The Modern Soul

In Katherine Mansfield's story, guests at a German pension perform in a private concert.

• 20 mins

A Russian Bloomsbury

Lesley Chamberlain on the 'aesthetic Bolsheviks', a 1920s Russian artistic community.

• 20 mins

From Buddenbrooks

Adrian Scarborough reads from Thomas Mann's classic novel set in the mid-1800s.

• 20 mins

The Art of Fireworks

Alexandra Harris discusses the history of fireworks at the 2011 Free Thinking Festival.

• 20 mins

What Childhood of Christ?

Helen Bond analyses the Scriptures and the Apocrypha to discover Christ's missing years.

• 20 mins

Angelology

The Rev Lucy Winkett explores traditional images of angels.

• 20 mins

Shostakovich's Symphony No 7

Stephen Johnson explores the symbolism of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony.

• 20 mins

Ragtime to Riches

Bricklayer's son, ragtime pianist, major philanthropist: the lost story of Walter Harding.

• 20 mins

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

Musician David Bramwell explores the art of the clap in creating and teaching music.

• 20 mins

The Ascent of Mount Ventoux

Petrarch's account of how he and his brother once set out to climb a mountain in Provence.

• 1200 mins

William Byrd and Catholicism

The Rev Richard Coles hosts a discussion on how William Byrd survived as a recusant.

• 20 mins

Czeslaw Milosz: Poet-Witness

Fiona Sampson considers the work of the Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz.

• 20 mins

The Story of the Cross

Jonathan Coffey on the story of the cross and how it became the symbol of Christianity.

• 20 mins

The Light in Darkness

A documentary contemplating the 'endless days and nights' that affect Finland.

• 20 mins

Bittersweet Symphony

Louise Fryer investigates the inspiration behind Walton's powerful First Symphony.

• 20 mins

Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex

Stephen Johnson explores Stravinsky's take on the ancient tale of Oedipus Rex.

• 20 mins

Your First 1812

Children from Amersham Music Centre prepare to perform Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

• 30 mins

The Meaning of Maturity

Paul Allen explores the work that inspired Josef Suk's The Ripening.

• 20 mins

Schumann's Carnaval

Stephen Johnson tries to uncover the mysteries of Schumann's piano suite Carnaval.

• 20 mins

Lizzie's Tiger

In Angela Carter's story a circus tiger shapes the destiny of the notorious Lizzie Borden.

• 20 mins

Elgar's Coronation Ode

Stephen Johnson explores Elgar's Coronation Ode.

• 20 mins

No Conquering Hero

Ruth Smith uncovers the surprising truth about the many meanings of Judas Maccabeus.

• 20 mins

The Trojan Horse Has Bolted

Paul Allen examines how, despite losing the war, the Trojans have shaped Western culture.

• 30 mins

Goethe and the West-Eastern Divan

Episode 1

Paul Farley explores Goethe's verse tribute to Persian poetry, The West-Eastern Divan.

• 20 mins

Goethe and the West-Eastern Divan

Episode 2

Paul Farley on how Goethe's West-Eastern Divan poems were fuelled by a love affair.

• 20 mins

Entertaining Toscanini

Suzy Klein explores the drama engendered by Toscanini's visits to the BBC SO in the 1930s.

• 20 mins

The Sunken City

Phil Carradice investigates a lost kingdom submerged beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay.

• 20 mins

Are You Musical?

Exploring how in Edwardian Britain Tchaikovsky became a symbol of male homosexuality.

• 20 mins

Wallace and Gromit: Feet of Clay

Poet Michael Rosen visits the Aardman Studios to meet Nick Park and Wallace and Gromit.

• 20 mins

A Herball for the 21st Century

A mysterious discovery prompts Anna Pavord to celebrate her botanical hero William Turner.

• 20 mins