Mesmeric Maestro – 3 & 10 September
Celebrated conductor Fritz Reiner was reputed to wave his baton in tiny movements, with the desired effect of forcing his musicians to keep their eyes on him. He achieved brilliant results, examples of which Richard Butler will demonstrate during Morning Concert (3 September, 10am). The major works will be a renowned recording of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, with Jascha Heifetz as soloist, and the Symphony No.6 by Shostakovich. A week later John Barns, in Concert Hall (10 September, 1.30pm) will feature Reiner in four works, including Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.2 with Emil Gilels at the keyboard.

The Genius of Bach – 21 September
At 8pm Peter Larsen commences a series of fortnightly programmes celebraing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Classic Celluloid Composers – 28 September
At 8pm John Sheridan presents a programme of film music featuring the music of Bernard Herrmann.

Romeo and Juliet – Wordless – 4 October
Shakespeare’s timeless play Romeo and Juliet has inspired the music of many composers. In Morning Concert, Joan Ikin reminds us of some of these. Opening with Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture, the programme moves through Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet Love Scene to Diamond’s symphonic poem honouring the lovers. Parts of Prokofiev’s exciting ballet version complete the story.

Maria Vandamme – 7 October
The guest who’ll be landing on the famous tropic island this week with her selection of Tropic Island Discs will be Maria Vandamme, founder and director of Melba Recordings, whose recording of the 2004 Australian rendition of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Adelaide has been hailed as a great achievement in the operatic world. Her background is Greek, and she is a passionate lover of the human voice; her selection of recordings will range from a traditional Greek song to songs from Russia, France and Sweden, operatic extracts and orchestral music.

Violins, Voices and Vivaldi – 18 October
A varied range of Vivaldi’s creative artistry in Morning Concert today. Andrew Manze is soloist in the Violin Concerto in C, and the Vocal Ensemble of Lausanne presents Beatus Vir. Oboe, violin, organ and chalumeau combine for a Sonata, then alto Andreas Scholl sings Salve Regina, and four violins and a cello are featured in a Concerto in F. The splendid Gloria in D, with Ensemble Gombert and soloists crowns the programme.

Remembering Liszt – 22 October
On the anniversary of the birth of Franz Liszt in 1811, John Barns, in Concert Hall (1.30pm), has programmed one of the great Hungarian pianist/composer’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, the mighty Piano Sonata in B minor and the orchestral epic, A Dante Symphony, with an all-Hungarian cast under conductor György Lehel.

A Pianistic Birthday – 29 October
The German-born American pianist Michael Ponti today celebrates his 70th birthday and to honour this fine exponent of Romantic era musical literature John Barns, in Concert Hall (1.30pm), has programmed Ignaz Moscheles’ Piano Concerto No.3 in G minor, with Ponti as soloist, then Adolf von Henselt’s Twelve Characteristic Etudes, Op.2, and Johannes Brahms’ Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op.24.

John Button – 4 November
Tropic Island Discs host Bob Rothols will welcome a man who has played a major role in the world of politics as a senator, both in Opposition and in Government with the Labor Party … John Button. He’s called politics a heady business, having been Leader of the Government in the Senate and Industry Minister from 1983 to 1993. He’s called his collection of music “a clumsy coherent programme for island living” which ranges from Fats Waller and Graham Bell to Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin and Bruch.

Marie-Antoinette’s Paris – 8 November
The era of France’s unfortunate Queen Marie-Antoinette is evoked in Morning Concert today with Joan Ikin. Composers on the scene then included Mozart, with his Paris Symphony, and Gluck, whose opera Orpheus and Eurydice was one of the Queen’s favourites. Boccherini (represented by his String Quintet in C) was there too, and Saint-Georges (Violin Concerto in D) was instrumental in Haydn’s commission to write his Symphony No.85, “The Queen”.

Playing (composers’) Favourites – 15 November
Composers have favourite compositions too - their own or other people’s! So Morning Concert today is called “Playing (composer’s) Favourites”. Dvorák liked his own Serenade for Strings in E; J S Bach admired Vivaldi’s Violin Sonata in C; Debussy greatly enjoyed Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata (to be heard with featured viola), and of his own works, Mendelssohn liked best his Octet for Strings.

Tribute to John Delany – 18 November
It’s 100 years since the death of John Albert Delany, one of the most influential musicians in the development of Australian music. Apart from his expertise as a conductor of opera, Delany’s work as organist and choirmaster at Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral raised its musical standards after years of neglect. In 1903 he conducted the Australian premiere of Sir Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius.Among his compositions is Song of the Commonwealth, writtenfor the swearing-in of our first Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, in 1901. In Après-Midi (2pm) Hector Walker features Delany’s beautiful Mass in A flat, with St Mary’s Cathedral Choir among the singers.

Giving and Thanksgiving – 22 November
In Morning Concert (10am) Joan Ikin has selected works which were given as gifts or tributes. They include Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in C, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D and Haydn’s Oxford Symphony. Vaughan Williams’ A Song of Thanksgiving, and Charpentier’s stirring Te Deum make the mood of thanksgiving.

The Spirit of Progress – 23 November
It’s 70 years since that icon of public railway transport, the Spirit of Progress, first ran from Melbourne to Albury (and from Melbourne to Sydney with the introduction of standard gauge passenger services in 1962). In its striking blue and gold livery, it remained in service until 1986. In The Spirit of Progress (8pm) Rod Watson pays nostalgic tribute, with appropriate railway-inspired music, to this marvel of Australian design and manufacture.