Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20151214 | Ian Skelly begins a week of programmes to celebrate Northern Lights on Radio 3, with recent recordings of music from Norway, Finland and Sweden. Today the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra showcase Geirr Tveitt's 'Sun God' symphony conducted by Jurjen Hempel, which is followed by the premiere of Colin Matthews' arrangement of Sibelius' Six Songs, Op.72, commissioned by Finnish Radio earlier this year. The British pianist Nicholas Hodges joins forces with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jukka-Pekka Saraste to give the Finnish premiere of Lindberg's 2nd Piano Concerto, and the Hannu Lintu conducts the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stenhammar's lyrical 2nd Symphony redolent of Scandinavian landscapes and Norse heroism. 2pm Solgud-symfonien Jurjen Hempel (conductor) 2.25pm Sibelius, arr. C. Matthews Excerpts from Six Songs, Op.72 (Premiere) Soile Isokoski (soprano) Hannu Lintu (conductor) 2.40pm Ingvar Lidholm (b.1921) (Texts by Dante Alghieri) A riveder le stele Swedish Radio Chorus Peter Dijkstra (director) 2.55pm Magnus Lindberg Piano Concerto No.2 (Finnish premiere) Nicholas Hodges (piano) Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor) 3.40pm Symphony No.2 Hannu Lintu (conductor). Ian Skelly with music: Tveitt, Sibelius, Ingvar Lidholm, Magnus Lindberg and Stenhammar. |
| 02 | 20151215 | Jonathan Swain continues Northern Lights on Afternoon on 3, today with the first of this week's symphonies by Nielsen and Arvo Part, performed respectively by the BBC Philharmonic with John Storgards and the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra with Tonu Kaljuste. Plus Havard Gimse playing Tveitt's 5th Piano Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Rued Langgaard's radical Music of the Spheres. Presented by Jonathan Swain. 2pm Symphony No.1 John Storgards (conductor) 2.55pm Johan Reuter (baritone) Hetna Regitze Bruun (mezzo-soprano) Peter Lodahl (tenor) Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano) Danish National Concert Choir Danish National Vocal Ensemble Thomas Dausgaard (conductor) 3.20pm Geirr Tveitt Piano Concerto No.5 Havard Gimse (piano) BBC SSO Jurjen Hempel (conductor) 3.55pm Symphony No.3 Tonu Kaljuste (conductor). Jonathan Swain presents works by Nielsen and Part, plus Langgaard's Music of the Spheres. |
| 03 | 20151216 | Ian Skelly continues Northern Lights with a focus today on Finland and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year, Susanna Malkki conducted the orchestra in a concert at the Music Centre in Helsinki that included Debussy's Gigues, Steven Isserlis performing Walton's Cello Concerto and Saariaho's Circle Map. Plus Miguel Harth-bedoya conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in Sallinen's Shadows, prelude for orchestra. 2pm Susanna M䀀lkki (conductor) 2.10pm Steven Isserlis (cello) 2.40pm 3.15pm Aulis Sallinen Miguel Harth-Bedoya (conductor). The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra performs Debussy, Walton, Saariaho and Aulis Sallinen |
| 04 | 20151218 | As part of Northern Lights on Afternoon on 3, Ian Skelly focuses on Scandinavian theatre music, including Madetoja's symphonic poem Kullervo, Sibelius's Swanwhite Suite and Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite. Plus Arvo Part's 4th Symphony performed by the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra under Tonu Kaljuste and Nielsen's 5th Symphony performed by the BBC Philharmonic and conductor John Storgards. Presented by Ian Skelly. 2pm Kullervo - symphonic poem Op.15 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Jurjen Hempel (conductor) 2.20pm Symphony No.4 Tonu Kaljuste (conductor) 2.55pm Swanwhite Suite Op.54 3.30pm John Storgards (conductor) 3.50pm Symphony No.5 John Storgards (conductor). Ian Skelly introduces music by Madetoja, Part, Sibelius, Grieg and Nielsen. |