BBC Singers' 90th Anniversary

The BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers join forces to continue the celebrations of the BBC Singers' 90th anniversary.

Live from the Barbican Hall, London

Presented by Petroc Trelawny

John Adams: My Father knew Charles Ives

Judith Weir: Vertue

John Tavener: Song for Athene

Britten: Hymn to St Cecilia

8.45pm: During the interval of tonight's concert, Petroc Trelawny discovers more about the history of the BBC Singers, talks to Associate Composers Gabriel Jackson and Judith Weir about writing for this virtuoso ensemble, and finds out about some of the group's activities away from the concert platform - such as its extensive programme of learning and outreach work.

9.10pm:

Charles Ives: Symphony No. 4

BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Singers
Andrew Litton, David Hill (conductors)

In a change to the advertised programme, the premiere of Kevin Volans' new piece will not take place tonight. Instead, the BBC Singers and David Hill perform three pieces for a cappella choir by composers with whom they have a strong asociation. Completing the programme, two exuberant American classics inspired by life in New England. John Adams's "My Father knew Charles Ives" re-imagines Ives's multi-layered musical soundscape, filtered through childhood memories of playing in marching bands. Charles Ives's radical masterpiece weaves together hymn tunes, popular songs and his own music, performed by multiple ensembles playing at different speeds and in different keys. The result (which Ives never heard), is a vast, dynamic and vibrant theatre of sound - music whose influence continues to resonate through American music today.