Radio 3 in Concert: Shakespeare Inspires

Martin Handley presents a concert recorded at London's Barbican in January, with Clemens Schuldt conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Hamlet, Bonis's Ophelie, and Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, with Guy Johnston joining for the premiere of Joseph Phibbs's Cello Concerto. A troubled prince, a tragic heroine and the Vienna of dreams, Tchaikovsky and Bonis embraced the world of Hamlet with all the fervour of true romantics. Richard Strauss, meanwhile, let his flair for storytelling have free rein in his opera Der Rosenkavalier, a delirious whirl of waltzes, wit and love in all its colours, all on show in this orchestral suite. The play's the thing then, and whether it's the sublime imagery of Shakespeare or the endless imaginative possibilities of the operatic stage, it's music that creates the drama tonight. Tchaikovsky: Hamlet Fantasy-Overture. Joseph Phibbs: Cello Concerto (BBC co-commission with the RPS, Penny Wright and Andrew Neubauer) (World premiere). 8.15 Interval. Bonis: Ophelie. Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier - suite. Guy Johnston (cello), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Clemens Schuldt (conductor)