Discover music, culture and creativity on top of the world
For three weeks, starting on Saturday 5 December, Radio 3's Northern Lights season explores creative responses to some of the world's most captivating landscapes and cultures.
The territories north of latitude 60 are some of the most rugged, beguiling and challenging in the world, and have inspired composers, writers and visual artists in unique ways.
Musical highlights
This winter sees the 150th anniversary (8 December) of the birth of Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, whose life and work will feature throughout the season, alongside Icelandic composer Jon Leifs' powerful musical portrayal of the erupting geysers of his homeland.
A new music commission - composed at the most northerly part of the UK on the Shetland Island of Unst - from Emily Hall, joins the folk-inflected music of the Inuit and Saami people.
Among the highlights is the first broadcast performance of Canadian Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq’s soundtrack to the classic silent film 'Nanook of the North' made by Robert J Flaherty in 1922, which will be available to watch simultaneously on the Radio 3 website.
Watch the season trailer
Northern Lights season on Radio 3
Music, performance and drama, inspired by the world's most northerly territories
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Sibelius The Finn
Jean Sibelius is Composer Of The Week - discover how his music helped bring the nation of Finland into being
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Nanook Of The North
The first broadcast performance of Canadian Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq’s soundtrack to the 1922 silent movie
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Finland in the Midlands
The Helsinki Philharmonic and John Storgards play music by Sibelius live from Birmingham
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New music from the north
A new commission from Emily Hall - composed on the Shetland Island of Unst, the UK's most northerly inhabited island
Drama, documentary and the spoken word
Through new dramas, documentaries and essays the season explores just what it means to inhabit the world's most northerly regions, and how far they’ve inspired not only music but visual art, drama, and a wealth of myths and sagas.
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Sibelius 150
Tom Service travels to Finland in search of the real Sibelius and his landscapes
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Finlandia
Writer, Stephen Wyatt weaves the psyche of Jean Sibelius, his music and a Finnish epic into a compelling drama
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The Idea Of North
A rare chance to hear Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould’s "contrapuntal radio documentary" on life in the very north
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Tales From The North
Hear sagas, myths, and folk tales from the countries in the world's northernmost territories
More about the Northern Lights season
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Northern Lights on Radio 3
Find out more about the season and discover the range of programmes dedicated to exploring the music and culture of the lands on top of the world
