Afternoon on 3 - Thursday Opera Matinee - Beethoven: Fidelio

Radio 3's opera matinee season continues with Beethoven's only opera, a hymn to freedom: the political prisoner Florestan languishes in a dungeon, but his oppressors have reckoned without his heroic wife Leonore. In this production from the Liceu Theatre in Barcelona they're sung by Clifton Forbis and Karita Mattila. Beethoven: Fidelio Leonore......................Karita Mattila, soprano Florestan........................Clifton Forbis, tenor Rocco..........................Stephen Milling, bass Marzelline..........Elena de la Merced, soprano Jaquino..........................Mathias Klink, tenor Don Pizarro.............Terje Stensvold, baritone Don Fernanado............Anders Larsson , bass Gran Teatre del Liceu Orchestra and Chorus Sebastian Weigle, conductor 4pm Continuing this week's focus on the BBC performing groups with a stunning performance from Wales of Mussorgsky's colourful masterpiece as orchestrated by Ravel, and another chance to hear the BBC Singers in music by the amazing sixteenth-century microtonal composer Nicola Vicentino, who wrote music using 31 notes per octave, built special keyboard instruments to play it and trained choirs to sing it. Mussorgsky, orch. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition BBC National Orchestra of Wales Walter Weller, conductor 4.40pm Nicola Vicentino: 'Poiche il mio largo pianto'; 'Soave dolc' ardore'; Madonna, il poco dolce' Antoine de Bertrand: 'Je suis tellement amoureux' Nicola Vicentino: 'Dolce mio ben'; 'Musica prisca caput' Members of the BBC Singers James Weeks, conductor.