Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé

An afternoon of compelling performances including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing ballet music by Ravel and recent bespoke recordings from R3 New Generation Artists the Chaos Quartet.

Throughout the week we’re hearing from concerts given by British orchestras on tour in Europe. Today, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra play Ravel’s enchanting music from the ballet Daphnis and Chloé, recorded earlier this year at the Saar International Music Festival in South West Germany. There’s also Sibelius from the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s tour to Poland.

Following on from Simon Trpčeski’s live Wigmore Hall recital yesterday, we hear two more great pianists playing piano transcriptions of orchestral works, with Marc-André Hamelin performing Liszt’s arrangements of moments from Wagner operas and Alexandre Tharaud with his own arrangement of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas.

Plus we shine our Artist Spotlight on the Chaos String Quartet from Vienna: violinists Susanne Schäffer and Eszter Kruchió, viola player Sara Marzadori and cellist Bas Jongen. Today we hear them collaborate with two fellow NGAs in music by Schubert: an arrangement of the song Du bist die Ruh’ with a spontaneous improvisation from pianist Fergus McCreadie, and the sublime String Quintet with cellist Santiago Cañón Valencia.

1pm
Paul Dukas arr. Tharaud
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Alexandre Tharaud (piano)

Jean Sibelius
Death of Melisande (Pelleas and Melisande)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Olari Elts (conductor)

Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 93 in D major
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck (conductor)

Franz Schubert
Du bist die Ruh’ (with piano improvisation)
Chaos String Quartet
Fergus McCreadie (piano)

Maurice Ravel
Daphnis and Chloé (Suites 1 and 2)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Kazuki Yamada (conductor)

Richard Wagner arr. Franz Liszt
Feierlicher Marsch zum heiligen Gral (Parsifal), S. 450 and Spinnerlied (The Flying Dutchman), S. 440
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)

Franz Schubert
String Quintet in C major, D956
Chaos String Quartet
Santiago Cañón Valencia (cello)

Marguerite Monnot / Edith Piaf arr. Tharaud
Hymne à l’amour
Alexandre Tharaud (piano)

To listen to this programme (using most smart speakers) just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Classical Live".