Roderic Dunnett returns with a new six-part series of excerpts from British operas from the first half of the 20th century, specially recorded by the BBC.
Cyril Scott The Alchemist Scott turned his own libretto - based on an Indian folk tale - into a rich and colourful score, earning him the nickname "the English Debussy". Using a vast orchestra, he retells the story of the sorcerer's apprentice. It was first performed in Germany in 1917, but this is the first time Scott's opera has been heard in his native country.
BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor James Lockhart Producers Tim Thorne and Kenneth Richardson
See also Friday 12.00 midnight