Programme Information

The madcap musical world of Spike Jones opens this last programme of highlights from the 2008 Brass In Concert Championships with The Fairey Band, conducted by Philip Chalke, giving a Rossini classic the Jones treatment.

Frank Renton also showcases two of the country's top soloists with Foden's tuba virtuoso Les Neish and the brilliant baritone of Leyland's Katrina Marzella (a previous winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist Of The Year award) featured in their band's respective programmes.

One of the most coveted awards of the day is Best New Composition or Arrangement, which this year went to Peter Meechan and his take on the Queen classic Innuendo, as performed by The Whitburn Band with conductor Steven Mead.

Presenter/Frank Renton, Producer/Terry Carter

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

Donald Macleod looks at Haydn's late compositions, including his masterpiece, The Creation, inspired partly by the music of Handel, partly by a visit to the planetary observatory of William Herschel, in the final Composer Of The Week offering. Other music includes Haydn's Trumpet Concerto and Arianna A Naxos.

Presenter/Donald Macleod, Producer/Kerry Clark

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Performance On 3 – BBC National Orchestra Of Wales

Friday 23 January

7.00-9.15pm BBC RADIO 3

Petroc Trelawny presents the first of two gala concerts to launch the BBC National Orchestra of Wales's new home, Hoddinot Hall, a purpose-built auditorium at Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre.

Thierry Fischer conducts the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales in a programme that opens with an orchestral showpiece – Badger In The Bag – by the man after whom the hall is named, Alun Hoddinott. The programme also includes the world première of a specially-commissioned new work, Simon Holt's St Vitus In The Kettle – the Orchestra's new Composer in Association; Varèse's Ionisation; Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with pianist Llyr Williams; Sibelius's Violin Concerto with Baiba Skride as soloist; and Ravel's Daphnis Et Chloe (Suite No. 2).

Presenter/Petroc Trelawny, Producer/David Papp

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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In this week's Essay Scottish poets describe their attitudes to the metaphorical presence of Robert Burns (the 250th anniversary of whose birth is on 25 January 2009) at the back of the room as they read or write their own poetry.

In the final episode of the week, Douglas Dunn finds Burns too distant to be a direct influence on him, but he sees the way that influence has changed across the 20th century.

Reader/Douglas Dunn, Producer/Dave Batchelor

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

The Lake is a powerful portrait of the lesser-known world of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

Lough Neagh is not only the largest lough in Ireland, but the largest freshwater body in the British Isles. The name Lough Neagh means the lake of the horse-god, Eochu. He was the lord of the underworld and, according to legend, is supposed to exist beneath its waters; some say in a village drowned beneath the waves.

Contributors include wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson and composer and sound recordist Tom Lawrence; historians Kay Muhr and Pascal Downing; naturalists John Scovell, James Robinson and Rosemary Holland; freshwater ecologist David Griffths; and warden of Coney Island, Peter McClelland.

Producer/Sarah Blunt

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Colin Murray presents all the day's sports news and looks ahead to the weekend's FA Cup fourth round matches (sponsored by E.on).

From 9.15pm, the rest of the weekend's sporting action is previewed including Qatar Masters golf in Doha, the England cricket team's practice match against St Kitts and reports from the first week of the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne.

Presenter/Colin Murray, Producer/TBC

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Tennis

Friday 23 January

8.30am-2.00pm BBC 5 LIVE SPORTS EXTRA

Uninterrupted commentary comes from the night session of the Australian Open, live from Melbourne Park.

Producer/Jen McAllister

BBC 5 Live Sports Extra Publicity

Bruce Dickinson invites Black Stone Cherry on to his Rock Show this evening to spin some of their favourite tunes and take over the show for an hour.

Originating from Kentucky, BSC are renowned for their unique rhythmic rock sound and, despite their young age, have been likened to bands such as Soundgarden for their earthy and raw vocal performance, as well as AC/DC for their heavy yet fun musicianship.

They sit in Bruce's seat and select some of the tracks and groups that have inspired them over the years.

Presenter/Bruce Dickinson, Producer/Ian Callaghan

BBC 6 Music Publicity

Rozena is annoyed with Mushtaq and Zenab fussing about her pregnancy, in the week's final episode of the Asian drama. She stopped working because she wanted to and not because they told her to.

Mushtaq, meanwhile, is ecstatic when Imran announces he is back to work in the family business. Rozena thinks it's a bit convenient: she steps back and Imran jumps straight in. But Mushtaq tells her it's no longer her concern; she can leave everything to him and Imran from now on…

Rozena is played by Pooja Ghai, Mushtaq by Paul Bhattacharjee, Zenab by Sudha Buchar and Imran by Narinder Samra.

BBC Asian Network Publicity

Paris Vélib Service (Vélib is short for "Velo Liberte" or "Bike Freedom") is a city-wide bike rental service. About 20,000 bikes are available and can be used free of charge for up to half an hour per ride, allowing Parisians and tourists to get around at their own pace and appreciate the beauty of the city at the same time.

Anyone who wants one simply swipes his or her ordinary travel card and pedals off. The bike does not have to be returned to the same pick-up point – you can take a bike from a rack near the Eiffel Tower, cycle to the Pantheon and leave it in the nearest Vélib stand there.

Producer/Katie Burningham

BBC World Service Publicity