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A feast of great music

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.

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22 days left to listen

3 hours, 30 minutes

Last on

Last Wednesday 09:30
麻豆社 Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No 3, 'Eroica' (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
    • Beethoven: Symphonies 1-9: Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
    • Teldec.
    • 7.

  • Barbara Strozzi

    Silenzio nocivo

    Ensemble: Orlando di Lasso Ensemble.
    • Thorofon.

  • Franz Liszt

    Hungarian Rhapsody No 6 in D major (Carnival in Pest)

    Orchestra: Budapest Festival Orchestra. Conductor: Iv谩n Fischer.
    • The Liszt Collection.
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
    • 6.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Brandenburg concerto no.2 in F major BWV.1047

    Orchestra: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin.
    • J.S. Bach: Orchestral Music: Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 4.

  • Luciano Berio

    Ritirata notturna di Madrid [after Boccherini]

    Composer: Luigi Boccherini. Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Conductor: Riccardo Chailly.
    • Berio: Orchestral transcriptions: Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi.
    • Decca.
    • 3.

  • Anna Clyne

    Seascape (Abstractions)

    Orchestra: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Marin Alsop.
    • Anna Clyne: Abstractions.
    • Naxos.
    • 104.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Sonata in F major for piano duet, K 497 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Christoph Eschenbach. Performer: Justus Frantz.
    • Mozart: Music for Piano Duet: Justus Frantz, Christoph Eschenbach.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 3.

  • Jean Sibelius

    At the Castle Gate; Entr'acte (Pell茅as et M茅lisande)

    Orchestra: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme J盲rvi.
    • BIS.

  • Arcangelo Corelli

    Violin Sonata in F major, Op.5 no.4

    Performer: Rachel Barton Pine. Performer: David Schrader. Performer: John Mark Rozendaal. Performer: Brandon Acker.
    • CEDILLE RECORDS.

  • Igor Stravinsky

    Symphony No 1 in E flat, Op 1; 4th mvt - finale

    Orchestra: St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Stravinsky: The Complete Ballets & Symphonies.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 5.

  • Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Czech Suite Op.39 (Polka)

    Orchestra: Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Joseph Swensen.
    • Dvorak: Violin concerto etc: Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Swensen.
    • Linn.
    • 5.

  • Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Grande Valse Brillante in E flat major Op.18

    Performer: Ingrid Fliter.
    • Chopin: Complete Waltzes.
    • EMI Classics.
    • 1.

  • Nancy Dalberg

    Scherzo for string orchestra, Op 6

    Orchestra: Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Frans Rasmussen.
    • DA CAPO.

  • Anthony Holborne

    The Night Watch (Alamaine)

    Ensemble: Concerto Scirocco. Director: Giulia Genini.
    • Arcana.

  • Enrique Granados

    Epilogo (Goyescas)

    Performer: Garrick Ohlsson.
    • Granados: Goyescas: Ohlsson.
    • Hyperion.

  • Edward Elgar

    Nursery Suite - The Wagon Passes

    Orchestra: Ulster Orchestra. Conductor: Bryden Thomson.
    • Chandos.

  • Maurice Ravel

    Menuet antique

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • Ravel: Complete Orchestral Works.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 7.

  • Jean鈥怭hilippe Rameau

    Concert en sextuor No 4 in B flat major

    Orchestra: Les Talens Lyriques. Director: Christophe Rousset.
    • Rameau: Six Concerts en Sextuor: Les Talens Lyriques/Rousset.
    • Decca.
    • 11-13.

  • Ketil Bj酶rnstad

    Serene

    Performer: Svante Henryson. Performer: Ketil Bj酶rnstad.
    • Ketil Bj酶rnstad & Svante Henryson: Night Song.
    • ECM.
    • 10.

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Eugene Onegin (Waltz)

    Choir: Chorus of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia. Orchestra: Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome. Conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano.
    • EMI.

  • Kod谩ly Zolt谩n

    Concerto for Orchestra

    Orchestra: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: JoAnn Falletta.
    • Kod谩ly: Orchestral Works.
    • Naxos.
    • 201.

  • Clara Schumann

    Abendfeier in Venedig (3 Part-songs)

    Ensemble: Studio Vocale Karlsruhe. Conductor: Werner Pfaff.
    • Schumann - Die Chorwerke Vol. 2.
    • EBS.
    • 1.

  • Johann Pachelbel

    Canon and Gigue in D major

    Ensemble: Academy of Ancient Music. Director: Christopher Hogwood.
    • Pachelbel: Canon - Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood.
    • DECCA.
    • 1.

  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    Schauspiel Overture Op.4

    Orchestra: 麻豆社 Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Matthias Bamert.
    • CHANDOS.

  • Muzio Clementi

    Keyboard Sonata in D major, Op 10 No 2

    Performer: Howard Shelley.
    • Hyperion.

  • Emmanuel Chabrier

    Habanera

    Orchestra: Orchestre Lamoureux. Conductor: Yutaka Sado.
    • WARNER ELATUS.

Broadcast

  • Last Wednesday 09:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3