Programme information Saturday 2 December to Friday 8 December 2017 WEEK 49 SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS Saturday 2 December, 5pm to 7pm Andrew Collins (above) puts two more film composers under the spotlight this week. He starts with the legendary Elmer Bernstein who wrote some of the best Western scores, including The Magnificent Seven and True Grit, along with music for comedies like Airplane! and Ghostbusters. Alan Silvestri is next to take centre stage, with a selection of soundtracks from his longterm partnership with Robert Zemeckis such as Back to the Future and Forrest Gump. Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, at ClassicFM.com and on the Classic FM app. 1
WEEK 49 SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER 5pm: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS Andrew Collins puts more film composers under the spotlight this week, beginning with the legendary Elmer Bernstein. Andrew plays some of his very best Western scores, including The Magnificent Seven, True Grit and The Comancheros, along with his music for comedies like Airplane! and Ghostbusters. Alan Silvestri is next to take centre stage, with a selection of soundtracks from his longterm partnership with Robert Zemeckis such as Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 7pm: ALEX JAMES S DATE NIGHT Join Alex James as he delves into the classical music calendar, unearthing the allimportant anniversaries that fall in the week ahead. Tonight, he s surveying the list of musicians in the orchestra who took part in the premiere of Beethoven s Symphony No.7 uncovering a surprisingly star- studded line up. With an orchestra of less-recognisable names, but outstanding musicianship nonetheless, Alex will play Tchaikovsky s Serenade for Strings, and numbers from the musical Kismet, discovering how the tunes of Alexander Borodin feature heavily in the show. 9pm: HIGH SCORE with JESSICA CURRY 2017 has been huge in the gaming world and tonight, Jessica Curry is celebrating the very best soundtracks which have accompanied some of the biggest releases this year. Strong contenders include Austin Wintory s music for Tooth and Tail, David Wise and Grant Kirkhope s soundtrack for Yooka-Laylee, and Manaka Kataoka s score for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Join Jessica to find out which she ll personally crown as her favourite this year! 2
SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 7pm: DAVID MELLOR Tonight, David presents the first of two shows where he s handing the programming choices over to listeners, in an all-requests special. The musical highlights include Stanford s The Bluebird and a delightful concerto by 18 th - century composer John Field. One of Wales s most cherished singers, Sir Bryn Terfel, treats us to traditional songs from his homeland, and David digs out a fine recording of Franck s Symphonic Variations performed by Clifford Curzon and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 9pm: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC with CATHERINE BOTT On this, the first Sunday of Advent, Catherine Bott explores music written specially for this period in the church calendar. There are beautiful works in the form of oratorios by Bach and Saint-Saens, and a lively concerto from Corelli. Catherine will also be uncovering choral works by lesser-known composers such as Cornysh and Praetorius, in a programme of sublime seasonal music. 3
MONDAY 4 DECEMBER 8pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT Tonight, Jane Jones presents a concert of Classic FM favourites, beginning with a spirited, fresh recording of Bach s Brandenburg Concerto No.3, performed by the Baroque specialists, Florilegium. Gershwin s Concerto in F was premiered this week in history, in December 1925, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs that very piece tonight, after Classic FM's Orchestra in the Midlands brings some much-needed Italian sunshine with Mendelssohn s most popular symphony. There are also festive gems in store from the likes of Howard Blake and the Winchester Cathedral Choir, along with snippets into some of the great composer s Christmas traditions, with a sneak-peek at their revealing letters. Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major Ashley Solomon conducts Florilegium Howard Blake The Snowman: Suite Paavo String Quartet Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 in A major Italian Edward Gardner conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Anon God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Organ: James Lancelot Martin Neary conducts the Winchester Cathedral Choir Franz Schubert Notturno in E-flat major Violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter Piano: Daniil Trifonov Arcangelo Corelli Concerto Grosso No.8 in G minor ( Christmas Concerto ) Trumpet: Alison Balsom Pavlo Beznosiuk conducts the Academy of Ancient Music George Gershwin Concerto in F Piano: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Marin Alsop conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 4
TUESDAY 5 DECEMBER 8pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT There s plenty of joy and cheer in tonight s Full Works Concert, as Arthur Sullivan opens with his overture to The Pirates of Penzance premiered on Fifth Avenue in December 1879. The keys dance under the fingers of bassoonist Julie Andrews in an upbeat concerto by Mozart, and there are echoes of children playing and singing in Respighi s Pines of Rome, performed by the Orchestra of the National Academy of St. Cecilia under Sir Antonio Pappano. Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov provides the festive fair with his suite from The Snow Maiden, after which tonight s presenter Jane Jones features a great arrangement of I ll be Home for Christmas, performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony. Plus an insight into Debussy s tragic Christmas of 1916, as he wrote Noël! Noël! The bells are cracked on the outbreak of World War I. His beautiful suite from Pelleas and Melisande is performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. Arthur Sullivan The Pirates of Penzance Overture Alexander Faris conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Pirates and HMS Pinafore both premiered in December Anon. Ding Dong Merrily on High John Rutter conducts the Bach Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major Bassoon: Julie Andrews Nicholas Cleobury conducts the Britten Sinfonia Ottorino Respighi The Pines of Rome Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the National Academy of St. Cecilia Frederic Chopin Nocturne in E major Piano: Nikolai Lugansky Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov The Snow Maiden: Suite Neeme Jarvi conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Walter Kent / James Gannon I ll be Home for Christmas Jerry Junkin conducts the Dallas Wind Symphony Claude Debussy Pelleas and Melisande Concert Suite Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 5
WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER 8pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT This evening, there are visions of Sergei Prokofiev completing sixteen circuits on a frozen lake, as Jane Jones plays his suite from Lieutenant Kije and gives us a glimpse into the composer s Christmas letters of 1912. We ll also enjoy an outstanding, recent recording of the Symphony No.3 by Brahms a work which received its premiere performance in December 1883. The Voices of Classic FM, The Sixteen, perform In Dulci Jubilo, and Stephen Layton s Polyphony close the concert with Poulenc s stunning four motets for Christmas-tide. Presented by Jane Jones. Vincenzo Bellini Norma Overture Riccardo Chailly conducts La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra Anon. In Dulci Jubilo Harry Christophers conducts The Sixteen Sergei Prokofiev Lieutenant Kije Suite Neeme Jarvi conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Tomaso Antonio Vitali Chaconne in G minor Violin: Sarah Chang Jun Märkl conducts the English Chamber Orchestra Johannes Brahms Symphony No.3 in F major Thomas Hengelbrock conducts the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Francis Poulenc Quatre Motets Pour le Temps de Noël Stephen Layton conducts Polyphony 6
THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER 8pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK Tonight, Classic FM presents a truly celebratory concert from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, on the date they mark 175 years to the day since their very first performance. The man who came to shape the orchestra, arguably more so than any other, opens with his own narration of Prokofiev s Peter and the Wolf, after which we hear the thundering chords of Beethoven s Symphony No.5 the very first piece to be performed by the orchestra. Leonard Bernstein continues to delight with festive music from the winning combination of the New York Phil and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, with classics such as The Twelve Days of Christmas and Redner s O Little Town of Bethlehem. Other conductors who have played a part in the mighty orchestra's history also feature, such as Kurt Masur with Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn, and Dmitri Mitropoulos with Vaughan Williams beautiful Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Presented by Catherine Bott. Sergei Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf Narrator: Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Anon. The Twelve Days of Christmas Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Tabernacle Choir Mormon Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No.5 in C minor Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Dmitri Mitropoulos conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Lewis H. Redner O Little Town of Bethlehem Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Mormon Tabernacle Choir Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn Kurt Masur conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Franz Xaver Gruber Stille Nacht Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Mormon Tabernacle Choir 7
FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER 8pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT Leroy Anderson s A Christmas Festival opens tonight s concert with the unashamed ringing of sleigh bells, before Alison Balsom joins the German Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra to perform Haydn s Trumpet Concerto. Pianist Peter Froundjian plays a beautiful new discovery of Christmas piano music by composer Selim Palmgren, and Classic FM presenter Catherine Bott delves into the letters of Elgar to discover that he certainly wasn t short of festive cheer: I set forth on the longest letter I ever wrote to you... A regular Yule-loggy puddingy, Brandy-saucious letter. It s Christmas, my boy! Leroy Anderson A Christmas Festival Ian Sutherland conducts the Iain Sutherland Orchestra Joseph Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major Alison Balsom leads the German Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra from the trumpet Selim Palmgren Snowflakes Piano: Peter Froundjian Edward Elgar Violin Concerto in B minor Violin: Hilary Hahn Colin Davis conducts the London Symphony Orchestra 8