A Spanish celebration featuring a musical telling of Don Quixote

Elizabeth Alker showcases the best performances by BBC orchestras, choirs, ensembles and other great performing groups from Europe and around the globe.

This week on Classical Live, there is a celebration of Spanish music. Violinist Esther Yoo joins Spain's RTVE Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andrey Boreyko to perform Bruch's famous first violin concerto. Music by Spanish composers such as Juan María Guelbenzu and Arturo Márquez will also be performed plus there will be highlights from Bizet's Carmen performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The centrepiece of today's programme is Roberto Gerhard's rarely heard musical telling of Miguel Cervantes's story of Don Quixote performed by the BBC Philharmonic with conductor, Juanjo Mena.

Elizabeth also has a spotlight on violin sonatas throughout the week. Today, American violinist Esther Yoo and pianist Robert Koenig perform Grieg and Naoka Aoki comes to the end of her presentations of Eugène Ysaÿe's fiendish sonatas for solo violin with a performance of the his third sonata - the 'Ballade'.

Max Bruch
Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Esther Yoo (violin)
RTVE Symphony Orchestra
Andrey Boreyko (conductor)

Juan María Guelbenzu
Mamita (danza habanera)
Noelia Rodiles (piano)

Roberto Gerhard
Alegrías
BBC Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena (conductor)

Edvard Grieg
Violin Sonata No 3 in C minor, Op 45
Esther Yoo (violin)
Robert Koenig (piano)

Georges Bizet
Habanera from 'Carmen'
Niamh O'Sullivan (mezzo-soprano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Nil Venditti (conductor)

Georges Bizet
Chanson bohème from 'Carmen'
Niamh O'Sullivan (mezzo-soprano)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Nil Venditti (conductor)

Roberto Gerhard
Don Quixote
BBC Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena (conductor)

Arturo Márquez
Danzón No. 2
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Alondra de la Parra (conductor)

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