BBC Radio 3 to present week-long celebration of Stravinsky
To mark 50 years since his death, Radio 3 is dedicating a week of programming to Igor Stravinsky and the influence he has had on music-making for generations to come
To mark 50 years since Stravinsky's death, BBC Radio 3 is dedicating a week of programming across the station to the composer's life, music and influence in the classical world and beyond.
Stravinsky 50 will begin on Saturday 3 April with an episode of J to Z, Radio 3's flagship jazz programme, in which pianist Julian Joseph will explore the relationship between Stravinsky and jazz.
Saturday 10 April will be 'Stravinsky Day', with all programmes dedicated to celebrating the 20th-century composer. River of Music, a five-and-a-half-hour flow of 50 pieces by Stravinsky, will be at the centre of the programming. The works featured will be in non-chronological order, taking listeners through Stravinsky's various composing styles and approaches. Also included will be performances by Stravinsky himself, interspersed with contributions from conductors including Sakari Oramo and Vasily Petrenko, and artists such as pianist Beatrice Rana and composer Freya Waley-Cohen.
Record Review on 'Stravinsky Day' will be a survey of recordings of Stravinsky's Violin Concerto, while Music Matters will explore the ongoing relevance of Stravinsky's music for artists working today.
In the evening, a 1997 semi-staged performance of The Rake's Progress will be broadcast in the Opera on 3 slot, starring Joan Rodgers, Barry Banks, Susan Bickley and Philip Ens.
Radio 3's Composer of the Week programme will focus on Stravinsky's life and works.
The full programme for Stravinsky 50 is listed below:
Saturday 3 April
J to Z: Stravinsky
5pm
All week
Composer of the Week: Stravinsky
Monday 5 April: In the Orbit of Rimsky-Korsakov
Tuesday 6 April: With Diaghilev in Paris
Wednesday 7 April: Back to Bach
Thursday 8 April: Exile in LA
Friday 9 April: Late Austerity
12pm
Saturday 10 April
Record Review: Stravinsky's Violin Concerto
9am
Saturday 10 April
Music Matters: Stravinsky 50
11.45am
Saturday 10 April
Stravinsky 50: River of Music
1pm
Saturday 10 April
Opera on 3: Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
6.30pm
