SATURDAY 06 JUNE 2026
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002wwps)
Truls Mørk and Håvard Gimse in Barcelona
Cello sonatas by Franck and Grieg performed at the Pau Casals International Music Festival in 2025. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasiestücke, Op 73
Truls Mørk (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
12:43 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Cello Sonata in A minor, Op 36
Truls Mørk (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
01:12 AM
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Pièce in C, Op 39, for cello and piano
Truls Mørk (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
01:21 AM
César Franck (1822-1890)
Cello Sonata in A major, FWV.8
Truls Mørk (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
01:51 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Après un rêve, Op 7 no 1
Truls Mørk (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
01:55 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Jan Hanuš Sitt (orchestrator)
4 Norwegian dances, Op 35
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Robert Stankovsky (conductor)
02:14 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Franz Liszt (arr.)
Widmung, S.566
Beatrice Rana (piano)
02:18 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Three Romances Op 94
Hyong-Sup Kim (male) (oboe), Ja-Eun Ku (male) (piano)
02:31 AM
Agostino Steffani (1654-1728)
Tassilone - excerpts
Monique Zanetti (soprano), Musica Alta Ripa
02:55 AM
Florence Price (1887-1953)
Symphony no 3 in C minor
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Valentina Peleggi (conductor)
03:28 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
3 Songs for American Schools
Finnish Radio Chamber Choir, Liisa Pohjola (piano), Eric-Olof Söderström (conductor)
03:33 AM
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Automne, Op 35 no 2
Valerie Tryon (piano)
03:40 AM
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
La Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid, Quintet Op 30 no 6 (G 324)
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wojciech Rajski (conductor)
03:53 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Walsh (arr.)
St Paul's Suite (arr for guitar quartet)
Guitar Trek
04:06 AM
Anatol Lyadov (1855-1914)
The Enchanted Lake, Op 62
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Kitaenko (conductor)
04:14 AM
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Nocturne for piano in E flat minor, Op 33 no 1
Livia Rev (piano)
04:22 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
04:31 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Viennese Clock and Entrance of the Emperor and His Courtiers (from 'Hary Janos')
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
04:36 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor, BWV.849
Alexander Gadjiev (piano)
04:45 AM
Józef Świder (1930-2014)
Czego chcesz od nas Panie & Moja piosnka from 10 Songs to Lyrics by Polish Poets
Polish Radio Choir
04:53 AM
Carl Ludwig Lithander (1773-1843)
Rondo for flute and keyboard, Op 8
Mikael Helasvuo (flute), Tuija Hakkila (pianoforte)
05:00 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Henri Büsser (arr.)
Petite Suite
Argovia Philharmonic, Rune Bergmann (conductor)
05:15 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Abendempfindung an Laura, K.523
Wolf Matthias Friedrich (baritone), Vera Kooper (piano)
05:20 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, Wq 17
Andrea Buccarella (harpsichord), Kore Orchestra
05:42 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Violin Sonata in F major, Op 24 "Spring"
Henning Kraggerud (violin), Håvard Gimse (piano)
06:05 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Suite no 4 in G major, Op 61, 'Mozartiana'
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Kazuhiro Koizumi (conductor)
SAT 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x5vv)
Start the day on the right note 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 (m002x5vx)
Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth on Aldeburgh Festival
Tom Service introduces the best classical music and the latest stories from the arts world.
Tom meets conductor and composer Ryan Wigglesworth, who is the featured artist at this year's Aldeburgh Festival. He talks about his long association with the festival where he first encountered his mentor and friend Oliver Knussen, his brand new viola concerto which will be premiered there, and the importance of music education and building musical communities.
The bass-baritone Davóne Tines chats to Tom about his upcoming performance of his "Concerto no.3: Mass" at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The piece explores self-reflection and was written collaboratively with Caroline Shaw and Tyshawn Sorey, as well as incorporating music by Handel and Bach.
Our focus on Creators continues with the Danish String Quartet who talk about the making of their first album "Wood Works" in 2014, which featured their unique arrangements of traditional folk music from small Nordic villages; arrangements which have since been shared by musicians across the globe.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Saturday Morning”.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002kdcw)
Jools and guests share their musical favourites
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 guest is the singer songwriter Emeli Sande who talks about her early connections to music and introduces pieces she loves by Dvorak, Vivaldi and Khachaturian.
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 (m002x5vz)
1600: Opera's First Breath
6 October 1600, Florence. The city is ablaze with celebration as the Medici court hosts a spectacular wedding. Amid the lavish feasting and pageantry is suitably extravagant entertainment: Jacopo Peri’s Euridice, a work in which every word is sung.
From its origins as courtly spectacle to the masterworks of Monteverdi, this programme traces how opera emerges from Renaissance experiments with music, poetry and drama, and rapidly spreads across Italy to become one of the most powerful forms of storytelling.
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.
Producer: Zerlina Vulliamy
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.
Jacopo Peri: Euridice – Prologue
Françoise Masset (soprano)
Les Arts Baroques
Mireille Podeur (conductor)
Jacopo Peri & Giulio Caccini: Euridice – Al canto, al ballo
Pygmalion
Raphaël Pichon (conductor)
Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice – “Che farò senza Euridice”
Andreas Scholl (countertenor)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Roger Norrington (conductor)
Claudio Monteverdi: L’Orfeo – Toccata / “Possente spirto”
Furio Zanasi (Orfeo)
Les Concert des Nations
Jordi Savall (conductor)
Carlo Gesualdo: Asciugate i begli occhi
BBC Singers
Owain Park (conductor)
Claudio Monteverdi: Lamento d’Arianna
Helen Charlston (voice)
Toby Carr (lute)
Francesca Caccini: La liberazione di Ruggiero – “Così, perfida Alcina”
Luciana Mancini (voice)
L’Arpeggiata
Christina Pluhar (director)
Claudio Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea – “Pur ti miro”
Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano)
Robin Blaze (countertenor)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Harry Christophers (conductor)
John Adams: Nixon in China – “News Has a Kind of Mystery”
James Maddalena (Nixon)
Orchestra of St Luke’s
Edo de Waart (conductor)
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Key Changes."
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002x5w1)
Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in Building a Library with Alice Farnham and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new classical releases, joined by violinist Adrian Chandler and conductor Alice Farnham, who picks her favourite recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 5.
2.10pm Andrew is joined by violinist Adrian Chandler, director of early music ensemble La Serenissima, to showcase some of the new releases that have caught his ear this week.
3pm Building a Library: conductor Alice Farnham surveys recordings of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 and makes a top recommendation.
Since his death in 1911, Gustav Mahler has come to occupy a central place in the history of music and in the orchestral repertory. His Symphony No. 5 is one of the most popular of Mahler's nine symphonies. It was composed during the summers of 1901 and 1902, in the middle of which period Mahler met Alma Schindler, the daughter of a famous landscape painter. Mahler proposed to her in December 1901, and the symphony, with its trajectory from mourning to triumph, reflects this development in its composer’s personal life.
3.45pm Record of the Week: the new release that has most impressed Andrew this week.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002x5w3)
Edith is joined by Nitin Sawhney and guitarist Craig Ogden
Join Edith Bowman for her weekly guide to the finest film scores and movie music. This week, composer Nitin Sawhney delves into Ennio Morricone’s legendary western score for A Fistful of Dollars, while guitarist Craig Ogden reveals his Pick of the Flicks — another western-inspired choice.
We’ll also bring you the latest soundtrack releases alongside classic Hollywood favourites.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002x5w5)
Jess Gillam with... Olivia Belli
Jess Gillam swaps favourite tracks with Italian contemporary classical pianist and composer Olivia Belli. After studying classical piano at an Italian conservatory, Olivia gravitated towards performing the works of contemporary composers such as Philip Glass and Max Richter. Her own compositions are inspired by nature, art, and spirituality, and have been streamed millions of times online. She has performed everywhere from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to Montréal International Jazz Festival and was commissioned by the BBC Proms in 2023 to write a piece for the organist Anna Lapwood. Her latest album, 'Daimon', is out now via Sony Classical. Olivia chooses music from Arvo Pärt, Gino Paoli, Philip Glass and Bach reinvented by the Jacques Loussier Trio, whilst Jess's choices include music by Vivaldi and The Beatles.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”.
SAT 18:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x5w7)
Wigmore Hall 125th Anniversary: Elaine Mitchener & Elizabeth Kenny
As part of Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary, vocalist Elaine Mitchener and lutenist Elizabeth Kenny make their duo debut presenting a lunchtime concert journey through the lyrical poetry of songwriters and composers over the centuries. The programme will include works by John Dowland, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, and two Robert Johnsons: the Tudor composer and the blues maestro.
Recorded at Wigmore Hall earlier today and presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch.
Angeline Morrison: The Black’s Lamentation
Joni Mitchell: Don’t interrupt the sorrow
Johnson: As I walked Forth
Robert Johnson: Love in Vain
Joan Armatrading: Love & Affection
Purcell: O Solitude
Ellington: In My solitude
Mark E Smith: Joker Hysterical Face
Dankworth: Sonnet 18
Dowland: In Darkness Let Me dwell
Bob Dylan: It’s Alright Ma
Marley: Redemption Song
Elaine Mitchener (vocalist)
Elizabeth Kenny (lute)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
SAT 20:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x5w9)
Angel's Bone
Chinese-American composer, performance artist and activist Dy Yun won the 2017 Pulitzer-prize for this, her second opera, Angel's Bone, and this production is a collaboration between English National Opera, Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic.
Two angels fall from heaven to earth; initially well-treated, the spiritual beings gradually become exploited and injured as their unhappy keepers search for fortune and fame.
A hard-hitting parable fusing multiple musical genres, spoken word and immersive staging and sound, this is an uncompromising, disturbing tale of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Contains themes of extreme violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking and drug and alcohol misuse.
Du Yun and Royce Vavrek: Angel's Bone
Presented by Mark Forrest and recorded at Aviva Studios, Manchester on 15 May 2026
Mrs X.E. ..... Allison Cook (mezzo)
Mr X.E. ..... Rodney Earl Clarke (baritone)
Boy Angel ..... Matthew McKinney (tenor)
Girl Angel ..... Mariam Wallentin (singer)
Male Soprano ..... Keith Pun (countertenor)
Kantos Chamber Choir
BBC Philharmonic
Baldur Brönnimann (conductor)
SAT 21:30 Music Planet (m002x5wc)
The beautiful game
With less than a week before this year’s FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City Stadium, Lopa Kothari drafts a selection of global folk and roots-based music celebrating the beautiful game. Among them are songs dedicated to some footballing greats: Manu Chao’s tribute to Argentine legend Diego Maradona and an ode to Cameroon’s Roger Milla from Congolese soukous musician Pépé Kallé.
Also, Mexican Institute of Sound, composer of the “Mexico City Theme” for the tournament, shares three tracks that inform his latest collaborative album with Meridian Brothers, offering a window into the tropical sounds of his home country in the early 1970s.
Produced by Gabriel Francis
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say: “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet.”
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002x5wf)
Fast and Slow
Tom Service presents music by Martin Smolka - Czech music's self-proclaimed "hooligan" - his piano concerto Presto e lento, featuring soloist Joseph Havlat and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jack Sheen. Also tonight, in our latest list Listen List, composer and artistic director of the Rainy Days festival Catherine Kontz chooses three tracks she's listening to right now and thinks we should hear. Plus music from experimental vocalist Audrey Chen at London's Cafe Oto and a round-up of some of the latest new releases.
SUNDAY 07 JUNE 2026
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002x5wh)
Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert in a new arrangement
Quatuor Classica perform an arrangement for string quartet of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's legendary 1975 improvised performance at the Opera House in Cologne, Germany. This version was commissioned from François Vallières to mark the 50th anniversary of this milestone in jazz musical history. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Keith Jarrett (b.1945), François Vallières (arr.)
The Köln Concert - Part I
Quatuor Classica
12:59 AM
Keith Jarrett (b.1945), François Vallières (arr.)
The Köln Concert - Part IIa
Quatuor Classica
01:17 AM
Keith Jarrett (b.1945), François Vallières (arr.)
The Köln Concert - Part IIb
Quatuor Classica
01:37 AM
Keith Jarrett (b.1945), François Vallières (arr.)
The Köln Concert - Part IIc
Quatuor Classica
01:44 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto in G major
Håvard Gimse (piano), Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Arvid Engegård (conductor)
02:06 AM
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
La creation du monde, Op 81
Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian (director)
02:25 AM
Hector Gratton (1900-1970), David Passmore (arr.)
Quatrieme danse canadienne arranged for piano trio
Moshe Hammer (violin), Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (cello), William Tritt (piano)
02:31 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Georg Christian Lehms (author)
Cantata no 170 'Vergnugte Ruh', beliebte Seelenlust', BWV.170
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo soprano), Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (conductor)
02:52 AM
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Symphony no 5, Op 50
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, John Storgårds (conductor)
03:28 AM
Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684)
Sonata no 4 à 3 in C major - from "Sonate" (Nuremberg 1682)
Jean Tubéry (cornet), Ensemble La Fenice, Jean Tubéry (conductor)
03:35 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
3 Lyric Pieces (Op 43 no 5, Op 54 no 3, Op 54 no 4)
Juhani Lagerspetz (piano)
03:44 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Per questa bella mano, KV.612
Wolf Matthias Friedrich (baritone), Kirill Troussov (violin), Clémence de Forceville (violin), Martin Moriarty (viola), Flurin Cuonz (cello), Lars Olaf Schaper (double bass)
03:52 AM
Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)
Karelian Scenes, Op 146
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jorma Palas (conductor)
04:03 AM
Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
The Blue Bird (from 8 Partsongs, Op 119 no 3)
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
04:07 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Romance for viola and piano
Steven Dann (viola), Bruce Vogt (piano)
04:14 AM
Domenico Pellegrini (17th century),Alessandro Piccinini (1566-c.1638)
Courante per la X (Pellegrini); Chiaccona in partite variate (Piccinini)
United Continuo Ensemble
04:20 AM
Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872)
Ballet Music for the Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Intermezzo in A major, Op 118 no 2
Jane Coop (piano)
04:38 AM
Guillaume Lekeu (1870-1894)
Adagio pour Quatuor d'Orchestre
Musikdorf Ernen Festival Orchestra, Daniel Bard (violin), Daniel Bard (director)
04:50 AM
Guillaume IX, Duke of Aquitaine (1071-1126),Anonymous
Companho ferai un vers tot covinen; La quarte estampie royal
Eric Mentzel (tenor), Bois de Cologne
04:57 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento for 2 flutes and cello in C major, Hob.4.1, 'London trio' no 1
Les Ambassadeurs
05:06 AM
Christian Frederik Emil Horneman (1840-1906)
Ouverture til Helteliv
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Schønwandt (conductor)
05:20 AM
Peter Welffens (1924-2003)
Stabat Mater
Flemish Radio Choir, Vlaams Radio Orkest [Flemish Radio Orchestra], Johan Duijck (conductor)
05:38 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata no 3 in C major, BWV.1005
Vilde Frang Bjærke (violin)
06:02 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Piano Concerto no 5 in F major, Op 103 "Egyptian"
Pascal Rogé (piano), UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) Philharmonic Orchestra, Ronald Zollman (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x5r4)
Rise and shine 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 (m002x5r6)
Three Hours of Classical Sparkle
Join Sarah Walker for a delicious Sunday mix of sparkling classics, from heart-melting choral works and romantic orchestral gems to restorative piano music.
This week, Sarah features magical music by Ola Gjeilo as her Choral Reflection, and takes us from dawn at the riverside to mysterious 19th Century Paris with music by Mussorgsky and Delius.
There’s piano music from Brahms, expressive string writing from Vaughan Williams, and a chance to hear the whole of Francis Poulenc's effervescent Piano Concerto with Louis Lortie and the BBC Philharmonic.
Plus, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Plinio Fernandes' take on an English classic...
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002x5r8)
Sofka Zinovieff, writer
Like many writers, Sofka Zinovieff draws on her own history in her books – and her family tree offers plenty of inspiration. Her paternal grandmother was born into Russian high society, fled to England after the 1917 revolution and became a Communist. Sofka wrote her biography.
Her maternal grandmother married the eccentric aristocrat Robert Heber-Percy, and for a time shared a house with his lover, the artist and composer Lord Berners. Sofka has also charted her story.
Her father Peter was a composer and co-founder of Britain's first synthesiser manufacturer, making instruments used by the likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
He banned his many children from attending his funeral – a decision which inspired her most recent book, a novel called Stealing Dad.
Sofka's music includes Bach, Monteverdi, Theodorakis and Mozart.
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002x5rb)
Gorecki's Totus Tuus
Sara Mohr Pietsch immerses us in the sound world of Totus Tuus by the Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, composed in 1987 in honour of a visit to Poland by Pope John Paul II, who was himself Polish by birth. We hear other music written for Popes, including Palestrina's mass for Pope Marcellus, which was sung at Papal coronations for centuries; and there's a moment from the soundtrack from the 2024 film 'Conclave'. Totus Tuus praises the Virgin Mary, and Schubert's celebrated Ave Maria makes an appearance. There's also music from 800 years of pilgrimages and a look across Polish music, from a seventeenth century dance by Adam Jarsębski to the hypnotic contemporary piano writing of Hania Rani.
To listen to this programme on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map'.
SUN 15:00 Music Matters (m002x5rd)
Mark Radcliffe's Nature Ramblings
Mountains
In the second of a series of three programmes inspired by the natural world, Mark Radcliffe features musical works inspired by mountains. We begin with Hawkwind's Hall Of The Mountain Grill and segue into Grieg's In The Hall Of The Mountain King. Works from Hovhaness, Strauss and Liszt are complimented and contrasted with songs from Shirley Collins, Rufus Wainwright and Fleet Foxes as we make our ascent... ending up on a majestic Bare Mountain.
Presenter: Mark Radcliffe
Producers: Elizabeth Foster & Ben Collingwood
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002x5rg)
Your Requests, Your Show
Alyn Shipton presents jazz music of all styles as requested by you.
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 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x5rj)
Wigmore Hall 125th Anniversary: Lukas Sternath
The young Vienna-born pianist, Lukas Sternath, is a rising star and a members of BBC Radio 3's prestigious New Generation Artists scheme. He returns to Wigmore Hall to give his first full recital, which pairs Liszt's virtuosic Funérailles and Schubert’s profound final Piano Sonata.
Recorded on 7th June at Wigmore Hall in London, and presented by Petroc Trelawny.
Franz Liszt: Funérailles, S.173 No. 7
Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in B flat D960
Lukas Sternath (piano)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
SUN 18:00 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”.
SUN 19:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x5rl)
Wigmore Hall 125: Christian Tetzlaff plays Bach
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff is highly acclaimed for his expressive, insightful and personal interpretations. Tonight, he performs Johann Sebastian Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, which stand at the summit of the violin repertoire. Christian Tetzlaff also marks his recent 60th birthday and celebrates Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary by performing the works in their entirety.
Broadcast live from Wigmore Hall in London, and presented by Petroc Trelawny.
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Sonata No. 1 in G minor for solo violin, BWV1001
Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin, BWV1002
Sonata No. 2 in A minor for solo violin, BWV1003
Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin, BWV1004
Sonata No. 3 in C for solo violin, BWV1005
Partita No. 3 in E for solo violin, BWV1006
Christian Tetzlaff (violin)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
SUN 22:00 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x5rn)
Wigmore Hall 125th Anniversary: London Voices
London Voices, founded by the late Terry Edwards in 1973 and now under the direction of conductor and composer Ben Parry, has worked with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Karlheinz Stockhausen.
As part of Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary, the choral ensemble dives into the shimmering textures and mercurial moods of Stockhausen's Stimmung, an incantatory combination of vocal colours for 6 voices and 6 microphones that includes the ‘magic names’ of gods and goddesses, the composer’s erotic poetry and contemplative overtone singing.
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Stimmung
London Voices:
- Joanna Forbes L'Estrange (soprano)
- Alison Ponsford-Hill (soprano)
- Heather Cairncross (alto)
- Richard Eteson (tenor)
- Ben Parry (bass)
- Nicholas Garrett (bass)
Recorded on Friday 5th June at Wigmore Hall.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002qqpq)
Afterimage
Elizabeth Alker explores landscapes of ambient and experimental sounds, hearing from emerging independent producers whose work plays with orchestral textures and classical form as well as the latest sounds from a new generation of contemporary composers who look to embrace the spirit of rock, pop and electronica. This week: Peter Broderick takes inspiration from an iconic Japanese video game soundtrack; New York composer Tristan Perich collaborates with superstar organist James McVinnie; Laurel Halo scores an oceanic ravine with dense string textures; and there's a surprise poetic appearance from an Oscar-winning actor.
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 08 JUNE 2026
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002x5rq)
Pierné, Moussa, Mussorgsky and Strauss from Paris
Flautist Emmanuel Pahud joins the Orchestre National de France and conductor Fabien Gabel in the premiere of Samy Moussa's Flute Concerto, commissioned by Radio France. The orchestra also plays works by Pierné, Saint-Saëns, Mussorgsky and Strauss. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)
Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied, Suite no 2
Orchestre National de France, Fabien Gabel (conductor)
12:47 AM
Samy Moussa (b.1984)
Flute Concerto
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Orchestre National de France, Fabien Gabel (conductor)
01:09 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Romance, Op 37
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Orchestre National de France, Fabien Gabel (conductor)
01:17 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Night on Bald Mountain
Orchestre National de France, Fabien Gabel (conductor)
01:31 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Die Frau ohne Schatten, symphonic fantasy
Orchestre National de France, Fabien Gabel (conductor)
01:53 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Valse Mignonne in E flat (Op.104)
Camille Saint-Saëns (piano)
01:56 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
String Quartet no 1 in E minor, Op 112
Amar 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
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Etudes en formes de variations Op.13 for piano
Zhang Zuo (piano)
03:39 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Festive Overture, Op 96
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Uri Mayer (conductor)
03:45 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)
03:54 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Susser Blumen Ambraflocken (HWV.204) - No. 3 from Deutsche Arien
Hélène Plouffe (violin), Louise Pellerin (oboe), Dom André Laberge (organ)
04:00 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Air from Suite for orchestra no.3 in D major (BWV.1068)
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Sedares (conductor)
04:05 AM
David Popper (1843-1913)
Hungarian rhapsody, Op 68
Shauna Rolston (cello), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
04:14 AM
Albertus Groneman (c.1710-1778)
Sonata for 2 flutes in G major
Jed Wentz (flute), Marion Moonen (flute)
04:22 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Sonata for violin and keyboard in B flat major, K.15
Les Ambassadeurs
04:31 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Concerto Grosso no 1 in F minor
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Jeanne Lamon (conductor)
04:39 AM
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Prelude and fugue in C sharp minor
Jerzy Godziszewski (piano)
04:47 AM
Bernat Vivancos (b.1973)
Nigra sum
Latvijas Radio Koris, Sigvards Kļava (conductor)
04:56 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Prelude a l'après-midi d'un faune
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
05:05 AM
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Konzertstuck in F major for viola and piano (1906)
Gyözö Máté (viola), Balázs Szokolay (piano)
05:15 AM
Sebastian Bodinus (c.1700-1759)
Trio for oboe and 2 bassoons in G major
Hildebrand'sche Hoboïsten Compagnie
05:24 AM
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935)
Symphony no 2 in D minor, Op 67
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Thomas Søndergård (conductor)
05:54 AM
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
O Padre Nostro
Chamber Choir AVE, Andraž Hauptman (conductor)
06:02 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Sonata for cello and piano no 2 in F major, Op 99
Christian Poltéra (cello), Martin Helmchen (piano)
MON 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x4nn)
Roll out of bed into classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002x4nq)
Refresh your morning with 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”.
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002x4ns)
Bach's Goldberg Variations live from London's Wigmore Hall
Linton Stephens presents an afternoon of exceptional music-making, featuring a live concert from Wigmore Hall. Violinist Julian Rachlin, violist Sarah McElravy, and cellist Boris Andrianov perform Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s striking arrangement of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Written in 1985 to mark the 300th anniversary of Bach’s birth, the arrangement has since become a chamber music classic in its own right. Long-time musical collaborators, the trio bring years of shared experience and a deep connection to the work, revealing fresh insight into Bach’s endlessly inventive and transcendent score.
Elsewhere in the programme, there is a week-long focus on London with exclusive recordings from the London Symphony Orchestra. Today, it performs Igor Stravinsky’s lyrical Divertimento from The Fairy's Kiss under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda. Also featured today is Johannes Brahms’s first Viola Sonata performed at LSO St Luke's by internationally acclaimed musicians, violist Antoine Tamestit and pianist Bertrand Chamayou. The programme also includes highlights from the London International Festival of Early Music, with a sonata by George Frideric Handel and vocal music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Live from Wigmore Hall and presented by Andrew McGregor
Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
Goldberg Variations BWV988
Julian Rachlin (violin)
Sarah McElravy (viola)
Boris Andrianov (cello)
***
Igor Stravinsky
Divertimento from ‘The Fairy’s Kiss’ (rev. 1949)
London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
Johannes Brahms
Viola Sonata No 1 in F minor Op. 120
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
George Frideric Handel
Sonata in F major, Op. 1 No. 11, HWV. 369
Dorothee Oberlinger (recorder)
Peter Kofler (harpsichord)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Le Reniement de St Pierre
Academy of Ancient Music
Students from the Guildhall Historic Performance Dept & Vocal Dept
James Johnstone (conductor)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
MON 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002x7t5)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
The Courtless Musician
Kate Molleson begins with Monteverdi’s early years in Cremona, where he emerged as a precocious and ambitious young composer. The programme traces his first publications, from sacred music to madrigals, and the training that grounded him in the traditions of Renaissance polyphony. As his writing grows bolder and he learns to break the rules, Monteverdi experiments with madrigals.
Scherzi musicali a tre voci – Damigella tutta bella
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor
Nuria Rial, soprano
Jan van Elsacker, tenor
Cyril Auvity, tenor
Nicolas Achten, baritone
João Fernandes, bass
L’Arpeggiata
Christina Pluhar, director
Sacrae cantiunculae (excerpts)
Györ Girls’ Choir
Jeunesses Musicales Chorus
Il primo libro de madrigali (Nos. 1-6)
Consort of Musicke
Anthony Rooley, director
Canzonette a tre voci (Nos. 1-3)
Armoniosoincanto
Franco Radicchia, director
Madrigals, Book 2 (excerpts)
Consort of Musicke
Anthony Rooley, director
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002x4nx)
Live jazz from His ‘n’ Hers
Petroc Trelawny presents live music from pianist Charles Owen and violinist Charlie Lovell‑Jones ahead of their Classical Pride concert at Kings Place in London. Jazz duo His 'n' Hers (saxophonists Judith and Dave O’Higgins) also perform pieces from their latest album 'Liquorice Allsorts' live in the studio with their band.
MON 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002x4nz)
Power through with classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
MON 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x4p1)
The CBSO perform Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances
Linton Stephens is at Symphony Hall in Birmingham for a concert from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alpesh Chauhan, inspired by the moods and rhythms of dance. Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances end their programme, one of his last works, written whilst in America. Before it, we hear a sequence of dances drawing on the social and cultural world of Black America by Carlos Simon. The CBSO's concert begins with a performance of American composer Philip Glass's energetic and challenging double timpani concerto.
Philip Glass - Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra
Carlos Simon - Four Black American Dances
INTERVAL
Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances
Matthew Hardy & Toby Kearney (timpani)
CBSO
Alpesh Chauhan (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
MON 21:45 The Essay (m0027bxt)
Musicians on the Couch
City of Dreams: Vienna, Psychoanalysis and Me
Writer and music lover Amanda Dalton’s childhood was dominated by her love of playing the piano and loathing of the intensive psychoanalytical psychotherapy she underwent for five years. Coupled with her long personal interest in how the brain and the body work together, this series takes an unusual look at music.
The essays focus on human stories exploring interactions between music and a troubled mind, discussing some of the key historical and current thinking regarding the relationships between creative individuals with mental health challenges or damaged minds - and music. Some of these will be well known, some less so – all afford rich material to explore the themes. Always returning to the human and personal story, the series references the research and insights of neuroscientists and psychologists, such as Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and Anthony Storr. As arguably the birthplace of psycho analysis and home to a multitude of iconic classical musicians – the starting point is Vienna.
Essay 1: City of Dreams: Vienna, Psychoanalysis and Me.
Vienna’s incredibly rich musical history as home to many of history’s most famous composers and musicians is well documented. Equally, it’s known as the birthplace of psychoanalysis, being the long-time home of Sigmund Freud and several of his colleagues. This essay explores how the two worlds of music and psychoanalysis collided in this extraordinary place, including the occasion in 1910 when Mahler visited Freud for analysis, the experience of other composers who underwent psychological treatments, and Freud’s own ambivalent relationship to music. It’s woven through with an introduction to Amanda’s own personal encounters with music and psychotherapy, beginning for her aged seven.
Amanda Dalton is a playwright, poet and essayist. She has three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books, most recently Fantastic Voyage (2024). Smith|Doorstop published a pamphlet of two long poems, Notes on Water, a version of which she re-created for two voices and soundscape for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears.
Amanda writes extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4 including original drama, poetry-dramas, re-imaginings of silent movies and classic film, lyric essays and adaptations of fiction. Her theatre writing also includes text for outdoor and site-specific performance, and work for young people with commissions from Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake. Until 2019 she was a senior leader at the Royal Exchange Theatre where she also worked as an Associate Artist, theatre maker and project director, in partnership with communities across the North West and beyond. Alongside her work as a writer, Amanda designs and delivers a wide range of writing workshops, mentors a number of poets and playwrights, and regularly curates and co-delivers collaborative cross-artform projects, most recently with Wainsgate Dances, Manchester Camerata and Quarantine. Her website is https://www.amandadalton.co.uk
Writer and reader: Amanda Dalton
Producer: Polly Thomas
Sound: Alisdair McGregor
Exec Producer: Chantal Herbert
A Thomas Carter Project production for BBC Radio 3.
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002x4p3)
Immersive music for late night listening
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002x4p5)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
TUESDAY 09 JUNE 2026
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002x4p7)
Rachmaninov and Sibelius from Slovenia
Pianist Yeol Eum Son joins the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and conductor Lio Kuokman in Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto which is followed by Sibelius's 2nd Symphony. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Anton Lajovic (1878-1960)
A dream, for string orchestra
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
12:38 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto no 3 in D minor, Op 30
Yeol Eum Son (piano), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
01:22 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Prelude in G, Op 32 no 5
Yeol Eum Son (piano)
01:26 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony no 2 in D, Op 43
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Lio Kuokman (conductor)
02:10 AM
André Caplet (1878-1925)
Divertissement no 2 - A l'Espagnole
Mojka Zlobko (harp)
02:16 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Trio élégiaque no 1 in G minor
Esther Hoppe (violin), Christian Poltéra (cello), Hiroko Sakagami (piano)
02:31 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Der Herr lebet - cantata, Wq.251
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Hilke Helling (alto), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Gotthold Schwarz (bass), Das Kleine Konzert, Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max (conductor)
03:07 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
6 Moments musicaux for piano, D.780
Martin Helmchen (piano)
03:36 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Last Spring, Op 33 no 2
Camerata Bern, Thomas Furi (leader)
03:42 AM
Pierre Max Dubois (1930-1995)
Quartet for flutes
Valentinas Kazlauskas (flute), Lina Baublyté (flute), Albertas Stupakas (flute), Giedrius Gelgotas (flute)
03:51 AM
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Concerto Grosso no 5 in D minor - Sinfonia
Chiave d'Arco Baroque Orchestra, Sigiswald Kuijken (director)
03:59 AM
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Capriccio diabolico for guitar, Op 85
Goran Listes (guitar)
04:08 AM
Ivo Parac (1890-1954)
Andante amoroso for string quartet
Zagreb Quartet
04:15 AM
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Rondo brillante in E flat 'La gaieté', Op 62, J252
Niklas Sivelöv (piano)
04:21 AM
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Valse-fantasie in B minor
Bratislava Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Štefan Róbl (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)
Concerto in C minor for 2 oboes, bassoon and strings, FaWV L:c2
Shai Kribus (oboe), Mirjam Hüttner (oboe), Sergio Azzolini (bassoon), Camerata Bern, Sergio Azzolini (director)
04:41 AM
Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960)
Skärgårdsbilder (Pictures from the Archipelago) - Three Piano Pieces, Op 17
Valma Rydström (piano)
04:50 AM
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
Ich bin eine rufende Stimme, SWV383 & O lieber Herre Gott, wecke uns auf, SWV381
Danish National Radio Chorus, Stefan Parkman (conductor)
04:58 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Overture to Genoveva, Op 81
BBC Philharmonic, John Storgårds (conductor)
05:08 AM
Frano Parać (b.1948)
Scherzo for Winds
Zagreb Wind Quintet
05:17 AM
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
From Jewish Life, B.54
Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Alexander Lonquich (piano)
05:27 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata no 32 in C minor, Op 111
Kotaro Fukuma (piano)
05:55 AM
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Lettera amorosa & Chi vol haver felice (from libro VII de madrigali, Venice 1619
Gianluca Ferrarini (tenor), Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord)
06:05 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Trio for clarinet or viola, cello and piano in A minor, Op 114
Hans Christian Bræin (clarinet), Ellen Margrethe Flesjö (cello), Håvard Gimse (piano)
TUE 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x4dg)
Breakfast with the best classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002x4dj)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002x4dl)
The London Symphony Orchestra perform Vaughan Williams' A London Symphony
Linton Stephens presents an afternoon of exclusive music-making, including a special focus on London, long-regarded as one of the world’s leading centres for classical music.
There is chamber music from two of London’s leading concert venues. From Wigmore Hall, tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Piotr Anderszewski perform music by Robert Schumann. And from LSO St. Luke's, internationally acclaimed violist Antoine Tamestit is joined by violinist James Ehnes and cellist Andreas Brantelid for music by Ernő Dohnányi, before pianist Bertrand Chamayou joins Tamestit for a sonata by Dmitri Shostakovich.
At the centre of the programme, the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, performs Ralph Vaughan Williams’s A London Symphony - a vivid and impressionistic portrait of early twentieth-century London that captures both the city’s restless energy and its nostalgic charm. The programme also includes highlights from the London International Festival of Early Music, featuring music by Georg Philipp Telemann.
Robert Schumann
Dichterliebe
Ian Bostridge (tenor)
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Ernő Dohnányi
Serenade in C major
James Ehnes (violin)
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Andreas Brantelid (cello)
Ralph Vaughan Williams
A London Symphony (rev 1962)
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonata for 2 flutes No.3 in G major
Erik Bosgraaf (recorder)
Zefira Valova (violin)
Dmitri Shostakovich
Viola Sonata Op. 147
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
Benjamin Britten
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34
Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell
Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest
Howard Williams (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 (m002x7td)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Fin de 16th siècle
Kate Molleson follows Monteverdi to Mantua, where court life offers new opportunities and new pressures. As he settles into the Gonzaga court, his music becomes more daring, with madrigals that test the limits of harmony and expression. The programme traces his growing confidence as a composer and performer, alongside the influences of travel, patronage and court culture. There are also early stirrings of opera…
Sinfonia for two violins and viola da brazzo
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Vattene pur, crudel
6 Chordae Consort of Viols
John Dornenburg, director
Ch’io non t’ami, cor mio?
Delitiae Musicae
Marco Longhini, director
L’Orfeo (extracts)
Natalie Dessay, soprano (La Musica / Eurydice)
Ian Bostridge, tenor (Orfeo)
Patrizia Ciofi, soprano
Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano
Sonia Prina, contralto
Mario Luperi, bass
Véronique Gens, soprano
Lorenzo Regazzo, bass
Christopher Maltman, baritone
Paul Agnew, tenor
Pascal Bertin, countertenor
Richard Burkhard, baritone
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
Le Concert d’Astrée
Emmanuelle Haïm, conductor
Madrigali amorosi (excerpts)
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Cruda Amarilli; Anima mia perdona; Che se tu se’il cor mio
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002x4dr)
Live from BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool
In Tune comes live from BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool. Petroc is joined by Domingo Hindoyan, Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, to look ahead to their forthcoming season and discuss recent collaborations with virtuoso trumpeter and fellow Venezuelan, Pacho Flores. There’s live music from four young performers chosen for the RLPO’s Emerging Musicians Fellowship: they join us on the eve of their chamber concert which culminates their year on the scheme. Petroc also marks the 30th anniversary of LIPA - the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
TUE 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002lnz8)
A classical mix to centre and ground you
An engaging mix of classical music for half an hour, featuring Vaughan Williams’ setting of A. E. Housman’s iconic poetry, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s soundtrack for Craig Mazin’s series about Chernobyl, and the fingerwork of lutenist Jakob Lindberg as he performs Bach, plus Alexandre Tharaud realises Satie’s pianistic ode to an ancient Greek festival.
TUE 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x4dw)
Haydn's Creation
From chaos to order, darkness to light, emptiness to abundance, Haydn's vivid and characterful musical setting of the biblical genesis story has enthralled audiences for over 200 years. Since its sensational premiere in Vienna in 1798, The Creation has been a pinnacle of the choral-orchestral repertoire, an oratorio to rival those of Haydn's great predecessor Handel. The combination of imaginative word-painting, vibrant orchestral colours and jubilant choruses makes it one of Haydn's most popular and spectacular pieces.
In this performance the Chorus and orchestral musicians of Royal Northern Sinfonia are conducted by their Music Director Dinis Sousa, and joined by a superb trio of soloists: soprano Carolyn Sampson, tenor Laurence Kilsby and bass William Thomas.
Presented by Mark Forrest and recorded on Sunday 17th May at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead.
Joseph Haydn
The Creation
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Laurence Kilsby (tenor)
William Thomas (bass)
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Dinis Sousa (conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
TUE 21:45 The Essay (m0027d0p)
Musicians on the Couch
Music, Madness and Unusual Ways of Seeing…
Writer and music lover Amanda Dalton’s childhood was dominated by her love of playing the piano and loathing of the intensive psychoanalytical psychotherapy she underwent for five years. Coupled with her long, personal interest in how the brain and the body work together, this series takes an unusual look at music.
The essays focus on human stories exploring interactions between music and a troubled mind, discussing some of the key historical and current thinking regarding the relationships between creative individuals with mental health challenges or damaged minds - and music. Some of these will be well known, some less so – all afford rich material to explore the themes. Always returning to the human and personal story, the series references the research and insights of neuroscientists and psychologists, such as Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and Anthony Storr. As arguably the birthplace of psycho analysis and home to a multitude of iconic classical musicians – the starting point is Vienna.
Essay 2: Music, Madness and Unusual Ways of Seeing….
This essay takes a gentle look at aspects of the relationship between musical creativity, mental illness and mood. Woven through with Amanda’s personal story of music as its own form of psychotherapy, the essay references composers Mozart and Schumann and 20th century giants John Ogdon and Glenn Gould as examples of musicians known for their unstable mental health, before opening out to take a look at some of the other ways in which irregularities in the workings of the brain can lead to unusual and creative ways of perceiving the world.
Amanda Dalton is a playwright, poet and essayist. She has three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books, most recently Fantastic Voyage (2024). Smith|Doorstop published a pamphlet of two long poems, Notes on Water, a version of which she re-created for two voices and soundscape for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears.
Amanda writes extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4 including original drama, poetry-dramas, re-imaginings of silent movies and classic film, lyric essays and adaptations of fiction. Her theatre writing also includes text for outdoor and site-specific performance, and work for young people with commissions from Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake.
Until 2019 she was a senior leader at the Royal Exchange Theatre where she also worked as an Associate Artist, theatre maker and project director, in partnership with communities across the North West and beyond.
Alongside her work as a writer, Amanda designs and delivers a wide range of writing workshops, mentors a number of poets and playwrights, and regularly curates and co-delivers collaborative cross-artform projects, most recently with Wainsgate Dances, Manchester Camerata and Quarantine.
Her website is https://www.amandadalton.co.uk
Writer and reader: Amanda Dalton
Producer: Polly Thomas
Sound: Alisdair McGregor
Exec Producer: Chantal Herbert
A Thomas Carter Project production for BBC Radio 3.
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002x4dy)
Dissolve into a nocturnal soundworld
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002x4f0)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002x4f2)
Mozart and Bruckner from London
From the 2025 BBC Proms, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth are joined by pianist Mariam Batsashvili in Mozart's Piano Concerto No 20. The orchestra also plays Bruckner's 7th Symphony and the premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth's "for Laura, after Bach". Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Ryan Wigglesworth (b.1979)
for Laura, after Bach
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
12:39 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no 20 in D minor, K. 466
Mariam Batsashvili (piano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
01:13 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Etude in G sharp minor, S. 141/3 'La campanella'
Mariam Batsashvili (piano)
01:18 AM
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony no 7 in E
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)
02:25 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Aria: "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" - from 'Die Zauberflöte'
Russell Braun (baritone), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Richard Bradshaw (conductor)
02:31 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Mass no 9 in C major, Hob. XXII:9 'Missa in tempore belli'
Julia Doyle (soprano), Margot Oitzinger (alto), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Peter Harvey (bass), Chorus of the J.S. Bach Foundation, St Gallen, Orchestra of J.S. Bach Foundation, St Gallen, Rudolf Lutz (conductor)
03:10 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Waldszenen - 9 pieces for piano, Op 82
Stefan Bojsten (piano)
03:35 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Notturno in B major, Op 40
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Stanienda (conductor)
03:42 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Sonate IV for violin, viola da gamba and cembalo in B flat major, BuxWV.255
Ensemble CordArte
03:51 AM
Johann Christoph Pezel (1639-1694), Ronald Romm (arr.)
Suite of German dances, arr for brass ensemble
Canadian Brass
03:59 AM
Marko Ruždjak (1946-2012)
April is the Cruellest Month
Zagreb Guitar Trio
04:06 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
4 Lieder from the Schemelli songbook (BWV.443, 468, 470 & 439)
Bernarda Fink (mezzo soprano), Domen Marinčič (gamba), Dalibor Miklavcic (organ)
04:15 AM
Dag Wiren (1905-1986)
Sonatina for piano, Op 25
Niklas Sivelöv (piano)
04:22 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Waltz of the Flowers (from The Nutcracker)
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Marko Munih (conductor)
04:31 AM
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, viola & basso continuo in G major, Op 11 no 2
Les Adieux
04:39 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Rondo in E flat major, Op 16
Ludmil Angelov (piano)
04:49 AM
Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996)
Lauda Anima Mea from Liber Canticorum II (Op.59c)
Sokkelund Choir, Morten Schuldt-Jensen (conductor)
04:57 AM
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from the ballet 'Spartacus' (Act 3)
NRCU Symphony Orchestra, Vyacheslav Blinov (conductor)
05:07 AM
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Adagio for violin (or viola, or cello) and piano in C major
Tamás Major (violin), Zóltan Kocsis (piano)
05:15 AM
Petar Petrov (b.1961)
Canto triste
Rossen Idealov (clarinet), Georgita Boyadiieva (cello), Musica Nova Sofia, Dragomir Yossifov (conductor)
05:25 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony no 1 in C major, Op 21
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor)
05:52 AM
Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Dulces Exuviae - motet
Currende, Erik van Nevel (conductor)
05:59 AM
Franz Berwald (1796-1868)
String Quartet in G minor
Örebro String Quartet
WED 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x4q1)
Birdsong and Bach to banish those morning blues
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 (m002x4q6)
The very best of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m002x4qb)
Antoine Tamestit joins the London Symphony Orchestra in Walton's Viola Concerto
Linton Stephens presents an afternoon of exclusive music-making, with a special focus on London, long recognised as one of the world’s leading centres for classical music. Today, the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, performs Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets, alongside William Walton’s Viola Concerto with internationally acclaimed violist Antoine Tamestit as soloist.
Elsewhere, there is chamber music recorded at Wigmore Hall, where tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Piotr Anderszewski perform Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis. The programme also includes highlights from the London International Festival of Early Music, featuring music by Pietro Antonio Locatelli.
Gustav Holst
The Planets - suite Op. 32: Jupiter, the bringer of jollity
London Symphony Orchestra
Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Pietro Antonio Locatelli
Trio Sonata in E minor, Op. 2 No. 5
Polychroma
William Walton
Viola Concerto (rev. 1962)
Antoine Tamestit (violinist)
London Symphony Orchestra
Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Robert Schumann
Liederkreis Op. 24
Ian Bostridge (tenor)
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live"
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002x4qg)
Keble College, Oxford
From the Chapel of Keble College, Oxford.
Introit: Hail, gladdening light (Wood)
Responses: Andrew Campling
Psalms 53, 54, 55 (Goss, Naylor, Barnby)
First Lesson: 1 Samuel 12 vv19-25
Canticles: Wesley in E
Second Lesson: Romans 9 vv9-21
Anthem: I saw the Lord (Stainer)
Voluntary: Chorale Prelude on Croft’s 136th (Parry)
Christian Wilson (Director of Music)
Louis Horsman Carpenter, Louis Jones (Organ Scholars)
Recorded 28 April.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002x7t8)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Centre Stage
Kate Molleson focuses on Monteverdi at a turning point in his career, as he secures a leading role at the Mantuan court and begins writing for the stage. Alongside this creative breakthrough comes a more difficult period in his personal life, with financial strain, overwork and illness. Set within the demands of court life, Monteverdi’s artistic ambition and lived experience converge.
Io mi son giovinetta
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Vespers of 1610 – excerpts
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers, conductor
Cor mio, non mori?
Delitiae Musicae
Marco Longhini, director
L’Orfeo – Act 5 (extract)
John Mark Ainsley, tenor (Orfeo)
Catherine Bott, soprano (La Musica)
Julia Gooding, soprano (Euridice)
Michael George, bass (Plutone)
Andrew King, tenor (Apollo)
Simon Grant, bass (Caronte)
Lætaniæ della Beata Vergine
Odhecaton
Paolo Da Col, director
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002x4qq)
Live from BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool
In Tune comes live from BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool. Petroc is joined by Liverpool-born mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnston, who talks about growing up in a city with such a vibrant musical heritage. He takes a walk along Hope Street, from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, past the Philharmonic Hall, to Liverpool Cathedral, where he meets Ian Tracey, organist there since 1980, who is retiring in October. Specially for In Tune, Ian performs on the Cathedral's magnificent Father Willis Organ – celebrating the centenary of the largest pipe organ in the UK.
WED 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002x4qw)
Classical music for your journey
Relax into a soothing mixtape of music by Mozart, Brahms, Schubert and Handel. Sprinkled into the mix are contemporary works by Caroline Shaw and Matthew Bourne - plus Jan Garbarek's now-classic sax improvisation on a Renaissance choral work, Parce mihi domine. Producer: Christina Kenny.
WED 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002x4r0)
Mahler's Symphony No.6
Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong joins the Hallé Orchestra for a remarkable season finale centred on Mahler's Symphony No. 6.
Mahler composed this symphony during a period of relative personal happiness. His wife, Alma Mahler, immortalised in the deeply expressive Adagietto of his Fifth Symphony, had recently given birth to their second child. Against this backdrop, the symphony’s frequent subtitle, “The Tragic,” presents a striking and thought-provoking contrast.
While the work is often characterised by its brooding intensity and sense of inexorable fate, it also contains moments of warmth and deeply personal reference. The expansive melodies of the opening movement are widely associated with Alma, while the playful, restless Scherzo evokes the energy of his young daughters. Heard in full, the symphony emerges not simply as a tragedy, but as a complex and compelling portrait of love, joy, and the shadow of uncertainty that accompanies them.
Recorded on the 28th May and presented by Elizabeth Alker.
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.6
The Hallé Orchestra
Kahchun Wong (Principal Conductor)
To listen on most smart speakers just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert".
WED 21:45 The Essay (m0027br4)
Musicians on the Couch
When Margaret Met Carl: Music Therapy
Writer and music lover Amanda Dalton’s childhood was dominated by her love of playing the piano and loathing of the intensive psychoanalytical psychotherapy she underwent for five years. Coupled with her long personal interest in how the brain and the body work together, this series takes an unusual look at music.
The essays focus on human stories exploring interactions between music and a troubled mind, discussing some of the key historical and current thinking regarding the relationships between creative individuals with mental health challenges or damaged minds - and music. Some of these will be well known, some less so – all afford rich material to explore the themes. Always returning to the human and personal story, the series references the research and insights of neuroscientists and psychologists, such as Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and Anthony Storr. As arguably the birthplace of psycho analysis and home to a multitude of iconic classical musicians – the starting point is Vienna.
Essay 3: When Margaret met Carl: Music Therapy
Music Therapy and Music as therapy. This essay springs from the story of music therapist and concert pianist Margaret Tilly and her meeting with psychiatrist and analyst Carl Jung, who underwent a session of music therapy with her and championed her work on musical analysis and the treatment of her patients. It also looks at the intensely moving story and footage, which went viral in 2021, of Spanish ballerina Marta C Gonzalez - living with late-stage Alzheimer’s but responding instinctively as her arms and facial expressions re-enact the grace of her dancing Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. How does music reach us in a way that words cannot? How is it that musical expression often remains possible long after brain injury and illness has rendered other forms of communication impossible?
Amanda Dalton is a playwright, poet and essayist. She has three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books, most recently Fantastic Voyage (2024). Smith|Doorstop published a pamphlet of two long poems, Notes on Water, a version of which she re-created for two voices and soundscape for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears.
Amanda writes extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4 including original drama, poetry-dramas, re-imaginings of silent movies and classic film, lyric essays and adaptations of fiction. Her theatre writing also includes text for outdoor and site-specific performance, and work for young people with commissions from Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake.
Until 2019 she was a senior leader at the Royal Exchange Theatre where she also worked as an Associate Artist, theatre maker and project director, in partnership with communities across the North West and beyond.
Alongside her work as a writer, Amanda designs and delivers a wide range of writing workshops, mentors a number of poets and playwrights, and regularly curates and co-delivers collaborative cross-artform projects, most recently with Wainsgate Dances, Manchester Camerata and Quarantine.
Her website is https://www.amandadalton.co.uk
Writer and reader: Amanda Dalton
Producer: Polly Thomas
Sound: Alisdair McGregor
Exec Producer: Chantal Herbert
A Thomas Carter Project production for BBC Radio 3.
WED 22:00 Night Tracks (m002x4r4)
Eclectic music for after dark
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
WED 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002x4r8)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002x4rd)
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater from Kyiv
From the studios of Ukrainian Radio in Kyiv, the Platon Maiboroda Academic Choir of Ukrainian Radio, Liatoshynskyi Capella, soloists and conductor Yuliia Tkach perform Pergolesi's Stabat Mater plus music by Ukrainian composers and performers. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Stabat Mater
Liudmyla Monastyrska (soprano), Alla Pozniak (mezzo soprano), Platon Maiboroda Academic Choir of Ukrainian Radio, Liatoshynskyi Capella, Yuliia Tkach (conductor)
01:10 AM
Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
La Tristesse, Op 39
Anastasia Kobekina (cello), Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula (piano)
01:17 AM
Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912)
Fantasy on Two Ukrainian Themes for flute and orchestra
Yuri Shut'ko (flute), NRCU Symphony Orchestra, Vyacheslav Blinov (conductor)
01:25 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Violin Sonata in A minor, Op 19
David Oistrakh (violin), Greta Erikson (piano)
01:45 AM
Reinhold Glière (1875-1956)
Harp Concerto in E flat, Op 74
Emily Hoile (harp), Biel-Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, Kaspar Zehnder (conductor)
02:12 AM
Georges Bizet (1838-1875), Vladimir Horowitz (transc.)
Virtuoso Fantasy on themes from "Carmen"
Vladimir Horowitz (piano)
02:16 AM
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Violin Concerto in B flat major
Andrea Keller (violin), Concerto Köln
02:31 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Symphony no 8 in G major, Op 88
KBS Symphony Orchestra, Hubert Soudant (conductor)
03:09 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Kinderszenen, Op 15
Håvard Gimse (piano)
03:29 AM
Vladimir Ruždjak (1922-1987)
5 Folk Tunes for baritone and orchestra
Miroslav Zivkovich (baritone), Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, Mladen Tarbuk (conductor)
03:38 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Chacony in G minor, Z.730
Psophos Quartet
03:46 AM
John Foulds (1880-1939)
Keltic Overture, Op 28
BBC Concert Orchestra, Ronald Corp (conductor)
03:54 AM
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
4 Visages for viola and piano, Op 238
Silvia Simionescu (viola), Alice Burla (piano)
04:04 AM
László Sáry (b.1940)
Kotyogó ko egy korsóban (Pebble Playing in a Pot)
Amadinda Percussion Group
04:13 AM
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)
La Gaité - Rondo brillant pour le Piano Forte in A major
Tom Beghin (fortepiano)
04:22 AM
Christian Gottfried Krause (1719-1770)
Trio Sonata in D minor
Flor Galante
04:31 AM
Zygmunt Noskowski (1846-1909)
The Highlander's Fantasy, Op 17
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Borowicz (conductor)
04:40 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op 35 no 1
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
04:49 AM
Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817-1890)
Ved solnedgang (At sunset) for choir and orchestra, Op 46
Danish National Radio Choir, Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Roman Zeilinger (conductor)
04:57 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Adagio and Allegro in E flat major (K.Anh.C
17.07) for wind octet
Festival Winds
05:07 AM
Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762)
Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op 3 no 2
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
05:15 AM
Anonymous
Ave Potentissima, Geistliches Konzert for soprano, 2 violins
Kamila Zajícková (soprano), Musica Aeterna Bratislava, Peter Zajicek (director)
05:23 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony no 67 in F major, Hob I:67
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (conductor)
05:49 AM
Nicolas Chédeville (1705-1782)
Recorder Sonata in G minor, Op 13 no 6
Ensemble 1700, Dorothee Oberlinger (director)
05:57 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet no 1 in F major, Op 18 no 1
Sebastian String Quartet
THU 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x68j)
Launch the day with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m002x68l)
Relax into the day with classical
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002x68n)
Mozart's Divertimento for String Trio in E-flat major from LSO St Luke's
Linton Stephens presents an afternoon of exclusive music-making, with a special focus on London, long recognised as one of the world’s leading centres for classical music. The programme opens with Haydn's sophisticated and deeply expressive work from his first London visit, his Symphony No. 98. There is also chamber music from two of London’s leading concert venues. From Wigmore Hall, pianist Piotr Anderszewski plays Brahms and from LSO St Luke's Antoine Tamestit is joined by violinist James Ehnes and cellist Andreas Brantelid for music by Mozart. The London Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Sit Antonio Pappano, performs Thea Musgrave's Phoenix Rising, and the programme also includes highlights from the London International Festival of Early Music.
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 98 in B flat, Hob. I:98 ('London')
German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Saarbrucken Kaiserslautern
Guilhem Kusnierek (director)
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo in B minor Op. 119 No. 1
Intermezzo in C Op. 119 No. 3
Intermezzo in A minor Op. 118 No. 1
Intermezzo in A Op. 118 No. 2
Intermezzo in B flat minor Op. 117 No. 2
Intermezzo in E flat minor Op. 118 No. 6
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento for String Trio in E-flat major
James Ehnes (violin)
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Andreas Brantelid (cello)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cello Suite in C major
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Thea Musgrave
Phoenix Rising
London Symphony Orchestra
Antonio Pappano (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 (m002x7tb)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Troubles and trials
Kate Molleson follows Monteverdi through a period of upheaval, from his dismissal at the Mantuan court to a new post at St Mark’s in Venice. Alongside this change in fortune come moments of instability, from the circumstances of his departure to the challenges of rebuilding a career. Set against the distinctive sound world of Venice, Monteverdi adapts his writing to new spaces and forces, and his music continues to evolve in a very different musical environment.
Il sesto libro de madrigali (extract)
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini, director
Pianto della Madonna
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers, conductor
Zefiro torna e di soave accenti
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor
Nuria Rial, soprano
Laudate Dominum
I Fagiolini
The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble
Robert Hollingworth, director
Selva morale e spirituale – Mass movements
Ensemble San Felice
Capriccio Armonico Ensemble Chorus
Federico Bardazzi, director
Beatus vir
I Fagiolini
The 24
Robert Hollingworth, director
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002x68s)
Live music from Steven Osborne
Pianist Steven Osborne plays live on In Tune ahead of appearing at this year’s Aldeburgh Festival. Author Daniel Okrent talks about his new book, Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn't Easy.
THU 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002x68v)
Half an hour of the finest classical music
Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical favourites.
THU 19:30 Radio 3 in Concert (m002w80f)
Bruckner Symphony No. 4
The air shimmers, and a horn calls softly in the distance. Is there a more magical beginning to any symphony than the vista that opens Bruckner’s Fourth? There's a reason he called it “Romantic”.
Bruckner imagined a story of knights, forests and castles, but he preferred to let the music speak for itself, and in this closing concert to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s 90th anniversary, Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth will let it do exactly that. It’s a world away from the spiritual intimacy of Bruckner’s sacred music – sung tonight by the BBC Singers – and the bridge is a new version of Wigglesworth’s own powerful Magnificat. Featuring soprano Sophie Bevan, the BBC Singers and the BBC SSO, admire its “Heaven-meets-earth choral harmonies" (Bachtrack).
Bruckner: Ave Maria (1861 setting)
Ryan Wigglesworth: Magnificat - for solo soprano, chorus and orchestra (revised version, world premiere)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, ‘Romantic’
Sophie Bevan, soprano
Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor
BBC Singers
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.
THU 21:45 The Essay (m0027c1b)
Musicians on the Couch
Music and Mystery… Psychology and the Unexplained
Writer and music lover Amanda Dalton’s childhood was dominated by her love of playing the piano and loathing of the intensive psychoanalytical psychotherapy she underwent for five years. Coupled with her long personal interest in how the brain and the body work together, this series takes an unusual look at music.
The essays focus on human stories exploring interactions between music and a troubled mind, discussing some of the key historical and current thinking regarding the relationships between creative individuals with mental health challenges or damaged minds - and music. Some of these will be well known, some less so – all afford rich material to explore the themes. Always returning to the human and personal story, the series references the research and insights of neuroscientists and psychologists, such as Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and Anthony Storr. As arguably the birthplace of psycho analysis and home to a multitude of iconic classical musicians – the starting point is Vienna.
Essay 4: Music and Mystery… Psychology and the Unexplained.
This essay explores human stories in which the relationships between music and the mind are a source of debate and mystery. Woven through with a personal story involving Faure’s Requiem, Amanda Dalton considers the case of Rosemary Brown – Spirit Medium, who created a media storm during the 1970s with claims that dead composers were dictating her compositions to her. She and her work were studied by numerous psychologists, with controversial results. She also goes back in time to take a glimpse at notions of the divine through the work of Hildegard of Bingen, before recounting a modern day true story of the mysterious and debilitating pain that radically altered the career path of one of the world’s leading violinists.
Amanda Dalton is a playwright, poet and essayist. She has three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books, most recently Fantastic Voyage (2024). Smith|Doorstop published a pamphlet of two long poems, Notes on Water, a version of which she re-created for two voices and soundscape for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears.
Amanda writes extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4 including original drama, poetry-dramas, re-imaginings of silent movies and classic film, lyric essays and adaptations of fiction. Her theatre writing also includes text for outdoor and site-specific performance, and work for young people with commissions from Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake.
Until 2019 she was a senior leader at the Royal Exchange Theatre where she also worked as an Associate Artist, theatre maker and project director, in partnership with communities across the North West and beyond.
Alongside her work as a writer, Amanda designs and delivers a wide range of writing workshops, mentors a number of poets and playwrights, and regularly curates and co-delivers collaborative cross-artform projects, most recently with Wainsgate Dances, Manchester Camerata and Quarantine.
Her website is https://www.amandadalton.co.uk
Writer and reader: Amanda Dalton
Producer: Polly Thomas
Sound: Alisdair McGregor
Exec Producer: Chantal Herbert
A Thomas Carter Project production for BBC Radio 3.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002x68x)
Meditative music for night owls
Hannah Peel presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002x68z)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.
FRIDAY 12 JUNE 2026
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002x691)
Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto from China
Zee Zee is the pianist performing with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and conductor Long Yu. Violinist Liu Ming joins the orchestra for an arrangement of Bernstein's West Side Story Suite, and the concert opens with Zhou Tian’s 'Metropolis'. Jonathan Swain presents.
12:31 AM
Tian Zhou (b.1981)
Metropolis
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Long Yu (conductor)
12:40 AM
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), William David Brohn (arr.)
West Side Story Suite
Liu Ming (violin), Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Long Yu (conductor)
01:00 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto no 3 in D minor, Op 30
Zee Zee (piano), Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Long Yu (conductor)
01:42 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op 19
Anastasia Kobekina (cello), Tom Poster (piano)
02:20 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Aleko's Cavatina (Aleko)
Allan Monk (baritone), Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
02:25 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Prelude in C sharp minor (Bells)
Sergei Terentjev (piano)
02:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto no 5 in A major, K.219 "Turkish"
Pinchas Zukerman (violin), National Arts Centre Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman (director)
03:01 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Heinrich Heine (lyricist)
Dichterliebe for voice and piano, Op 48
Ian Bostridge (tenor), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
03:30 AM
John Blow (1649-1708)
Venus and Adonis (dance extracts)
Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley (director)
03:37 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Sicut cervus - Like as the hart
Chorus of Swiss Radio, Lugano, Lorenzo Ghielmi (organ), Alberto Rasi (viola da gamba), Diego Fasolis (conductor)
03:41 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), Duncan Craig (arr.)
Romance in F major, Op 50 (arr. Craig for viola and piano)
Gyözö Máté (viola), Balázs Szokolay (piano)
03:50 AM
Wawrzyniec Zulawski (1916-1957)
Suite in the Old Style
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Miroslaw Blaszczyk (conductor)
04:01 AM
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Four Lieder for Piano, Op 8
Giorgi Gigashvili (piano)
04:13 AM
Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975)
Rhapsodie pour la harpe (1921)
Rita Costanzi (harp)
04:23 AM
Luka Sorkočević (1734-1789)
Sinfonie in D major
Salzburger Hofmusik, Wolfgang Brunner (organ), Wolfgang Brunner (director)
04:31 AM
Mönch von Salzburg (c.1340-c.1392)
In aller werlt mein liebster hort
Ensemble für Frühe Musik Augsburg
04:37 AM
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata in F minor, Kk.466
Louis Schwizgebel (piano)
04:45 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
An der schonen, blauen Donau (The Blue Danube) - waltz, Op 314
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
04:56 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Seven Variations on 'Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen', WoO.46
Benedict Klöckner (cello), José Gallardo (piano)
05:06 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), Lennox Berkeley (orchestrator)
Flute Sonata
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Enrique Garcia-Asensio (conductor)
05:20 AM
Camilla de Rossi (fl.1707-1710)
Duol sofferto per Amore' (excerpt Sant'Alessio )
Martin Oro (counter tenor), Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci (director)
05:26 AM
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Concerto for String Orchestra
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnányi (conductor)
05:41 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano sonata no 19 in C minor, D.958
Schaghajegh Nosrati (piano)
06:12 AM
Marcin Mielczewski (c.1600-1651)
Missa super O Gloriosa Domina
Il Canto
FRI 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002x53m)
Breakfast with the best classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002x53p)
Celebrating classical greats
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002x53t)
Borodin's Second Symphony performed by the London Symphony Orchestra
Linton Stephens presents an afternoon of exclusive music-making, with a special focus on London, long recognised as one of the world’s leading centres for classical music. Framing the programme are two orchestral works inspired by the capital, performed by the BBC Philharmonic: Edward Elgar’s Cockaigne (‘In London Town’) and Eric Coates’s London Again Suite.
Elsewhere, chamber music from LSO St Luke's features internationally acclaimed violinist Alexandra Preucil and violist Antoine Tamestit performing music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Béla Bartók; and rounding up out week-long focus on the London Symphony Orchestra with exclusive recent recordings, Gianandrea Noseda conducts the orchestra in a performance of Alexander Borodin’s ebullient second symphony.
The programme also includes highlights from the London International Festival of Early Music, featuring music by Georg Philipp Telemann.
Edward Elgar
Cockaigne ('In London Town')
BBC Philharmonic
Andrew Davis (conductor)
Jean-Marie Leclair
Deuxième récréation de musique, Op. 8
Polychroma
Alexander Borodin
Symphony No. 2 in B minor
London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonatine in A minor, TWV.41:a4
Dorothee Oberlinger (recorder)
Peter Kofler (harpsichord)
Bartok Selected Duos with JS Bach Selected Two-Part Inventions
Alexandra Preucil (violin)
Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Eric Coates
London Again: Suite
BBC Philharmonic
Geoffrey Paterson (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 (m002x7tg)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Sorrows, Prayers
Kate Molleson explores Monteverdi’s final decades, as Venice becomes a centre for public opera in the aftermath of war and plague. It’s a period of renewal and experimentation, from the theatrical intensity of Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda to the large-scale operas of his later years. With the opening of Venice’s first public opera house, Monteverdi adapts his style, writing music that responds to changing audiences and expectations.
Chiome d’oro, bel tesoro
Nuria Rial, soprano
L’Arpeggiata
Christina Pluhar, director
Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (extract)
Catherine Bott, soprano (Clorinda)
John Mark Ainsley, tenor (Testo/narrator)
Andrew King, tenor (Tancredi)
New London Consort
Philip Pickett, director
Pianto della Madonna
Alena Dantcheva, soprano
Odhecaton
Paolo Da Col, director
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria – Prologue and Act I scene 1
Dominique Visse – L’Umana Fragilità (countertenor)
Michael Schopper – Tempo (bass)
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson – Fortuna (mezzo-soprano)
Martina Bovet – Amore (soprano)
Bernarda Fink – Penelope (mezzo-soprano)
Jocelyne Taillon – Ericlea (contralto)
Concerto Vocale,
René Jacobs, director
L’incoronazione di Poppea – Pur ti miro
Nuria Rial, soprano (Poppea)
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor (Nerone)
L’Arpeggiata
Christina Pluhar, director
Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002x542)
Sean Gibbs trio with Frida Touray
Petroc introduces live music from the Sean Gibbs Trio featuring vocals from Frida Touray. They play from their EP Set Me Free.
FRI 19:00 Classical Mixtape (m002m2cr)
An uplifting classical mix
Half an hour of back to back classical music to help you wind down at the end of a busy day. Today's mix includes a charming piano concerto by Mozart, an achingly beautiful song about grief by William Grant Still, and an attractive "Romanze" for harp, cello and strings by Leo Weiner. Percy Grainger goes rogue with some Bach, and there's one of Sir Karl Jenkins' most popular and moving choral works - the Agnus Dei from his Mass for Peace, "The Armed Man". The sequence ends with a little known but delightful trio by the French, early 20th century composer Charlotte Sohy.
Producer: Helen Garrison
FRI 19:30 Friday Night is Music Night (m002x548)
Portsmouth 100 Years a City
Ellie Slorach conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Portsmouth Guildhall in music celebrating its centenary year as a city.
Presented by Katie Derham.
Walton: Portsmouth Point
Mozart: Horn Concerto 2 in Eb (K417) second movement
Arnold arr. Lane: Suite from David Copperfield
Arr. Vaughan Williams: Sea Songs (March)
Carlo Martelli: Promenade
Korngold arr Black: Main title - Sea Hawk
INTERVAL
Paul Lewis: An English Overture
Debbie Wiseman: Theme from Dickensian
Rachel Portman: End Credits- Newgate Prison (Oliver Twist 2005)
Roderick Elms: Seasonal Nocturnes for Horn and Orchestra: Nos 1 and 2
David Lyon: Three Dances - Round Dance; Pas de deux; Hornpipe
Freda Swain: March
Andrew Littlemore (horn)
BBC Concert Orchestra
Conductor Ellie Slorach
FRI 21:45 The Essay (m0027cz8)
Musicians on the Couch
Lisztomania: Music, mood and mass hysteria!
Writer and music lover Amanda Dalton’s childhood was dominated by her love of playing the piano and loathing of the intensive psychoanalytical psychotherapy she underwent for five years. Coupled with her long personal interest in how the brain and the body work together, this series takes an unusual look at music.
The essays focus on human stories exploring interactions between music and a troubled mind, discussing some of the key historical and current thinking regarding the relationships between creative individuals with mental health challenges or damaged minds - and music. Some of these will be well known, some less so – all afford rich material to explore the themes. Always returning to the human and personal story, the series references the research and insights of neuroscientists and psychologists, such as Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks and Anthony Storr. As arguably the birthplace of psycho analysis and home to a multitude of iconic classical musicians – the starting point is Vienna.
Essay 5: Lisztomania: Music, mood and mass hysteria!
This final essay explores the power of music to alter mood and create powerful bodily sensations – to uplift us, make us smile, have us in floods of tears – and to trigger our memories of experiences we had thought we’d long forgotten. It explores the science and continuing mysteries behind how music can generate radically altered psychological states – often more powerfully than drugs and explores the roots and impact of the mass hysteria that accompanies the live appearances of some pop stars including Taylor Swift, the Beatles and – back in the day – Franz Liszt, in a phenomenon dubbed in 1844 by Heinrich Heine as Lisztomania. Music and togetherness, music and love and loss, music as a Proustian conjurer of vivid memory... the essay and the series concludes with a celebration of music’s mind-altering powers.
Amanda Dalton is a playwright, poet and essayist. She has three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books, most recently Fantastic Voyage (2024). Smith|Doorstop published a pamphlet of two long poems, Notes on Water, a version of which she re-created for two voices and soundscape for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears.
Amanda writes extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4 including original drama, poetry-dramas, re-imaginings of silent movies and classic film, lyric essays and adaptations of fiction. Her theatre writing also includes text for outdoor and site-specific performance, and work for young people with commissions from Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and Keswick’s Theatre By The Lake.
Until 2019 she was a senior leader at the Royal Exchange Theatre where she also worked as an Associate Artist, theatre maker and project director, in partnership with communities across the North West and beyond.
Alongside her work as a writer, Amanda designs and delivers a wide range of writing workshops, mentors a number of poets and playwrights, and regularly curates and co-delivers collaborative cross-artform projects, most recently with Wainsgate Dances, Manchester Camerata and Quarantine.
Her website is https://www.amandadalton.co.uk
Writer and reader: Amanda Dalton
Producer: Polly Thomas
Sound: Alisdair McGregor
Exec Producer: Chantal Herbert
A Thomas Carter Project production for BBC Radio 3
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002x54b)
Journeys in music, ancient to future. The home for adventurous listeners
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002x54d)
Saxophonist Soweto Kinch picks jazz from all eras, with a focus on new British artists.