Programme information Saturday 12th June to Friday 18th June 2021 WEEK 24 CHI-CHI’s CLASSICAL CHAMPIONS (4 / 6) Sunday 13th June, 9pm to 10pm Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE (above), the renowned double-bass player and Artistic Director of Chineke!, continues her series on Classic FM, celebrating music from a diverse range of composers and musicians. Chi-chi features the composer Joseph Bologne, once described by John Adams, the second president of the USA, as “the most accomplished man in Europe”. She selects the opening movement of his Violin Concerto No.1. Then, Chi-chi introduces the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music – George Walke – and plays a work he composed in 1957 as one of the first concertos for the modern trombone. Finally, Chi-chi includes a couple of moving miniatures from a composer born in Chicago in 1913, Margaret Bonds. Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, on Global Player on your smart speaker (“play Classic FM”), iOS or Android device and at ClassicFM.com. 1 WEEK 24 SATURDAY 12TH JUNE 4pm to 7pm: MOIRA STUART’S HALL OF FAME CONCERT Moira presents the perfect selection of uplifting music for a relaxing afternoon, showcasing three of the brightest young talents in the new generation of classical soloists. After American soloist Claire Huangci plays Paderewski’s Piano Concerto, there’s Argentinian sunshine courtesy of Piazzolla, performed by multi-award-winning guitarist Miloš Karadaglić. There’s also a stunning performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto from Julian Bliss, whose talents extend to instrument design. Other highlights include Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ symphony performed in full by the London Symphony Orchestra, and British favourites by Holst and Finzi. Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man Antal Dorati conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture Opus 80 Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Georges Bizet The Pearl Fishers – Duet Tenors: Bonaventura Bottone & Willard White Carl Davis conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Ignacy Jan Paderewski Piano Concerto in A minor Opus 17 Piano: Claire Huangci Siyheon Sung conducts the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Astor Piazzolla LIbertango Guitar: Miloš Karadaglić Christoph Israel conducts the European Film Philharmonic Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No.3 in E-flat major Opus 55 (‘Eroica’) Bernard Haitink conducts the London Symphony Orchestra Gerald Finzi Eclogue Piano: Mark Bebbington Howard Griffiths conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Continued… 2 SATURDAY 12TH JUNE 4pm to 7pm: MOIRA STUART’S HALL OF FAME CONCERT Continued… Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major K.622 Clarinet: Julian Bliss Mario Vengazo conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia Gustav Holst St. Paul’s Suite Opus 29 No.2 Richard Hickox conducts the City of London Sinfonia 7pm to 9pm: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS Andrew dedicates the programme to the characters who keep heroes on their toes, who audiences love to hate and who can turn a film's plot on its head: the villains. Andrew asks where Batman would be without The Joker and, along with The Dark Knight score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton-Howard, he celebrates Alan Rickman's irresistible portrayal of Hans Gruber in Die Hard, with music by Michael Kamen. The showbiz villain Phoenix Buchanan takes to the stage in Paddington 2 scored by Dario Marianelli, and where there's mischief, Gollum is never far away, accompanied by The Lord of the Rings music by Howard Shore. 9pm to 10pm: DAVID MELLOR’S MELODIES David presents a special programme marking the 85th birthday of the conductor Iain Sutherland. Famed for his interpretations of light music, David features some of the Glasgow born maestro’s greatest recordings over his distinguished career, including the overture to the Merry Makers by Eric Coates, and a stirring version of the traditional melody Flower of Scotland. 3 SUNDAY 13TH JUNE 4pm to 7pm: JOHN HUMPHRYS On this day in 1784, Mozart’s student Barbara Ployer was said to have given the first performance of his Piano Concerto No.17 to an audience that included fellow composer Giovanni Paisiello. To mark the anniversary, John features a recording of the opening movement, performed by Angela Hewitt alongside the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova. And with British summertime firmly underway, John includes music that celebrates the countryside at its best, whatever the weather is doing. He includes Ronald Binge’s The Watermill, played by Ruth Scott and the New London Orchestra. 7pm to 9pm: SMOOTH CLASSICS AT SEVEN with CHARLOTTE HAWKINS Charlotte's Young Classical star this week is Segun Akinola, a composer who is fast becoming one to watch in the world of film and television. After initially learning the piano and drums at a young age, Segun turned his attention to composition, graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with first-class honours. At only 28, he has already scored two feature films, including the Sundance 2019 favourite The Last Tree and he is the current composer for Doctor Who. 9pm to 10pm: CHI-CHI’S CLASSICAL CHAMPIONS (4 / 6) Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, the renowned double-bass player and Artistic Director of Chineke!, continues her series on Classic FM, celebrating music from a diverse range of composers and musicians. Chi-chi features the composer once described by John Adams, the second president of the USA, as “the most accomplished man in Europe”. Joseph Bologne – known as Chevalier de Saint Georges – was a composer, conductor, violinist and champion fencer! She selects the opening movement of his Violin Concerto No.1. Then, Chi-chi introduces the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music – George Walke – and plays a work he composed in 1957 as one of the first concertos for the modern trombone. Finally, Chi-chi includes a couple of moving miniatures from a composer born in Chicago in 1913. Margaret Bonds focused on the piano rather than orchestra, as it gave her a better chance of seeing her work performed. Lara Downes plays Tangamerican and Bright Star. 4 MONDAY 14TH JUNE 8pm to 10pm: THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT with JOHN SUCHET: ALBINONI 350 John celebrates Tomaso Albinoni, born 350 years ago on this day in Venice in 1671 to a wealthy paper merchant’s family. To open the programme, a rendition of the famed Adagio in G minor, which may or may not have actually been written by him. There’s also a sparkling performance of one of his best-known works, his Oboe Concerto in D minor, performed by Albrecht Mayer, and the sinfonia from one of Albinoni’s only two surviving operas. Elsewhere, there’s music by his Italian compatriots, including Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini, and a tribute to the country by Mendelssohn. Tomaso Albinoni Adagio in G minor Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi La Forza del Destino – Overture Julian Reynolds conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Giacomo Puccini Preludio Sinfonico Riccardo Chailly conducts the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Tomaso Albinoni Oboe Concerto in D minor Opus 9 No.2 Albrecht Mayer directs the New Seasons Ensemble from the oboe Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 in A major Opus 90 (‘Italian’) Edward Gardner conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Vittorio Monti Czardas Maxim Vengerov directs I Virtuosi from the violin Tomaso Albinoni La Statira – Sinfonia La Serenissima Gioachino Rossini Fantasy on William Tell Cello: Ophelie Gaillard Frederic Chaslin conducts the Morphing Chamber Orchestra Continued… 5 MONDAY 14TH JUNE 8pm to 10pm: THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT with JOHN SUCHET: ALBINONI 350 Continued… Antonio Vivaldi ‘Nullla in Mundo Pax Sincera’ Soprano: Elin Manahan Thomas Harry Christophers conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Tomaso Albinoni Violin Concerto in D major Opus 9 No.7 Violin: Andrew Manze Christopher Hogwood conducts the Academy of Ancient Music 6 TUESDAY 15TH JUNE 8pm to 10pm: THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT with JOHN SUCHET: LIVE FROM THE SHELDONIAN THEATRE John presents an evening of exclusive performances from the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra under Marios Papadopoulos, recorded in the city’s historic Sheldonian Theatre and streamed online for the orchestra’s spring series. The programme opens with Fingal’s Cave by Mendelssohn, before Mozart’s timeless Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Haydn’s Symphony No.44, which is rumoured to be one of the composer’s personal favourites. Felix Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) Opus 26 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K.525 Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor BWV.1043 Violins: Tamás András & Charlotte Scott Joseph Haydn Symphony No.44 in E minor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento in D major K.136 Marios Papadopoulos conducts the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra 7 WEDNESDAY 16TH JUNE 8pm to 10pm: THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT with JOHN SUCHET A new recording is the centrepiece of the concert, as John selects Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.22 from the first instalment in Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Mozart Momentum’ project, which celebrates one of the most productive years in the composer’s life: 1785. Elsewhere, Daniel Barenboim directs the Staatskapelle Berlin in Schumann’s Symphony No.1 which, thanks to Clara Schumann’s encouragement, was written and premiered 180 years ago this year, and Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Dvořák. Jean Sibelius Karelia Suite Opus 11 Andrew Davis conducts the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto