Building a Library: Rossini's The Barber of Seville

Ben Walton compares recordings of Rossini's hugely popular opera on Beaumarchais's play.

• 51 mins

Building a Library: Bach's B Minor Mass

Bach completed this piece by refashioning music he'd composed throughout his career

• 55 mins

Building a Library: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez

Tom McKinney heads to Spain with the ever-popular Rodrigo Guitar Concerto.

• 47 mins

Building a Library: Ives's Second Symphony

Edward Seckerson joins Andrew McGregor to assess recordings of Ives Symphony No. 2.

• 58 mins

Building a Library: Survey of Ethel Smyth recordings

Explore the music of an underrated composer and a member of the women's suffrage movement

• 49 mins

Building a Library: Schoenberg's Gurrelieder

Nicholas Baragwanath guides us through Schoenberg's epic Romantic cantata, Gurrelieder.

• 47 mins

Building a Library: Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time

Messaien's piece was premiered at a prisoner of war camp, outdoors in the rain, in 1941.

• 48 mins

Building a Library: Mozart's Clarinet Concerto

Mozart's final instrumental work was written for his friend, clarinettist Anton Stadler.

• 50 mins

Building a Library: Verdi's Aida

Set in the Egypt of the Pharaohs, Verdi's Aida premiered at the Cairo opera house in 1871

• 55 mins

Building a Library: Kodaly's Dances of Galanta

Kodaly's joyful work is based on the Hungarian dances of Galanta where he lived as a boy.

• 49 mins

Building a Library: Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata

Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata was overshadowed by the success of his Piano Concerto No. 2.

• 50 mins

Building a Library: Mahler's Second Symphony

Bill Mival assesses recordings of the epic 'Resurrection' symphony, live from Spiritland.

• 70 mins

Building a Library: Schumann's Liederkreis, Op. 24

Liederkreis was written in the year he devoted to song composition after marrying Clara.

• 43 mins

Building a Library: Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto

Prokofiev was soloist at the concerto's 1921 premiere, which has become his most popular.

• 48 mins

Building a Library: Monteverdi's L'Orfeo

Jeremy Summerly joins Andrew for a live review of recordings of Monteverdi's opera.

• 66 mins

Building a Library: Sofia Gubaidulina

Gillian Moore surveys recordings of music by Russia's greatest living composer.

• 49 mins

Building a Library: The Mikado by Sir Arthur Sullivan

Sarah Lenton recommends the best recording of The Mikado by Sir Arthur Sullivan.

• 43 mins

Building a Library:Sinfonia da Requiem by Benjamin Britten

Building a Library:Sinfonia da Requiem by Benjamin Britten

• 43 mins

Building a Library: Survey of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor recordings

Ivan Hewett and Andrew survey recordings of the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

• 46 mins

Building a Library: Beethoven's Diabelli Variations

Iain Burnside recommends the best recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations.

• 47 mins

Building a Library: Telemann's 'Water Music'

Simon Heighes recommends the best recording of Telemann's 'Water Music'

• 47 mins

Building a Library:Janáček's Sinfonietta

Richard Morrison recommends the best recording of Janáček's Sinfonietta.

• 45 mins

Building a Library: Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem

Alexandra Coghlan recommends the best recording of Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem

• 48 mins

Mozart Horn Quintet

Sarah Walker recommends a recorded version of Mozart's Horn Quintet

• 48 mins

César Franck - Symphony in D minor

Mahan Esfahani recommends a recorded version of César Franck's Symphony in D minor

• 46 mins

Richard Wagner - Wesendonck-Lieder

Natasha Loges recommends a recorded version of Richard Wagner's Wesendonck-Lieder

• 47 mins

Handel - Concerti Grossi Op.3

These 6 lively concertos were compiled into a set and published by John Walsh in 1734.

• 51 mins

Henry Purcell - My heart is inditing Z.30

Jeremy Summerly recommends a recorded version of Henry Purcell's My heart is inditing Z30

• 28 mins

Giacomo Puccini - Il Tabarro

Anna Picard recommends a recorded version of Puccini's Il Tabarro

• 49 mins

Record Review

Kirsten Gibson recommends a recorded version of Dowland's Lachrimae.

• 39 mins