Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

With Katie Derham

With "Ten Pieces" the BBC is aiming to inspire a generation of children in primary schools to get creative with Classical Music, and every weekday this week and next, Afternoon on 3 offers a chance to hear the whole works at the beginning of each programme at 2pm. This week features the BBC Philharmonic, and will have performances conducted by Gianandrea Noseda of Beethoven's 5th Symphony on Monday and John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine on Thursday. Britten's 4 Sea Interludes taken from Peter Grimes are on Wednesday, conducted by Yutaka Sado. The Ulster Orchestra also feature with Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No.1 on Tuesday and the BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales performs Handel's Zadok the Priest on Friday.

For more about Ten pieces visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01vs08w

Today's programme features the BBC Philharmonic, and starts and finishes with two autobiographical works: Beethoven's 5th Symphony - the composer's despair and defiance in the face of impending deafness - and Richard Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben - A Hero's Life - in which, although he denied it at the time, many commentators have come to take it that the hero in question is Richard Strauss himself.

Elsewhere in today's programme, two English concertante works: the viola Phantasy (concerto) by Arnold Bax recorded recently by the BBC Philharmonic and Sir Andrew Davis with soloist Philip Dukes, and Harrison Birtwistle's Endless Parade with trumpet soloist Hakan Hardenberger.

2pm
Ten Pieces:
Beethoven
Symphony No.5 in C minor
BBC Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)

2.35
Bax
Phantasy-Concerto in D for viola and orchestra
Philip Dukes (viola)
BBC Philharmonic
Andrew Davis (conductor)

3pm
Harrison Birtwistle
Endless Parade
Hakan Hardenberger (trumpet)
BBC Philharmonic
John Storgards (conductor)

3.25
Strauss
Ein Heldenleben
BBC Philharmonic
John Storgards (conductor).