Classics Count - The world's greatest music

In this, our 150th and final Classics Count show, we share our personal choices The first hour has Heather's selection and then with a piece loved by both presenters we move into the second hour of Martin's favourites Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream Scherzo - from the poet, painter, composer and traveller J Strauss II: Die Fledermaus The Bat Overture - listen for the six melodic themes joyful...

Bach: Orchestral Suite No 2 in B minor Badinerie - with a fast-paced flute; but what does badinerie mean? Charles Avison: Concerto Grosso No 5 in D minor Largo - a dramatic piece from the Newcastle-born Baroque composer Schumann: Spring Symphony No 1 in B flat major 3rd movement Scherzo molto vivace - written in a 4 day creative burst SUMMER SYMPHONY Farrenc: Symphony No 2 in D major - written in...

SUMMER SYMPHONY Dvorak: Symphony No 8 in G - composed with deep roots in Czech folk music 1st movement Allegro con brio - listen out for the bird call flute melody 2nd movement Adagio - featuring rustic woodwind solos and sweeping string passages 3rd movement Allegretto grazioso - fiery and fast-paced 4th movement Allegro ma non troppo - with an iconic, piercing trumpet fanfare to start Finzi: For...

Puccini: Nessun Dorma - meaning 'let no one sleep' tune in to find out the story behind this aria Bach: Violin Concerto in E major 1st movement Allegro - listen for the three distinctive hammer blows at the start of this piece SUMMER SYMPHONY 26 Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C minor Fate - possibly the most famous composition in classical music history 1st movement Allegro con brio - turbulent 2nd m...

Puccini: Nessun Dorma - meaning 'let no one sleep' tune in to find out the story behind this aria Bach: Violin Concerto in E major 1st movement Allegro - listen for the three distinctive hammer blows at the start of this piece SUMMER SYMPHONY 26 Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C minor Fate - possibly the most famous composition in classical music history 1st movement Allegro con brio - turbulent 2nd m...

Copeland: Fanfare for the Common Man - commissioned in 1942 to foster patriotic pride; listen in to how Copeland came up with the title Danzi: Concerto No 2 in D minor for flute and orchestra - an expressive piece from the German composer and played here by James Galway SUMMER SYMPHONY - completed almost exactly 238 years ago; listen in for the descriptions of each movement Mozart: Symphony No 40...

Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream Scherzo - a nimble, playful piece with the intermezzo between Acts 1 and 2 of Shakespeare's play Three quintessentiallly English composer pieces: Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending - subtitled A Romance, a serene pastoral composition George Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow - written with the pre war countryside in mind as Butterworth was killed at the S...

Trumpet Tune and Air – which English Baroque composer wrote this Henry Purcell or Jeremiah Clarke? Elgar: Serenade for strings in E minor 1st movement Allegretto piacevole – opening with a gentle rocking movement with a rhythmic pulse in the violas Summer Symphony Mozart: Symphony No 35 in D K385 and known as the Haffner Symphony. Commissioned by the wealthy Haffner family to celebrate the ennoble...

Mozart: Piano concerto No 21 3rd movement allegro vivace assai - written during an exceptionally prolific period in Vienna Smetana: Bartered Bride Polka - from the light-hearted comic opera which premiered in Prague in 1866 SUMMER SYMPHONY Schubert: Symphony No 1 D major - composed whilst a 16 year old student at the Imperial Seminary for the school orchestra 1st movement Adagio – allegro vivace 2...

Dave Smith, the conductor of Abbots Langley Orchestra joined us in the studio to talk about the concert on Sunday 28th June – full details on the live events page Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba- the lively orchestral interlude which opens Act 3 of the biblical oratorio Solomon Mozart: Piano Sonata No 11 in A major Rondo alla turka – inspired by the cultural craze for Turkish military bands...

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust Marche Hongroise – the story of an aging scholar who is contemplating change when he is looking at the world through sad eyes Smetana: The Bartered Bride Polka – a celebration of rural life and love Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits – a melancholic but beautiful melody featuring the flute Edward’s Insights looks at Joseph Haydn the prolific composer; we hear about...

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Juliet as a Young Girl – a more lively piece to the usual Dance of the Knights Mozart: The Magic Flute Overture – from a 2 act opera which was the last to be composed by Mozart Offenbach: Barcarole – originally a duet Beautiful Night, O Night of Love but we play the instrumental version Edward’s Insights Stravinsky: Pulcinella – hear Edward tell us how some previous mu...

Boyce: Symphony No 1 in B flat major 1st movement Allegro – from a choirboy at St Pauls to a composer admired by his contemporaries Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 in C K467 2nd movement Andante – float away with this dreamy melody composed in March 1785 Albinoni: Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ – tune in to hear an attempt at the rather long Italian title of this reflective piece Elgar: Vari...

Vivaldi: The Four seasons Spring 1st movement – from the group of 4 violin concerti composed while Vivaldi was court chapel master in Mantua Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C minor Fate 1st movement Allegro con brio – with 4 iconic notes making it possibly the best known opening of a classical piece Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E minor New World 3rd movement Scherzo molto vivace – inspired by all things A...

Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream Scherzo – a nimble introduction to Shakespeare’s fairy world Albinoni: Concerto in D minor 2nd movement Adagio – a hauntingly beautiful piece from the set of 12 concerti composed in 1722 Edward’s Insights looks at American composer and pianist and King of Ragtime Scott Joplin’s Solace: A Mexican Serenade Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite No 2 4th movement Farandole – c...

Join Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison from 10am on wycombesound.org.uk playing some outstanding classical music to make it the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday morning The entire first hour of this show will be showcasing music which will be performed at the Chiltern Arts Festival www.chilterarts.com Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23 in A K488 3rd movement Allegro assai – a high spirited piece which...

Join Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison from 10am on wycombesound.org.uk playing some outstanding classical music to make it the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday morning Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March in G major No 4 – from the collection of military marches composed 1901-1930 Copeland: Fanfare for the Common Man – composed to boost morale in World War II Edward’s Insights looks at John Adams...

Mozart: Piano concerto No 21 3rd movement Allegro vivace assai – a spritely start with a piece featured in the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me Marcello: Oboe Concerto in D minor 3rd movement Vivace – from a patron of all arts, this piece is from an amateur composer Edward’s Insights with cellist, conductor and composer Edward Longstaff: Ibert’s Divertissement where Edward describes 3 movements...

Join Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison from 10am on wycombesound.org.uk playing some outstanding classical music to make it the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday morning Sibelius: Karelia Suite 3rd movement Alla Marcia – listen in to find out where Karelia is Mendelssohn: Nocturne from A Midsummer Night’s Dream – hear the bassoon and horn in this tranquil piece Mozart: Concertone for 2 Violins an...

Beethoven: Symphony No 1 in C major 3rd movement Menuetto allegro molto e vivace – with a fast tempo that makes it more like a scherzo Handel: Water Music Suite No 1 in F Air – a melodic and familiar piece from one of the three Water Music Suites Dvorak: Slavonic Dances in F major No 8 Furiant – from the 2 sets of Romantic dances Interview with Martin Smith, Conductor Herts Philharmonia and Profes...

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust Marche Hongroise – the story of an aging scholar who is contemplating change when he is looking at the world through sad eyes Smetana: The Bartered Bride Polka – a celebration of rural life and love Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits – a melancholic but beautiful melody featuring the flute Edward’s Insights looks at Joseph Haydn the prolific composer; we hear about...

Trailer for The History Mix for Sunday 5th April 2026 on Hertfordshire's Mix 92.6 from 2pm

Boccherini: String Quintet in E major No 5 Minuet – written in 1771 by this Classical cellist Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No 6 in B flat 3rd movement Allegro – dedicated to the younger brother of King Frederick I of Prussia Edward’s Insights where we hear more about Kurt Weill’s Mack the Knife Beethoven: Symphony No 7 in A major3rd movement Presto – assai meno presto – composed while staying in a s...

The History Mix, every Sunday on Hertfordshire's Mix 92.6 on FM and DAB+

Verdi: Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore – a rousing start to today’s show Pachelbel: Canon in D – a solemn piece from this German organist and teacher Beethoven: Bagatelle No 25 in A minor Fur Elise – hear who this should have been dedicated to Edward’s Insights Wagner from Siegfried: Forest Murmurs with an explanation of how the instruments are used to tell the story Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strin...