From the London Eye to the Northern Lights: BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century

The London Eye (Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0)

On Saturday 25 January, BBC Radio 3 launched 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century, its sequence of 25 commissions celebrating and commemorating some of the biggest events of the 21st century so far.  Recorded by BBC performing groups and Radio 3 New Generation Artists, the new commissions have their first broadcast on Saturday Morning with Tom Service each week and are then presented across the Radio 3 schedule throughout the week following their premiere, including plays on Breakfast, Essential Classics and In Tune. 

The series launched on Saturday 25 January with the premiere of Anna Clyne’s The Eye, performed by the BBC Philharmonic with conductor Ben Gernon, taking The London Eye as a starting point for a reflection on the new millennium.

The new works include Errollyn Wallen’s Remembering 2012 (London 2012 Olympics) by New Generation Artists, the Chaos Quartet), Stephen Hough’s Nocturne for September 10th 2001 (the 9/11 terrorist attacks) with performed by former New Generation Artist Elisabeth Brauß) and Thea Musgrave’s In memoriam 2022 (the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra led by Nil Venditti, with oboist Nicholas Daniel and violinist Johan Dalene, Nkeiru Okoye’s And The People Celebrated (the 2008 election of the first African-American US President, Barack Obama) with the BBC Concert Orchestra led by George Morton, and narrator Paterson Joseph), Karl Jenkins’ The Signs Still Point the Way (the COVID pandemic) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers) and Rakhi Singh’s There is nothing in the sky (the Manchester Arena bombing) performed by the BBC Philharmonic.

Some of the milestones seem designed specifically to give the composers’ a headache. Erland Cooper’s Birds of Paradise pays tribute to David Attenborough’s eight-decade-long career with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jack Sheen, Anselm McDonnell reflects on the Paris Climate Agreement with the BBC Singers, Héloïse Werner is inspired by the first image of a black hole with BBC Singers. Cassie Kinoshi celebrates record sightings of humpback whales in 2021 with New Generation Artists, the Kleio Quartet and Kristina Arakelyan is inspired by Northern Lights for the BBC Philharmonic with the composer at the piano. One wonders what Gerald Barry will make of the first recorded sound on Mars with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Jack Sheen.

Of particular personal interest, Elena Kats-Chernin with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra celebrates the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. Other notable commissions include Jasdeep Singh Degun commemorating the great Indian sitar player Vilayat Khan, who died in 2004, with BBC Philharmonic, Gavin Higgins reflecting the End of UK deep-pit coal mining in 2015 with BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Northern Lights captured by Rebecca Saxton over Great Chishill Windmill, Royston, UK, 10 October 2024, with a Nikon D750 camera and 24-70mm lens (Photo via BBC Sky at Night magazine)

Anna Clyne’s piece can be found by scrolling through Tom Service’s 25 January programme on BBC Sounds but I do hope the BBC are going to give us a proper website with a way to hear everything. See the full list below.

• 25/01/2025: Anna Clyne, New Millennium/The London Eye, 2000 (BBC Philharmonic)

• 01/02/2025: Stephen Hough, 09/11 terrorist attacks, 2001 (Elisabeth Brauß)

• 08/02/2025: Erland Cooper, David Attenborough tribute, 2002 (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)

• 15/02/2025: Arowah, Peace rally, 15th February, 2003 (BBC Concert O/Emma Rawicz/Lorenz Okello-Osengor)

• 22/02/2025: Jasdeep Singh Degun, Vilayat Khan tribute, 2004 (BBC Philharmonic)

• 01/03/2025: Sauli Zinovjev, Trial of Saddam Hussein, 2005 (Santiago Cañón-Valencia)

• 08/03/2025: Kieran Brunt, Music streaming services, 2006 (BBC Singers)

• 15/03/2025: Jasper Dommett, Smartphones, 2007 (BBC National Orchestra of Wales)

• 22/03/2025: Nkeiru Okoye, First African-American President, Barack Obama, 2008 (BBC Concert Orchestra/Paterson Joseph, narrator)

• 29/03/2025: Donnacha Dennehy, Miracle on the Hudson, 2009 (BBC National Orchestra of Wales)

• 05/04/2025: Natalie Holt, Eyjafjallajökull eruption, 2010 (Richard Harwood/Ben Hancox/ Esther Kim/ Garfield Jackson/ David Arch)

• 12/04/2025: Karen Tanaka, Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, 2011 (BBC Concert Orchestra)

• 19/04/2025: Errollyn Wallen, London 2012 Olympics, 2012 (Chaos Quartet)

• 26/042025: Elena Kats-Chernin, Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, 2013 (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)

• 03/05/2025: Aileen Sweeney, Unveiling of The Kelpies, 2014 (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)

• 10/05/2025: Gavin Higgins, End of UK deep-pit coal mining (Kellingley), 2015 (BBC Symphony Orchestra)

• 17/05/2025: Anselm McDonnell, Paris Climate Agreement, 2016 (BBC Singers)

• 24/05/2025: Rakhi Singh (in collaboration with music producer Sebastian Gainsborough), Manchester bombing, 2017 (BBC Philharmonic)

• 31/05/2025: Gerald Barry, First recorded sound on Mars, 2018 (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra)

• 07/06/2025: Héloïse Werner, First image of a black hole, 2019 (BBC Singers)

• 14/06/2025: Karl Jenkins, Covid pandemic, 2020 (BBC Symphony Orchestra/BBC Singers)

• 21/062025: Cassie Kinoshi, Record sightings of humpback whales, 2021 (Kleio Quartet)

• 28/06/2025: Thea Musgrave, Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2022 (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Nicholas Daniel/Johan Dalene)

• 05/072025: Øyvind Torvund, AI, 2023 (BBC Symphony Orchestra/BBC Singers)

• 12/07/2025: Kristina Arakelyan, Northern lights, 2024 (BBC Philharmonic/Kristina Arakelyan)