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This week marks the traditional celebration of Shakespeare's birthday on St George's Day, and Sarah Walker's guest is Dame Harriet Walter, one of our most renowned Shakespearian actresses. The niece of British actor Sir Christopher Lee, Harriet trained at LAMDA and has since worked extensively in theatre, TV, film and radio. She is an associate artist of the RSC, where she played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra alongside Patrick Stewart, Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing, Lady Macbeth opposite Anthony Sher, All's Well That Ends Well (with Peggy Ashcroft) and Twelfth Night, among other Shakespearian productions. She won an Olivier Award for her performances in Twelfth Night and Chekhov's Three Sisters, and won the Evening Standard Award for her performance as Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart at the Donmar (opposite Janet McTeer as Mary Stuart). Most recently she appeared as Livia in Women Beware Women at the National Theatre. Her film credits include The Young Victoria, Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and Bright Young Things.

Her music choices include a romance for piano by Clara Schumann and an unusual version of Rossini's Barber of Seville overture played by an all-female trombone quartet, as well as works by Rodrigo, Butterworth and Beethoven.

9am
A selection of music including the Essential CD of the Week: this week (23rd-27th April) a recording by pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano): Debussy Complete Works for Piano, Vol.1 - Preludes Books 1 and 2, CHANDOS CHAN1042.

9.30am
A daily brainteaser and performances by the Artist of the Week, baritone Gerald Finley.

10.30am
In the week of Shakespeare's birthday, the Essential Classics guest is the actress Dame Harriet Walter. She shares her musical choices with Sarah.

11am
Sarah's Essential Choice

Haydn: Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor (Farewell),
The English Concert,
Trevor Pinnock (conductor),
DG 463 731-2.