Part 1

Presented by Petroc Trelawny

Live from the Barbican Hall, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek continue their cycle of Martinů with Symphony No 5, along with Brahms' German Requiem.

'The artist is always searching for the meaning of life, his own and that of mankind, searching for truth,' wrote Martinů. His Fifth Symphony, written for the Czech Philharmonic and premiered by the orchestra at the Prague Spring Festival in 1947, sets out the composer's vision of truth in music of tender lyricism, rhythmic animation and crystalline structural clarity. Brahms, like Martinů, is central to Jiří Bělohlávek's repertoire. The conductor turns here to the German Requiem and its uplifting message of comfort to those who mourn.

MARTINÅ®: Symphony No. 5
BRAHMS: A German Requiem

Ana María Martínez soprano
Markus Eiche baritone
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jiří Bělohlávek conductor.