Episode details

Radio 3,13 Aug 2026,180 mins
The National Open Youth Orchestra and conductor Alice Farnham at the BBC Proms
Classical LiveAvailable for 29 days
Elizabeth Alker introduces an afternoon of great summer music making with concert performances from home and abroad, including highlights from the BBC Proms, plus exclusive recordings from the Verbier Music Festival and the Granada Music Festival. To open, a BBC Proms performance of Liszt’s dazzling Mephisto Waltz No. 1 with the National Youth Orchestra under Thomas Adès. Later, the National Open Youth Orchestra joins players from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for a vibrant Proms Across the UK concert from Bristol Beacon, featuring music by Vivaldi, Florence Price, Oliver Cross, Michael Betteridge and Charlotte Harding. The Proms selections conclude with Alban Berg’s haunting Violin Concerto, performed by Vilde Frang with the Juilliard Orchestra, the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. From the Verbier Festival, Debussy’s elegant Violin Sonata, performed by violinist Marc Bouchkov and pianist Julien Quentin, and from the Granada Festival, Ensemble InAlto and director Lambert Colson perform Monteverdi’s poignant Lamento d’Arianna, a masterpiece of early Baroque expression. BBC Proms: Franz Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1 National Youth Orchestra Thomas Adès (conductor) Granada Festival: Claudio Monteverdi O Teseo, Teseo mio (Lamento d’Arianna, SV 107 (Madrigales, Libro VI. 1614) Ensemble InAlto Lambert Colson (cornett/director) Verbier Festival: Claude Debussy Violin Sonata Marc Bouchkovn(violin) Julien Quentin (piano) BBC PROMS: The complete BBC Prom from the Bristol Beacon introduced for Classical Live by Alex Humphreys Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons - excerpts (arr. Rhian Davies and Ellen O'Brien) Florence Price Symphony No. 1 – Juba Dance (3rd mvt) (arr. Rhian Davies) Oliver Cross Barriers (arr. Liam Taylor-West) Michael Betteridge Soaring Through Sparks (Clarion Concerto) (arr. Julia Koelmans) Charlotte Harding The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide (arr. Liam Taylor-West) BBC commission Niamh Moriarty (narrator) Alessandro Vazzana (clarion) National Open Youth Orchestra Players from BBC National Orchestra of Wales Alice Farnham (conductor) BBC PROMS: Alban Berg Violin Concerto Vilde Frang (violin) Juilliard Orchestra Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra Esa‐Pekka Salonen (conductor) To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".
Programme WebsiteTracklist
- TrackArtist
- 1.Mephisto Waltz No. 1Mephisto Waltz No. 1Franz Liszt
- 2.Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15Bedrich Smetana
- 3.Lamento d'Arianna, SV 107: No.1 Lasciatemi morireLamento d'Arianna, SV 107: No.1 Lasciatemi morireClaudio Monteverdi