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Up with the lark

As part of the 2016 Aldeburgh Festival, Pierre-Laurent Aimard performed Catalogue d'Oiseaux – Messiaen's set of 13 piano pieces based on bird calls, composed in the late 1950s – in four indoor and outdoor recitals, beginning at dawn and ending at nightfall.

You can find all of the broadcasts and listen to them here.

First light at Snape Maltings

The audience gathers at 3.30am for the dawn chorus

Dawn – Recital #1: Le Traquet stapazin (black-eared wheatear), La Bouscarle (Cetti's warbler) and Le Traquet rieur (black wheatear)

Afternoon – Recital #2, in the Britten Studio at Snape Maltings: La Buse variable (buzzard), L'Alouette calandrelle (short-toed lark), Le Loriot (golden oriole) and Le Merle bleu (blue rock thrush)

Dusk – Recital #3, on the BBC Springwatch outdoor stage at the RSPB Minsmere Nature Reserve: Le Chocard des Alpes (Alpine chough), La Merle de roche (rock thrush) and Le Courlis cendré (curlew).

Night – Recital #4: La Chouette hulotte (tawny owl), La Rousserolle effarvatte (reed warbler) and L'Alouette lulu (woodlark).

Photos by Matt Jolly

Birdsong on Radio 3