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Episode details

Radio 3,01 Apr 2026,120 mins

Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances from Sheffield

Classical Live

Available for 29 days

Linton Stephens brings you an afternoon of exclusive music-making, which includes a spotlight on the relationship between music and spirituality. To begin, Bach's church cantata Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben performed by the Collegium Vocale Ghent, pianist Kit Armstrong performing music which explores the religious culture of Elizabethan England, and the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart performing Dvořák's Othello overture, exploring implicit religious and moral themes. There are also excerpts from a concert by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in which Haydn’s Seven Last Words on the Cross is interspersed with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, juxtaposing Christ’s suffering with human grief and suggesting that art and religion may confer spiritual meaning on life. Elsewhere in the programme, there is chamber music recorded at the Crucible, Sheffield. Pianists Ivana Gavric and Tim Horton join forces to perform Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances. Johann Sebastian Bach Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8 Collegium Vocale Ghent Philippe Herreweghe (conductor) Franz Liszt Introduction, from 'The Legend of St. Elizabeth' Kit Armstrong (piano) Antonín Dvořák Othello, Op. 93, concert overture SWR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Juraj Valčuha (conductor) Gustav Mahler Wenn dein Mütterlein Johan Reuter (bass-baritone) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Hossein Pishkar, conductor Sergei Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances Ivana Gavric (piano) Tim Horton (piano) Joseph Haydn Seven Last Words on the Cross: 5. Sonata 4: Largo Johan Reuter (bass-baritone) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Hossein Pishkar (conductor) Joseph Haydn Seven Last Words on the Cross 6. Sonata 5: Adagio Johan Reuter (bass-baritone) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra Hossein Pishkar (conductor) To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers), just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".

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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
    Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
    Johann Sebastian Bach
  3. 2.
    Introduction, from 'The Legend of St. Elizabeth'
    Introduction, from 'The Legend of St. Elizabeth'
    Franz Liszt
  4. 3.
    Othello, Op. 93, concert overture
    Othello, Op. 93, concert overture
    Antonín Dvořák