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Ease into the evening with classical music

Take time out with a 30-minute soundscape of classical music, including works by JS Bach, Ravel, Rita Strohl and Cole Porter.

Half an hour of back-to-back classical music to help wind down at the end of a busy day. Today's sequence begins with Bach and ends with Cole Porter. In between, there's an enchanted flute from Ravel's Shéhérazade, a sparkling glacier from Vaughan Williams' score to the film Scott of the Antarctic, and a very familiar string piece many have mistaken for Haydn but actually composed by Roman Hoffstetter. Also in the mix is a poignant choral anthem by Will Todd and an exquisitely beautiful romance for septet by Rita Strohl, little known today but whose music is said to have been admired by many of her contemporaries, including Fauré and Saint-Saens.

Producer: Helen Garrison

28 days left to listen

30 minutes

Last on

Wednesday19:00
BBC Radio 3

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Previous

20/01/2026

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Music Played

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Concerto in C minor for violin and oboe, BWV.1060 (1st mvt)

    Performer: Rachel Podger. Performer: Alexandra Bellamy. Orchestra: Brecon Baroque.
    • JS Bach: Double & Triple Concertos.
    • Channel Classics.
    • 8.

  • Maurice Ravel

    La flute enchantée (Shéhérazade)

    Singer: Anne Sofie von Otter. Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra. Conductor: Pierre Boulez.
    • DG.

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Distant Glacier (Scott of the Antarctic)

    Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Rumon Gamba.
    • Film Music Vol. 1.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 11.

  • Will Todd

    The Call of Wisdom

    Choir: Tenebrae. Performer: James Sherlock. Conductor: Nigel Short.
    • Todd: The Call of Wisdom.
    • Signum Classics.
    • 3.

  • Roman Hoffstetter

    String Quartet in F major Op.3`5 (2nd mvt)

    Ensemble: Guildhall String Ensemble. Director: Robert Salter.
    • Pachelbel/Vivaldi/Handel/Haydn: Strings: Guildhall String Ensemble.
    • RCA.
    • 7.

  • Rita Strohl

    Septet in C minor: 3rd mvt; Romance. Très lent et très mystérieux

    Performer: Shuichi Okada. Performer: Alexandre Pascal. Performer: Léa Hennino. Performer: Claudine Legras. Performer: Héloïse Luzzati. Performer: Lorraine Campet. Performer: Célia Oneto Bensaid.
    • Rita Strohl: Volume 2, Musique de chambre.
    • La Boîte à Pépites.
    • 107.

  • Cole Porter

    So in love (Kiss Me, Kate)

    Singer: Simon Keenlyside. Orchestra: BBC Concert Orchestra. Conductor: David Charles Abell.
    • Something's Gotta Give.
    • Chandos.
    • 2.

Broadcast

  • Wednesday19:00
    BBC Radio 3

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