SATURDAY 30 MAY 2026
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002wl7b)
Bernardo Pasquini's oratorio Santa Agnese
Pasquini’s oratorio of 1677 recounts the martyrdom of a young Roman girl, Saint Agnes, the patron saint of chastity. Performed at the Radovljica Festival in Slovenia. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710)
Santa Agnese, oratorio
Nikolina Hrkač (soprano), Stefanie True (soprano), Terry Wey (counter tenor), Jacob Lawrence (tenor), Sergio Foresti (bass), Radovljica Festival baroque orchestra, Domen Marinčič (harpsichord), Domen Marinčič (director)
02:11 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
3 Keyboard Sonatas (Kk.443; Kk.208; Kk.29)
Claire Huangci (piano)
02:22 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), Timothy Kain (arr.)
Sonata in D major, K.430 (arr. for guitar quartet)
Guitar Trek
02:25 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Canzon seconda à 4, due Canti a due Bassi
Musica Fiata Köln, Roland Wilson (director)
02:31 AM
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116
Swiss National Youth Orchestra, Kai Bumann (conductor)
03:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Heinrich Heine (author)
Liederkreis, Op 24
Jan Van Elsacker (tenor), Claire Chevallier (fortepiano)
03:29 AM
Nicola Matteis (c. 1650-after 1713)
L'Amore (Love)
Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin), Linda Kent (chamber organ)
03:33 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Nina Cole (transc.)
Prelude à la Damoiselle elue
Roger Cole (oboe), Linda Lee Thomas (piano)
03:38 AM
Mirko Krajči (b.1968)
Four Dances from the ballet 'Don Juan' (2007)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mirko Krajči (conductor)
03:45 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Fantasia for piano in C minor, K.475
Juho Pohjonen (piano)
03:58 AM
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783)
Organ Concerto in D major
Wolfgang Brunner (organ), Salzburger Hofmusik, Wolfgang Brunner (director)
04:09 AM
Anonymous
Laudate Dominum
Dialogos, Sequentia, Katarina Livljanic (director), Benjamin Bagby (director)
04:14 AM
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Dreaming (4 Sketches, Op 15 no 3)
Sterling Elliott (cello), Richard Uttley (piano)
04:19 AM
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Overture to Prince Igor
BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
04:31 AM
Jacopo Da Bologna (c.1340-1386)
Aquila altera
Millenarium
04:38 AM
Karol Pahor (1896-1974)
Oce náš hlapca jerneja (The Bailiff Yerney's Prayer)
Chamber Choir AVE, Andraž Hauptman (conductor)
04:44 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), Miloš Starosta (harpsichord)
04:54 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Scherzo no 4 in E minor, Op 54
Simon Trpčeski (piano)
05:05 AM
Stefan Bolesław Poradowski (1902-1967)
Double Bass Concerto, Op 26
Jurek Dybal (double bass), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ruben Silva (conductor)
05:24 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sposa son disprezzata, from 'Il Tamerlano (Il Bajazet), RV.703'
Julie Fuchs (soprano), La Scintilla Orchestra, Anna Gebert (conductor)
05:35 AM
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909), Enrique Arbós (orchestrator)
Iberia
West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
06:05 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar, Op 70
Sean Shibe (guitar)
06:23 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Lied (Lenau): Larghetto; Wanderlied: Presto Op 8 nos 3 & 4
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
SAT 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002wvyq)
Kickstart your day with the best 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 (m002wvys)
Virtuosic folk & roots from Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi
Tom Service introduces the best classical music and the latest stories from the arts world.
Multi-instrumentalists Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi bring their folk and roots virtuosity to the Saturday Morning studio with a live session. Writer, broadcaster and cultural historian Flora Willson talks to Tom about her new book 'Operatic Infrastructures', and the Associate Director of the Royal Opera, Netia Jones, is this week's Creator. She tells Tom about her work in bringing together the ancient art form of opera with the most cutting edge technology.
With a playlist of the best classical music in new and landmark recordings - some introduced by the artists themselves - this is the place to spend your Saturday Morning.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning on Radio 3”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002wvyv)
Jools chats to Martin Freeman
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.
Today, Jools's choices include music by Rameau, Schumann and Shaw, with performances by Pekka Kuusisto, Annie Fischer and Yo Yo Ma. His guest is the celebrated actor and music lover Martin Freeman, who introduces music he loves by Holst, Vaughan Williams and Donny Hathaway.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Earlier with Jools Holland".
SAT 13:00 Key Changes: Radio 3's Essential History of Classical Music (m002wvyx)
1564: The Queen’s Gambit
1564. England. Elizabeth I uses music as a powerful tool of statecraft. A skilled musician herself, she exploits music’s intimacy in her diplomatic relations and its potential for grandeur and symbolism to project authority. She also uses music in her attempt to regulate religious tension, balancing Protestant reform with the rich musical traditions of the Catholic church, sustaining composers like Tallis and Byrd. And music also helps in her construction of her image as the Virgin Queen.
Gillian Moore is joined by a roster of distinguished historians for this major new BBC Radio 3 series, charting a course through 1000 years of classical music history. For the next eight programmes, historian Suzannah Lipscomb is in the chair, as together they travel from the late sixteenth to the early eighteenth century.
Anon: My Lady Carey’s Dompe
Trevor Pinnock, virginals
Tallis: Spem in alium
I Fagiolini, directed by Robert Hollingworth
Anon (arr. Praetorius): La Volta
Bellot Ensemble
Britten: Symphonic Suite from Gloriana, III. The Courtly Dances
BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Edward Gardner
Robert Parsons: First Great Service, Nunc dimittis
Voces Cantabiles, directed by Barnaby Smith
Byrd : O Lord, Make Thy Servant Elizabeth
BBC Singers, conducted by Owain Park
Byrd: Civitas Sancti Tui
The Sixteen, directed by Harry Christophers
Weelkes: As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending
Cambridge Singers, directed by John Rutter
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
Producer: Chris Taylor
Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford
Story Consultant: Kate Leys
Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding
Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan.
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002wvyz)
Schubert's String Quartet No. 15 in Building a Library with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best of the week's new classical releases.
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2.10pm
The music writer, novelist, and opera librettist Jessica Duchen joins Andrew to review the latest new releases that have caught her ear.
3pm
Building a Library. Jeremy Sams surveys recordings of Schubert's String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887 and makes a top recommendation.
Published posthumously in 1851, Schubert's String Quartet No. 15 - his final work in the genre - was staggering in scale. In duration it eclipsed all preceding quartets, including Beethoven's ambitious String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130, which some argue whet the composer's creative appetite to stretch conventional architecture of the form further still. Others question whether its vastness belies claims that it was penned in only ten days in June 1826 and may have gestated instead out of a grand symphonic project he'd first contemplated in 1824. What is certain, however, is the skill with which the composer inventively deployed the full expressive possibilities of his musical language over the course of the work's four contrasting movements.
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3.50pm
Record of the Week. Andrew's top pick of this week's new releases.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002wvz1)
Edith is joined by Simon Franglen and Julian Lloyd Webber
Edith Bowman presents a weekly selection of outstanding film scores and cinematic music. This edition features composer Simon Franglen, known for Avatar: The Way of Water and Fire and Ash, who's exploring the music of Vangelis in Harmonising Hollywood, while cellist Julian Lloyd Webber shares his Pick of the Flicks- celebrating the 30th anniversary of a remarkable score by James Horner.
Also, enjoy our blend of newly released soundtracks alongside timeless classics.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002wvz3)
Jess Gillam with... Beibei Wang
Jess Gillam swaps music choices with percussionist and composer Beibei Wang.
Beibei shares music by Tan Dun, Rautavaara, and introduces Jess to traditional Peking Opera. Jess's choices include an Aria from Purcell's 'semi-opera' King Arthur, and the distinctively laid back sound of South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim.
Beibei talks to Jess about making instruments out of vegetables, playing water, and straddling the worlds of Traditional Chinese and Western Classical music.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”.
SAT 18:00 Opera on 3 (m002wvz5)
Gabriela Lena Frank's El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
Live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego — the first opera by 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner Gabriela Lena Frank — with a Spanish‑language libretto by Pulitzer Prize‑winning playwright Nilo Cruz.
Fashioned as a reversal of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego is set during Mexico’s Day of the Dead. It imagines Frida Kahlo returning from the underworld for a final, dreamlike reunion with Diego Rivera as his life draws to a close. The famously feuding pair relive their volatile love, embracing both passion and pain before bidding the land of the living a final farewell.
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production, choreographed and directed by Deborah Colker, draws visual and emotional inspiration from Kahlo and Rivera’s paintings, weaving image, movement and sound with Gabriela Lena Frank’s vibrant, colour‑saturated score. Yannick Nézet‑Séguin conducts the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra.
Presented live from the Met by Debra Lew Harder and Ira Siff.
Frida Kahlo ….. Isabel Leonard (mezzo‑soprano)
Diego Rivera ….. Carlos Álvarez (baritone)
Catrina ….. Gabriella Reyes (soprano)
Leonardo ….. Nils Wanderer (countertenor)
First Frida Image ….. Kresley Figueroa (soprano)
Second Frida Image ..... Mary Beth Nelson Zaros (mezzo‑soprano)
Third Frida Image .... Cecelia McKinley (contralto)
First Villager ….. Paul Corona (bass)
Second Villager / Young Man ….. Angel Raii Gomez (tenor)
Third Villager ….. Scott Conner (bass)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera
Yannick Nézet‑Séguin (conductor)
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002wvz7)
Colombian marimba live with Nidia Góngora
Kathryn Tickell shares an excerpt of a recent live performance of Colombian singer-songwriter Nidia Góngora recorded at Barbican as part of La Linea, London’s Latin Music Festival. Nidia is known for being the lead singer of Canalón de Timbiquí, a traditional group heading from the Pacific coast of Colombia; in 2025 she released her latest solo album Pacífico Maravilla.
Elsewhere in the show, Kathryn plays the new single from Estonian band Runö, a track from a vocal sextet from Slovakia called Neha!, and Mauritanian pop by Yassine Nana.
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 (m002wvz9)
Elaine Mitchener's Solo Throat Remixed
Kate Molleson presents an electric performance by the powerhouse vocalist Elaine Mitchener performing material from her recent album Solo Throat, in collaboration with improvisers Shamica Ruddock and Pat Thomas. Plus music by Francisco Coll and Elzbieta Sikora, and a round-up of some of the latest new releases.
SUNDAY 31 MAY 2026
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002wvzc)
Missy Mazzoli, Timo Andres and Beethoven
The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Pekka Kuusisto perform Mazzoli's Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres). Jonathan Biss joins the ensemble in Beethoven's youthful second piano concerto and The Blind Banister, a piece written by Timo Andres for Biss to be performed as a companion to a piece of Beethoven. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Missy Mazzoli (b.1980)
Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Kuusisto (conductor)
12:41 AM
Timo Andres (b.1985)
The Blind Banister
Jonathan Biss (piano), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Kuusisto (conductor)
01:02 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto no 2 in B flat, Op 19
Jonathan Biss (piano), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pekka Kuusisto (conductor)
01:32 AM
Nils Lindberg (1933-2022)
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Yggdrasil String Quartet, Fredrik Paulsson (violin), Per Ohman (violin), Robert Westlund (viola), Per Nyström (cello)
01:35 AM
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Iz Petraski , Op 59 no 3 (Petrach)
Peter Mattei (baritone), Stefan Lindgren (piano)
01:38 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Pohjola's daughter - symphonic fantasia, Op 49
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Berglund (conductor)
01:52 AM
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
In the Beginning
Katarina Böhm (mezzo soprano), Swedish Radio Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor)
02:11 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Ballade no 3 in A flat major, Op 47
Teresa Carreño (piano)
02:19 AM
Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986)
String Quartet no 3, Op 65
Uppsala Kammar Solister, Peter Olofsson (violin), Patrik Swedrup (violin), Åsa Karlsson (viola), Lars Frykholm (cello)
02:31 AM
Antonio Rosetti (c.1750-1792)
Horn Concerto in D minor, C 38
Radek Baborák (french horn), Prague Chamber Orchestra, Antonín Hradil (conductor)
02:52 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Missa Osculetur me
Royal Academy of Music Chamber Choir, Royal Academy of Music Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, Patrick Russill (conductor)
03:16 AM
Granville Bantock (1868-1946)
Celtic symphony
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
03:37 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Variations for flute and piano in E minor, D.802
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Bruno Robilliard (piano)
03:51 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony no 1 in D major, Op 25, 'Classical'
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Karel Ancerl (conductor)
04:05 AM
Judith Weir (b.1954)
String quartet
Silesian Quartet
04:17 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Norwegian Dance no 1 for piano duet, Op 35
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Håvard Gimse (piano)
04:24 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
'L'Eraclito amoroso' for Soprano and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Susanne Ryden (soprano), Rebeka Rusó (viola da gamba), Rafael Bonavita (theorbo), Daniela Dolci (harpsichord), Daniela Dolci (director)
04:31 AM
Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
In memoriam - overture in C major
BBC Philharmonic, Richard Hickox (conductor)
04:43 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), Eduard Lassen (librettist)
Löse Himmel, meine seele, S.494
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
04:49 AM
Thomas Morley (1557/58-1602),Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Burial Sentences // They are at rest
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (director)
05:02 AM
Charles Avison (1709-1770)
Concerto Grosso no 2 in G major for strings and continuo
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (director)
05:16 AM
Ester Mägi (1922-2021)
Bucolic
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Arvo Volmer (conductor)
05:25 AM
Marianne Martines or Marianne von Martinez (1744-1812)
Two arias from 'Sant’Elena al Calvario'
Ilona Domnich (soprano), BBC Concert Orchestra, Jane Glover (conductor)
05:40 AM
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
The Sea - suite for orchestra
BBC Philharmonic, Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor)
06:02 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Piano Trio in G minor, Op 17
Erika Radermacher (piano), Eva Zurbrugg (violin), Angela Schwartz (cello)
SUN 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002ww3r)
Ease into the day with classical music
Mark Forrest 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’.
SUN 09:00 Sunday Morning (m002ww3w)
Three hours of classical sparkle
Sarah Walker with three hours of classical music to reflect, restore and refresh.
We're in the middle of the Wigmore Hall's 125th anniversary celebrations on BBC Radio 3, so in today's Sunday Sequence, Sarah will be showcasing recordings by some of the great performers appearing at the festival.
For this week's Choral Reflection, Sarah features the famous and much-loved setting of the Ave Maria by 16th-century English composer Robert Parsons; and there's the chance to indulge in the meaty first movement of Brahms's Violin Concerto, from the acclaimed 1991 recording by violinist Nigel Kennedy with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Klaus Tennstedt.
Plus, Antonio Vivaldi reimagined by Max Richter; and John Rutter - or is it George Gershwin?
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002ww3y)
Simon Barnes, journalist
The writer Simon Barnes has two very public passions - sport and the natural world. He wrote about both for The Times for 30 years, covering seven Olympic Games and six World Cup finals, while also delivering columns on short-eared owls, mountain hares and “the organ-pipe contact call of lions."
His books include reflections on the meaning and the soul of sport, and numerous titles about birds, including the best-selling How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher, in which he says: ‘Birdwatching is a state of being, not an activity. It is not a matter of organic trainspotting. It is about life and it is about living.’ This way of seeing also informs his most recent book How to Fly – which examines not only birds, but butterflies, bees, bats and the deep human fascination with flight.
Simon's musical choices include Beethoven, Scarlatti, Monteverdi and Messiaen.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002cp08)
A journey to Chaminade's Callirhoë Suite
Sara Mohr-Pietsch is our guide on a musical journey towards the ballet suite Callirhoë by the French composer Cécile Chaminade. Though she was celebrated internationally n her time - one of her pieces was chosen o be played at Queen Victoria's funeral - her music has been neglected since. Pointing the way, we hear French dance music from the court at Versailles to the Folies Bergère; pieces by Chaminade's contemporaries Erik Satie and Claude Debussy; and Venus-inspired music from Gustav Holst and Miles Davis.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: "Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map."
SUN 15:00 Music Matters (m002ww40)
Mark Radcliffe's Nature Ramblings
Birds
In the first of a series of three programmes inspired by the natural world, Mark Radcliffe features musical works inspired by birds. Beginning with the Prelude from Respighi's The Birds, Mark's choices include Saint-Saëns's classic The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals, Elgar's quirky piece Owls and Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus. He'll also bring us contemporary recordings, including Miranda Rutter, Sam Lee and The Unthanks.
Presenter: Mark Radcliffe
Producers: Elizabeth Foster & Ben Collingwood
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002ww43)
Jazz For All: Brubeck , Fitzgerald, Davis & more.
Alyn Shipton presents jazz music of all styles as requested by you including Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Mildred Bailey, Abdullah Ibrahim and more.
Join our community of jazz lovers. Alyn Shipton is waiting for your requests: email 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 (m002ww45)
Thomas Weelkes
Marking the 450th anniversary of the birth of the composer and organist Thomas Weelkes, Hannah French explores his music and his colourful life, which took him from his native Sussex to London, Winchester and Chichester, where he was frequently reported to the bishop for his drunken behaviour. Despite this, Weelkes's music survives the test of time, and his madrigals, organ pieces, viol consort music and choral works remain favourites in the repertoire today.
SUN 18:00 Choral Evensong (m002wgb6)
St Davids Cathedral
Live from St Davids Cathedral.
Introit: O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit (Tallis)
Responses: Tomkins
Psalms 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 (Garrett, Howells, Goss, Elvey, Turle - Purcell, Kelway)
First Lesson: 2 Chronicles 18 v 28 – 19 v 11
Canticles: Fifth Service (Tomkins)
Second Lesson: Romans 2 vv1-16
Anthem: God, who as at this time (Tomkins)
Hymn: Come down, O love divine (Down Ampney)
Voluntary: Pavan and Alman in 4 parts (Tomkins)
Fretwork
Simon Pearce (Organist & Master of the Choristers)
Laurence John (Assistant Director of Music)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 19:00 Sunday Feature (m002ww47)
The Messy Guide to AI
Having well-and-truly arrived into the public consciousness, AI is already making a deep impact on our lives and our imagined futures. What are its implications for music makers? And what might it mean for how we listen to and think about this most treasured of human activities? Composer Jennifer Walshe explores the knotty questions of authenticity, creativity and morality that characterise our current moment.
At the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Walshe visits IRCAM - an iconic French institution which has been dedicated to research into acoustics and music since its founding in 1977 - to discover how its current crop of practitioners are developing open source generative technologies for music-making. And, with California-based performer-composer Laetitia Sonami, she discusses the sonic possibilities machine learning offers for artists interested in creating their own data sets to train their own models. It seems that small might be beautiful. But as for the phenomenon of large-scale generative AI platforms: what might be missing from the tracks they produce? And what are the consequences - social, ecological, phenomenological - of making music in this way?
And while we’re at it: what exactly is this thing we call AI, anyhow? A passing craze? A marketing term? An inevitable future? The end of days? Seeking perspectives from legal scholars, computer scientists, indigenous artists and professors of anthropology, The Messy Guide to AI understands that there are no easy answers and suspects that we might be singing from different hymn sheets.
Produced by Phil Smith
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
SUN 19:45 Words and Music (m002ww49)
Marilyn Monroe centenary: What is beauty?
Marilyn Monroe was born June 1 1926. Inspired by the movie star, Words and Music explores the question, What is Beauty?
Answers come in words from the Greek poet Sappho, Monroe's biographer Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates, who wrote a novel inspired by Marilyn - Blonde. We will also hear about more everyday beauty from the writers James Baldwin and E Annie Proulx. And we will hear words in praise of the beauty of music from Pablo Casals and Haruki Murakami, Jane Austen in praise of poetry and Zadie Smith on art. And, of course, there will be music in all its glories, from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty to Kara Karayev’s Most Beautiful of All Beauties to Judith Weir's Still, Glowing.
The readers are Ralf Little and Susannah Fielding.
READINGS:
She Walks in Beauty (extract) - Lord Byron
Lament for Art O’Leary (extract) - Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill
The Planter's Daughter - Austin Clarke
Fragment 16 - Sappho translated by Anne Carson
My Week With Marilyn - Colin Clark
Marilyn Monroe, a life in 100 takes - Andrew Wilson
The Leopard - Giuseppe di Lampedusa
Persephone - Stevie Smith
Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin
The Lowlands - Jhumpa Lahiri
Marilyn Monroe in Mexico - FBI redacted files
Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates
Joy and Sorrow - Pablo Casals
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway
Grace Jones - Irenosen Okojie
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
I said to beauty - Edna St Vincent Millay
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
In an Artist's Studio - Christina Rosetti
Marilyn: An Autobiography - Normal Mailer
On Beauty – Zadie Smith
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
The Shipping News - E Annie Proulx
Producer in Salford: Olive Clancy
The BFI Southbank has a major two-month season of films this summer, Marilyn Monroe: Self Made Star, celebrating the centenary of the birth of cinema’s most enduring film star. And the National Portrait Gallery will present an exhibition, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, looking at how she inspired photographers and artists.
SUN 21:00 Ultimate Calm (m002lm3c)
Erland Cooper: Series 5
Songs of solitude ft. Mary Lattimore
Join Scottish composer Erland Cooper in the stillness of islands with a selection of music inspired by solitude. He shares beautifully solitary music from the likes of Alicia Jane Turner, Devendra Banhart and Trio Ramberget, reflecting on the power that comes from removing oneself and reconnecting with exactly what makes us human.
Plus the LA-based harpist and composer Mary Lattimore shares her musical safe haven, a song reminiscent of sun-soaked coffee mornings and finding peace with being alone.
Produced by Connor Gani
A Reduced Listening production
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m002ww4c)
Meditative music for late night solace
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002ww4f)
A deeper listen
Elizabeth Alker shares a selection of music from genre-defying artists whose work drawns on and reinvents classical tradition. This week we’ll hear part of a reimagined 1930’s silent film score from Haiku Salut and Meg Morley, new shimmering sounds from American composer Tyondai Braxton, and recordings from an allotment in Nottingham courtesy of Ben McElroy.
Plus we dive into the new work of Yorkshire-based sound artist Jez Riley French, who shares some insights into his approach to recording and the listening experience.
Produced by Kit Callin
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
MONDAY 01 JUNE 2026
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002ww4h)
Jörg Widmann's Babylon Suite and Schumann's Second Symphony
A concert from Cologne by the WDR Symphony Orchestra featuring the "Babylon Suite" conducted by the composer. Robert Schumann's Second Symphony follows, a work in which fiery verve merges with whispering elegance. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Jörg Widmann (b.1973)
Babylon Suite
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Jörg Widmann (conductor)
01:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony no 2 in C major, Op 61
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Jörg Widmann (conductor)
01:47 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Trio no 1 in D minor, Op 63
Atos Trio
02:21 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Romanze for Oboe and Piano, Op 94 no 1
Eva Steinaa (oboe), Galya Kolarova (piano)
02:24 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasiestück in A flat, Op 111 no 2
Diana Ketler (piano)
02:31 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Missa brevis (... tempore belli)
Pécsi Kamarakórus, Alice Komároni (soprano), Anikó Kopjár (soloist), Éva Nagy (soloist), Ágnes Tumpekné Kuti (soprano), Tímea Tillai (soloist), János Szerekován (soloist), Jószef Moldvay (soloist), István Ella (organ), Aurél Tillai (conductor)
03:05 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite for solo cello no 3 in C major, BWV.1009
Guy Fouquet (cello)
03:30 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on Greensleeves
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Marin Alsop (conductor)
03:35 AM
Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871)
Variations on 'Home, sweet home' for piano, Op 72
Dennis Hennig (piano)
03:41 AM
Albertus Groneman (c.1710-1778)
Flute Sonata in E minor
Jed Wentz (flute), Balázs Máté (cello), Marcelo Bussi (harpsichord)
03:53 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Rosamunde, D.644 (Overture)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Heinz Holliger (conductor)
04:03 AM
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840)
Duetto amoroso for violin and guitar
Tomaž Lorenz (violin), Jerko Novak (guitar)
04:13 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Dalila's aria: 'Mon coeur s'ouvre' (from "Samson et Dalila", Act 2 Scene 3)
Heljä Angervo (soprano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ulf Söderblom (conductor)
04:20 AM
Frederick Delius (1862-1934)
La Calinda
BBC Concert Orchestra, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
04:24 AM
Nicola Matteis (c. 1650-after 1713)
Passagio rotto - Fantasia for violin
Anaïs Chen (violin)
04:31 AM
Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)
2 Nocturnes for piano
Viniciu Moroianu (piano)
04:38 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Adagio and fugue for strings in C minor, K.546
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Andrew Manze (conductor)
04:46 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Stabat Mater
Ars Nova Copenhagen, Sofi Jeannin (director)
04:54 AM
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Deux Morceaux
Geneva Lewis (violin), Sam Armstrong (piano)
04:59 AM
Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797)
Ballet music from "Les Troqueurs"
Capella Coloniensis, William Christie (conductor)
05:15 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Konzertsatz in F minor for piano and orchestra
Can Çakmur (piano), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Laurence Equilbey (conductor)
05:28 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in B flat major, Op 71 no 1 (Hob III:69)
Tátrai Quartet
05:51 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fantasia in F minor for piano duet, D.940
Leon Fleisher (piano), Katherine Jacobson Fleisher (piano)
06:10 AM
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Vespro della Beata Vergine (excerpts)
Elisabetta Tiso (soprano), Monica Piccinini (soprano), Lia Serafini (soprano), Carlos Mena (counter tenor), Lambert Climent (tenor), Lluís Vilamajó (tenor), Francesc Garrigosa (tenor), Furio Zanasi (baritone), Antonio Abete (bass), Daniele Carnovich (bass), Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall (conductor), La Capella Reial de Catalunya
MON 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002ww2g)
Embrace the morning calm of classical music and birdsong
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002ww2j)
Your perfect classical playlist
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002ww2l)
Wigmore Hall 125: Igor Levit performs Liszt
As part of Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary Festival the outstanding German pianist Igor Levit performs music by Ravel, Shostakovich and Liszt - Liszt's epic 'Dante Sonata' - live.
Also, we’re into our second week in which we profile the work of ten of today's outstanding conductors, featuring their work in exclusive recent concert recordings. Today the focus is on the Estonian-American maestro Paavo Järvi, and we’ll hear him with two great German orchestras: the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart and with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky.
LIVE from WIGMORE HALL as part of WIGMORE 125, introduced for Classical Live by Petroc Trelawny
Igor Levit (piano)
Maurice Ravel
2 mélodies hébraïques:
Kaddisch (arranged by Alexander Siloti for piano)
Dmitry Shostakovich
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor Op. 61
Franz Liszt
Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année, Italie S161:
Après une lecture du Dante 'Fantasia quasi Sonata'
*****
With Elizabeth Alker
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 in D, K. 504 ('Prague')
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (conductor)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 3
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (conductor)
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002ww2n)
Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
Creativity and Conflict
Donald Macleod with guest biographer Paul Spicer journey into the early life of Sir Arthur Bliss including his time serving during World War One. They discuss the early musical influences upon Bliss including Vaughan Williams and Stravinsky, and also the impact of the death of Bliss’s brother Kennard, during the Great War.
Checkmate Suite (excerpt)
Ulster Orchestra
Vernon Handley, conductor
String Quartet in A, Op 4 (Moderato ma tranquillo)
Maggini Quartet
Pastoral
Emma Johnson, clarinet
Malcom Martineau, piano
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op 18
Peter Donohoe, piano
Laurence Jackson, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Michal Kaznowski, cello
Madam Noy
Elizabeth Gale, soprano
Nash Ensemble
Lionel Friend, conductor
Mêlée fantasque
BBC Philharmonic
Rumon Gamba, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002ww2q)
Leo Woodall, Raffy Bushman trio
Jazz pianist Raffy Bushman plays live with his trio from his upcoming new album, ‘New Life’.
Petroc also chats to Leo Woodall about starring in the film Tuner and what it was like working with Dustin Hoffman.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002ww2s)
The perfect classical half hour
An engaging mix of classical music for half an hour, featuring George Gershwin’s iconic summertime lullaby from Porgy and Bess, Cecile Chaminade’s setting of Ronsard’s poetic evocation of youthful pleasures and the passage of time, and the haunting purgatorio vignette from Mahler’s tenth symphony, penned during a period of personal crisis for the composer.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002ww2v)
Wigmore Hall 125: William Christie and Les Arts Florissants
Les Arts Florissants and William Christie have played a key role in securing Wigmore Hall’s status as a world-class centre for the historically informed interpretation of Baroque music. For over four decades, the French group have thrilled audiences across the globe with their eye-opening performances. They return to Wigmore Hall with with their American-born founder for this celebratory performance of Handel’s pastoral drama Acis and Galatea, given in the two-act version he created for the London stage in 1739.
Broadcast live and presented by Martin Handley.
Handel: Acis and Galatea HWV49
Acis.... James Way (tenor)
Galatea.... Rachel Redmond (soprano)
Polyphemus.... Padraic Rowan (bass-baritone)
Damon.... Richard Pittsinger (tenor)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie (director, harpsichord)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
MON 21:45 The Essay (m002ww2x)
The Other Shostakoviches
Nikolai Roslavets: Doomed Radical
Chris Addison unravels the story of composer and radical Nikolai Roslavets, who created his own new musical system befitting the Soviet idea - but fell foul of political change.
The Other Shostakoviches explores the life and legacy of five lesser-known contemporaries of the most famous Soviet symphonist - who each had their own, very personal and turbulent relationship with the authorities. Authored by writer, satirist and lover of Russian classical music Chris Addison, the series features contributions from musicologist and expert on Soviet music, Marina Frolova-Walker.
Written and presented by Chris Addison
Exec Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002ww2z)
Nocturnal music to bewitch the senses
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 (m002ww31)
Huw Marc Bennett’s Flowers
This week, Soweto is joined by London-based Welsh multi-instrumentalist and producer Huw Marc Bennett, also known as Susso. Huw blends influences of dub, jazz, folk and more with music traditions of South Wales.
From Monday to Thursday, Huw is celebrating some of the contemporary artists that have influenced him, for Flowers. To begin his week, Huw gives collective Flowers to a Mercury Prize nominated band that he is deeply inspired by.
Also in the programme, there’s music from Sonny Rollins, Amina Claudine Myers, and Olivia Murphy.
‘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 02 JUNE 2026
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002ww35)
HOPE - Helsinki Chamber Choir 20th Anniversary Concert
From Helsinki, the Helsinki Chamber Choir, the Finnish Baroque Orchestra and conductor Nils Schweckendiek perform music on the theme of Hope including four premieres and music by Bach and Handel. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV.226
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
12:39 AM
Anna Clyne (b.1980)
In thy Beauty
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
12:46 AM
Helena Tulve (b.1972)
And Death Shall Have No Dominion
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
01:01 AM
Karin Rehnqvist (b.1957)
Take the Milky Way
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
01:15 AM
Santa Ratniece (b. 1977)
Lustral
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra (organ), Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
01:31 AM
Matilda Seppälä (b. 1993)
Casual Usual
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
01:37 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Foundling Hospital anthem, HWV 268
Helsinki Chamber Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Nils Schweckendiek (conductor)
01:54 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Andante from Sonata no 2 in A minor for Solo Violin, BWV.1003
Anatol Toth (violin)
01:58 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita no 4 in D major, BWV.828
Schaghajegh Nosrati (piano)
02:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony no 2 in C major, Op 61
Biel-Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, Kaspar Zehnder (conductor)
03:06 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Sonata in C minor, D958
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)
03:37 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Pavane for orchestra, Op 50
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Grant Llewellyn (conductor)
03:44 AM
Mönch von Salzburg (c.1340-c.1392)
In aller werlt mein liebster hort
Ensemble für Frühe Musik Augsburg
03:51 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Mon coeur s'ouvre from 'Samson et Dalila' (arr. for trumpet & orchestra)
Jouko Harjanne (trumpet), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen (conductor)
03:57 AM
Giovanni Antonio Piani (1678-1760)
Sonata II, from Violin Sonatas, Op 1
Eva Saladin (violin), Daniel Rosin (cello), Johannes Keller (harpsichord)
04:06 AM
Petko Stainov (1896-1977)
Horsemen, ballad for men's choir
Kaval Men's Choir, Mikhail Angelov (conductor)
04:13 AM
Georges Hüe (1858-1948)
Phantasy vers. flute and piano
Iveta Kundrátová (flute), Inna Aslamasova (piano)
04:21 AM
Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758)
Symphonia no 20 in E minor
Stockholm Antiqua
04:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates), Op 89
Oslo Philharmonic Choir, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (conductor)
04:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Ballade for piano no 1 in G minor, Op 23
Zbigniew Raubo (piano)
04:49 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Magnificat Primi Toni
Elmer Iseler Singers, Elmer Iseler (conductor)
04:58 AM
Robert de Visée (c.1655-1733)
Suite no 9 in D minor
Komalé Akakpo (cimbalom)
05:07 AM
Howard Cable (1920-2016)
The Banks of Newfoundland
Hannaford Street Silver Band, Stephen Chenette (conductor)
05:15 AM
Francesco Durante (1684-1755)
Concerto per quartetto for strings no 5 in A major
Concerto Köln
05:23 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no 97 in C major (H.
1.97)
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Antoni Ros-Marbà (conductor)
05:48 AM
Albertus Groneman (c.1710-1778)
Flute Sonata in G major
Jed Wentz (flute), Balázs Máté (cello), Marcelo Bussi (harpsichord)
06:01 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Octet for strings in E flat major, Op 20
Kodály Quartet, Bartók String Quartet
TUE 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002ww4y)
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 (m002ww50)
Great classical music 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”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002ww52)
Wigmore 125: Brahms' Piano Quintet
The Leonkoro Quartet and pianist Igor Levit mark Wigmore Hall's 125th anniversary with a masterpiece by Brahms and exclusive orchestral music by Beethoven and Strauss from American conductor Karina Canellakis.
As part of the Wigmore Hall’s 125th anniversary celebrations, we’ll be hearing specially recorded performances from the celebrated London venue's current festival. Today, former Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Leonkoro Quartet join with German pianist Igor Levit for a performance of Brahms's thrilling Piano Quintet, alongside music by Mendelssohn and Haydn.
Today’s celebrated conductor spot is taken by the American Karina Canellakis, one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. We’ll hear her conducting the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Beethoven’s Second Symphony and Richard Strauss’s tone-poem Death and Transfiguration; and also Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody with soloist Sophie Harmsen and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, of whom Karina is the Chief Conductor.
Introduced by Elizabeth Alker:
Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in D Op. 76 No. 5
Leonkoro Quartet
Richard Strauss
Tod und Verklärung Op. 24
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Karina Canellakis (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Karina Canellakis (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 34
Igor Levit (piano)
Leonkoro Quartet
Johannes Brahms
Alto Rhapsody, op. 53
Sophie Harmsen, alto
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
Karina Canellakis (conductor)
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quartet No. 6 in F minor Op. 80
Leonkoro Quartet
TUE 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002ww54)
Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
Travels and Trudy
Donald Macleod and guest biographer Paul Spicer delve into the period Bliss composed his Colour Symphony and also met his future wife Trudy in America. Macleod also explores Bliss having to restart his career after his return from the USA to the UK and how his music started to turn from experimentalism to more romanticism.
The Ballads of the Four Seasons (No 1, Spring)
Geraldine McGreevy, soprano
Kathron Sturrock, piano
Rout
Elizabeth Gale, soprano
Nash Ensemble
Lionel Friend, conductor
A Colour Symphony (Red)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Richard Hickox, conductor
Oboe Quintet (Assai sostenuto)
Gordon Hunt, oboe
The Tale Quartet
The Women of Yueh (No 2, Many a girl of the south is white and lucent)
Elizabeth Gale, soprano
Nash Ensemble
Lionel Friend, conductor
Pastoral (excerpt)
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano
The Sinfonia Chorus
Davis Haslam, flute
Northern Sinfonia
Richard Hickox, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002ww56)
Stephen Hough, Ryan Corbett
Katie introduces live music from classical accordionist Ryan Corbett.
Stephen Hough also plays live in the studio ahead of performing with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and releasing his new album, Stephen Hough's Piano Postcards.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002ww58)
30 minutes of classical inspiration
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002ww5b)
Wigmore Hall 125: Lise Davidsen and James Ballieu
Norwegian opera star Lise Davidsen is highly acclaimed for her interpretations of big dramatic roles, most notably by Wagner, in the world's leading opera houses, but she remains a devoted song recitalist. Tonight she joins forces with the Lieder pianist James Baillieu in an evening of songs by Franz Schubert.
Broadcast live from Wigmore Hall in London, and presented by Martin Handley.
Franz Schubert:
Am Bach im Frühling, D361
Ganymed, D544
Der Zwerg, D771
Gretchen am Spinnrade, D118
Mignons Gesang 'Kennst du das Land?', D321
Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister, D877
Der Tod und das Mädchen, D531
Der Musensohn, D764
Lachen und Weinen, D777
Suleika I, D720
Auf dem See, D543
Der blinde Knabe, D833
Du bist die Ruh, D776
Die Allmacht, D852
Die junge Nonne, D828
Erlkönig, D328
Am Tage aller Seelen, D343
Lise Davidsen (soprano)
James Baillieu (piano)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m002ww5d)
The Other Shostakoviches
Georgy Sviridov: Soul and Voice
Chris Addison explores the music of Soviet regime favourite Georgy Sviridov, whose melodious works often led to his being dismissed in the West - yet whose music still beguiles.
The Other Shostakoviches explores the life and legacy of five lesser-known contemporaries of the most famous Soviet symphonist - who each had their own, very personal and turbulent relationship with the authorities. Authored by writer, satirist and lover of Russian classical music Chris Addison, the series features contributions from musicologist and expert on Soviet music, Marina Frolova-Walker.
Written and presented by Chris Addison
Exec Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002ww5g)
Bewitching sounds for after dark
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 (m002ww5j)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
WEDNESDAY 03 JUNE 2026
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002ww5l)
Clara and Robert Schumann from Madrid
Baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Julius Drake perform works by Clara and Robert Schumann, celebrating Schumann's poets. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Volkslied
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
12:33 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Six Lieder, Op 13 (excerpts)
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
12:40 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Er ist gekommen, Op 12/1
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
12:43 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Sie liebten sich beide, Op 13/2
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
12:45 AM
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Loreley
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
12:48 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Six Poems by Lenau and Requiem, Op 90
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
01:06 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Five Lieder, Op 40
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
01:17 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Liederkreis, Op 39
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
01:43 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Du bist wie eine Blume, Op 25/24, from 'Myrthen'
Samuel Hasselhorn (baritone), Julius Drake (piano)
01:45 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Manfred Overture Op 115
Sinfonia Varsovia, Robert Treviño (conductor)
01:58 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Franz Liszt (transc.)
Widmung S.566, transc. for piano
Ji-Yeong Mun (piano)
02:03 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Quartet for strings in A major (Op.41 No.3)
Faust Quartet
02:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony no 1 in C minor Op 68
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Miguel Harth-Bedoya (conductor)
03:13 AM
Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)
Trio for oboe, horn and piano in A minor, Op 188
Maarten Karres (oboe), Jaap Prinsen (horn), Ariane Veelo-Karres (piano)
03:36 AM
William Mathias (1934-1992)
A May magnificat for double chorus, Op 79 no 2
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
03:46 AM
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
La Belle Excentrique
Pianoduo Kolacny (piano duo)
03:54 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Andante Festivo for strings and timpani
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Hannu Koivula (conductor)
03:59 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Aria with Variations, HWV.430 'Harmonious Blacksmith'
Marián Pivka (piano)
04:05 AM
Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Die Zeit meines Abschieds ist vorhanden (cantata)
Greta de Reyghere (soprano), James Bowman (counter tenor), Guy de Mey (tenor), Max van Egmond (bass), Ricercar Consort
04:12 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Ferruccio Busoni (arr.)
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV.565
Valerie Tryon (piano)
04:21 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Two Slavonic Dances, Op 46 - no 8 in G minor and no 3 in A flat major
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Arvid Engegård (conductor)
04:31 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Recorder Concerto in A minor
Leonard Schelb (recorder), Raphael Alpermann (harpsichord), Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck (conductor)
04:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Scherzo no.1 in B minor, Op.20
Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano)
04:49 AM
Anonymous
Kyrie 'Orbis factor'; Nostra avocata sei
Mala Punica
04:59 AM
Väinö Raitio (1891-1945)
Maidens on the Headlands - symphonic poem
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
05:07 AM
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)
Notturno e danza
Johan Dalene (violin), Nicola Eimer (piano)
05:15 AM
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006), John P.Paynter (arr.)
Little Suite for Brass Band no 1, Op 80
Edmonton Wind Ensemble, Harry Pinchin (conductor)
05:23 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony no 40 in G minor, K.550
Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, Michał Klauza (conductor)
05:51 AM
Jean Barrière (1705-1747)
Sonata no 10 in G major for 2 cellos
Duo Fouquet (duo)
06:01 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 16
Sigurd Slåttebrekk (piano), Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Eivind Aadland (conductor)
WED 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002wtv2)
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 (m002wtv4)
The best classical morning 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”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m002wtv6)
Wigmore Hall 125: Schumann Piano Quintet
Elizabeth Alker introduces further highlights from the current Wigmore Hall Festival marking its 125th anniversary. Today, the immensely talented Leonkoro Quartet join forces with fellow German pianist Igor Levit for music by Robert Schumann; and Simon Rattle is today's featured conductor with an exclusive recording of Ravel’s ravishing ballet score for Daphnis and Chloe.
Robert Schumann
Piano Quintet in E flat Op. 44
Igor Levit (piano)
Leonkoro Quartet
Georg Frideric Handel
Concerto grosso in B flat, HWV. 325
BRSO Baroque
Simon Rattle (conductor)
Henriëtte Bosmans
String Quartet
Leonkoro Quartet
Maurice Ravel
Daphnis et Chloe (complete ballet score)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Simon Rattle (conductor)
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002wtv8)
Tewkesbury Abbey
Live from Tewkesbury Abbey.
Introit: Tantum ergo (Duruflé)
Responses: Ben Parry
Psalms 110, 111 (Garrett, Matthew Martin)
First Lesson: Exodus 16 vv2-15
Office Hymn: Soul of my saviour (Anima Christi)
Canticles: Three Choirs Service (Bob Chilcott)
Second Lesson: John 6 vv22-35
Anthem: Welcome, sweet and sacred feast (Finzi)
Hymn: Alelluia, sing to Jesus (Hyfrodol)
Voluntary: Suite Latine (Lauda Sion) (Widor)
Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum
Simon Bell (Director of Music)
Carleton Etherington (Organist)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002wtvb)
Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
Domestic Bliss
Donald Macleod with guest biographer Paul Spicer explore the early years of marriage for Bliss, including his collaboration with the BBC. During this period, Bliss also composed Morning Heroes, which was a work where he started to channel some of his feelings about the loss of his brother and comrades during World War One. It was a period where Bliss was something of a celebrity, and was invited to compose a Piano Concerto for the World Fair in New York.
Things to Come (March)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Rumon Gamba, conductor
Morning Heroes (The City Arming)
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis, conductor
Viola Sonata, Op 91 (Moderato)
Emanuel Vardi, viola
Kathron Sturrock, piano
Music for Strings (Allegro moderato, enerfico)
Sinfonia of London
John Wilson, conductor
Checkmate Suite (The Red Knight’s Mazurka)
Ulster Orchestra
Vernon Handley, conductor
Piano Concerto in B flat (Andante maestso)
Piers Lane, piano
The Orchestra Now
Leon Botstein, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002wtvd)
The classical soundtrack for your evening
Live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002wwf0)
Switch up your listening with classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002wtvj)
Wigmore Hall 125: Belcea Quartet and Tabea Zimmermann
The Belcea Quartet, regular at Wigmore Hall for more than 25 years, is joined by Tabea Zimmermann to perform Mozart's G minor Quintet in company with Brahms's String Quintet in F Op. 88, another titanic monument of the chamber music repertoire.
Described a century ago as ‘one of the most profound of all his works,’ that verdict will surely ring true in the hands of Tabea Zimmermann and the Belcea Quartet.
Broadcast live and presented by Ian Skelly.
Mozart: String Quintet in G minor K.516
Brahms: String Quintet in F Op. 88
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m002wtvl)
The Other Shostakoviches
Galina Ustvolskaya: Violence and Ritual
Chris Addison tries to make sense of the brutal, strange music of Galina Ustvolskaya - music that explores the very extremes of music-making yet has a powerfully spiritual quality.
The Other Shostakoviches explores the life and legacy of five lesser-known contemporaries of the most famous Soviet symphonist - who each had their own, very personal and turbulent relationship with the authorities. Authored by writer, satirist and lover of Russian classical music Chris Addison, the series features contributions from musicologist and expert on Soviet music, Marina Frolova-Walker.
Written and presented by Chris Addison
Exec Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002wtvn)
A meditative moonlight soundtrack
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 (m002wtvq)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
THURSDAY 04 JUNE 2026
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002wtvs)
Mariam Batsashvili at London's Wigmore Hall
Pianist Mariam Batsashvili's recital shows the breadth of her artistic expression: the haunting music of Bach's Third Concerto and Chopin's Andante spianato to Haydn's joyful Sonata in D and the earthy drama of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto no 3 in D minor (after Marcello's Oboe Concerto), BWV.974
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
12:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante, Op 22
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
12:54 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Sonata in D, Hob.XVI:37
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
01:05 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody no 11 in A minor, S. 244
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
01:11 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian Rhapsody no 12 in C Sharp Minor, S.244
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
01:22 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Waltz in G flat, D.Anh.I/14 'Kupelwieser Walzer' (encore)
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
01:24 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Les Preludes - symphonic poem after Lamartine, S.97
Hungarian State Orchestra, János Ferencsik (conductor)
01:41 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Aria: Il mio tesoro intanto - from Don Giovanni
Michael Schade (tenor), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
01:46 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Quintet in A major, D.667 "Trout"
Nikolai Demidenko (piano), Marianne Thorsen (violin), Are Sandbakken (viola), Leonid Gorokhov (cello), Dan Styffe (double bass)
02:31 AM
Grace Williams (1906-1977)
Symphony no 2
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
03:12 AM
Christopher Simpson (c.1605-1669)
The Four Seasons - Winter
Les Voix Humaines
03:27 AM
Shih (b.1950)
Der letzte Walzer
Anika Vavic (piano)
03:38 AM
Artur Kapp (1878-1952)
Cantata 'Päikesele' (To the Sun)
Hendrik Krumm (tenor), Aime Tampere (organ), Eesti Raadio Segakoor [Estonian Radio Choir], Eesti Poistekoor, Eesti Raadio Sümfooniaorkester (Estonia Radio Symphony Orchestra), Neeme Järvi (conductor)
03:49 AM
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), Øivind Westby (arr.)
Trumpet Concerto in D major
Ole Edvard Antonsen (trumpet), Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
03:59 AM
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Three pieces for Clarinet Solo
Martins Circenis (clarinet)
04:04 AM
Arvo Pärt (b.1935)
Magnificat
Jauna Muzika, Vaclovas Augustinas (conductor)
04:10 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Norfolk Rhapsody no 1 in E minor
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Bernard Heinze (conductor)
04:21 AM
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560)
Elegie sur la mort de Josquin Musae Jovis
Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, Christopher Jackson (director)
04:31 AM
Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929)
Concert Overture in D major
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chloé van Soeterstèd (conductor)
04:43 AM
François Couperin (1668-1733), Yasunori Imamura (arr.)
Les Baricades Misterieuses de Mr F. Couperin
Yasunori Imamura (theorbo)
04:46 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943), Alan Arnold (arr.)
Vocalise, Op 34 no 14 arr. Arnold for viola and piano
Gyözö Máté (viola), Balázs Szokolay (piano)
04:52 AM
Genevieve Calame (1946-1993)
Sur la margelle du monde
Bienne Symphony Orchestra, Franco Trinca (conductor)
05:03 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vite, antiphon for solo voice
Sequentia
05:14 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata for Viola da Gamba in A major, BWV.1015
Teodoro Baù (viola da gamba), Andrea Buccarella (harpsichord)
05:30 AM
Pavle Merkù (1927-2014)
Concerto lirico for clarinet and orchestra
Franc Trzan (clarinet), Slovenska Filharmonija, Anton Kolar (conductor)
05:48 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Piano Trio in C minor, MWV.Q3
Irene Abrigo (violin), Jürg Dähler (viola), Gilles Vonsattel (piano)
06:05 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)
THU 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002wy56)
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 (m002ww7l)
The best classical morning 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”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002ww7n)
Wigmore 125: Caroline Sampson and Joseph Middleton perform Mahler
A live song recital from Wigmore Hall of Mahler, Strauss and Debussy marking the venue's 125th anniversary plus Brahms's First Symphony from one of the world's foremost living conductors - Kirill Petrenko with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Continuing the Wigmore’s 125th birthday celebrations, at
1pm Ian Skelly introduces a live concert by soprano Carolyn Sampson and pianist Joseph Middleton, who are performing Debussy, Mahler, Hahn and Massenet, among others.
Today’s conductor spotlight is shining on the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Kirill Petrenko – Elizabeth Alker introduces exclusive recordings from the maestro including music by Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
LIVE from WIGMORE HALL as part of WIGMORE 125, introduced for Classical Live by Ian Skelly
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Joseph Middleton (piano)
Richard Strauss
Freundliche Vision Op. 48 No. 1
Waldseligkeit Op. 49 No. 1
Claude Debussy
Chansons de Bilitis
Gustav Mahler
Rückert Lieder:
– Ich atmet' einen linden Duft
– Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!
– Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
Reynaldo Hahn
A une étoile
Charles Bordes
4 poèmes:
– La poussière des tamis chante au soleil
Jules Massenet
Amoureux appel
Mel Bonis
Reproche tendre Op. 49
Reynaldo Hahn
Venezia:
– Sopra l'acqua indormenzada
– La barcheta
– L'avertimento
Arnold Schoenberg
Brettl-Lieder:
– Galathea
– Gigerlette
– Arie aus Dem Spiegel von Arkadien
*****
With Elizabeth Alker
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Romeo and Juliet, fantasy overture after Shakespeare
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Lensky's aria from act 2 of 'Eugene Onegin'
Benjamin Bernheim (tenor)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No.1 in C minor Op. 68
Berlin Phiharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)
Jules Massenet
Pourquoi me réveiller?, Werther's aria from act 3 of 'Werther'
Benjamin Bernheim (tenor)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Kirill Petrenko (conductor)
THU 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002wtql)
Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
A Pillar of British Music
Donald Macleod with biographer Paul Spicer delve into Bliss’s music during WWII and after, including his appointment as Master of the Queen’s Music. This was a time when Bliss was at the height of his fame, including collaborating with the Alfredo Campoli on a violin concerto. It was also a period when Bliss experienced a major disaster, in the composing and premier of his opera, The Olympians.
Miracle in the Gorbals (The Young Lovers)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Seal, conductor
String Quartet No 1 (Allegretto grazioso)
Maggini Quartet
Miracle in the Gorbals (The Killing of the Stranger)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Seal, conductor
Adam Zero (Approach of Autumn)
English Northern Philharmonia
David Lloyd-Jones, conductor
Piano Sonata (excerpt)
Eric Parkin, piano
Welcome the Queen
BBC Philharmonic
Rumon Gamba, conductor
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Vivo – Tranquillo)
Lydia Mordkovich, violin
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Richard Hickox, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002wtqs)
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra cello ensemble
Cellists Philip Higham, Su-a Lee, Donald Gillan and Eric de Wit from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform live from the BBC’s Glasgow studios ahead of the orchestra’s summer tour.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002wtqx)
The eclectic classical mix
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002wtr1)
Wigmore Hall 125: Angela Hewitt
The Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt made her Wigmore Hall debut over 40 years ago, and with well over 80 performances there since then, she is a hugely popular recipient of the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal. In this celebratory concert, she turns her refined artistry to the joy and wonder of works from the heart of her repertoire, crowned with the awe-inspiring expressive shifts of Bach’s Second Partita.
Broadcast live and presented by Martin Handley.
Mozart: Piano Sonata in B flat K.570
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.15 in D Op.28 'Pastoral'
Schubert: 12 Waltzes (Valses nobles) D.969
Haydn: Fantasia in C HXVII/4
Bach: Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
THU 21:45 The Essay (m002wtr5)
The Other Shostakoviches
Alexander Mosolov: Wild At Heart
Chris Addison explores the ill-fated life of the hard-drinking, cigar-smoking wildman of Soviet music Alexander Mosolov - whose career was interrupted by a spell in the gulag.
The Other Shostakoviches explores the life and legacy of five lesser-known contemporaries of the most famous Soviet symphonist - who each had their own, very personal and turbulent, relationship with the authorities. Authored by writer, satirist and lover of Russian classical music Chris Addison, the series features contributions from musicologist and expert on Soviet music Marina Frolova-Walker.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002wtrc)
Music for the darkling hour
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002wtrh)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
FRIDAY 05 JUNE 2026
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002wtrm)
BBC Proms: Vivaldi and Bach
French violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte makes a much-anticipated Proms debut as soloist with his ensemble Le Consort in a programme built around violin concertos by Vivaldi. The programme also includes works by JS Bach, Legrenzi, Uccellini, Marcello and Matteis Jr. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Nicola Matteis Jr. (c.1675-1737)
Fantasie no 2 for Solo Violin
Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin)
12:34 AM
Anonymous
Improvisation
Justin Taylor (harpsichord)
12:35 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in D minor, RV.813
12:45 AM
Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690)
Aria: ‘Occhi miei si dormire’ from La divisione del mondo (1675)
12:46 AM
Alessandro Marcello (1673-1747), Johann Sebastian Bach (transc.)
Adagio, from 'Oboe Concerto in D minor'
12:50 AM
Marco Uccellini (c.1603-1680)
Aria sopra la "La Bergamasca"
12:54 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Air, from 'Orchestral Suite no 3 in D, BWV.1068'
12:58 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Trio sonata in D minor RV.63, Op 1 no 12 (La Follia) for 2 violins and continuo
Works by Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin), Sophie de Bardonnèche (violin), Hanna Salzenstein (violoncello), Justin Taylor (harpsichord)
01:06 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in A minor, RV.356
01:13 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Largo, from 'Violin Concerto in G minor, BWV.1056R'
01:15 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Concerto for Strings in G minor, RV.157
01:21 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
L'Estate (Summer), Violin Concerto no 2 in G minor, RV.315 from The Four Seasons
01:32 AM
Charles Avison (1709-1770)
Con furia, from 'Concerto grosso no 6 in D major'
01:34 AM
John Eccles (1668-1735)
The Mad Lover
Works by Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin), Le Consort, Théotime Langlois de Swarte (director)
01:39 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony no 4 in A major, Op 90 'Italian'
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek (conductor)
02:07 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto in the Italian style for keyboard in F major, BWV.971
Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
02:20 AM
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Intermezzo (excerpt from 'Manon Lescaut' between Acts 2 and 3)
BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
02:26 AM
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Nocturne
Johan Dalene (violin), Nicola Eimer (piano)
02:31 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Hermann Hesse (author), Josef Karl Benedikt von Eichendorff (author)
Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
Ann Helen Moen (soprano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Miguel Harth-Bedoya (conductor)
02:51 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Trio for violin, viola and piano in E flat major, Op 40
Baiba Skride (violin), Linda Skride (viola), Lauma Skride (piano)
03:21 AM
Väinö Haapalainen (1893-1945)
Lemminkainen Overture (1925)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Atso Almila (conductor)
03:29 AM
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
O clarissima Mater (respond)
Rondellus
03:38 AM
Anonymous
Greensleeves, to a Ground with Divisions
Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin), Linda Kent (harpsichord), Rosanne Hunt (cello)
03:44 AM
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Le Festin d'Esope in E minor, from '12 studies', Op 39 no 12
Johan Ullén (piano)
03:54 AM
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012), David Lindup (arr.)
Murder on the Orient Express - music from the film
BBC Philharmonic, Rumon Gamba (conductor)
04:05 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo in C major, K.373
James Ehnes (violin), Mozart Anniversary Orchestra
04:12 AM
John Dowland (1563-1626)
Come heavy sleepe
Alessandro Fisher (tenor), Thibaut Garcia (guitar)
04:17 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Flute Sonata in A major, BWV.1032
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Terence Charlston (harpsichord)
04:31 AM
August Enna (1859-1939)
The Match Girl: overture
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Hannu Koivula (conductor)
04:37 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Polonaise for piano in A flat major, Op 53 'Polonaise heroique'
Jacek Kortus (piano)
04:45 AM
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Tango Suite for two guitars (Parts 2 and 3)
Tornado Guitar Duo (duo)
04:54 AM
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (c.1739-1799)
Overture to the opera "L'amant anonyme"
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
05:02 AM
William Byrd (1543-1623)
Agnus Dei - from Mass for 5 voices
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (director)
05:06 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Cello Sonata in C major, Op 102 no 1
Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
05:22 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Kinderszenen for piano, Op 15
Håvard Gimse (piano)
05:42 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in F minor, Op 20 no 5
Chaos String Quartet
06:03 AM
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)
Arabesque
Shirley Brill (clarinet), Piotr Spoz (piano)
06:07 AM
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
La Peri - poeme danse
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002wwdp)
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 (m002wwdr)
The ideal mix 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”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002wwdt)
Tchaikovsky's Pathetique with Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Elizabeth Alker introduces recent concert performances from the last of our ten featured living conductors, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The Canadian music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin performs Saint-Saens’s Bach-inspired Second Piano Concerto with soloist Alexandre Kantorow, alongside Tchaikovsky’s final symphony and fin-de-siecle music by Ravel.
Camille Saint-Saëns
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 22
Alexandre Kantorow (piano)
Orchestre Métropolitain
Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Maurice Ravel
La Valse
Orchestre Métropolitain
Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathetique)
Orchestre Métropolitain
Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
FRI 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002wwdw)
Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975)
The Elder Statesman
Donald Macleod with biographer Paul Spicer journey into the final decades for Sir Arthur Bliss, including an Indian Summer of creativity. Macleod explores how although Bliss was still highly active as a composer, his musical language was now being overshadowed by other composers such as Britten and Tippett. The series ends with a work Bliss wanted to be remembered for, his Mediations on a Theme of John Blow.
Triptych (Capriccio)
Philip Fowke, piano
The Belmont Variations
Besses o' th' Barn Band
Roy Newsome, conductor
The Beatitudes (excerpt)
Emily Birsan, soprano
Ben Johnson, tenor
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis, conductor
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Larghetto)
Arto Noras, cello
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Berglund, conductor
Shield of Faith (An Essay on Man)
Finzi Singers
Andrew Lumsden, organ
Paul Spicer, conductor
Meditations on a Theme of John Blow (Interlude & Finale)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis, conductor
Produced by Luke Whitlock
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002wwdy)
Polly Gibbons, Carducci String Quartet, James Pearson
Acclaimed Soul-Jazz Vocalist Polly Gibbons performs live with the Carducci String Quartet and James Pearson from their new EP ‘Songs With Strings’.
Petroc also chats to Mike Batt about the world premiere recording of his First Symphony, released in June.
FRI 19:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002wwf2)
Wigmore Hall 125: Abel Selaocoe and Bantu Ensemble
As part of Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary Festival, a concert by Bantu Ensemble. Since its foundation by Abel Selaocoe in 2022, Bantu Ensemble has woven together rich strands of European classical music, African hymns and songs, jazz and the echoes of ancient ancestral voices to create unique programmes that project universal emotions. 'It’s about things that we can all connect to,' says Selaocoe. The South African cellist and vocalist draws on his own deep experience of music made with his family, at church and in his vast imagination to shape life-enhancing improvisations and exquisite classical interpretations.
Presented live from Wigmore Hall by Martin Handley
Bantu Ensemble
Abel Selaocoe: cello, voice
Alan Keary: bass
Dudu Kouaté: percussion
Fred Thomas: piano
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m002wwf4)
The Other Shostakoviches
Zara Levina: Simple Gifts
Chris Addison explores the life and work of Zara Levina - a composer still virtually unknown in the West, whose music had to battle Soviet gender stereotypes during her lifetime.
The Other Shostakoviches explores the life and legacy of five lesser-known contemporaries of the most famous Soviet symphonist - who each had their own, very personal and turbulent, relationship with the authorities. Authored by writer, satirist and lover of Russian classical music Chris Addison, the series features contributions from musicologist and expert on Soviet music, Marina Frolova-Walker.
Written and presented by Chris Addison
Exec Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002wwf6)
Small details
Verity Sharp is at the helm for another spin around the world of experimental music and adventurous listening on BBC Radio 3. This week, the enrapturing ‘pseudo-audiobook’ stylings of Natalia Panzer's new project entitled ‘The loss of small detail’, in which spoken word and poetic fragments interweave with loops and synth samples. Martyna Basta’s latest release, meanwhile, is ‘Winged in Collapse’, a fragile and genre-spanning release which takes in everything from dream pop and sacred music to operatic gestures. And there's music from Lucrecia Dalt and Alex Lázaro, who disassemble the pop idiom, doing strange things to time in the process.
Produced by Alex Yates
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002wy58)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.