Record Review

Saturday 3rd January 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor assesses some of the best new classical releases. 2.10 Guest reviewer Nigel Simeone picks some of his favourite new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Violinist Tasmin Little surveys recordings of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K 364, and recommends her favourite. Mozart wrote it for solo violin and viola in 1779 while on a tour of Europe that included Mannheim and Paris, cities that boasted some of Europe's finest orchestral musicians. Its grand opening movement is followed by an impassioned Andante in C minor, and a fizzing finale. 3.45 Andrew's pick of the past seven days.

Saturday 10th January 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Copland: Third Symphony in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. 2.10 Ben Gernon's personal pick of the best new releases from the past 12 months. 3.00 Building a Library. Copland's little-heard Symphony No 3 is actually one of his grandest, epic works, containing as it does his famous Fanfare for the Common Man. Alice Farnham joins Andrew to reveal her personal recommendation for the recording to buy, download or stream. 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew's pick of the past seven days.

Saturday 17th January 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Elgar's Cello Concerto in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the best new classical releases. 2.10 Opera expert Sarah Lenton shares her pick of the new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. David Owen Norris surveys recordings of Elgar's Cello Concerto and picks his favourite. Elgar composed his contemplative and elegiac Cello Concerto in E minor in the aftermath of the First World War. It was premiered in 1919 with soloist Beatrice Harrison, with whom Elgar made two recordings of the work. Since then, every great cellist of their day has made a recording, from Pablo Cassals and Jacqueline du Pré to Sheku Kanneh-Mason. c 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew picks his favourite new release of the past seven days.

Saturday 24th January 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Bach's Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents some of the week's best new classical releases. 2.10 Pianist, composer and music director Yshani Perinpanayagam discusses four new releases out this week. 3.00 Building a Library. Choral conductor and musicologist Jeremy Summerly chooses his favourite recording of Bach's cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147. Composed originally in 1716 in Weimar, Cantata 147 was revised by Bach during his Leipzig years, and premiered in an expanded version in 1723 for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which commemorates the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, who would become the mother of John the Baptist. 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew picks the new recording that has most impressed him in the past seven days.

Saturday 31st January 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Brahms's Paganini Variations in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the best new classical releases. 2.10 Music critic and journalist Charlotte Gardner shares her pick of the week's new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Kenneth Hamilton surveys recordings of Brahms's Paganini Variations and picks his favourite. Published as a set of studies for pianoforte, the work consists of two books, each of which opens with the theme Paganini's 24th Caprice in A minor, followed by 14 variations. Fiendishly difficult and harmonically complicated, the variations are one of the pinnacles of the piano repertoire, requiring 'fingers of steel, a heart of burning lava, and the courage of a lion' according to one critic. c 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew picks his favourite new release of the past seven days.

Saturday 7th February 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Sibelius's Symphony No 5 in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the week's best new classical releases. 2.10 Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman picks four releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library: William Mival, composition professor at the Royal College of Music, surveys some of the many recordings of Sibelius's Symphony No 5 and recommends his favorite. Sibelius wrote the work in 1915 at the instigation of the Finnish government to mark his 50th birthday. The majestic finale was inspired by Sibelius seeing a group of swans taking flight. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 14th February 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. 2.10 Pianist Lucy Parham talks through her pick of the week's new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. To mark Valentine's Day, pianist Kathryn Stott surveys recordings of Rachmaninov's lushly romantic Piano Concerto No 2 and picks her favourite. The concerto symbolised both personal and artistic rebirth for the composer after years spent in deep depression. Its second movement inspired Eric Carmen's pop ballad All by Myself, and also features in film scores, most famously Brief Encounter. c 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew picks his favourite new release of the week.

Saturday 28th February 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Dvorák's String Quintet Op 97 in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. 2.10 Conductor and music educator Suzi Digby talks through her pick of the week's new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Professor Laura Tunbridge surveys recordings of Dvorák: String Quintet Op. 97. Scored for string quartet with an extra viola, the piece was written immediately after the composer's American quartet. c 3.45 Record of the Week. Andrew picks his favourite new release of the past seven days.

Saturday 7th March 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Handel's Dixit Dominus in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. 2.10 Mezzo Kitty Whately picks four new releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Mark Lowther surveys some of the many recordings of Handel's Dixit Dominus and shares his favourite. Completed in Rome in April 1707 during Handel's three-year stay there in his early twenties, Dixit Dominus is scored for five solo voices, a five-part chorus and a string orchestra, also in five parts. It reflects the vitality, vivid colours, landscape, art, music and architecture that captivated Handel during his time in Italy. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 14th March 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Janácek's Sinfonietta in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents his selection of some of the week's best new classical releases. c 2.10 Andrew is joined by guest reviewer Katy Hamilton for her favourite releases of the week. 3.00 Building a Library. Critic, writer and Czech music expert . Written for large orchestra with heavy brass players, Janácek said his Sinfonietta of 1926 was intended to express 'contemporary free man, his spiritual beauty and joy, his strength, courage and determination to fight for victory'. It has stirred audiences ever since and has a rich recorded legacy. c 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks his favourite release of the past seven days.

Saturday 21st March 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Vaughan Williams' A London Symphony in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the week's best new classical releases. 2.10 Guest reviewer Chris O'Reilly picks four new releases that have caught his ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Kate Kennedy surveys recordings of Vaughan Williams' Symphony No 2, aka A London Symphony, and makes her personal recommendation. Vaughan Williams wrote the piece shortly before the First World War and dedicated it to fellow composer George Butterworth, who lost his life in the war. Between the chimes of Big Ben, a busker's harmonica, and vibrant nightlife, it is a portrait of London as he knew it, capturing the hustle and bustle of the capital while finding peace and quiet in which to reflect. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 28th March 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Beethoven: Waldstein Sonata in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the week's best new classical releases. 2.10 Guest reviewer Jeremy Sams join Andrew to consider his favourite new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Pianist Allyson Devenish surveys recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C, Op 53 'Waldstein', and makes her personal recommendation. The 'Waldstein' Sonata is among the most dazzlingly brilliant of Beethoven's piano sonatas, exploiting the full range of effects on an extended early 19th-century keyboard, and has been tackled by the great pianists of every generation since. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 4th April 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Cavalleria rusticana in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the week's best new music. 2.10 Guest reviewer Flora Willson picks four new releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Iain Burnside surveys some of the many recordings of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, and makes a personal recommendation. Widely considered to be one of the classic verismo operas, Cavalleria rusticana premiered in Rome in 1890 to rapturous applause. Taking place in a Sicilian village on Easter Sunday, the one-act opera is a passionate tale of love and betrayal. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 11th April 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Haydn's Matin, Midi and Soir Symphonies in Building a Library.

Sarah Walker presents. 2.10 Music critic Fiona Maddocks shares her pick of the week's new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Nicholas Kenyon recommends his favourite recordin of Haydn's Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Symphonies - Le Matin, Le Midi and Le Soir. 3.50 Record of the Week: Sarah chooses the recording that has impressed her the most this week.

Saturday 18th April 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Shostakovich: Symphony No 9 in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents the best of the week's new classical music. c 2.10 Harpsichordist and choral director Joseph McHardy joins Andrew with a batch of his favourite new releases. 3.00 Building a Library. Pianist and composer Yshani Perinpanayagam surveys recordings of Shostakovich's Symphony No 9 and recommends his favourite. 'Musicians will like to play it, and critics will delight in blasting it' was what Shostakovich accurately predicted of his Symphony No 9, premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic in 1945. Initially intended as a celebration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, the work is lighter in character than most of Shostakovich's other symphonies.

Saturday 25th April 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Respighi's La Boutique Fantastique.

Andrew McGregor presents. 2.10 Guest reviewer Emily McGregor picks four new releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Conductor Ben Gernon selects his favourite recording of Respighi's ballet La Boutique Fantastique, sometimes called The Magic Toyshop, a piece based on piano music by Rossini. The world premiere at the Alhambra Theatre in London on 5 June 1919 was performed by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, with a host of famous artists in the audience, including Pablo Picasso, who sketched the final scene from the ballet. 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew picks a new release that has most impressed him this week.

Saturday 2nd May 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. c 2.10 Early music expert Kirsten Gibson jshowcases a batch of releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Critic Charlotte Gardner surveys recordings of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and ecommends her favourite. Published in 1725, the collection of four violin concertos with musical representations of the changing year have become Antonio Vivaldi's best known works. Their vivid depictions of nature were groundbreaking, with flowing creeks, singing birds, a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, a dramatic storm, drunken dancers, frozen landscapes and warm winter fires. c 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew's pick of this week's new releases.

Saturday 9th May 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Liszt's Transcendental Studies in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. c 2.10 Pianist Lucy Parham shares her pick of the new releases. 3.00 Building a Library, Pianist Keelan Carew surveys recordings of Franz Liszt's Transcendental Studies and recommends his favourite. Liszt's Etudes d'execution transcendante, S 139, are among the pinnacles of virtuoso piano music, and their visionary language and poetic expression make them a milestone of the romantic age. They embody the most significant traits of Liszt's prolific Weimar period, the quest for new aesthetics of sound, a simplification of textures and a stronger-than-ever penchant for programmatic elements derived from literature, nature and the visual arts. c 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew's top classical new release of the week.

Saturday 16th May 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Andrew McGregor presents the best of the week's new classical music. c 2.10 Sarah Walker showcases a batch of releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. St George's Bristol chief executive Samir Savant surveys recordings of Fauré's Requiem and recommends his favourite. The work was first performed in 1888 in La Madeleine in Paris, and of it the composer said 'Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest.' c 3.50 Record of the Week. Andrew's pick of the past seven days.

Saturday 23rd May 2026 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Brahms's Piano Concerto No 2 in Building a Library.

Andrew McGregor presents. c 2.1o Composer Soosan Lolavar shares a batch of new releases that have caught her ear. 3.00 Building a Library. Pianist Joanna MacGregor surveys recordings of Brahms's Piano Concerto No 2 and and picks her favourite. The piece is famously one of the grandest-scaled piano concertos in the cannon. Following 22 years after his first, the work was an immediate success and has remained popular with pianists and audiences ever since. c 3.45 Record of the Week. The new release that has most impressed Andrew this week.