91Èȱ¬

• Day of performance, debate and anecdote around Composers Of The Year
• Specially recorded carols by the 91Èȱ¬ Singers
• David Starkey and Ann Widdecombe discuss aspects of belief with Joan Bakewell
• New season of Live From The Met
• Exclusive broadcast of concerts by the Minnesota Orchestra

December features a mix of seasonal broadcasts on 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3, in addition to bringing celebrated performance and speech programmes, as the climax to the station's celebrations around the anniversaries of Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn in Composers Of The Year.

Throughout the day on New Year's Eve, the station's schedule is cleared to present an extensive retrospective of the composers whose anniversaries have been at the heart of celebrations in 2009.

In addition to performance highlights, Fiona Shaw, Roy Strong, Patricia Routledge, Sting and John Sessions are among the guests who reveal their thoughts about the composers. Radio 3's Petroc Trelawny hosts an evening debate in which Purcell, Handel, Mendelssohn and Haydn are each championed by passionate advocates who attempt to secure the title of Composer of the Year for their nominee.

Performance On 3 broadcasts concerts exclusively devoted to each anniversary composer in the week, leading up to Christmas Day. This launches with a concert of Purcell's music recorded at Westminster Abbey with James O'Donnell and the Westminster Cathedral Choir, Mendelssohn's Elijah performed by Philippe Herreweghe and the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Haydn's Creation with the 91Èȱ¬ Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Noseda and, on Christmas Day, English National Opera's production of Handel's Messiah, directed by Deborah Warner.

John Rutter's new work, Carol For The Magi, receives its world première broadcast, as performed by the 91Èȱ¬ Singers, in Composer Of The Week, which focuses on the composer's life and music (21-25 December).

The 91Èȱ¬ Singers have specially recorded new carols for daily broadcast in Breakfast, at 8.30am (19-31 December). The seasonal fare ranges from well-known favourites through to arrangements of familiar tunes and a wide selection of original carol compositions by composers including Sally Beamish, Bernard Hughes and Jonathan Rathbone.

John Rutter is represented through his arrangement of the traditional Irish Wexford Carol and the 91Èȱ¬ Singers also join forces with massed amateur choir members for two carols, including Robert Pearsall's arrangement of In dulci jubilo.

The European Broadcasting Union Day of Christmas Music, on 20 December, brings an eclectic programme including Baltic Christmas music from Tallinn, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Chorus performing Saint Saens' Christmas Oratorio and, as part of the musical relay, Choral Evensong is broadcast live from St James's Roman Catholic Church, London at 4pm.

In the Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge, the first Sunday of Advent is marked with a service of readings, music and prayer, broadcast live on Radio 3 on 29 November.

On Christmas Day, the station returns to the university for its regular visit bringing the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Chapel at 2pm.

Opera On 3 returns with a new season of Live From The Met on 12 December. Opening with Il Trittico, Stefano Ranzini conducts a production of Puccini's ever popular triple bill and December's broadcasts also includes Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Richard Strauss' Elektra.

Two events in Glasgow and London, as part of Sing Hallelujah, the 91Èȱ¬'s collaboration with English National Opera, will allow amateur singers will get together to perform Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. Aled Jones presents coverage of both these performances in a special edition of The Choir, broadcast on 6 December.

An exclusive performance by the Minnesota Orchestra is brought to Radio 3 listeners as the station broadcasts the first in a series of six concerts, led by music director Osmo Vänskä, taken from their current season. The first two performances can be heard in Performance On 3 on 8 and 9 December. Each concert will also be available via the iPlayer at bbc.co.uk/radio 3.

Joan Bakewell returns with a new series of Belief, in which she talks to writers, artists, thinkers and other public figures about what they believe and why. Broadcast from 21-25 December, guests include David Starkey and Anne Widdicombe.

The station also gives listeners the opportunity to hear some of the highlights from this year's 91Èȱ¬ Proms and, in a special seasonal edition, Jazz Library features a profile of Bing Crosby, one of the legendary voices forever associated with Christmas.

CF2