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Proms special: love stories and peaceful endings

The fourth of this week’s series of Classical Mixtapes featuring music in this year's BBC Proms, including works by Rossini, Haydn, Richard Strauss and Alan Menken.

A special Proms edition featuring music connected with the forthcoming 2026 season, curated by the Proms Director of Artistic Planning Hannah Donat. Her choices demonstrate the wide range of music that is presented at the Proms and recreate the excitement and sometimes surprising nature of the festival. Today’s mix focuses on love stories and peaceful endings, and includes works by Rossini, Haydn, Richard Strauss and Alan Menken’s score for the film “The Little Mermaid”.

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29 days left to listen

30 minutes

Last on

Yesterday 19:00
BBC Radio 3

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Proms special: 2000 years of music

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Music Played

  • Gioachino Rossini

    Stabat Mater; Amen

    Choir: Bavarian Radio Symphony Choir. Conductor: Semyon Bychkov. Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
    • Rossini: Stabat Mater.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 10.

  • Alan Menken

    Triton's Kingdom (from The Little Mermaid - original movie sound track)

    Performer: Alan Menken.
    • The Little Mermaid (Original Soundtrack).
    • Walt Disney Records.
    • 1.

  • Joseph Haydn

    Symphony No. 45 in F-Sharp Minor, 'Farewell' (1st mvt)

    Orchestra: Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. Conductor: Ádám Fischer.
    • Haydn: The Complete Symphonies.
    • Nimbus Records.
    • 163.

  • Richard Strauss

    Im Abendrot (4 Last Songs)

    Singer: Jessye Norman. Orchestra: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Conductor: Kurt Masur.
    • Strauss, R.: Four Last Songs; 6 Orchestral Songs - Norman, Gewandhausorchester L.
    • Philips.

  • Bernd Alois Zimmermann

    Märchensuite (fairy-tale suite); Prolog

    Orchestra: Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Conductor: Peter Hirsch.
    • Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Märchensuite / Canto di speranza / Impromptu / Alagoana..
    • wergo.
    • 1.

  • William Grant Still

    Summerland (3 Visions)

    Performer: Zina Schiff. Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conductor: Avlana Eisenberg.
    • Still: Orchestral Works.
    • Naxos.
    • 2.

  • Richard Rodgers

    My Funny Valentine

    Performer: Ella Fitzgerald.
    • Polydor.

Broadcast

  • Yesterday 19:00
    BBC Radio 3

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