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Three Hours of Classical Sparkle

Join Sarah Walker for three hours of classical masterpieces, perfect for a peaceful start to your day.

Sarah Walker brings you three hours of classical music to reflect, restore, and refresh.

On today's show Sarah has lots of treats for your Sunday morning, with music ranging from neglected but brilliant women composers like Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Maddalena Laura Sirmen, to the dreamy, mystical opening of Debussy's La damoiselle elue, and the chance to indulge in the epic first movement of Elgar's First Symphony.

This week's choral reflection is a lush recording by Voces8 of a triple canon by Baroque Italian composer Benedetto Marcello, and Sarah's Sunday Sequence has a distinctly regal feel to it...

Plus, Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe are clock watching...

A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3.

28 days left to listen

3 hours

Last on

Sunday09:00
BBC Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony No 101 in D Major, Hob I:101, 'The Clock' (2nd mvt)

    Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Tema con Variazioni (Variation XI)

    Ensemble: Barbican Piano Trio.
    • Guild GmbH.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Symphony No 1 in C minor, Op 68 (4th mvt)

    Conductor: Yannick Nézet‐Séguin. Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).

  • Peter Warlock

    Capriol Suite (No 1, 'Basse-danse')

    Choir: London Choral Sinfonia. Conductor: Michael Waldron.
    • Colourise.
    • Orchid Classics.
    • 401.

  • Clarence Cameron White

    Levee Dance Op.26`2

    Performer: Rachel Barton Pine. Performer: Matthew Hagle.
    • Blues Dialogues: Music by Black Composers.
    • Cedille.
    • 6.

  • John Ireland

    Satyricon

    Orchestra: Sinfonia of London. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • John Ireland: Orchestral Works.
    • Chandos.
    • 1.

  • Benedetto Marcello

    Canon Triplex (In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum)

    Choir: VOCES8. Ensemble: Les Inventions.
    • Signum Records.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Brandenburg Concerto No 4 in G major, BWV 1049

    Conductor: Masaaki Suzuki. Orchestra: Bach Collegium Japan.
    • Naxos Music UK Ltd.

  • Gerald Finzi

    5 Bagatelles, Op 23 (No 2, 'Romance')

    Performer: Anastasia Schmidlin. Performer: Denis Zhdanov.
    • Prospero Classical.

  • George Frideric Handel

    La paix (Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351)

    Ensemble: Le Concert des Nations. Conductor: Jordi Savall.
    • Alia Vox.

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Symphony No. 2, IRV 41 "A London Symphony": II. Lento

    Conductor: Mark Elder. Orchestra: Hallé.
    • Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony, Oboe Concerto.
    • Halle Concerts Society.
    • 2.

  • Arthur Sullivan

    The Yeoman of the Guard (overture)

    Orchestra: English National Opera Orchestra. Conductor: Charles Mackerras.
    • The Yeoman of the Guard and Trial by Jury.
    • TELARC.
    • 1.

  • Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre

    Sonata No 2 in D major for Violin and Continuo

    Orchestra: Bizzarrie Armoniche. Director: Roberta Invernizzi.
    • Naive.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Piano Concerto No 19 in F major, K 459 (1st mvt)

    Performer: Kristian Bezuidenhout. Orchestra: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
    • harmonia mundi.

  • Pauline Viardot

    Sonatina for violin and piano (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Anna Agafia Egholm. Performer: Frank Braley.
    • Compositrices: New Light on French Romantic Women Composers.
    • Bru Zane.
    • 3.

  • Samuel Dushkin

    Sicilienne

    Performer: Geneva Lewis. Performer: Julia Hamos.

  • Edward Elgar

    Symphony No 1 in A flat major, Op 55 (1st mvt)

    Conductor: Colin Davis. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • LSO Live.

  • Luigi Boccherini

    Minuet from String Quintet in E major, Op 13 No 5

    Performer: Mischa Maisky. Orchestra: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).

  • Paul Honey

    Spring's First Migration

    Performer: Jean Kelly. Singer: Grace Davidson.
    • Paul Honey Ltd.

  • Claude Debussy

    La damoiselle élue, L 62 (Prélude)

    Performer: Víkingur Ólafsson.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).

  • Sergey Prokofiev

    Symphony No 1 in D major, Op 25, 'Classical'

    Conductor: Thomas Søndergård. Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
    • Linn Records.

  • John Dowland

    Clear or cloudy

    Ensemble: Ensemble Orlando Gibbons.
    • Naive.

  • Max Richter

    Infra 5 (orchestra version)

    Conductor: Kristjan Järvi. Orchestra: Baltic Sea Philharmonic.
    • Infra 5 (Orchestra Version).
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
    • 1.

  • Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen

    String Quartet No 1 in E flat major (2nd mvt)

    Ensemble: Allegri String Quartet.
    • Signum-Cala.

Broadcast

  • Sunday09:00
    BBC Radio 3