Once Upon A Time... Hans Christian Andersen

As part of the BBC's 'Once Upon a Time...' week, Elizabeth Alker introduces a week-long celebration of the fairy tale in music. Elizabeth begins her journey in the world the great Danish creator of tales, Hans Christian Andersen.
Also in today’s Classical Live, specially recorded performances from lutenist Thomas Dunford from LSO St. Luke’s, and as usual, Classical Live begins its Mondays with a live concert from Wigmore Hall. Today, the internationally-acclaimed vocal group VOCES8 present an eclectic mix of music through the ages.

Live from Wigmore Hall

VOCES8

Tomás Luis de Victoria - Regina caeli a 8
Eric Whitacre - All Seems Beautiful to Me
Lucy Walker - Give Me Your Stars
Gustav Holst - Nunc dimittis
Franz Schubert - Liebe Op. 17 No. 2
Michael McGlynn - Dúlamán
Taylor Scott Davis - To Sing of Love - A Triptych: II. ‘Effortlessly’
Traditional (arranged by Joshua Pacey) - Danny Boy
Bill Conti (arranged by Jim Clements) - For Your Eyes Only
John Barry (arranged by Jim Clements) - You Only Live Twice
Irving Berlin (arranged by Jim Clements) - Cheek to Cheek
Vernon Duke (arranged by Jim Clements) - April in Paris

Introduced by Petroc Trelawny

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Presented by Elizabeth Alker

Igor Stravinsky
The Fairy’s Kiss - Divertimento
(After music by Tchaikovsky)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrei Feher (conductor)

From LSO St. Luke’s - Thomas Dunford and Friends:
John Dowland
Praeludium
Fortune My Foe
A fancy
Thomas Dunford (lute)

Alexander von Zemlinsky
The Mermaid (Die Seejungfrau)
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
Jonathon Nott (conductor)

Igor Stravinsky
The Song of the Nightingale
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)

The BBC’s ‘Once Upon a Time…’ week celebrates fairytales and storytelling in partnership with the British Library. On BBC Radio 3, Edith Bowman explores fairytales and fantasy in 'Sound of Cinema', actors Pearce Quigley and Lydia Wilson delve into the worlds of princesses, frogs, and spells in 'Words & Music', Sara Mohr-Pietsch charts a course to Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf in 'Music Map', and Elizabeth Alker presents music inspired by enchanted lands, magical creatures, and timeless tales, in 'Classical Live' and 'Unclassified'. Just search ‘Once Upon a Time…’ in BBC Sounds. The British Library’s major new exhibition Fairy Tales runs from 27th March – 23rd August 2026.