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Relax into the day with classical

Ian Skelly plays the best in classical music, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.

Ian Skelly plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.

1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.

1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.

1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.

1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with an orchestral masterpiece.

To listen on most smart speakers say "Ask 蜜芽传媒 Sounds to play Essential Classics鈥�

3 hours, 30 minutes

Last on

Tue 19 Aug 2025 09:30
蜜芽传媒 Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Edvard Grieg

    Holberg Suite; 1vt mvt Praeludium

    Orchestra: Australian Chamber Orchestra. Director: Richard Tognetti.
    • BIS.

  • Giuseppe Torelli

    Sinfonia in C major (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Adrian Chandler. Ensemble: La Serenissima.
    • The Italian Job.
    • Avie.
    • 23.

  • Anton Bruckner

    Symphony no.4 in E flat major 'Romantic' (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Conductor: Bernard Haitink.
    • Decca.

  • John Taverner

    Audivi vocem

    Ensemble: Stile Antico.
    • Puer Natus Est, Tudor Music For Advent and Christmas: Stile Antico.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 2.

  • George Gershwin

    Piano Concerto in F (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Daniil Trifonov. Conductor: Yannick N茅zet鈥怱茅guin. Orchestra: The Philadelphia Orchestra.
    • My American Story: North.
    • DG.
    • 4.

  • Sue Rothstein

    Flying with the Birds

    Performer: Gwenllian Ll欧r.
    • SAIN.

  • Jean Sibelius

    Symphony no.1 in E minor Op.39 (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Klaus M盲kel盲.
    • DECCA.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    The Seasons: VIII. August. The Harvest

    Performer: Bruce Liu.
    • Tchaikovsky: The Seasons.
    • DG.
    • 8.

  • Johann Pachelbel

    Suite No 3 in E flat major

    Ensemble: Gli Incogniti. Director: Amandine Beyer.
    • Harmonia Mundi.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Trumpet Concerto (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
    • Trumpet Concertos.
    • Simax Classics.
    • 3.

  • Grace Williams

    Sea Sketches for string orchestra: I. High Wind

    Orchestra: Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Malin Broman.
    • Breaking Waves.
    • BIS.
    • 101.

  • Felix Mendelssohn

    Violin Concerto in D minor (1st mvt)

    Performer: Alina Ibragimova. Orchestra: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski.
    • Hyperion.

  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    String Quartet No 2 (2nd mvt)

    Ensemble: Doric String Quartet.
    • Korngold: The String Quartets.
    • Chandos.
    • 6.

  • Leokadiya Kashperova

    Two Roses: No 1 (Au sein de la nature)

    Performer: Mengjie Han.

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    5 Variants of 'Dives and Lazarus'

    Orchestra: Hall茅. Conductor: Sir Mark Elder.
    • HALLE.

  • Charles Avison

    Concerto in 7 parts [after D Scarlatti] no. 2 in G major (2nd mvt)

    Ensemble: Avison Ensemble. Conductor: Pavlo Beznosiuk.
    • Avison: Concerti grossi After Scarlatti.
    • Divine Art.
    • 202.

  • Louis鈥怌laude Daquin

    Le coucou (Harpsichord Suite no.3)

    Performer: Trevor Pinnock.
    • ARCHIV.

  • Trad.

    The Song of the Birds

    Music Arranger: Pau Casals. Performer: Sol Gabetta. Ensemble: Cello Ensemble Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
    • SONY.

  • Trad.

    She moved through the fair

    Music Arranger: Craig Leon. Singer: Andreas Scholl. Performer: Edin Karamazov. Performer: Stacey Shames.
    • Wayfaring Stranger: Folksongs: Andreas Scholl.
    • Decca.
    • 8.

  • Charles Gounod

    Mors et Vita: Judex

    Orchestra: Richard Hickox Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Hickox.
    • Decca.

  • Claude Debussy

    C'est l'extase (Ariettes Oubli茅es)

    Singer: Sabine Devieilhe. Performer: Alexandre Tharaud.
    • ERATO.

  • Edward Elgar

    The Dream of Gerontius (Prelude)

    Orchestra: 蜜芽传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis.
    • CHANDOS.

  • Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin

    Pastoral, Op 40 No 6 (Eight Concert Etudes)

    Performer: Marc鈥怉ndr茅 Hamelin.
    • Hyperion.

  • Errollyn Wallen

    Lively (Horseplay)

    Ensemble: Continuum. Conductor: Philip Headlam.
    • Wallen: The Girl in my Alphabet.
    • AVIE.
    • 9.

  • Pietro Mascagni

    Intermezzo (Cavalleria rusticana)

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Muti.
    • EMI Classics.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Piano Concerto No 23

    Conductor: Mitsuko Uchida. Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra.
    • DECCA.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Dance of the Cygnets (Swan Lake, Op 20)

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
    • Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake.
    • Signum Classics.
    • 201.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • Soli Deo Gloria.

  • C茅cile Chaminade

    Trio No.1 in G minor (3rd mvt)

    Ensemble: Neave Trio.
    • A Room Of Her Own.
    • Chandos.
    • 5.

  • Isaac Alb茅niz

    Tango (Espa帽a)

    Music Arranger: Andr茅s Segovia. Performer: John Williams.
    • Spanish Guitar Music: John Williams.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 2.

  • Richard Wagner

    Die Meistersinger von N眉rnberg (Prelude)

    Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra. Conductor: George Szell.
    • Sony Classical.

Broadcast

  • Tue 19 Aug 2025 09:30
    蜜芽传媒 Radio 3