Celebrations of the tercentenary of Henry Purcell continue with a concert of music written for Queen Mary, broadcast live from Westminster Abbey. The first half includes music from the coronation of William and Mary in 1689 and a Birthday Ode written for the Queen. In the second half there is a re-creation of music performed at her funeral in the Abbey 300 years ago today. The New London Consort and the Choir of Westminster Abbey are conducted by Martin Neary, one of Purcell's successors as organist at the Abbey. Kelly Hunter reads extracts from Queen Mary's diaries and letters, and John Woodvine takes the role of a chronicler to convey the atmosphere of the times. In an interval feature, historians Roy Porter and Nigel Llewellyn reflect on what mortality meant in 17th-century England. With sopranos Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb, counter-tenor Michael Chance, tenor Ian Bostridge, baritone Stephen Richardson and bass Simon Birchall. Introduced by Nicholas Kenyon.
Director Hilary Boulding ; Producer Caroline Speed
SIMULTANEOUS BROADCAST: with Radio 3
Subsequent programmes may run late