大象传媒

Today鈥檚 programme begins with the overture to Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor, based on Shakespeare鈥檚 comedy of the same name. Masquerades and mischief-makers steal the show, duplicitous suitors fall foul of plotting friends, and a late-night wedding celebration rounds off the madness under a gleaming full moon.

Next, we journey from Windsor to deepest woodland, as we hear a selection from Engelbert Humperdinck鈥檚 Hansel und Gretel. Humperdinck鈥檚 fairy-tale opera started life as a series of musical sketches and songs composed for his sister, as a gift to her children. In time, this became a full-scale opera which premiered on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss.

Giacomo Puccini wrote the iconic Madame Butterfly in 1901, having seen a play based on the tale of a young geisha鈥檚 betrayal by the man she loves. The Intermezzo, which we hear today, soars and glides through some of the heart-rending themes of the opera, transporting you to Madame Butterfly鈥檚 Japan, and telling of her hope and anguish.

We finish on a high, with the Second Waltz Sequence from Richard Strauss鈥檚 Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) - an operatic triumph, and as popular today as when it premiered in January 1911.