Sound Frontiers - The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales

As part of Radio 3 Live at Southbank Centre in London, Katie Derham introduces a week of concerts featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, opening with festival performances from Lichfield and St. Asaph. Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending evokes the pastoral idyll of a world on the brink of the Great War, and Colin Mathews's No Man's Land explores the stark reality of life on the Front, in a concert commemorating the Battle of the Somme. Plus a new work from Lichfield Festival composer in residence Deborah Pritchard, for whom colour and composition are inextricably linked.

Light is at the centre of the concert given at last year's North Wales International Music Festival. William Mathias depicts the Greek sun god with raw power tinged with mystic rhythms and harmonies. A dramatic new commission from Welsh composer Gareth Glyn takes as his subject the Japanese Shinto goddess of the sun, Amaterasu, and Hannah Stone, former harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales, shines as soloist in two Debussy dances.

2pm

Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

Colin Matthews: No Man's Land

Deborah Pritchard: The Angel Standing in the Sun

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5

Chloe Hanslip (violin)

Robin Tritschler (tenor)

Roderick Williams (baritone)

Martin Brabbins (Conductor)

c.3.30pm

Mathias: Helios

Debussy: Danse Sacrée et Danse Profane

Gareth Glyn: Amaterasu

Sibelius: Violin Concerto

Hannah Stone (harp)

Donal Bannister (trombone)

Baiba Skride (violin)

Otto Tausk (conductor).

2pm LIVE

Nicola Heywood Thomas presents a live concert from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with new Principal Guest Conductor Xian Zhang, playing music by Tchaikovsky and Barber.

Tchaikovsky: Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin

Xian Zhang (conductor)

Barber: Violin Concerto

Chloe Hanslip (violin)

c.2.40pm Interval music:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 (Classical)

c. 3.00pm LIVE

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 4 in F minor

c.3.50pm

As part of Radio 3 live at Southbank Centre, London, Katie Derham presents more music from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, from a concert earlier this summer that opened a concert hall at the heart of Swansea University's new Bay Campus. Three of the city's musical treasures join forces to celebrate the occasion: composer Daniel Jones, cellist Thomas Carroll and soprano Elin Manahan Thomas.

Daniel Jones: Dance Fantasy

Sian Edwards (conductor)

Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate

Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano)

Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations

Thomas Carroll (cello)

Mozart: Voi avete un cor fedele; Nehmt meinen Dank

Hoddinott: Welsh Dance Suite No 2

Sian Edwards (conductor).

As part of Radio 3 live at Southbank Centre in London, Katie Derham is joined in the Foyer of the Royal Festival Hall for live music making from members of the brass and woodwind sections of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, together with singers from the National Chorus of Wales and their director Adrian Partington. Plus a concert recording with the strings directed by Lesley Hatfield.

After Choral Evensong, at 4.30, a recording in which all sections of the orchestra join forces with the chorus in a rare chance to hear Florent Schmitt's exotic setting of Psalm 47.

c.2.00 - live music from BBC NOW brass, wind and BBC National Chorus of Wales

c.3.00

Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major Op.48 for string orchestra

3.30-4.30 Choral Evensong - Live from Westminster Abbey, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the first broadcast of Choral Evensong from the Abbey on October 7 1926

4.30 presented by Katie Derham

Florent Schmitt: Psaume XLVII

Christine Buffle (soprano)

Thiery Fischer (conductor).

A live concert from the BBC Singers at St. Paul's Knightsbridge with a varied programme including Xenakis, Saariaho and Mendelssohn. Then Katie Derham concludes her week in the company of BBC NOW with Mahler's mighty First Symphony under Principal Conductor Thomas Sondergard, a performance which brought last season to a thrilling climax. Plus highlights from a concert in Cheltenham Town Hall with baroque violinist Rachel Podger and a new Radio 3 commission for Nadine Koutcher, reigning BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, from composer John Lunn, best known for his soundtracks to TV programmes including Downton Abbey.

2pm live from St Paul's Knightsbridge

Xenakis: Nuits

Messiaen: O Sacrum Convivium

Felix Mendelssohn: Three Psalms Op 78.

Kaija Saariaho: Nuits adieux

Karin Rehnqvist: I himmelen

Grete Pedersen (conductor)

c.3.40 From London's Southbank

J.S. Bach: Concerto in D minor, BWV.1043, for 2 violins and string orchestra

Lesley Hatfield (violin)

Rachel Podger (violin / director)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

c.3.55

John Lunn: Vilette (BBC commission, world premiere)

Nadine Koutcher (soprano)

Thomas Sondergard (conductor)

c.4.05

Mahler: Symphony No. 1

Thomas Sondergard (conductor).

As part of Radio 3 live at Southbank Centre in London, Katie Derham is joined in the Foyer of the Royal Festival Hall for live music making from members of the brass and woodwind sections of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, together with singers from the National Chorus of Wales and their director Adrian Partington. Plus a concert recording with the strings directed by Lesley Hatfield.

After Choral Evensong, at 4.30, a recording in which all sections of the orchestra join forces with the chorus in a rare chance to hear Florent Schmitt's exotic setting of Psalm 47.

c.2.00 - live music from BBC NOW brass, wind and BBC National Chorus of Wales

c.3.00

Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major Op.48 for string orchestra

3.30 Choral Evensong

Florent Schmitt: Psaume XLVII

Christine Buffle (soprano)

Thierry Fischer (conductor).