Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Part 1 | 20091009 | Presented by Petroc Trelawny. From the Barbican in London, Jiri Belohlavek conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a programme including a Martinu symphony and a favourite work by Strauss. Martinu's Second Symphony, dating from 1943, contains effervescent music written to honour the defiant courage of Czechs living under Nazi oppression. It is followed by Strauss' richly romantic Four Last Songs, written in the aftermath of the Second World War, when the octogenarian increasingly sought refuge in nostalgic memories of times past. Completed less than a year before the composer's death, they stand as an elegiac farewell to the world, and are sung by Anne Schwanewilms, who is considered among the finest of Strauss interpreters. Anne Schwanewilms (soprano) Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Martinu: Symphony No 2 Strauss: Four Last Songs. BBC SO/Jiri Belohlavek. Martinu: Symphony No 2. Strauss: Four Last Songs. Performance on 3 has been replaced by Radio 3 Live in Concert. |
| 02 | Part 2 | 20091009 | From the Barbican in London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Jiri Belohlavek conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a programme that concludes with Mahler and a favourite work by Strauss. Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Mahler: Adagio (Symphony No 10) Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche. BBC SO/Jiri Belohlavek in Mahler: Adagio (Symphony No 10), plus Strauss. Performance on 3 has been replaced by Radio 3 Live in Concert. |