Stephanie Hughes reviews the British premiere of John Adams 's piano concerto Century Rolls at the Barbican, London. Music includes
Ravel's Mother Goose played by the Scottish National Orchestra, conductor Alexander Gibson ; plus at
7.00 Mozart's Adagio from the Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments; and at 8.00 Tallis's If Ye Love Me performed by the Tallis Scholars. Producer Brian Jackson
With Peter Hobday, featuring orchestral music by Britten and vintage performances by pianist Rudolf Firkusny.
Britten Simple Symphony
ECO, conducted by the Composer
9.19 Robert Johnson Pavan;
Almaine Paul O'Dette (lute)
9.29 Sibelius Karelia Suite
Gothenburg SO, conductor Neeme Jarvi
9.44 Smetana Twelve Czech Dances
Rudolf Firkusny (piano)
(Discs)
Joan Bakewell talks to violinist Tasmin Little about how she started learning the violin when she had chicken pox, about her studies at the Menuhin School, and about the value of competition for young musicians. Music includes movements from Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole and Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor.
(See also Wednesday 2pm)
Tyrants
Donald Macleod presents musical portraits of five absolute rulers famed more for their evil deeds than for their good work.
1: Alexander the Great. Alexander briefly ruled over half the known world - until his Macedonian troops mutinied. Including excerpts from Handel's Alexander's Feast,
Alessandro and Poro, Mozart's Re
Pastore and Hasse's Cleofide.
Producer Piers Burton-Page
E-MAIL: sound.stories@bbc.co.uk
FACTSHEET: send an sae to [address removed]
(1567-1643)
Simon Heighes explores the twin peaks of Monteverdi's career: the works written for the Gonzaga family at the north Italian court of Mantua, and the music composed during his 30-odd years as director of music at St Mark's Basilica in Venice.
1: Mantua. Working at the Gonzaga court in Mantua, Monteverdi was the last major composer of madrigals and the first important composer of opera. This programme includes madrigals from his fourth and fifth books, plus excerpts from his dramatic works, including Arianna, II Ballo delle
Ingrate and the mould-breaking Orfeo. Producer Michael Emery
Repeated next Monday 12 midnight
Wigmore Hall Chamber Series
From the Wigmore Hall, London, continuing the Monday lunchtime focus on Beethoven. Vermeer Quartet
Bartok String Quartet No 2
Beethoven String Quartet in C, Op 59 No 3 (Rasumovsky) Repeated Saturday lpm
BBC Philharmonic
Conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier, Olivier Charlier (violin)
Lalo Overture: Le Roi d'Ys
Beethoven Violin Concerto in D
Prokofiev Suite: Romeo and Juliet
Ruth Mackenzie , general director of Scottish Opera, introduces a selection of operatic highlights.
The Opera Director. Excerpts from
Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's The Magic Flute and John Adams 's Nixon in China.
Producer Gautam Rangarajan
Dynamics
Music is rarely without dynamics, but who came up with the jargon? Early in the 17th century, Mazzocchi was the first to use piano and forte in his madrigals. Tommy Pearson talks to Catherine Bott about the era when composers first started putting expression on paper. Repeat
Humphrey Carpenter begins a week featuring children's choirs - including the visiting Vienna Boys' Choir - by talking to conductor Ronald Corp about the London Children's Choir.
Music includes Brahms's
Klavierstucke, Op 118; Wagner's Wesendonk Lieder sung by Cheryl Studer with the Dresden
Staatskapelle; and Britten's Spider and the Fly, broadcast at 6.10.
SOUNDING THE CENTURY
Music as Life
The first of four concerts from Glasgow's City Hall as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor Osmo Vanska embark on a cycle of Nielsen's six symphonies. The series begins with a performance given last Wednesday of the extrovert Symphony No 1, which is juxtaposed with Rachmaninov's evergreen Piano Concerto No 2 played by Cristina Ortiz. Also tonight, Nielsen's musical realisation of "the impetuous, the indolent, the melancholy and the cheerful" - his Symphony No 2. Introduced by Geoffrey Baskerville in conversation with Osmo Vanska and David Fanning. Cristina Ortiz (piano),
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Osmo Vanska Nielsen Symphony No 1
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor
Nielsen Symphony No 2 (The Four Temperaments)
Next programme Wednesday 7.30pm
GUIDE: a Radio 3 guide accompanies this series, priced £3.50 including postage and packing. Phone [number removed] to order
Flctuallty
Five specially commissioned dramatic monologues that combine fiction and a news story.
1: One Giant Leap. By Sue Teddern. Producer Paul Dodgson
The Soldier. A studio recital by Christopher Maltman (baritone) and Andrew Smith (piano) reflecting aspects of military life and war in songs by Schubert, Gurney, Wolf, John Airlie Dix , Schumann,
Musorgsky and Poulenc. Christopher Maltman introduces the programme in conversation with lain Burnside.
Producer Peter Tanner. Rptd tomorrow 4pm
Mark Russell and Robert Sandall are the guides as Radio 3 embarks on another sonic adventure.
Producer Ekene Akalawu
Alyn Shipton introduces the Humphrey Lyttelton Band, which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year. Recorded before an invited audience in the band-leader's old club at 100 Oxford Street.
Humphrey Lyttelton (trumpet), Pete Strange (trombone). Jimmy Hastings (alto sax/clarinet), Kathy Stobart
(tenor sax/baritone sax/clarinet), Ted Beament (piano), Paul Bridge (double bass), Adrian Macintosh (drums) Producer Terry Carter
In der Nacht (Fantasiestucke, Op 12) Alfred Brendel (piano)
Schone Wiege Meiner Leiden (Liederkreis, Op 24)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Christoph Eschenbach (piano) Davidsbundlertanze
Claudio Arrau (piano)
Dein Angesicht , Op 127 No 2; Mein
Wagen Rollet Langsam, Op 142 No 4 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Christoph Eschenbach (piano)
Ende vom Lied (Fantasiestucke, Op 12) Alfred Brendel (piano) Repeated from last Monday
With Donald Macleod.
1.00 Schubert Winterreise
Michael Schopper (bass), Andreas Staier (fortepiano)
2.30 Murray R Schafer Minnelieder Jean Stillwell (mezzo), Canadian
Chamber Ensemble/Raffi Armenian
3.00-5.00 Schools
3.00 Music Box 3.15 Something to Think About 3.30 The Song Tree
3.45 Stories and Rhymes 4.00
Primary Geography 4.15 Music for Dance 4.30 Hopscotch 4.45 Scottish Resources 7-9
5.00 Mozart Ha, Wie Will Ich
Triumphieren (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail) Conal Coad (bass), Tasmanian SO/Dobbs Franks
5.05 Beethoven Wellingtons Sieg Octophoros/Paul Dombrecht
5.20 Boccherini Piano Quintet in E minor, Op 57 Mosafques Quartet, Patrick Cohen (fortepiano)
5.35 Haydn Missa Brevis Sancti
Joannis de Deo Vancouver Chamber
Choir, CBC Vancouver Orchestra/ Jon Washburn
