大象传媒

Penny Gore continues Afternoon on 3's occasional series of music of every kind composed for the theatre, with performances by the 大象传媒's orchestras, and British music every day this week.

Elgar wrote his score for 'The Starlight Express' in time for the Christmas Theatre season of 1915. It's a childs-eye view of the real world thrown into the chaos of the First World War, full of fantasy: fairies, organgrinders and lamplighters show the way forward to the children, who in turn help the 'lost' grown ups.

Maeterlink's drama 'Pelleas and Melisande' is a far more adult affair which attracted several composers of the time - best known perhaps is Debussy's opera, premiered in 1902. Sibelius wrote his incidental music a couple of years later. You can hear more music inspired by Maeterlinck later this week - Faure's incidental music for 'Pelleas and Melisande' on Wednesday, Paul Dukas' only opera 'Ariane and Bluebeard' tomorrow, and on Thursday Bartok's related opera 'Duke Bluebeard's Castle'.

Plus dance music by Georges Jacobi, one of the composers who starred in last Saturday's Music Feature on Radio 3 on Music Hall ballets. He was the Music Director of the Alhambra in London's Leicester Square from the 1870s onwards, and composed more than 100 ballets.

2pm
Elgar
Incidental music to 'The Starlight Express', Op. 78
Elizabeth Atherton (soprano), Mark Stone (baritone),
Simon Callow, Nigel Richards, Liza Sadovy, Kenneth Richardson (actors)
大象传媒 Concert Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth (conductor)

3.40pm
Sibelius
Incidental music to 'Pelleas et Melisande', Op. 46
大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Tuomas Ollila (conductor)

4.05pm
Georges Jacobi
Suite from the ballet 'Oriella'
大象传媒 Concert Orchestra
Benjamin Pope (conductor).