a decision to make that will change everything…
Written by Anna Linstrum
Performed by Juliet Stevenson
Produced and directed by Fay Lomas
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Production co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002t01z)
Immersive music for after-hours
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002t021)
Fresh from DREAMSCAPES
Salin has another record from her collection that she would like to spotlight, and tonight it’s by a fellow Thai artist whose music she deeply appreciates.
Also in the programme, there is music from Empirical, Christie Dashiell and a couple of April Fools themed selections as well.
‘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.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
THURSDAY 02 APRIL 2026
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002t023)
Dukas and Saint-Saëns from Zagreb
Organist Pavao Mašić joins the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra and conductor Pascal Rophé in Saint-Saëns' 'Organ' Symphony, plus music by Dukas and a premiere by Krešimir Seletković. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Polyeucte, overture
Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Pascal Rophé (conductor)
12:46 AM
Krešimir Seletković (b.1974)
Dystopia, concerto for orchestra
Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Pascal Rophé (conductor)
01:07 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Symphony no 3 in C minor, Op 78 'Organ'
Pavao Mašić (organ), Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Pascal Rophé (conductor)
01:44 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Havanaise, Op 83, arr. for violin and piano
Vilmos Szabadi (violin), Marta Gulyas (piano)
01:53 AM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Villanelle for horn and piano
Tamás Zempléni (horn), Zóltan Kocsis (piano)
01:59 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Piano Trio No 1 in F major, Op 18
Stefan Lindgren (piano), Ulf Forsberg (violin), Mats Rondin (cello)
02:31 AM
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
Dardanus (orchestral suites)
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
03:08 AM
Franjo von Lucic (1889-1972)
Missa Jubilaris
Ivan Goran Kovacic Academic Chorus, Croatian Army Symphony Wind Orchestra, Unknown (organ), Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
03:37 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne no 1 in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Stéphane Lemelin (piano)
03:44 AM
Andreas Schencker (18th C)
Symphony no 5 in B flat major
Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Horia Andreescu (conductor)
03:53 AM
Carl Ludwig Lithander (1773-1843)
Rondo for flute and keyboard, Op 8
Mikael Helasvuo (flute), Tuija Hakkila (pianoforte)
04:00 AM
Emilio de' Cavalieri (1550-1602)
O che nuovo miracolo - from Intermedii et concertii
Tragicomedia
04:06 AM
Janez Gregorc (1934-2012)
Sans respirer, sans soupir
Slovene Brass Quintet
04:12 AM
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
La Belle Excentrique
Pianoduo Kolacny (piano duo)
04:21 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Overture from Beatrice et Benedict
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
04:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in F major, RV 291
Fabio Biondi (violin), Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
04:40 AM
Albert Roussel (1869-1937)
3 pieces for piano, Op 49
Mats Jansson (piano)
04:49 AM
William Mathias (1934-1992)
A May magnificat for double chorus, Op 79 no 2
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
04:59 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Overture - Nabucco
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Alun Francis (conductor)
05:07 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
12 Variations on "La Folia" (Wq.118/9) (H.263)
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
05:16 AM
Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900)
Poem for violin and piano
Jela Spitkova (violin), Tatiana Franova (piano)
05:19 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Credo from Mass in B minor (BWV 232)
Norwegian Soloists Choir, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Grete Pedersen (conductor)
05:51 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Adagio and Allegro in E flat major (K.Anh.C
17.07) for wind octet
Festival Winds
06:01 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
6 Moments musicaux for piano, D.780
Martin Helmchen (piano)
THU 06:30 Breakfast (m002t097)
Roll out of bed into classical music
John Toal 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’.
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m002t099)
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”.
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002t09c)
Górecki's Symphony No. 3 performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony
Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making which includes a spotlight on the relationship between music and spirituality. As a centre piece, Górecki's Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) is performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Pawel Kapula. It is a meditative, slow-paced exploration of profound suffering, motherhood, and divine solace. Before that are excerpts from a concert by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in which Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross is interspersed with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, juxtaposing Christ’s suffering with human grief and suggesting that art and religion may confer spiritual meaning on life. Margaret Bonds's Spiritual suite for piano: 3rd mvt; Troubled Water and Poulenc's Organ Concerto are also part of the programme.
Elsewhere, there is chamber music recorded at the Crucible, Sheffield. Cellist Li-Wei Qin and pianist Jeremy Young join forces to play Beethoven's Sonata in D Op.102 No. 2, and pianists Ivana Gavric and Tim Horton perform Ravel's La valse.
From Sheffield ‘Music In The Round’:
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata for cello and piano in D major, Op. 102 No. 2
Li-Wei Qin (cello)
Jeremy Young (piano)
Gustav Mahler
Kindertotenlieder -
‘In diesem Wetter’
Johan Reuter (bass-baritone)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
Joseph Haydn
Seven Last Words on the Cross - 7. Sonata 6: Lento
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Hossein Pishkar (conductor)
From Sheffield ‘Music In The Round’:
Maurice Ravel
La valse
Ivana Gavric (piano)
Tim Horton (piano)
Henryk Górecki
Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Pawel Kapula (conductor)
Margaret Bonds
Spiritual suite for piano: iii. Troubled water
Samantha Ege (piano)
From Sheffield ‘Music In The Round’:
Dongqing Fang
Lin Chong
Li-Wei Qin (cello)
Jeremy Young (piano)
Francis Poulenc
Organ Concerto
Antonio García (organ)
Bern Chamber Orchestra
Philippe Bach (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 (m001khd9)
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
Beyond the Cloister
Donald Macleod examines how Leonarda’s music gained a wider audience beyond the walls of her convent.
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.
Today, Donald Macleod is joined by early music expert Candace Smith. They investigate how Leonarda’s music reached beyond the walls of her convent, where she remained ‘enclosed’ for the whole of her life, to play a significant role in the cultural life of her home city, Novara.
Hildegard: O pastor animarum
Elizabeth Glen, soprano
Leonarda: Ave Regina Coelorum, Op 10
Cappella Artemisia, directed by Candace Smith
Leonarda: Purpurei Flores, Op 20
Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 1
Myriam Leblanc, soprano
Ensemble La Cigale, directed by Madeleine Owen
Leonarda: Magnificat Op 19
Gruppo vocale musica Laudantes
Cappella Strumentale del Duomo di Novara, directed by Paolo Monticelli
Hildegard: O speculum columbe
Lydia Brotherton, soprano
Norbert Rodenkirchen, flute
Leonarda: Sonata Op 16, No 12
Rachel Podger, violin
Marcin Świątkiewicz, organ
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002t09g)
Live music from a newly announced New Generation Artist
Katie Derham is joined live in studio for a performance by a newly announced New Generation Artist.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002t09j)
30 minutes of classical inspiration
Tonight's Classical Mixtape starts in the clouds with Debussy's Nuages from his Nocturnes for orchestra. Ravel drifts us towards Mendelssohn's Andante in E major for string quartet through his thoughtful Prelude in A minor for piano. We drift with Eric Coates By the Sleepy Lagoon before moving into the quiet reflection of Evelyn Glennie's piece for percussion - A Little Prayer. And tonight's Classical Mixtape finishes with the spellbinding Mystery (Rosary) Sonata No. 1 in D minor, The Annunciation, for violin and continuo.
Producer: Zara Siddiqi
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002t09l)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Seven Last Words from the Cross
Tenebrae joins the Britten Sinfonia for James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross.
Recorded on the 28th March at St Martin-in-the-Fields, presented by Ian Skelly.
Edmund Finnis: Hymn (After Byrd)
Allegri: Miserere
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Victoria: Responsories (selection)
Interval
James MacMillan: Seven Last Words from the Cross
Tenebrae
Britten Sinfonia
Nigel Short (conductor)
Barber’s Adagio and Allegri’s Miserere prepare the way for James MacMillan’s great Passion meditation in this emotionally charged evening from Tenebrae and Britten Sinfonia.
First heard in 1994, and recorded by Britten Sinfonia subsequently on Hyperion, MacMillan’s intense and emotionally-direct Passiontide setting has deservedly become a modern classic. It is performed here alongside a sequence of musical meditations from Nigel Short, Britten Sinfonia and Tenebrae - the virtuoso British chamber choir whose singing was described by one critic as “a kind of musical miracle”.
THU 21:45 The Essay (m002t09n)
The Lives of Hildegard of Bingen
Episode 4
Hildegard of Bingen — medieval nun turned composer, mystic, political adviser, botanist, philosopher, theologian, medic, scientist, and later, saint.
She decides it’s time to tell her extraordinary story.
The Pope has given Hildegard permission to write down her visions; her friends Richardis and Volmar offer crucial support. Now, she must found her own monastery – but her independence comes with a great loss.
Written by Anna Linstrum
Performed by Juliet Stevenson
Produced and directed by Fay Lomas
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Production co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002t09q)
Reflective music for the day’s end
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002t09s)
A spiritual jazz joint from Jasmine Myra
‘Round Midnight is presented by award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch. This weekday late-night show celebrates the thriving UK jazz scene and spotlights the best new music alongside incredible acts from past decades.
Tonight drummer and producer Salin has one more favourite jazz record to share with us for 4/4. Tonight, she chooses a UK band who were known for their driving percussion and fiery sound.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
FRIDAY 03 APRIL 2026
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002t09v)
Passion Concert from Copenhagen
National Vocal Ensemble and conductor Marcus Creed perform music for Passiontide. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
Anna Ignatowicz-Glińska (b.1968)
Stabat mater
Anna Bæk Christensen (soprano), Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
12:35 AM
Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003)
Quattro Motetti per la Passione
Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
12:51 AM
Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722)
Tristis est anima mea
Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
12:56 AM
Antonio Lotti (1667-1740)
Crucifixus a 8
Kjeld Steffensen (cello), Lars Baunkilde (violone), Søren Christian Vestergaard (organ), Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
01:00 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Stabat Mater
Kjeld Steffensen (cello), Lars Baunkilde (violone), Søren Christian Vestergaard (organ), Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
01:29 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), Nikolai Frederik Severin Gruntvig (lyricist)
Påskeblomst! hvad vil du her?
Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed (conductor)
01:32 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sinfonia in G major
András Keller (violin), Concerto Köln
01:35 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Toccata per cembalo d'ottava stesa in D minor
Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord)
01:55 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), arr. Mauricio Sotelo
Sonata in F, K. 107
Chen Halevi (clarinet), Daniel Borovitzky (piano), Gringolts Quartet
02:00 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite for solo cello no 1 in G major (BWV 1007)
Guy Fouquet (cello)
02:20 AM
Antonio Lotti (1667-1740)
Sonata for 2 oboes, bassoon and continuo in F major, 'Echo sonata'
Ensemble Zefiro, Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord)
02:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op 60
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
03:05 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Quintet in A major 'The Trout', Op 114 (D.667)
John Harding (violin), Ferdinand Erblich (viola), Stefan Metz (cello), Henk Guldemond (double bass), Menahem Pressler (piano)
03:40 AM
Imants Zemzaris (b.1951)
The Light springs
Juris Gailitis (flute), Indulis Suna (violin)
03:46 AM
Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909)
Notturno, Op 70 no 1
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Nello Santi (conductor)
03:54 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849), arr. Franz Liszt
Meine Freuden
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
03:58 AM
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960)
Pierrette fatyla - keringo
Central Woodwind Orchestra of the Hungarian Army, Frigyes Hidas (conductor)
04:05 AM
Balthasar Fritsch (1570-1608)
Paduan and 2 Galliards (from Primitiae musicales, Frankfurt/Main 1606)
Hortus Musicus, Andres Mustonen (director)
04:13 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
3 Pieces from Slatter (Norwegian Peasant Dances), Op 72
Håvard Gimse (piano)
04:22 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso 'Miroirs'
BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:31 AM
Nicolaos Mantzaros (1795-1872)
Sinfonia di genere Orientale in A minor
National Symphony Orchestra of Greek Radio, Andreas Pylarinos (conductor)
04:40 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), arr. Ferruccio Busoni
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV.565
Valerie Tryon (piano)
04:49 AM
Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665-1734)
Litaniae de Providentia Divina
Aldona Bartnik (soprano), Agnieszka Ryman (soprano), Matthew Venner (counter tenor), Maciej Gocman (tenor), Tomáš Král (bass), Jaromír Nosek (bass), Period Instruments Ensemble, Andrzej Kosendiak (director)
04:59 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), arr. Mischa Maisky
Excerpts from Dichterliebe, Op 48
Mischa Maisky (cello), Lily Maisky (piano)
05:07 AM
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, viola & basso continuo in G major, Op 11 no 2
Les Adieux
05:15 AM
Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832)
Trylleharpen (The Magic Harp), Op 27
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Roman Zeilinger (conductor)
05:27 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Serenade for tenor, horn and string orchestra, Op 31
Benjamin Butterfield (tenor), James Sommerville (horn), Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Simon Streatfield (conductor)
05:51 AM
Barrière, Jean (1705-1747)
Sonata No 10 in G major for 2 cellos
Duo Fouquet (duo)
06:01 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 'Italian'
Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Breakfast (m002t0h6)
Boost your morning with classical music
John Toal 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’.
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002t0h8)
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”.
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002t0hb)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Bach’s St Matthew Passion at King’s College, Cambridge
Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making, which includes a spotlight on the relationship between music and spirituality. Today, the BBC Singers join the Choir of King's College Cambridge, Academy of Ancient Music and a roster of world-class soloists for a performance on Good Friday of Bach’s St Matthew Passion recorded this week in Cambridge.
Johann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion
Robert Murray (Evangelist)
Matthew Brook (Christus)
Sophie Bevan (Soprano)
Bethany Horak-Hallett (Mezzo-soprano)
Gwilym Bowen (Tenor)
Neal Davies (Bass)
BBC Singers
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Academy of Ancient Music
Daniel Hyde (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 (m001khcd)
Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda
Transcendent voices
Hildegard’s secretaries prepare to preserve the story of her life. With Donald Macleod.
As Christians around the world prepare for Easter, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of two nuns who were also composers. Though Hildegard of Bingen and Isabella Leonarda lived five centuries apart, their stories and music are connected by their shared faith and their shared vocations. Both lived cloistered lives, shut away in convents and cut off from the everyday concerns of the societies in which they lived. Yet they also enjoyed a profoundly rich and human connection with the world and with their God, revealed in the music and poetry they created and sent into the world.
In the final programme, Donald Macleod recounts the final chapter in Hildegard’s story. Also, he brings together both of this week’s guest experts, Fiona Maddocks and Candace Smith, to discover common themes in the stories of these two holy women and to examine why their music continues to speak to us today.
Hildegard O Ecclesia (instrumental version)
Ensemble Galilei
Leonarda: Ave suavis dilectio, Op 6 No 5
Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano
Concerto Soave
Jean-Marc Aymes, harpsichord/organ and direction;
Hildegard: O rubor sanguinis
Catherine Sergent, soprano
Hildegard: Instrumentalstück
Sequentia, directed by Barbara Thornton
Hildegard: Favus distillans Ursula virgo
Discantus, directed by Brigitte Lesne
Leonarda: Sonata, Op 16 No 4
Cappella Strumentale del Duomo di Novara
Hildegard: O Ecclesia
Grace Davidson, soprano
Leonora: O dulce sonare, Op.7
Cappella Artemisia, directed by Candace Smith
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002t0hf)
Live music from Olivia Warburton and Samrat Majumder
Kate Derham is joined for live music in studio by soprano Olivia Warburton and guitarist Samrat Majumder ahead of their performance at the Big House Arts Festival in Lincoln. Also, Gillian Moore talks about Key Changes: Radio 3's Essential History of Classical Music.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002t0hj)
Switch up your listening with classical music
Good Friday reflection is woven into half an hour of back to back classical music to help you move gently into the Bank Holiday weekend. The sequence opens with a heart-wrenching setting of "Drop slow tears" by a 15-year-old William Walton, and a melancholy "Song for the lonely" by William Grant Still. Max Richter's score for the film Hamnet has won much praise, and the extract "Look at me" it sits alongside some reassuringly familiar and uplifting Bach, followed by a prelude based on a Welsh hymn tune by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Gavin Bryars' touching orchestral treatment of a recording made of a homeless person singing about his trust in Jesus was made famous by the singer Tom Waits, and sits movingly in between a poignant study of Christ's hands by Buxtehude, and Ola Gjeilo's depiction of Winter Light, performed by the saxophonist and Radio 3 presenter Jess Gillam. The mix comes to a close with a Medieval Italian song by St Lorenzo Giustiniani, performed by Joglaresa and Belinda Sykes, praising the loving devotion of Mary Magdalene, who was tasked with telling the other disciples that Jesus had risen from the tomb.
Producer: Helen Garrison
FRI 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002t0hn)
Easter: A Seasonal Journey... Easter at King's
David Hill conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Bach Choir, live from the Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, in music for Good Friday by Wagner and Poulenc. The main work is Duruflé's 1947 Requiem, which draws on Gregorian plainchant, something he was very familiar with after his early musical training at the cathedral in Rouen.
Presented by Ian Skelly.
Wagner: Good Friday Music from Parsifal
Poulenc: Four Lenten Motets
Duruflé: Requiem
Katherine Gregory (mezzo-soprano)
Gareth Brynmor John (baritone)
The Bach Choir
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor David Hill
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m002t0hs)
The Lives of Hildegard of Bingen
Episode 5
Hildegard of Bingen — medieval nun turned composer, mystic, political adviser, botanist, philosopher, theologian, medic, scientist, and later, saint.
Hildegard has been watching her bones exhumed by inquisitive Victorians. She’s been moved several times since death: stolen, saved, hidden. Denied peace in life and death.
She has decided to set the record straight, and tells the last stage of her extraordinary story.
Now in her 80s, there is one final loss and one final fight in store for Hildegard.
Written by Anna Linstrum
Performed by Juliet Stevenson
Produced and directed by Fay Lomas
Sound design by Nigel Lewis
Production co-ordinator: Eleri McAuliffe
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002t0hx)
Water worlds and ancestral wisdom
Verity Sharp presents adventurous music from around the globe, including a new release from free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements, whose sound addresses “futures full of possibility, the present with all its uncertainties, and [...] wellsprings of ancestral wisdom”. Also, Verity dives into watery kingdoms with the help of coastal dwellers Félicia Atkinson and Christina Vantzou, who offer a musical ode to their collective muse, the sea, which, for them, is “a person, per se; an energy, a mystery, a complex character we face everyday..."; and with Annea Lockwood via her seminal work, World Rhythms, which foregrounds the music of trickles, torrents and splashes.
Produced by Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002t0j0)
Session highlights from Emma Rawicz
‘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.
This Friday night, Soweto presents live highlights from rising saxophonist Emma Rawicz, taken from two sessions at BBC Maida Vale with Emma’s quintet and quartet respectively. The sessions were recorded as part of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Scheme, which supports emerging artists to reach the next stages of their career. Emma is part of the scheme’s 2024-2026 cohort, following in the footsteps of jazz musicians who have been previously selected, including Laura Jurd, Fergus McCreadie, and Shabaka.
As well as winning “Best Newcomer” at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and being a finalist for BBC Young Jazz Musician in 2022, she has already released four studio albums. Her latest record titled “INKYRA” arriving at the end of last year.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".