The Soloist

Suzy Klein and West-End star Alexandra Burke chart how, in the 80s and 90s, a new generation of young musicians – from Simon Rattle and Nigel Kennedy to Vanessa-Mae - defied tradition and burst out of the accepted confines of the classical genre. We look at Torvill and Dean's triumph at the Winter Olympics, the Three Tenors at Italia 90, Tavener's haunting anthem accompanying the funeral of Princess Diana and the successful launch of Classic FM.

Tom Service presents a detailed analysis of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre followed by a performance of the work by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ludovic Morlot. Contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho wrote Graal Théâtre in 1994. A haunting, explosive violin concerto, it has become one of the Finnish composer’s most frequently performed pieces. Before the piece is performed in full by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in the MediaCity Studio in Salford, Tom Service speaks both to members of the orchestra and to Peter Herresthal, the soloist, about this relentlessly electrifying and technically demanding music.

Originally released by Philips Classics on VHS and Laserdisc in 1991, the 13-part Mozart on Tour series chronicles the journeys of the child, adolescent and adult Mozart across Europe, in what was ultimately to prove a futile pursuit of fame and fortune.

A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from the golden age of jazz. Featuring some of the greatest names in American music, including the godfather of New Orleans jazz Louis Armstrong, the King of Swing Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald. Broadcasted as part of the Old Masters, Rising Stars: Jazz On BBC Four season, this film unlocks the BBC archives to explore the words and music of some of the greatest names in jazz.

After being murdered by gangsters, an exuberant nightclub entertainer returns as a ghost to persuade his meek twin brother to help bring his killers to justice.

At the Royal Albert Hall, Walton's choral masterpiece Belshazzar's Feast gets the Proms treatment with conductor Simon Rattle, the London Symphony Orchestra, the LSO Chorus, the Orfeo Catala Choir and Orfeo Catala Youth Choir and Canadian baritone Gerald Finley as soloist. Plus, Varese's celebration of the modern city in sound Amériques and Charles Koechlin's Jungle Book-inspired Les bandar-log. Presented by Suzy Klein.

Tom Service presents a performance of Elgar's much-loved Cello Concerto, composed in the wake of the First World War, with French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras as soloist. The Prom begins with Edward Gardner conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a performance of the choral miniature For A Soldier's Funeral by French composer Lili Boulanger. The final piece is Vaughan Williams's cantata Dona Nobis Pacem, a beautiful but heart-breaking exploration of the violence of war, as part of this season's focus on the centenary of the end of the First World War.

Performances of two of the best-loved works in the repertoire. Starting with Mozart's ever-popular Clarinet Concerto, written two months before his death, Thomas Dausgaard conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, with the Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe as soloist. In the second half of the night, Mahler is the star with his Fifth Symphony and its beautiful Adagietto, arguably his most famous single piece of music.

A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from the golden age of jazz. Featuring some of the greatest names in American music, including the godfather of New Orleans jazz Louis Armstrong, the King of Swing Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.