Main content

Great classical music for your morning

Georgia Mann plays the best in classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites.

Georgia Mann plays the best classical music for your morning, with discoveries and surprises rubbing shoulders with familiar favourites. Including the Playlister challenge: our regular listener-created sequence inspired by a different piece of music each day. Plus a new classical release in focus for Album of the Week.

Also, as part of the BBC’s collaboration with the V&A East Museum's The Music is Black exhibition, Radio 3 is celebrating the music of Black British composers and artists across the week.

1000 Playlister starter: listen and send us your ideas for the next step in today's musical journey. Text 83111 or email essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk.

1030 Album of the Week: an exciting new classical release in focus throughout the week.

1115 Playlister reveal: an uninterrupted sequence of music suggested by you in response to today's starter piece.

1200 Feast of a Piece: indulge your ears with a masterpiece.

To listen on most smart speakers, say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Essential Classics”.

28 days left to listen

3 hours, 30 minutes

Last on

Monday09:30
BBC Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Your perfect classical playlist

Next

The best classical morning music

See all episodes from Essential Classics

Music Played

  • Antonín Dvořák

    Piano Quintet no.2 in A major Op.81 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Boris Giltburg. Ensemble: Pavel Haas Quartet.
    • SUPRAPHON.

  • Avril Coleridge-Taylor

    To April

    Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: John Andrews.
    • Resonus Classics.

  • Alexander von Zemlinsky

    Humoreske

    Ensemble: Les Vents Français.
    • French Music for Winds.
    • WARNER.
    • 7.

  • Maurice Ravel

    Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: VI. Toccata

    Performer: Martin James Bartlett.
    • La Danse.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 8.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (1st mvt)

    Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • Beethoven: 9 Symphonies: Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 5.

  • York Bowen

    Fragments from Hans Andersen, Op. 58/Op. 61: IV. The Golden Treasure

    Performer: Nicolas Namoradze.
    • York Bowen: Fragments from Hans Andersen & Studies.
    • Hyperion.

  • Joseph Bologne

    Violin Concerto in G major Op.8 no.2 (1st mvt)

    Performer: Randall Goosby. Orchestra: London Contemporary Orchestra.
    • Hollywood Records.

  • Barbara Strozzi

    Appena il sol Op.7 no.13

    Singer: Laura Catrani. Orchestra: Accademia dell’Annunciata. Conductor: Riccardo Doni.
    • Barbara Strozzi. Virtuosissima Sirena.
    • Arcana.
    • 6.

  • Francis Poulenc

    Rondeau (Les Biches)

    Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Conductor: Jean-Luc Tingaud.
    • Poulenc: Les biches Suite, Les animaux modèles Suite & Sinfonietta.
    • Naxos.
    • 101.

  • Joni Mitchell

    A Case of You

    Performer: Jess Gillam. Ensemble: Jess Gillam Ensemble.
    • DECCA.

  • Errollyn Wallen

    Pace

    Choir: Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Conductor: Stephen Cleobury.
    • Errollyn Wallen: Peace on Earth.
    • Kings College Cambridge.
    • 3.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Sonata Op.120 no.1 (4th mvt)

    Orchestrator: Luciano Berio. Performer: Michael Collins. Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Edward Gardner.
    • Berio: Orchestral Realisations.
    • Chandos.
    • 7.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Prelude No. 15 in D-Flat Major, Op 87

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • On DSCH.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 5.

  • Franz Liszt

    Mephisto Waltz no.1 (2 Episodes from Lenau's Faust S.110)

    Orchestra: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Ilan Volkov.
    • Hyperion.

  • Robert Ballard II

    Diverses Piesces Mises sur le Luth

    Performer: Toby Carr.
    • Softest Thunder.
    • Delphian Records.
    • 2.

  • Frank Loesser

    The Inch Worm (from the film Hans Christian Andersen)

    Singer: Danny Kaye.
    • Hans Christian Andersen.
    • Geffen.
    • 4.

  • Charles‐Valentin Alkan

    Le tambour bat aux champs

    Performer: Mark Viner.
    • Piano Classics.

  • Josef Suk

    Intermezzo - Playing at Swans and Peacocks, from Fairytale Suite (Raduz and Mahulena)

    Orchestra: Czech Philharmonic. Conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek.
    • Chandos.

  • Fritz Kreisler

    Schön Rosmarin - Old Viennese Dance no.3

    Orchestrator: Clark McAlister. Performer: Gil Shaham. Orchestra: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Naoko Tanaka.
    • Romances: Gil Shaham/Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.
    • 2.

  • Edward Elgar

    Sabbath Morning at Sea (Sea Pictures)

    Performer: Hamish Brown. Singer: Beth Taylor.
    • The Deeps Have Music.
    • Linn Records.
    • 19.

  • Carl Nielsen

    Serenata in vano

    Ensemble: Athena Ensemble.
    • Nielsen: Wind Music.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 4.

  • George Gershwin

    Improvisation on 'Someone To Watch Over Me'

    Composer: Wayne Marshall. Performer: Wayne Marshall.
    • A Gershwin Songbook & Improvisations.
    • VIRGIN CLASSICS.
    • 11.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Va tacito (Giulio Cesare)

    Singer: Andreas Scholl. Orchestra: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin.
    • Handel: Ombra mai fu: Andreas Scholl, Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 10.

  • Richard Strauss

    Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op 8

    Performer: Alena Baeva. Orchestra: The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Conductor: Paavo Järvi.
    • Alpha Classics.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Études, Op 25 No 9, 'Butterfly'

    Performer: Yunchan Lim.
    • Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..

  • Julian Joseph

    Carry That Sound

    Orchestra: Chineke! Orchestra. Conductor: Wayne Marshall.
    • Spark Catchers.
    • NMC Recordings.
    • 601.

  • Jean Sibelius

    Suite Op.117 (Country scenery)

    Performer: Sueye Park. Orchestra: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Conductor: Valentin Egel.
    • Goldmark and Sibelius: Works for violin and orchestra.
    • BIS.
    • 4.

  • Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

    Tu es Petrus a 6

    Ensemble: I Fagiolini. Conductor: Robert Hollingworth.
    • Benevoli: Missa Tu es Petrus.
    • CORO.
    • 1.

  • Camille Saint‐Saëns

    Bacchanale (Samson et Dalila)

    Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme Järvi.
    • Saint-Saens: Orchestral Works: Neeme Jarvi.
    • CHANDOS.
    • 1.

Broadcast

  • Monday09:30
    BBC Radio 3