SATURDAY 01 AUGUST 2026
SAT 00:30 Through the Night (m002z7qs)
Handel from Budapest
Handel's Dixit Dominus, Nisi Dominus and Salve Regina performed by soloists with the Hungarian Radio Chorus and Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Matthias Church, Budapest. John Shea presents.
12:31 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Nisi Dominus, HWV.238
Nóra Ducza (soprano), Alíz Ballabás (soprano), József Csapó (counter tenor), Attila Sebők (tenor), Szabolcs Hámori (bass), Hungarian Radio Chorus, Budapest, Zoltán Pad (director), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Václav Luks (conductor)
12:43 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Salve Regina, HWV.241
Nóra Ducza (soprano), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Václav Luks (conductor)
12:55 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Dixit Dominus in G minor, HWV.232
Nóra Ducza (soprano), Alíz Ballabás (soprano), József Csapó (counter tenor), Attila Sebők (tenor), Szabolcs Hámori (bass), Hungarian Radio Chorus, Budapest, Zoltán Pad (director), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest, Václav Luks (conductor)
01:28 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), Federico Colli (arranger)
Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa, from 'Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno'
Federico Colli (piano)
01:31 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Flute Sonata in B minor, HWV.367b
Sharon Bezaly (flute), Terence Charlston (harpsichord), Charles Medlam (viola da gamba)
01:45 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Partita for keyboard No 6 in E minor, BWV.830
Ilze Graubina (piano)
02:17 AM
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713),Georg Muffat (1653-1704)
Trio Sonata No 12 'Ciacona' (Corelli) & Passacaglia from Sonata No 5 (Muffat)
Stockholm Antiqua
02:31 AM
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Eggen (conductor)
03:24 AM
Alec Wilder (1907-1978)
Suite No 1 for tuba and piano 'Effie Suite'
Saruschan Aghamiri (tuba), Shih-Yu Tang (piano)
03:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Quartet for flute and strings in A major, K.298
Joanna G'froerer (flute), Martin Beaver (violin), Pinchas Zukerman (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello)
03:42 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Friedrich Schiller (author)
Die Gotter Griechenlands, D.677b
Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
03:47 AM
Fini Henriques (1867-1940)
Air for string orchestra
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Børge Wagner (conductor)
03:54 AM
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c.1620-1680)
Suite No 2 in D major
Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin), Rosanne Hunt (cello), Linda Kent (harpsichord)
04:00 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
2 Nocturnes for piano, Op 62
Yulianna Avdeeva (piano)
04:13 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Romance for violin & orchestra in G major, Op 26 (arr. for violin & choir)
Borisas Traubas (violin), Polifonija (Lithuanian State Chamber Choir), Sigitas Vaiciulionis (conductor)
04:22 AM
Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga (1806-1826)
Los Esclavos Felices - overture
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
04:31 AM
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Magnificat, BuxWV.Anh. I
Marieke Steenhoek (soprano), Miriam Meyer (soprano), Bogna Bartosz (contralto), Marco van de Klundert (tenor), Klaus Mertens (bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Amsterdam Baroque Chorus, Ton Koopman (conductor)
04:38 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Overture to Mireille
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oliver Dohnányi (conductor)
04:46 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
12 Variations on 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen for cello and piano', Op 66
Antonio Meneses (cello), Menahem Pressler (piano)
04:56 AM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G major, BWV.1048
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Paul Dyer (artistic director)
05:10 AM
Jan Sandström (b.1954)
Surge, aquilo for 16 voices
Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble
05:17 AM
Lepo Sumera (1950-2000)
Pala aastast 1981 (A Piece from 1981)
Kadri-Ann Sumera (piano)
05:25 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Gammelnorsk Romance met Variasjoner, Op 51
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ole Kristian Ruud (conductor)
05:50 AM
Antoine Reicha (1770-1836)
Oboe Quintet in F major, Op 107
Les Adieux
06:18 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Jane Grey Fantasy, Op 15
Scott Dickinson (viola), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Teresa Riveiro Bohm (conductor)
SAT 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zcyp)
The best classical music wake-up call
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 (m002zcyr)
Pianist Kirill Gerstein on his life in jazz and classical music
Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack for the weekend!
Tom's guest is acclaimed pianist Kirill Gerstein, who talks about his musical life. Kirill started out as a jazz pianist, and then at the age of 12 was discovered in St Petersburg by vibes legend Gary Burton which changed his life. Later he took the decision to focus on classical music and ahead of his performance of Rachmaninov at the BBC Proms, he talks to Tom about how he thinks about music.
Every year the Proms features brand new pieces of music, but one of them, premiered in the Albert Hall in 1992, has since gone on to have more than 600 performances and is a modern classic. Composer James MacMillan and percussionist Evelyn Glennie talk to Tom about how they made Veni, Veni Emmanuel.
Plus we discover the new instrument that's opening up playing music to disabled musicians. The Clarion is a musical instrument that can be played independently with any part of the body, including the eyes. Tom is joined in the studio by its inventor, Barry Farrimond-Chuong, musician Cass Alabaster and composer Charlotte Harding who has written a new piece for the National Open Youth Orchestra to feature in the Proms.
SAT 12:00 Earlier... with Jools Holland (m002zcyt)
Jools with music for Saturday lunchtime
Jools shares his lifelong passion for classical music and the beautiful connections with jazz and blues. With fascinating guests each week, who bring their own favourite music and occasionally perform live in Jools's studio.
Today, Jools's choices include music by Reynaldo Hahn, Benny Goodman and Margaret Bonds, with performances by clarinettist Jorg Widmann and mezzo soprano Alice Coote. His guest is the producer, songwriter and musician Fraser T Smith who introduces music he loves by Erik Satie, Astor Piazzolla and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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 (m002zcyw)
1786: The Figaro Revolution
1786, Vienna. A banned play, a cautious Emperor and an ambitious composer. When Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo da Ponte set out to adapt Beaumarchais's controversial Marriage of Figaro, they are forced to tread carefully. Beneath the comedy lies a story about class, privilege and the abuse of power.
As servants outwit masters and lovers test each other's loyalties, Mozart creates characters of unusual depth and complexity. Drawing together the immediacy of comic opera with the emotional range of serious drama, The Marriage of Figaro helps redefine what opera can achieve, placing recognisably human emotions at the heart of the story.
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 Simon Schama is in the chair, as together they explore the rich musical world of the Classical era.
Producer: Chris Taylor
Academic Consultant: Professor Laura Tunbridge, University of Oxford
Story Consultant: Kate Leys
Series Editor for BBC Audio: Emma Harding
Key Changes theme tune composed by Joseph Howard and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kerem Hasan.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – “Voi che sapete" (extract)
Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Overture
Concerto Köln
René Jacobs (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – “Se vuol ballare”
Cesare Siepi (Figaro), bass
Vienna Philharmonic
Erich Kleiber (conductor)
Pergolesi: La Serva Padrona: Duet - Lo conosco, a quegli occhietti
Amanda Forsythe (Serpina), soprano
Christian Immler (Uberto), bass-baritone
Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble
Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs (conductors)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – “Non so più”
Ann Murray (Cherubino), mezzo soprano
Vienna Philharmonic
Riccardo Muti (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – "Dove Sono"
Kiri Te Kanawa (Rosina), soprano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti (conductor)
John Corigliano: The Ghosts of Versailles - "Once there was a golden bird"
Renée Fleming (Marie Antoinette), soprano
Philharmonia Orchestra
Sebastian Lang-Lessing (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro – Finale of Act II
Lucia Popp (Susanna), soprano
Samuel Ramey (Figaro), bass
Thomas Allen (Count Almaviva), baritone
Kiri Te Kanawa (Countess Almaviva), soprano
Giorgio Tadeo (Antonio), bass
Jane Berbié (Marcellina), mezzo-soprano
Robert Tear (Don Basilio), tenor
Kurt Moll (Doctor Bartolo), bass
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Opera Chorus
Sir Georg Solti (conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Cosi fan Tutte - "Soave sia vento"
Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), soprano
Angela Brower (Dorabella), mezzo-soprano
Rolando Villazón (Ferrando), tenor
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, (conductor)
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Key Changes."
SAT 14:00 Record Review (m002zcyy)
BBC Proms Composer: Weber with Marina Frolova-Walker and Andrew McGregor
Andrew McGregor with the best new classical releases, joined by Marina Frolova-Walker, who picks her top 5 recordings of music by this week's Proms Composer, Carl Maria von Weber.
2.30pm
BBC Proms Composer: Weber
Marina Frolova-Walker picks her 5 essential recordings by this week's Proms Composer, Carl Maria von Weber.
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3.40pm
Record of the Week
Andrew's top pick of the week's new releases.
SAT 16:00 Sound of Cinema (m002zcz0)
Period Dramas and Summer Movie Magic
Join Edith Bowman as she highlights the finest film scores and most memorable music from the world of cinema.
This week, composer Simon Franglen will be discussing the score to ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’, a 2006 period thriller directed by Tom Tykwerin. BBC Radio 3 presenter Hannah French shares her ‘Pick of The Flicks’ - the music from a 2010 historical drama, featuring a famous piece of classical music.
Plus, expect the usual blend of timeless film scores and brand new soundtrack choices.
SAT 17:00 This Classical Life (m002cr7h)
Jess Gillam with... Vasily Petrenko
Jess Gillam shares favourite music with conductor Vasily Petrenko, who will perform at the BBC Proms this month with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The St Petersburg-born conductor Vasily Petrenko established himself as one of the UK’s leading conductors with his highly successful tenure at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently, he is Music Director of the London-based Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and in this programme he joins Jess to share some of his favourite music, giving a conductor’s insight into the big works of Shostakovich and Beethoven, and revealing more eclectic tastes with tracks by Björk and Pink Floyd. Jess, meanwhile, plays Vasily some Vivaldi and Duke Ellington, and music for saxophone and orchestra by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho.
To listen on most smart speakers just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3”.
SAT 18:00 Music Planet (m002zcz4)
South African sounds and Amazigh song
Lopa Kothari presents the best in global roots music. And - in the week that South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo make their BBC Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall, marking forty years since their stellar contribution to Paul Simon’s era-defining album, Graceland - Soweto’s indigenous afro-psychedelic funk ambassadors BCUC join Lopa to share three tracks that have shaped their musical world. Also, hypnotic vintage sounds from an obscure early cassette release by Soussi Amazigh singer Safia Tachtoukt, and we pay tribute to great Colombian folk music ambassador Totó la Momposina on what would have been her 86th birthday.
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 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zcz6)
2026
Mahler’s First Symphony by Heart
Live at the BBC Proms: Aurora Orchestra and Nicholas Collon present a musical and dramatic exploration of Mahler’s Symphony No 1, followed by a complete performance from memory.
Presented by Katie Derham, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
A musical and dramatic exploration of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1
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7.50
Interval: Katie Derham introduces a selection of songs composed by Alma Mahler.
c.
8.10
Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major (performed from memory)
Natalie Lewis (mezzo-soprano)
Jack Bardoe (actor)
Sarah Twomey (actor)
Aurora Orchestra
Nicholas Collon (conductor)
‘All the floodgates within me have opened… my whole being points me towards this symphony.’ Proms favourites Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra are back to lift the bonnet on another symphonic masterwork.
Fifteen years in the making, Mahler’s First Symphony was a major statement of intent – a musical distillation of the composer’s life in sound, from klezmer bands to the natural world, folk dances to funeral marches, symphony and song united as one.
A dramatised first half featuring mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis introduces both the music and the story behind it, before a complete performance of the symphony after the interval.
SAT 21:45 Talking Music (m002zcz8)
Thea Musgrave
Kate Molleson presents a new series of in-depth conversations with artists appearing at the BBC Proms, creating space for thoughtful reflection on their musical lives and creative work.
Today, Kate talks to composer Thea Musgrave ahead of the Proms premiere of her BBC-commissioned Bassoon Concerto, Out of the Darkness. From her studies with Nadia Boulanger to her latest commission, they reflect on a lifetime of musical invention and discovery. Now in her tenth decade, Thea Musgrave remains creatively curious, continuing to bring the same sense of drama, imagination and adventure to her work.
Together, they explore her approach to composition, her relationship with performers, and her enduring and joyful commitment to creating new music.
SAT 22:30 New Music Show (m002zczb)
good day good day bad day bad day
Kate Molleson presents Oliver Leith's good day good day bad day bad day, a 45-minute work for percussion and piano/keyboards, and written for GBSR Duo - percussionist George Barton and pianist Siwan Rhys. The composer describes this piece as a "tender look at the simultaneously debilitating and beautiful irrationalities of our everyday lives; how our obsessions and compulsions surface and the rituals, superstitions and routines we all play out to appease our minds - and - how that never really works."
SUNDAY 02 AUGUST 2026
SUN 00:30 Through the Night (m002zczd)
Saint-Saëns, Britten, Debussy and Salonen from Poland.
Paolo Bortolameolli conducts the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice in Salonen's LA Variations, Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto no 1 in A minor with soloist Marcin Zdunik, Britten's Four Sea Interludes and Debussy's La Mer. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Esa-Pekka Salonen (b.1958)
LA Variations
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
12:51 AM
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Cello Concerto No 1 in A minor, Op 13
Marcin Zdunik (cello), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
01:13 AM
Marcin Zdunik (b.1987)
Improvisation on the theme of Chopin's Mazurka No 2 in D major, Op 32
Marcin Zdunik (cello)
01:17 AM
Marcin Zdunik (b.1987)
Improvisation on the theme of the Ukrainian song 'Quiet by the River'
Marcin Zdunik (cello)
01:21 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op 33
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
01:37 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La Mer
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Paolo Bortolameolli (conductor)
02:02 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (author)
Meeres Stille, D.216 (Op 3 No 2) (Quiet Sea)
Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Andreas Staier (pianoforte)
02:05 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Seascape, Op 53
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
02:11 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata quasi una fantasia for piano in C sharp minor, Op 27 No 2 'Moonlight'
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (piano)
02:31 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Anbetung dem Erbarmer - Easter Cantata Wq.243 (before 1784)
Barbara Schlick (soprano), Hilke Helling (alto), Wilfried Jochens (tenor), Gotthold Schwarz (bass), Das Kleine Konzert, Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max (conductor)
02:52 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony No 1 in B flat major, Op 38 'Spring'
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Steven Sloane (conductor)
03:23 AM
Louis Spohr (1784-1859)
String Sextet in C, Op 140
Wiener Streichsextett (sextet)
03:48 AM
Alessandro Piccinini (1566-c.1638)
Toccata; Mariona alla vera spagnola, chiaccona
United Continuo Ensemble
03:57 AM
Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych (1877-1921)
Hymn to the Cherubim
Platon Maiborada Academic Choir, Viktor Skoromny (conductor)
04:02 AM
Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715-1777)
Concerto for trombone and orchestra in E flat major
Warwick Tyrrell (trombone), Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Braithwaite (conductor)
04:12 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Tzigane - rapsodie de concert for violin and piano
Vilmos Szabadi (violin), Marta Gulyas (piano)
04:22 AM
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Lindoro's cavatina 'Languir per una bella' (from L' Italiana in Algeri)
Francisco Araiza (tenor), Cappella Coloniensis, Gabriele Ferro (conductor)
04:31 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Mandolin Concerto in C major, RV.425
Avi Avital (mandolin), Zürcher Kammerorchester, Willi Zimmermann (conductor)
04:38 AM
Susan Spain-Dunk (1880-1962)
Kentonia
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Bell (conductor)
04:45 AM
Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560)
Benedictio mensae
BBC Singers, Bo Holten (conductor)
04:55 AM
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Wienerblut (waltz), Op 354
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Børge Wagner (conductor)
05:05 AM
César Franck (1822-1890)
Pastorale in E major Op 19 (1863)
Joris Verdin (organ)
05:14 AM
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Overture 'Ruslan i Lyudmila'
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Cristian Mǎcelaru (conductor)
05:20 AM
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Suite No 2 for two viols in G major from Pieces à une et deux violes, Paris
Susie Napper (viol), Margaret Little (viol), Violes Esgales
05:59 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Sonata for cello and piano in G minor, Op 65
Zara Nelsova (cello), Grant Johannesen (piano)
06:22 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Notturno in B major, Op 40
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Stanienda (conductor)
SUN 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zczl)
Start the day on the right note 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 (m002zczq)
Three hours of classical sparkle
This week, Sarah Walker’s playlist takes its inspiration from the height of summer, from birdsong and balmy evenings to village greens and folk festivals.
There’s a new release from the Moravian-born Classical composer Paul Wranitzky, Peter Warlock’s Serenade for Strings, and Webern’s richly atmospheric Im Sommerwind.
Sarah also pauses for this week’s Choral Reflection with Thomas Tallis’s Tunes for Archbishop Parker’s Psalter, before exploring how composers from Vaughan Williams and Janáček to Kathryn Tickell have drawn inspiration from traditional folk music.
And for the morning’s chance to put down the to-do list and settle in for something a little longer, Sarah turns to Vasily Kalinnikov’s Second Symphony – a richly melodic work that deserves to be heard far more often.
A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.
SUN 12:00 Private Passions (m002dcd4)
Suzanne Vega
The American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega released her first studio album almost exactly 40 years ago – and it soon found an audience, particularly here in the UK where it sold more than 300,000 copies.
Listeners responded to her understated, acoustic sound and thoughtful lyrics in songs such as Marlene on the Wall and Luka. Another of her songs, Tom’s Diner, took on a life of its own. It’s been sampled by dozens of artists, and one remix became a global hit.
Suzanne recently released her tenth studio album, Flying with Angels, and will be embarking on a major tour with dates in England and Scotland later this year.
Her mix of music includes Bartok, Rachmaninov, Philip Glass and Debussy.
Producer: Clare Walker
SUN 13:30 Music Map (m002hwry)
A journey to Bizet's Carmen Suite No. 1
Sara Mohr-Pietsch plots a musical course to the Carmen Suite No. 1 by the French composer Georges Bizet - a collection of the best bits from Bizet's classic opera, arranged for orchestra after the composer's death by his friend Ernest Guiraud. En route we hear other work by Guiraud, who also completed Offenbach's 'The Tales of Hoffman', as well as other music inspired by the cultural traditions of Spain.
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map.'
SUN 15:00 Sofi Jeannin - Singing Together (m001xdrh)
Young Voices
Conductor Sofi Jeannin has a passion for Singing Together and in this episode, she explores the collective singing experience for young people and its impact on composers, audiences and themselves.
Sofi looks at the power of the young voice in music, from the opera stages to the concert platform which inspired so many composers from Britten and Messiaen to Errolyn Wallen and Joseph Horowitz. Drawing on her experience of the Maitrîse de Radio France and her work with underprivileged immigrant children in Greece and Paris, Sofi brings a new perspective to the power of song.
Deazley: The Circus
Mahler: 5th movement of Symphony No 3
Bach: Kommt, Ihr Töchter. from St Matthew Passion
Britten: The Cuckoo from Friday Afternoons
Britten: Nicolas and the Pickled Boys from St Nicolas
Messiaen: Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine
Ravel: Deux robinets coulent dans un réservoir!
Bernstein: 2nd movement of Chichester Psalms
Rautavaara: Marjatta, the Lowly Maiden
Soh: Tu est Magique
Horowitz: Captain Noah & His Floating Zoo
Wallen: Peace on Earth
Poulenc: Le chien perdu from Petites voix
Produced by Lindsay Pell
SUN 16:00 Jazz Record Requests (m002zczw)
All Kinds of Jazz
Alyn Shipton features jazz of all styles as selected by you, including music from saxophonists Binker Golding and Sonny Rollins, and we remember clarinettist Chris Walker.
Join our community of jazz lovers. Alyn Shipton is waiting for your requests: email jrr@bbc.co.uk or use #jazzrecordrequests on social.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Jazz Record Requests”.
SUN 17:00 The Early Music Show (m002zd00)
York Early Music Festival - Contre le Temps
Hannah French presents a concert of medieval song given by the young French vocal ensemble Contre le Temps at the National Centre for Early Music - part of last month's York Early Music Festival.
In a secular counterpoint to the York Mystery Plays, this award-winning ensemble draws inspiration from two pivotal medieval texts: Guillaume de Lorris’s Le Roman de la Rose and Machaut’s Le Remède de Fortune. Alternating between monodic stanzas and polyphonic songs from the late 14th and early 15th centuries, a blend of music and poetry revives the allegorical and symbolic world of medieval love, allowing the heartbeat of lovers from the past to resonate with audiences today.
To listen to this programme using most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Early Music Show".
SUN 18:00 Choral Evensong (m002z7jk)
Gloucester Cathedral
Live from Gloucester Cathedral during the Three Choirs Festival.
Introit: Praise ye the Lord (Hurd)
Responses: Janet Wheeler
Psalm 142, 143 (Barnby, Pye)
First Lesson: Isaiah 55 vv8-13
Canticles: Gloucester Service (Gavin Higgins) (world premiere)
Second Lesson: 2 Timothy 2 vv8-19
Anthem: In exitu Israel (Wesley)
Hymn: Have Faith in God (Doncaster)
Voluntary: Praeludium (Bliss)
Adrian Partington (Conductor)
Jonathan Hope (Organist)
To listen on most smart speakers just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
SUN 19:00 New Generation Artists (m002zd04)
2026 Proms season showcase - the Kleio Quartet
Georgia Mann introduces specially recorded performances from some of Radio 3's current New Generation Artists. Today, the UK-based Kleio Quartet play Haydn at Wigmore Hall, and the Ukrainian clarinettist Oleg Shebeta-Dragan essays a groovy sonata by the Cardiff-born composer and satirist Alec Templeton.
Haydn: String Quartet in D, Op. 50 no.6 'The Frog'
Kleio Quartet
Alec Templeton: Pocket-Sized Sonata No.1 - Improvisation, Modal blues and In rhythm
Oleg Shebeta-Dragan (clarinet), Dominic Degavino (piano)
Rimsky-Korsakov: From my tears - from 4 songs, Op.2
Erika Baikoff (soprano), Sholto Kynoch (piano)
For over a quarter of a century, Radio 3’s prestigious talent scheme has provided an invaluable springboard for many of today’s leading international soloists and chamber music ensembles. Indeed, a list of the former alumni reads like a Who’s Who of the international music scene, with names like Lisa Batiashvili, Igor Levit, Sean Shibe, Alison Balsom, Mark Simpson and the Belcea Quartet.
SUN 19:30 BBC Proms (m002zd08)
2026
Kavakos Plays Tchaikovsky
Live at the BBC Proms: the BBCSO conducted by Sakari Oramo in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos, plus Scriabin's Symphony No.2 and Dani Howards's Signal.
Dani Howard: Concerto for Brass, ‘SIGNAL’ (BBC co-commission: world premiere)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
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8.25
Interval: Rosamund Bartlett, writer and expert on Russian culture, joins Martin Handley to explore Alexander Scriabin's mysticism, synaesthesia and his vision of music as a transformative force.
c.
8.45
Alexander Scriabin: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Leonidas Kavakos (Violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (Conductor)
‘Impeccable’ Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins Paavo Järvi and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for one of the great Romantic concertos. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is a deeply personal work, laden with the emotions of a failed marriage. Tender and melancholic, with tempestuous outpourings, it’s a piece that wears its heart on its sleeve. Bold colours frame this centrepiece: the world premiere of Dani Howard’s Concerto for Brass, ‘SIGNAL’, showcasing the players of the BBC SO, and Scriabin’s Symphony No. 2, with its iconoclastic brilliance and spiritual vision.
SUN 22:00 Night Tracks (m002zd0c)
Eclectic music for after dark
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
SUN 23:30 Unclassified (m002kdhk)
Helen Mort's Listening Chair
Elizabeth Alker welcomes Helen Mort to the Unclassified Listening Chair to share a track that transports her elsewhere. Helen has been described by Carol Ann Duffy as being “among the brightest stars in the sparkling new constellation of British poets” and is also widely celebrated for her work in fiction, drama and creative non-fiction. A keen walker and climber, Helen’s writing displays a deep engagement with the rhythms of the body and the natural world.
Elsewhere in the programme, Elizabeth shares the latest sounds from a new generation of contemporary composers who look to embrace the spirit of rock, pop and electronica.
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Unclassified”.
MONDAY 03 AUGUST 2026
MON 00:30 Through the Night (m002zd0f)
BBC Proms 2024: Beethoven, Brahms and Sarah Gibson
In this Prom from conductor Anja Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic, Brahms’s Fourth Symphony is balanced by the outpouring of joy that is Beethoven’s Violin Concerto – featuring soloist Tobias Feldmann – plus the late American composer Sarah Gibson’s warp & weft. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61
Tobias Feldmann (violin), BBC Philharmonic, Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
01:16 AM
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Salut d'amour
Tobias Feldmann (violin), BBC Philharmonic, Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
01:20 AM
Sarah Gibson (1986-2024)
warp & weft
BBC Philharmonic, Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
01:33 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No 4 in E minor, Op 98
BBC Philharmonic, Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
02:14 AM
Arvo Pärt (b.1935)
Fratres
Tobias Feldmann (violin), Marianna Shirinyan (piano)
02:26 AM
Traditional, Corsin Tuor (arranger)
Tutta nanna tgu
Brassband Bürgermusik, Luzern, Corsin Tuor (director)
02:31 AM
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Trio in A minor (1914)
Bernt Lysell (violin), Mats Rondin (cello), Bengt-Åke Lundin (piano)
02:58 AM
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772)
Grand Motet 'Dominus regnavit'
Ann Monoyios (soprano), Matthew White (counter tenor), Colin Ainsworth (tenor), Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Ivars Taurins (conductor)
03:23 AM
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Chanson Louis XIII et Pavane in the Style of Couperin
Barnabas Kelemen (violin), Zóltan Kocsis (piano)
03:28 AM
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Vltava (Moldau), from 'Má vlast' (My Homeland)
Kotaro Fukuma (piano)
03:40 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Bella mia fiamma - Resta, o cara, K.528
Andrea Rost (soprano), Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Tamás Vásáry (conductor)
03:51 AM
Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799)
Sonata for cello and continuo in G major, Op 5 No 8
Jaap ter Linden (cello), Ton Koopman (harpsichord), Ageet Zweistra (cello)
04:01 AM
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (orchestrator)
Dance of the Persian Slaves (Khovanshchina)
RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Samo Hubad (conductor)
04:08 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
2 pieces for cello & piano, Op 2
Monika Leskovar (cello), Ivana Švarc-Grenda (piano)
04:17 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Impromptu in G flat major, D899 No 3
Francesco Piemontesi (piano)
04:23 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sinfonia in G major, RV.149 'Il coro delle muse'
Europa Galante, Fabio Biondi (director)
04:31 AM
Franz Schreker (1878-1934)
Fantastic Overture, Op 15
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
04:41 AM
Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962)
Blessed is the Man
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Arvo Volmer (conductor)
04:45 AM
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sonetto 123 di Petrarca (S.158 No.3): Io vidi in terra angelici costumi
Janina Fialkowska (piano)
04:52 AM
Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764)
Sonata for violin and continuo in D major, Op 8 No 2
Gottfried von der Goltz (violin), Lee Santana (theorbo), Torsten Johann (harpsichord)
05:03 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
St Paul's Suite, Op 29 No 2
Seoul Chamber Orchestra, Yong-Yun Kim (conductor)
05:17 AM
Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1896)
Capriccio for oboe and piano, Op 80
Wan-Soo Mok (oboe), Hyun-Soo Chi (piano)
05:28 AM
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Piano Concerto No 2 in F major, Op 102
Patrik Jablonski (piano), Polish Radio Orchestra, Warsaw, Wojciech Rajski (conductor)
05:49 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony No 100 in G major, Hob.
1.100 "Military"
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ludovít Rajter (conductor)
06:17 AM
Domenico Pellegrini (17th century),Alessandro Piccinini (1566-c.1638)
Courante per la X (Pellegrini); Chiaccona in partite variate (Piccinini)
United Continuo Ensemble
06:24 AM
Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694)
Herr, ich warte auf dein Heil
Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier (director)
MON 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zcx0)
Rise and shine with classical music
Tom McKinney presents Radio 3’s Breakfast show live from Salford. With birdsong, Bach Before 7 and the best in classical music. You can contact the show by emailing 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say 'Ask BBC Sounds to play 3 Breakfast’.
MON 09:30 Essential Classics (m002zcx2)
The ideal mix of classical music
Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with a masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
MON 13:00 Classical Live (m002zcx4)
Sibelius' 2nd Symphony from the BBC Proms
Mark Forrest introduces a week of highlights from the BBC Proms, including a performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sakari Oramo. Together, they perform Sibelius' majestic 2nd Symphony alongside Britten's haunting and deeply expressive Cello Symphony, with soloist Guy Johnston.
There's also music from this year's Ryedale Festival, where pianist Lukas Sternath joins the Aris Quartet to perform one of the great chamber music works of the Romantic era, Dvořák's 2nd Piano Quintet.
Elsewhere, highlights from the International Sacred Music Festival in Fribourg featuring music by Bach and Vivaldi.
BBC Proms:
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D major
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)
International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata - ‘Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’, BWV. 106
Johanna Ihrig (soprano)
Herlinde van de Straete (mezzo-soprano)
Anders J. Dahlin (tenor)
Jonathon Adams (baritone)
BachPlus
Bart Naessens (conductor)
Ryedale Festival:
Antonín Dvořák
Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81
Aris Quartet
Lukas Sternath (piano)
International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg:
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for Strings in D minor, RV. 127
Ghislieri Orchestra
Giulio Prandi (conductor)
BBC Proms:
Benjamin Britten
Cello Symphony
Guy Johnston (cello)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (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 (m002ztsg)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Leopold - Father
Kate Molleson tells Mozart’s story through five of the relationships that shaped the composer and his music – from his friends and family to a mentor and a supposed rival. In today’s programme, Kate looks at Mozart’s relationship with his father Leopold. A devoted dad who essentially abandoned his own career to focus on his son’s, Leopold could also be a dominating and oppressive figure, who said ‘I will give the children my heart’s blood, and when they have found their triumph and the time comes, they will give me theirs in return.’ Leopold saw it as his duty to proclaim Wolfgang’s miraculous gifts to the world and saw them as something to be exploited on gruelling European tours. He sat on the fortune he made out of his children until the end of his life, while always insisting he was in debt, and the pressure he put on Wolfgang would push them both to breaking point.
Symphony no. 35, K385 ‘Haffner’
IV. Presto
Orchestra Mozart
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K207
II. Adagio
Isabelle Faust, violin
Il Giardino Armonico
Giovanni Antonini, conductor
Concerto for Flute Harp and orchestra in C, K299
II. Andantino
Kenneth Smith, flute
Bryn Lewis, harp
Philharmonia Orchestra
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor
Symphony no. 31 D major, K297 'Paris'
I. Allegro assai
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Idomeneo (excerpt)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466
III. Rondo
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Manchester Camerata
Gábor Takács-Nagy, conductor
MON 17:00 In Tune (m002zcx6)
Alexandra Dariescu performs live
Pianist Alexandra Dariescu plays live on In Tune ahead of her BBC Prom.
Katie also chats to composer Jacob Mühlrad about the world premiere of his work Helix at this year's Proms.
MON 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zcx8)
2026
Rachmaninov’s ‘Paganini’ Variations
Live at the BBC Proms: the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Thomas Søndergård are joined by pianist Kirill Gerstein in Rachmaninov's 'Paganini' Variations.
Presented by Tom Service, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Oliver Knussen: Flourish with Fireworks
Sergey Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
c.
7.30pm
Interval: Tom Service talks to musicologist Daniel Elphick about Shostakovich and his epic 11th Symphony. Depicting the unfolding 1905 Russian Revolution, the symphony’s ambiguity has fascinated music historians for its dual critique of historical Tsarist oppression and contemporary Soviet tyranny.
c.
7.50pm
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 in G minor, ‘The Year 1905’
Kirill Gerstein (piano)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård (conductor)
Once described as ‘a film score without a film’, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 is subtitled ‘The Year 1905’. The work’s four movements pay vivid homage to the First Russian Revolution, plunging listeners into the violence of its Bloody Sunday massacre and the grief and anger that followed. Kirill Gerstein is the soloist in Rachmaninov’s glittering Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – a set of virtuoso variations on a devilish theme – while Oliver Knussen pays tribute to Stravinsky in his gilded fanfare Flourish with Fireworks.
MON 22:00 Night Tracks (m002zcxb)
Meditative music for night owls
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
MON 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002zcxd)
Alice Zawadzki sits in
All this week, London-based singer, violinist and composer Alice Zawadzki is sitting in for Soweto Kinch, sharing some of the jazz music that she admires and is inspired by.
Widely celebrated for her original and musically expansive compositions, Alice draws on poetry, folk, and improvisational music from a range of traditions. She has worked with small and large ensembles both nationally and internationally, and with fellow jazz talents including Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado, Kit Downes, and Shabaka.
From Monday to Thursday this week, Alice welcomes acclaimed fellow London-based singer, Heidi Vogel, as her Flowers guest. Heidi initially started out touring with Cirque du Soleil before becoming a frequent face in the London and LA jazz scenes, becoming extensively involved with The Cinematic Orchestra. Her music blends jazz, soul and Brazilian influences, with credits including opening for Erykah Badu, and performing at Montreux Jazz festival, as well as performing at The Royal Albert Hall and The Sydney Opera House.
Heidi will be celebrating some of the artists that have influenced her, for Flowers. To begin her week, Heidi gives Flowers to one of the most revered jazz vocalists around today.
Also in the programme there’s music from Tereza Catarov, Bheki Mseleku and Omar Sosa.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
TUESDAY 04 AUGUST 2026
TUE 00:30 Through the Night (m002zcxg)
Mozart, Brahms, Franck and Messiaen
Talented young soloists, violinist Ludvig Gudim and pianist Valdemar Wenzel Most perform a recital at the church in Nyborg, Denmark. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Sonata No 22 in A major, K.305
Ludvig Gudim (violin), Valdemar Wenzel Most (piano)
12:46 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Violin Sonata No 1 in G major, Op 78
Ludvig Gudim (violin), Valdemar Wenzel Most (piano)
01:13 AM
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Theme and Variations
Ludvig Gudim (violin), Valdemar Wenzel Most (piano)
01:22 AM
César Franck (1822-1890)
Violin Sonata in A major
Ludvig Gudim (violin), Valdemar Wenzel Most (piano)
01:49 AM
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Liebesleid
Ludvig Gudim (violin), Valdemar Wenzel Most (piano)
01:53 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Allegros in G (No 2 and 3 from 5 Pieces for Musical Clock, WoO.33)
Rob Nederlof (organ)
01:58 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No 36 in C major, K.425 'Linz'
Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Ádám Fischer (conductor)
02:31 AM
Peter Benoit (1834-1901)
Hoogmis for tenor, choir and orchestra
Donald George (tenor), BRTN Philharmonic Choir, Kokokklijk Vlaans Muziekconservatorium Antwerpen Choir, Gemengd Koor Ars Musica Merksem, Zingende Wandelkring Sint Norbertus Choir, Koninklijke Chorale Caecelia, Brussels Philharmonic, Alexander Rahbari (conductor)
03:27 AM
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Canon and Gigue in D major
Geoffrey Lancaster (harpsichord), Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players, Barbara Jane Gilby (director)
03:32 AM
Sergiu Natra (1924-2021)
Sonatina for Harp (1965)
Rita Costanzi (harp)
03:40 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Scherzo No 3 in C sharp minor, Op 39
Simon Trpčeski (piano)
03:47 AM
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Faust's Aria "Salut, demeure chaste et pure" -- from Act III of 'Faust'
Peter Dvorský (tenor), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ondrej Lenárd (conductor)
03:52 AM
Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981)
Cello Concertino
Michael Müller (cello), Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, Thierry Fischer (conductor)
04:03 AM
Albertus Groneman (c.1710-1778)
Flute Sonata in E minor
Jed Wentz (flute), Balázs Máté (cello), Marcelo Bussi (harpsichord)
04:14 AM
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Maurice Ravel (arranger)
Tarantelle styrienne
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jerzy Maksymiuk (conductor)
04:21 AM
Sébastien Le Camus (c.1610-1677)
Laissez durer la nuit - air de cour
Ground Floor, Marc Mauillon (tenor), Gwennaëlle Alibert (harpsichord), Angélique Mauillon (harp), Étienne Galletier (theorbo), Elena Andreyev (cello)
04:26 AM
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
3 Hungarian folksongs from the Csik district for piano, Sz.35a
Zóltan Kocsis (piano)
04:31 AM
Giles Farnaby (c. 1563 - 1640), Elgar Howarth (arranger)
Fancies, Toyes and Dreams
Brass Consort Köln
04:39 AM
Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)
Chorale for String Orchestra
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Horia Andreescu (conductor)
04:45 AM
Sergey Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
2 Songs: When Night Descends in silence; Oh stop thy singing maiden fair
Fredrik Zetterström (baritone), Tobias Ringborg (violin), Anders Kilström (piano)
04:53 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violoncello concerto in G major, RV 413
Stefan Popov (cello), Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, Emil Tabakov (conductor)
05:05 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Lyric pieces - book 5 for piano, Op 54: Nos 2, 4, 3
Sveinung Bjelland (piano)
05:17 AM
Louise Dumont Farrenc (1804-1875)
Symphony No 3 in G minor, Op 36
Berner Kammerorchester, Graziella Contratto (conductor)
05:52 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in G major, Op 77 No 1
Australian String Quartet, William Hennessy (violin), Douglas Weiland (violin), Keith Crellin (viola), Janis Laurs (cello)
06:18 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Jane Grey Fantasy, Op 15
Scott Dickinson (viola), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Teresa Riveiro Bohm (conductor)
TUE 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zcxj)
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’.
TUE 09:30 Essential Classics (m002zcxl)
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 a masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
TUE 13:00 Classical Live (m002zcxn)
Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 from the BBC Proms
Elizabeth Alker introduces a week of highlights from the BBC Proms, including a performance by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Delyana Lazarova. Joined by acclaimed violinist Alena Baeva, they perform Korngold's Violin Concerto, inspired by the composer's Hollywood film scores, alongside Prokofiev's powerful 5th Symphony.
Elsewhere, there's a selection of chamber music from this year's Ryedale Festival, with works by Strauss, Schubert and Mendelssohn performed by an outstanding line-up of artists. The programme also includes highlights from the International Sacred Music Festival in Fribourg, Switzerland, featuring music by the 18th-century Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi.
BBC Proms:
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Alena Baeva (violin)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Delyana Lazarova (conductor)
Ryedale Festival:
Richard Strauss
Sextet from ‘Capriccio’
Aris Quartet
Members of the NOVO Quartet
International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg:
Baldassare Galuppi
Dixit Dominus
Carlotta Colombo (soprano)
Marta Redaelli (soprano)
Marta Fumagalli (alto)
Alessandro Ravasio (bass)
Ghislieri Choir and Orchestra
Giulio Prandi (conductor)
BBC Proms:
Sergey Prokofiev
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Delyana Lazarova (conductor)
Ryedale Festival:
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in C minor, D.958
Zee Zee (piano)
Ryedale Festival:
Felix Mendelssohn
String Octet in E♭ major, Op. 20
Aris Quartet
NOVO Quartet
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 (m002ztsd)
Nannerl - Sister
Kate Molleson looks at the people who made Mozart, through their influence, inspiration and by pushing him to greater heights. Today: his sister Maria Anna, or as everyone called her, Nannerl. She was a brilliant musician too, and Wolfgang wrote several pieces for them to play together. Inseparable as children, they created fantasy worlds together. But as they grew up, gender roles, family politics and contrasting personalities cracked open their bond. By the time of Wolfgang’s death, they were no longer speaking.
Concerto for Two pianos no. 10 in E flat major, K365
III. Rondo. Allegro Moderato
Friedrich Gulda, piano
Chick Corea, piano
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Nicholas Harnoncourt, conductor
Exsultate Jubilate
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Academy of Ancient Music
Christopher Hogwood, conductor
Symphony No. 29 in A major, K201
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Andante
London Chamber Orchestra,
Christopher Warren-Green, conductor
Vespers sollennes de confessore in C, K339
V. Laudate Dominum
VI. Magnificat
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Accentus choir
Insula orchestra
Laurence Equilbey, conductor
Sonata for Piano Four hands in D major, K381
II. Andante
Martha Argerich, piano
Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky, piano
TUE 17:00 In Tune (m002zcxq)
Folk band Pons Aelius, conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh
Tom Fetherstonhaugh chats to Katie Derham about conducting the Fantasia Orchestra at his upcoming Late Night Prom.
Folk band Pons Aelius play live on In Tune ahead of appearing at the Summer Sounds Music Festival in King's Cross London.
TUE 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zcxs)
2026
Dvořák and Mendelssohn
Live at the BBC Proms: BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conductor Elena Schwarz and Alina Ibragimova perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor.
Presented by Alexandra Humphreys, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Fairy-Tale Suite
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor
c.
7.50
Interval: Katy Hamilton joins Alexandra to look ahead to the next week's worth of Proms.
c.
8.10
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 7 in D minor
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elena Schwarz (conductor)
Alina Ibragimova (violin)
‘Flawless’ violinist and Proms regular Alina Ibragimova is back with one of the great Romantic concertos. It may have been seven years in the making, but there’s no sense of musical struggle in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto – only sparkling, lyrical invention and a fleet-footed ‘fairy music’ finale. Fairy tales are in the spotlight in Zimmermann’s evocative 1950 Fairy-Tale Suite, with its enchanted castle and propulsive forest ride. Bohemian folk dances and sunshine tug against a powerful undertow of melancholy in Dvořák’s passionate Symphony No. 7.
TUE 22:00 Night Tracks (m002zcxv)
Blissful sounds for after-hours
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
TUE 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002zcxx)
A track premiere from Fred Thomas and Heidi Heidelberg
Alice is joined once again by jazz and soul singer Heidi, for Flowers. Tonight, Heidi gives her second bouquet to a female icon of Brazilian Popular Music, also know as MPB.
Also in the programme, there is music from Empirical, Wajdi Riahi and Flock.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
WEDNESDAY 05 AUGUST 2026
WED 00:30 Through the Night (m002zcxz)
María Dueñas plays Bruch with the NDR Elbphilharmonie
Violinist María Dueñas, recipient of the 2025 Gramophone Instrumental and Young Artist of the Year awards, plays Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1. Alan Gilbert also leads the NDR Elbphilharmonie in Brahms's first symphony in this concert given as part of the Baltic Sea Festival 2025 in Stockholm. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Anna Clyne (b.1980)
Restless Oceans
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)
12:35 AM
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op 26
María Dueñas (violin), NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)
12:59 AM
Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935)
Veslemøys sang - Veslemøy's song
María Dueñas (violin)
01:03 AM
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op 68
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)
01:48 AM
Waldemar Åhlén (1894-1982), Simone Candotto (arranger)
En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt - Summer Hymn
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Alan Gilbert (conductor)
01:52 AM
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
String Quartet No 4 in A minor, Op 25
Yggdrasil String Quartet
02:27 AM
Albert Roussel (1869-1937), René Chalupt (author)
Coeur en peril, Op 50 No 1
Ola Eliasson (baritone), Mats Jansson (piano)
02:31 AM
Boris Mykolayovich Lyatoshynsky (1895 - 1968)
Grazyna - symphonic poem, Op 58
Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Oksana Lyniv (conductor)
02:49 AM
Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Folk Songs for mezzo-soprano and 7 players
Jean Stilwell (mezzo soprano), Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Raffi Armenian (conductor)
03:13 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
String Quartet in D major, Op 64 No 5 'Lark'
Tilev String Quartet, Gueorgui Tilev (violin), Svetoslav Marinov (violin), Ogunian Stantchev (viola), Yontcho Bayrov (cello)
03:31 AM
Frigyes Hidas (1928-2007)
Harpsichord Concerto
Borbála Dobozy (harpsichord), Concentus Hungaricus, Ildikó Hegyi (conductor)
03:44 AM
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Norwegian Dance No 1 for piano duet, Op 35
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Håvard Gimse (piano)
03:50 AM
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Gentle Morpheus, son of night (Calliope's song) from 'Alceste'
Emma Kirkby (soprano), Academy of Ancient Music, Andrew Manze (director)
04:00 AM
Marianna Martines (1744-1812)
Sinfonia in C major
BBC Concert Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (conductor)
04:11 AM
Tarquinio Merula (1595-1665)
Credidi from Salmi et Messa Concertata, Op 18
Ensemble Daimonion
04:17 AM
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999)
Seascape, Op 53
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jonathan Bloxham (conductor)
04:23 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Tu es Petrus - motet for 6 voices
Silvia Piccollo (soprano), Emanuela Galli (soprano), Fabian Schofrin (alto), Marco Beasley (tenor), Daniele Carnovich (bass), Emanuela Galli (soloist), Diego Fasolis (conductor)
04:31 AM
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)
Espana - rhapsody
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
04:37 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantaisie-impromptu in C sharp minor Op 66
Anastasia Vorotnaya (piano)
04:43 AM
William Lawes (1602-1645)
Suite a 4 in G minor
Concordia, Mark Levy (conductor)
04:50 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Hymn to St Cecilia for chorus Op 27
BBC Singers, David Hill (conductor)
05:01 AM
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Partita for orchestra
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jan Krenz (conductor)
05:15 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Phantasiestücke, Op 73
Luka Mitev (bassoon), Helena Kosem Kotar (piano)
05:27 AM
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Quartet in D major TWV.43:D1 for flute, violin, viola da gamba and continuo
Giovanni Antonini (recorder), Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, Jaroslaw Thiel (conductor)
05:42 AM
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Hamlet - fantasy overture, Op 67
BBC Philharmonic, Vassily Sinaisky (conductor)
06:00 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Quartet in F major, Op 18 No 1
Artemis Quartet
WED 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zcy1)
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’.
WED 09:30 Essential Classics (m002zcy3)
A classical soundtrack for your morning
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with a masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
WED 13:00 Classical Live (m002zcy5)
Scriabin's 2nd Symphony from the BBC Proms
Elizabeth Alker introduces a week of highlights from the BBC Proms, featuring some of the festival's most memorable performances. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of acclaimed conductor Paavo Järvi, is joined by internationally celebrated violinist Leonidas Kavakos for a powerful programme including Tchaikovsky's much-loved Violin Concerto alongside Scriabin's richly expressive 2nd Symphony.
There is also chamber music from this year's Ryedale Festival from widespread venues across rural Yorkshire as BBC New Generation Artists join forces in an exceptional late-Romantic collaboration; plus highlights from the International Sacred Music Festival in Fribourg featuring music by the 18th-century Venetian composer Galuppi.
BBC Proms:
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35
Leonidas Kavakos (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (conductor)
International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg:
Baldassare Galuppi
Nisi Dominus
Marta Fumagalli, alto
Ghislieri Choir and Orchestra
Giulio Prandi, conductor
BBC Proms:
Alexander Scriabin
Symphony No. 2 in C major
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (conductor)
Ryedale Festival:
Richard Wagner (arr. A. Bonardi)
Wesendonck Lieder
Erika Baikoff (soprano)
Aris Quartet
Zee Zee (piano)
To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
WED 15:00 Choral Evensong (m002zcy7)
St James's Piccadilly, London
From St James's Piccadilly, London, with Genesis Sixteen.
Introit: Aurora lucis rutillat (Lassus)
Responses: Kim Porter
Psalms 99, 110 (Stanford, Stanford)
First Lesson: Exodus 24 vv12-18
Office Hymn: O vision blest of heavenly light (Coelestis gloriae)
Magnificat super Aurora lucis rutillat (Lassus)
Second Lesson: John 12 vv27-36a
Nunc dimittis sexti toni a8 (Lassus)
Anthem: Remember not, O Lord God (Eoghan Desmond)
Hymn: Lord enthroned in heavenly splendour (St Helen)
Voluntary: Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, BK64 (Byrd)
Harry Christophers, Eamonn Dougan, Florence Price (Conductors)
Robert Quinney (Organist)
Recorded 9 July.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Choral Evensong”.
WED 16:00 Composer of the Week (m002ztsk)
Haydn - Mentor
Kate Molleson looks at five people who influenced Mozart and his music. Today – a mentor and a father figure. Mozart was nearly 30 years old when he befriended Joseph Haydn. Mozart was the former child genius, the wildly talented but weirdly boorish whizkid who had just moved to Vienna. Haydn, aged 52, was the establishment, and the most famous composer in the world. Mozart admired his work hugely, and their friendship would directly inspire some of Mozart’s greatest string writing. At a time in the younger composer’s life when things with his actual father Leopold had become difficult, Mozart even started calling Haydn ‘Papa’.
String Quartet no. 20 in D Major, K499 ‘Hoffmeister’
II. Menuetto. Allegretto
The Alban Berg Quartet
Symphony no. 36, K425 ‘Linz’
IV. Finale. Presto
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor
String Quartet no. 19 in C major, K465 ‘Dissonance’
I. Allegro Moderato
Belcea Quartet
Fantasia in C minor, K475
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Symphony no. 41 in C Major, K551 'Jupiter'
IV. Finale. Molto Allegro
NDR Radiophilharmonie
Andrew Manze, conductor
WED 17:00 In Tune (m002zcy9)
Wind down from the day with classical
Live music and interviews from the world's finest classical musicians.
WED 18:00 BBC Proms (m002zcyc)
2026
Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony
Live at the BBC Proms: Kahchun Wong conducts the Hallé in music by Ravel & Rachmaninov with pianist Alexandra Dariescu joining them for Nadia Boulanger’s poetic Fantasy for piano.
Presented by Ian Skelly, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Maurice Ravel orch. Colin Matthews: La vallée des cloches
Nadia Boulanger: Fantasy for piano and orchestra
c.
6.25pm
Interval: Alexandra Dariescu joins Ian to talk about her Proms Debut, plus Leah Broad talks about Nadia Boulanger and her legacy.
c.
6.45pm
Sergey Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor
Alexandra Dariescu, piano
Hallé
Kahchun Wong, conductor
Rachmaninov’s hard-won Symphony No. 2 – a profoundly personal triumph forged in the failure of his First Symphony over a decade earlier – is the centrepiece of this concert by Manchester’s Hallé orchestra and its Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong. Its expansive, late-Romantic lyricism meets the glowing, pealing soundscape of Ravel’s ‘The Valley of the Bells’ from his Miroirs, orchestrated by Colin Matthews. Pianist Alexandra Dariescu makes her Proms debut in Nadia Boulanger’s boldly poetic 1912 Fantasy for piano and orchestra, with its eclectic nods to Franck, Fauré and Stravinsky.
WED 20:10 BBC Proms (m002zcyf)
2026
Proms Across the UK: The Unthanks and friends with Royal Northern Sinfonia
The Unthanks and friends with Royal Northern Sinfonia recorded in concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall
Presented by Elizabeth Alker from Middlesbrough Town Hall.
The Unthanks
English Teacher
Jodie Nicholson
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Ellie Slorach (conductor)
The Unthanks bring their unmistakable harmonies and storytelling to the BBC Proms, joined by Royal Northern Sinfonia and conductor Ellie Slorach, plus special guests English Teacher, Jodie Nicholson and Philip Selway. Songs shaped by the North and reimagined by orchestra in bold new ways: an evening of storytelling, atmosphere and musical alchemy.
WED 22:15 BBC Proms (m002zcyh)
2026
Under African Skies: The Songs of ‘Graceland’
Ladysmith Black Mambazo and guests celebrate 40 years of Paul Simon's Graceland album.
Presented by Lopa Kathari, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Nu Civilisation Orchestra
Peter Edwards (director)
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graceland – Paul Simon’s Grammy Award-winning, era-defining album – in a concert featuring Simon’s original collaborators Ladysmith Black Mambazo (making its Royal Albert Hall Proms debut) and special guest artists. Defying Apartheid-era restrictions, Graceland not only featured Black South African musicians but also introduced global audiences to the country’s music. Forty years on we trace the album’s influences and echoes.
WED 23:45 'Round Midnight (m002zcyk)
Improvisational magic from Moment’s Notice
Heidi Vogel returns to give out her third Flowers of the week, and tonight she chooses to give it to one of jazz's living legends.
There is also music from Meredith Monk, Jasper Høiby and Alina Bzhezhinska. Tonight’s show is only 45 minutes due to the BBC Proms.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
THURSDAY 06 AUGUST 2026
THU 00:30 Through the Night (m002zcym)
The Planets and Star Wars
From the 2025 BBC Proms, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and conductor Dalia Stasevska, joined by Farnham Youth Choir, perform Holst's The Planets, John Williams' Star Wars Suite and Caroline Shaw's The Observatory. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
John Williams
Star Wars Suite
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
12:58 AM
Caroline Shaw (b.1982)
The Observatory
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
01:10 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
The Planets, Op 32
Farnham Youth Choir, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
01:59 AM
Anthony Newley (1931-1999), Ben Parry (arranger)
Feelin' Good
Farnham Youth Choir
02:01 AM
Evgeni Stefan (b.1967)
Rain of Stars (Sternenregen)
Tornado Guitar Duo (duo)
02:05 AM
Sergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Sonata for piano No 7 in B flat major, Op 83
Khatia Buniatishvili (piano)
02:24 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Silence and music - madrigal for chorus
BBC Singers, Stephen Layton (conductor)
02:31 AM
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
12 Studies, Op 25
Daniil Trifonov (piano)
03:01 AM
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Mass in C major, Missa in tempore belli 'Paukenmesse' H.22.9
Hilde Haraldsen Sveen (soprano), Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo soprano), Jonas Degerfeldt (tenor), Gabriel Suovanen (baritone), Oslo Philharmonic Choir, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Manfred Honeck (conductor)
03:42 AM
John B. Escosa (1928-1991)
Three Dances for 2 harps
Julia Shaw (harp), Nora Bumanis (harp)
03:48 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Rondo concertante in B flat major, K.269
James Ehnes (violin), Mozart Anniversary Orchestra
03:56 AM
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Variations on a Bavarian folksong, TrV.109
Daniel Dodds (violin), Dominik Fischer (viola), Alexander Kionke (cello)
04:04 AM
Petar Dinev (1889-1980)
Ottsa i Sina & Milost mira No 7 (The Father & the Son & A Mercy of Peace No.7)
Sveta Troitsa, Plovdiv, Vessela Geleva (conductor)
04:10 AM
Imants Zemzaris (b.1951)
The Light springs
Juris Gailitis (flute), Indulis Suna (violin)
04:16 AM
Henri Duparc (1848-1933), Francois Coppee (author)
La Vague et la cloche for voice and piano
Gerald Finley (baritone), Stephen Ralls (piano)
04:22 AM
Johan Svendsen (1840-1911)
Norwegian artists' carnival, Op 14 (Norsk kunstnerkarneval)
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen (conductor)
04:31 AM
Henricus Albicastro (fl.1700-06)
Concerto a 4 in D minor, Op 7 No 2
Chiara Banchini (violin), Ensemble 415, Chiara Banchini (director)
04:39 AM
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op 35 No 1
Sylviane Deferne (piano)
04:49 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)
04:58 AM
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Overture from the Incidental music to König Stephan
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
05:06 AM
Howard Cable (1920-2016)
The Banks of Newfoundland
Hannaford Street Silver Band, Stephen Chenette (conductor)
05:14 AM
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
12 Variations on "La Folia" (Wq.118/9) (H.263)
Andreas Staier (harpsichord)
05:23 AM
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
Rossiniana - suite from Rossini's 'Les riens'
West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Jorge Mester (conductor)
05:49 AM
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
2 Dances (Czech Dances, Book II)
Karel Vrtiska (piano)
05:58 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op 44
Marianne Thorsen (violin), Atle Sponberg (violin), Lawrence Power (viola), Paul Watkins (cello), Ian Brown (piano)
THU 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zczg)
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’.
THU 09:30 Essential Classics (m002zczk)
The very best of classical music
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with a masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
THU 13:00 Classical Live (m002zczp)
Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini from the BBC Proms
Mark Forrest introduces a week of highlights from the BBC Proms, featuring some of the festival's standout performances. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Søndergård, is joined by pianist Kirill Gerstein for Rachmaninov's dazzling Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The programme also includes Knussen's vibrant Flourish with Fireworks and Shostakovich's commemorative 11th Symphony.
Elsewhere, there's chamber music from this year's Ryedale Festival from some of Yorkshire stunning rural venues, where BBC New Generation Artists come together for an exceptional late-Romantic collaboration, while pianist Zee Zee performs music by Schubert. The programme also includes highlights from the International Sacred Music Festival in Fribourg, featuring works by Johann Kuhnau.
BBC Proms:
Sergey Rachmaninov
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Kirill Gerstein (piano)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård (conductor)
International Sacred Music Festival, Fribourg:
Johann Kuhnau
O bone Jesu
BachPlus
Bart Naessens (conductor)
Ryedale Festival:
Franz Schubert (arr. Franz Liszt)
Der Müller und der Bach
Liebesbotschaft
Zee Zee (piano)
Ryedale Festival:
Franz Schubert
Sonata in G major, D.894
Lukas Sternath (piano)
BBC Proms:
Oliver Knussen
Flourish with Fireworks
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård (conductor)
BBC Proms:
Dmitry Shostakovich
Symphony No. 11 in G minor, ‘The Year 1905’
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård (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 (m002ztsm)
Salieri - Rival
Kate Molleson continues her survey of five figures that shaped Mozart’s life and work. Today - his supposed rival, Antonio Salieri. History has not been kind to Salieri. Myths have been spun around the record of his life – that he was mediocre, jealous, a murderer, even. But his position in Vienna during his lifetime was secure - he was one of the most powerful musicians of the late 18th century, the Emperor’s favourite, and hugely popular with audiences in his time. Salieri had no reason to see Mozart as a threat, and he spoke with great respect about the younger composer. Towards the end of Mozart’s life, it seems the two actually became friends. But there must have been some competitiveness between them - did this spur Mozart on to greater achievements?
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail - Overture
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Der Schauspieldirektor, K486: Da Schlägt die Abschiedsstunde
Regula Muhlemann, soprano
Kammerorchester Basel
Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, conductor
Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor, K491
I. Allegro
Lang Lang, piano
Wiener Philharmoniker
Nicolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Così fan tutte
Act I (excerpt)
Miah Persson, soprano
Angela Brower, mezzo-soprano
Alessandro Corbelli, baritone
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Clarinet concerto in A major, K622
II. Adagio
III. Rondo. Allegro
Martin Fröst, clarinet
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
THU 17:00 In Tune (m002zczs)
Cellist Maximilian Hornung, conductor Charles Hazelwood
Cellist Maximilian Hornung plays live on In Tune ahead of his BBC Prom in Bristol.
Katie also chats to Charles Hazelwood, conductor and Artistic Director of Paraorchestra, about their forthcoming BBC Prom in Bristol, where they'll be playing Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians.
THU 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zczx)
2026
Elder Conducts Weber’s ‘Oberon’
Live at the BBC Proms: the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique & Monteverdi Choir conducted by Mark Elder in a semi-staged performance of Weber's Oberon.
Presented by Andrew McGregor, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon Part 1
Interval: Flora Willson talks to Andrew McGregor about the significance of Weber’s Oberon, 200 years since its premiere at London’s Covent Garden. Weber’s final masterpiece was his only opera in English, and heavily influenced 19th-century orchestration, with his use of specific instruments to represent characters and moods.
Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon Part 2
Nicky Spence - Oberon
Jennifer Davis - Reiza
John Findon - Sir Huon of Bordeaux
Yannick Debus - Sherasmin
Rachael Wilson - Fatima
J'Nai Bridges - Puck
Charlotte Bowden - Mermaid
Jessica Cale - Mermaid
Tamsin Greig - Narrator
Monteverdi Choir
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)
Described as ‘one of the most remarkable combinations of fantasy and technical skill in music’, Weber’s final opera – first performed 200 years ago – follows the battle of wills between Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania. A new narration brings fresh life and wit to this chivalric fantasy of shipwrecks and magic horns, all set to a ravishing Romantic score. Sir Mark Elder makes his debut conducting the Monteverdi Choir, performing alongside an all-star cast.
THU 22:00 Night Tracks (m002zd01)
Music for the still of night
Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents an adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between.
THU 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002zd05)
A classic from John Mayer's Indo Jazz Fusions
All this week, Alice Zawadzki, sitting in for Soweto Kinch, has been joined by soulful London-based singer and violinist Heidi Vogel. She has been giving out flowers to some of her favourite artists from across the jazz spectrum. Concluding her week, Heidi’s fourth and final pick is a Brazilian guitarist from the legendary artists collective, Clube da Equina.
Also, there is music from Misha Mullov-Abado, Gretchen Parlato and Laura Jurd.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".
FRIDAY 07 AUGUST 2026
FRI 00:30 Through the Night (m002zd09)
Choral music from Sweden
The Swedish Radio Choir sings a carefully selected programme of sacred and secular music, spanning Palestrina to Ligeti. Penny Gore presents.
12:31 AM
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)
Excerpt from 'Missa Papae Marcelli'
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
12:35 AM
August Söderman (1832-1876)
Agnus Dei
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
12:37 AM
Alice Tegnér (1864-1943)
Ave Maria
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
12:41 AM
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Agnus Dei
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
12:49 AM
Alma Mahler (1879-1964), Clytus Gottwald (arranger)
Two songs from 'Drei frühe Lieder'
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
12:55 AM
Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Sanctus, from 'Mass for Double Choir'
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:00 AM
Arne Mellnäs (1933-2002)
Laude: Il cantico di frate sole
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:09 AM
György Ligeti (1923-2006), Friedrich Hölderlin (lyricist)
Drei Phantasien
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:21 AM
Hans Gefors (b.1952), D. H. Lawrence (lyricist)
Canto 1, from 'Whales weep not!'
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:29 AM
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963),Paul Éluard (1895-1952)
Liberté, from 'Figure humaine'
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:34 AM
Folke Rabe (1935-2017)
Rondes (encore)
Swedish Radio Choir, Kaspars Putniņš (conductor)
01:39 AM
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Canzon quinta à 4, Canto, Alto, Tenor Bass for cornet
Musica Fiata Köln, Roland Wilson (director)
01:43 AM
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 43
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Ole Kristian Ruud (conductor)
02:31 AM
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Quintet in D major, Op 11, No 6 for flute, 2 violins, cello
Musica Petropolitana
02:48 AM
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Elena Bashkirova (piano), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice, Lawrence Foster (conductor)
03:11 AM
Grace Williams (1906-1977)
Sea Sketches
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Roy Goodman (conductor)
03:30 AM
Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
Spem in Alium, for 40 voices
BBC Singers, Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
03:38 AM
Genevieve Calame (1946-1993)
Sur la margelle du monde
Bienne Symphony Orchestra, Franco Trinca (conductor)
03:49 AM
Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Claude Rippas (arranger)
St Paul's Suite, Op 29 No 2
Hexagon Ensemble
04:01 AM
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
3 Fantasy Pieces, Op 73
Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn), Simon Smith (piano)
04:13 AM
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Prelude (Act 1 'Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg')
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek (conductor)
04:24 AM
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
'L'Eraclito amoroso' for Soprano and continuo
Musica Fiorita, Susanne Ryden (soprano), Rebeka Rusó (viola da gamba), Rafael Bonavita (theorbo), Daniela Dolci (harpsichord), Daniela Dolci (director)
04:31 AM
Elfrida Andrée (1841-1929)
Concert Overture in D major
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chloé van Soeterstèd (conductor)
04:43 AM
Dobrinka Tabakova (b.1980)
Pirin for viola
Maxim Rysanov (viola)
04:51 AM
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Let mine eyes run down with tears, Z.24
Grace Davidson (soprano), Aleksandra Lewandowska (soprano), Damien Guillon (counter tenor), Samuel Boden (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe (director)
05:00 AM
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Slavonic Dance no 10 in E minor, Op 72 No 2
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Juanjo Mena (conductor)
05:06 AM
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV.484
Aleksander Radosavljevič (bassoon), RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Günter Pichler (conductor)
05:18 AM
Nikita Koshkin (b.1956)
The Fall of Birds
Goran Listes (guitar)
05:27 AM
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge, Op 10
Royal Academy Soloists, Clio Gould (director)
05:53 AM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Piano Sonata No 15 in C major, D.840
Alfred Brendel (piano)
06:14 AM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Horn concerto No 3 in E flat major, K.447
James Sommerville (horn), CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Mario Bernardi (conductor)
FRI 06:30 Radio 3 Breakfast (m002zcwh)
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’.
FRI 09:30 Essential Classics (m002zcwk)
Relax into the day with classical
Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.
1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.
1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.
1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.
1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with a masterpiece.
To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.
FRI 13:00 Classical Live (m002zcwm)
Dvořák's 7th Symphony from the BBC Proms
Mark Forrest introduces a week of highlights from the BBC Proms, featuring some of the festival's standout performances. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Elena Schwarz, is joined by violinist Alina Ibragimova for Mendelssohn's lyrical Violin Concerto in E minor. The programme also includes Dvořák's dramatic Symphony No. 7 in D minor and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's colourful Märchen-Suite (Fairy-Tale Suite).
Elsewhere, chamber music from this year's Ryedale Festival shines a spotlight on Schubert, with performances of the Death and the Maiden. The programme also includes highlights from the International Sacred Music Festival in Fribourg.
Felix Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor
Alina Ibragimova (violin)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elena Schwarz (conductor)
Franz Schubert
Death and the Maiden Quartet
Aris Quartet
NOVO Quartet
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 7 in D minor
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elena Schwarz (conductor)
Ernest Chausson
Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet
Hana Chang (violin)
NOVO Quartet
Zee Zee (piano)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Märchen-Suite (Fairy-Tale Suite)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Elena Schwarz (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 (m002ztsp)
Schikaneder and the Freemasons
In the final programme exploring Mozart's life through the lens of five relationships that shaped him, Kate Molleson looks at the brotherhood of the Freemasons and how they influenced Mozart’s later years. The Freemason network was an important source of commissions and loans to him but also provided some of his closest friendships - Emanuel Schikaneder among them. Schikaneder was one of the most versatile and flamboyant stage presences of the 18th century. An actor, singer, impresario, playwright, and tastemaker of popular culture - without him, The Magic Flute wouldn’t exist. In the final months of Mozart's life, he and Schikaneder created the opera together, stuffing it full of masonic codes.
Masonic funeral music in C minor, K477
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner, conductor
Trio in E flat for clarinet viola and piano, K498 'Kegelstatt'
I. Andante
II. Menuetto
Martin Frӧst, clarinet
Antoine Tamastit, violin
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
The Magic Flute: Overture
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor
The Magic Flute: Finale (excerpt)
Daniel Behle, tenor (Tamino)
Marlis Petersen, soprano (Pamina)
Daniel Schmutzhard, baritone (Papageno)
Sunhae Im, soprano (Papagena)
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
RIAS Kammerchor
René Jacobs, conductor
Requiem in D minor. K626
IV. Offertorium 2: Hostias
V. Sanctus
VI. Benedictus
Ying Fang, soprano
Beth Taylor, mezzo-soprano
Laurence Kilsby, tenor
Alex Rosen, bass
Ensemble Pygmalion
Raphael Pichon, conductor
Produced by Megan Jones for BBC Wales Audio
FRI 17:00 In Tune (m002zcwp)
Callum Smart and Richard Uttley
Violinist Callum Smart plays live on InTune with pianist Richard Uttley ahead of their performance at Ronnie Scott's Classical on Monday 10th August where they will be joined by horn player Ben Goldscheider.
Bassoonist Laurence Perkins speaks to Katie Derham live from Edinburgh about his Wylde Britain project, a multimedia concert programme featuring a range of classical and folk melodies from Shetland to Land’s End. Wylde Britain launches at the Edinburgh Fringe and it goes on to tour the UK later in the year.
FRI 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zcwr)
2026
Rossini’s ‘Stabat mater’
Live at the BBC Proms: BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, conductor Nil Venditti, and star soloists perform Rossini's Stabat Mater. Respighi's Church Windows light the first half.
Presented by Petroc Trelawny, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Ottorino Respighi: Church Windows
c.
7.30
Interval: Opera director Julia Burbach discusses with Petroc the operatic elements of Rossini's Stabat Mater, as well as the importance of stage craft in the works of Rossini and other Italian operatic composers.
c.
7.50
Gioachino Rossini: Stabat mater
Federica Lombardi (Soprano)
Chiara Amarù (Mezzo-soprano)
René Barbera (Tenor)
Nicola Ulivieri (Bass)
Epiphoni Consort
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Nil Venditti (conductor
Fragments of Gregorian chant are reassembled in the jewel-toned mosaic that is Respighi’s 1927 Church Windows – given its Proms debut by Nil Venditti and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Four richly scored orchestral movements each depict a different scene in sound: a shimmering nocturne for ‘The Flight into Egypt’, a luminous portrait of St Clare and explosive martial conflict for ‘The Archangel Saint Michael’. Ancient musical models also inspired Rossini’s operatic Stabat mater – a powerful spiritual statement from the master of secular drama.
FRI 22:00 Late Junction (m002zcwt)
Recovered memories and explosive sound
Verity Sharp presents a voyage around the world of ear-bending experimental listening, celebrating the best in weird and wonderful sounds from across the musical spectrum.
There’s a duet with once-forgotten hard drive jams from Dan Gilmore, prizing open a shelved data bank to pick apart musical memories from his past self on ‘Know I’ve Been Here Before’. We also check in on Poland’s Sanitorium of Sound Festival, previewing artists who will take the stage under this year’s theme the ‘Secret Element of Combustion’, exploring “the eruption of tensions, transformations, and liminal states.”
Elsewhere in the show: catalogued musical mistakes from cult Berlin label Kashual Plastik, and triumphantly-unfinished yet delicately-realised vignettes from Arthur Russell collaborator Nirosta Steel.
Produced by Alex Yates
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers, just say “ask BBC Sounds to play Late Junction”.
FRI 23:30 'Round Midnight (m002zcww)
Frida Touray’s Mixtape
Violinist and vocalist Alice Zawadzki has been sitting in for Soweto Kinch all this week on 'Round Midnight, sharing exciting releases from the UK and around the world.
Alice is joined by her Friday night guest Frida Touray. Originating from Sweden, Frida is a London-based singer who is widely celebrated for her passionate and soulful vocal style, and is well known for her work with artists including Jordan Rakei, The Cinematic Orchestra, and NAO.
Tonight, Frida present a special 30-minute mixtape featuring some of her favourite jazz records, from the soulful and groove-filled to the ethereal.
To listen on most smart speakers, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Round Midnight".