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Live from St Agnes Lighthouse

For the final light of the day, Petroc Trelawny concludes his journey heading towards the setting sun and to where Britain dissolves into the ocean.

One by one, the lights come on…

In the week of World Maritime Day, Radio 3 embarks on a unique live journey around Britain’s coastline, marking the 200th anniversary of Longstone Lighthouse and celebrating the lights that have guarded our shores for generations.

Across twelve hours of live broadcasting, Where the Light Sings travels the length and breadth of the UK in a lighthouse relay, broadcasting from wild and remote places rarely heard on national radio. Presenters around the coast will pass the baton from Dungeness in Kent to Ardnamurchan in Scotland, Strumble Head in Wales, Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland and St Aidan's Church in Bamburgh, where the legendary Victorian lighthouse heroine Grace Darling is buried, before the journey heads towards the far south-western edges of Britain.

Petroc Trelawny anchors the adventure, with a special journey of his own - providing updates along the way - to reach his location for the final broadcast of the day as the sun goes down.

Music provides the soundtrack to the journey, from great classical works inspired by the sea, islands and lighthouses, to music rooted in the landscapes and communities around them. Live performances from around the coastline sit alongside the elemental sounds of the sea - crashing waves, wind, gulls and bells - and voices of lighthouse keepers, engineers, lifesavers, sailors, and those whose lives have been shaped by these extraordinary places.

From the first broadcast on the shingle landscape of Dungeness to a final destination on the Atlantic edge of Britain as darkness falls, Where the Light Sings is a shared adventure and a celebration of light, music and our enduring relationship with the sea.

For the final light of the day, Petroc Trelawny concludes his journey heading towards the setting sun and to where Britain dissolves into the ocean. Amid tales of a lost Arthurian kingdom beneath the waves, Petroc is joined by guests and musicians as the light fades on our day of maritime celebration.

28 days left to listen

2 hours

Music Played

  • Trad.

    The Fall of Lyonesse / Lyonesse Dance

    Ensemble: Dalla.
    • Dalla Records.
  • Doreen Carwithen

    Bishop Rock

    Conductor: Richard Hickox. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • Chandos.
  • Piers Lewin

    Sevenstones

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony No 8 in G, 'Le Soir' (4th mvt, 'La tempesta')

    Conductor: Neville Marriner.
    • Decca.
  • Claude Debussy

    La cathédrale engloutie (Preludes, Book 1)

    Performer: Pierre‐Laurent Aimard.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    The Waves (A Sea Symphony)

    Choir: London Philharmonic Choir. Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Bernard Haitink.
    • WARNER CLASSICS.
  • Eric Whitacre

    Lux Aurumque

    Singer: Lucy Cox. Choir: ORA Singers. Conductor: Suzi Digby.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
  • Piers Lewin

    Tresco Furry Dance

    Performer: Piers Lewin. Performer: Joe Keelan.
  • Piers Lewin

    Periglis Mayday

    Performer: Piers Lewin. Performer: Joe Keelan.
  • Ethel Smyth

    The Wreckers (Overture)

    Music Arranger: Camilla Voigt. Conductor: Cathrine Winnes. Ensemble: Swedish Wind Ensemble.
    • Breaking Waves.
    • Nilento.
    • 6.
  • Trad.

    Sunset

    Music Arranger: Captain A C Green. Ensemble: The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Commander-in-Chief Fleet.
    • Music Masters.
  • Richard Strauss

    Eine Alpensinfonie (No 9, 'Ausklang' and No 10, 'Nacht')

    Conductor: Bernard Haitink. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.
    • LSO LIVE.
  • John Bacchus Dykes

    Eternal Father, Strong to Save

    Performer: Scott Farrell. Choir: The Choir of Ely Cathedral. Conductor: Paul Trepte.
    • Clovelly Recordings.
  • Howard Shore

    The Lighting of the Beacons (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

    Conductor: Howard Shore. Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • WARNER.
  • Angeline Morrison

    Unknown African Boy

    Singer: Angeline Morrison.
    • The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience).
    • Topic.
    • 2.
  • Piers Lewin

    Little Bay

    Performer: Piers Lewin. Performer: Joe Keelan.
  • Ernest Chausson

    Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op 19 (Interlude)

    Lyricist: Maurice Bouchor. Conductor: Alexandre Bloch. Orchestra: Orchestre national de Lille.
    • Alpha Classics.
  • Sigur Rós

    Fljótavík

    Performer: Thomas Gould. Performer: Emma Denton. Performer: Sam Becker. Choir: VOCES8.
    • Decca.
  • Philip Paul Bliss

    Let The Lower Lights Be Burning

    Singer: Ella Fitzgerald. Choir: The Ralph Carmichael Choir.
    • CAPITOL RECORDS.

Broadcast

  • Saturday18:00