A celebration of the 150th birthday, yesterday, of the Czech composer Leos Janacek, presented by Dennis Marks and John Tusa.
With contributions from some of Janacek's champions, including stage director David Pountney, conductors Mark Elder and Charles Mackerras, singers Kathryn Harries, Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Graham Clark and Philip Langridge, and scholars Michael Beckerman, Geoffrey Chew, John Tyrrell and Mirka Zemanova. Plus "postcards" from writers Ivan Klima and Milan Kundera, and two of Janacek's students: the late Rudolf Firkusny and Vilem Tausky.

Fanfares (Sinfonietta) Members of the Brno PO

Followed by, at approximately:

9.05 Hukvaldy
1/3. Dennis Marks visits Janacek's birthplace to tell the story of his tough early years and introduction to music.

9.15 Janacek and Moravia
John Tusa explores Janacek's relationship with his native region - its people, its folk music, its landscape and natural world.

9.40 The Cunning Little Vixen, Act 1
Lucia Popp (soprano), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Charles Mackerras

10.05 Janacek the Dramatist
A studio discussion exploring Janacek's dramatic genius.

10.15 Brno
Dennis Marks follows Janacek's life in Moravia's largest city - his education, his marriage, his burgeoning career and the tragic deaths of his children. And John Tusa talks to Charles Mackerras at Janacek's house in Brno. Music includes Mladi and excerpts from On an Overgrown Path and Jenufa.

11.30 One of a Kind An investigation of Janacek's unique musical style.

12.00 Luhacovice Dennis Marks and John Tusa take the waters at Janacek's favourite holiday retreat, the Moravian spa of Luhacovice, to reveal its influence on Janacek's music and love life: a tale of two Kamilas. Music includes:
Osud (Fate), Act 1 (sung in English); The Diary of One Who Disappeared.

1.00pm Drama: Zdenka
By Hattie Naylor.
A new play evoking Janacek's unhappy marriage through the eyes of his downtrodden wife.

1.25 Katya Kabanova, Act 2
Elisabeth Soderstrom (soprano), Petr Dvorsky (tenor), Vienna PO, conductor Charles Mackerras

1.55 Janacek and Women
A look at the female characters in Janacek's operas and their relationship to his questionable behaviour towards the women in his life.

2.25 The Cunning Little Vixen, Act 2
(Sung in English) Lillian Watson and Diana Montague (sopranos), Thomas Allen (baritone), Royal Opera House Orchestra, conductor Simon Rattle

3.00 Prague
Dennis Marks visits Prague's cultural hotspots to tell the story of Janacek's vexed but ultimately victorious relationship with the Czech capital. Music includes:
Mr Broucek's Excursion to the 15th Century, Act 1 (The Excursions of Mr Broucek) and excerpts from The Makropulos Case and Jenufa (Prague version of 1916, revised by Karel Kovarovic).

3.40 Janacek the Slav
John Tusa investigates Janacek's fanatical Czech patriotism and his love of Russia.

4.00 Hukvaldy
2/3. In 1921 Janacek bought a cottage in his native village. John Tusa meets descendants of family and friends, and Dennis Marks tells the story of Janacek's developing obsession with Kamila Stosslova, married and less than half his age. Music includes: Nursery Rhymes (excerpts); The Makropulos Case, Act 3.

4.50 Janacek the Dramatist
Looking behind the unlikely stories of Janacek's last three operas.

5.00 Intimate Letters
The Skampa Quartet perform the Second String Quartet, with David Calder as Janacek reading the letters that inspired it.

5.45 Janacek the Man
What made this enigmatic and mercurial composer tick? Music includes: Capriccio with Rudolf Firkusny (piano)

6.30 Hukvaldy
3/3. Dennis Marks retraces the final, tragicomic steps of Janacek's life, when he persuaded Kamila Stosslova to join him in Hukvaldy. Within a fortnight he was dead. Music includes From the House of the Dead, Act 3, and I Am Waiting for You.

7.15 The Cunning Little Vixen, Act 3
Magdalena Hajossyova (soprano), Richard Novak (baritone), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Vaclav Neumann

7.45 Performance on 3: Conductor Charles Mackerras
Violin Concerto - Roman Patocka (soloist)
Glagolitic Mass - Helena Kaupova (soprano), Peter Straka (tenor), Richard Novak (baritone), Brno Czech Philharmonic Choir, Brno PO, Sinfonietta Berlin, Philharmonic Orchestra

[Photo caption] The Czech composer Leos Janacek, whose life and music dominates today's programmes on Radio 3

Janacek Day 9.00am-9.30pm R3
If you didn't know very much about Janacek when you got up this morning, you could know an awful lot more by the time you're drinking your cocoa tonight. Radio 3 has billed this as a day of celebration of the Czech composer's 150th birthday, but with twelve and a half hours of music, drama and discussion, this is more like a mini-holiday in Janacek-land. It seems incredible that someone born so long ago could still be remembered by people who knew him, yet among today's contributors are the late Rudolf Firkusny and Vilem Tausky (who died earlier this year), both former pupils of Janacek. There are huge chunks from the bizarre operas (one is set partly on the moon, another tells of the death of a 337-year-old opera singer), featuring sopranos Lucia Popp and Elizabeth Soderstrom, and Charles Mackerras conducts a complete performance of the Glagolitic Mass. The brilliant Fanfares from the Sinfonietta signal the beginning of this extraordinary exploration of one of music's most original geniuses. (Laurence Joyce)