The 15-hour performance, conducted by Daniel Barenboim and recorded at Bayreuth, will begin at 8 a.m. on April 17 (a national holiday in the U.K.) and conclude at midnight. A time-delay service will be available on the station's Internet audio stream, enabling listeners who can't digest Wagner with their breakfast to begin listening two or four hours later.

The operas feature Anne Evans as Br‹nnhilde, Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried and John Tomlinson as Wotan, with presenter Donald Macleod guiding listeners throughout the day.

Interactive support is offered online at bbc.co.uk/radio3, including synopses and beginners' guides. Live on-air surtitles will be available via digital radio and television. Fans will also be able to tune in via bbc.co.uk/radio3 for a week after the broadcasts; excerpts from all four operas are free to download at the Warner Classics web site.

A film of the Bayreuth performance of Die Walk‹re will be screened at the Royal Opera House, concurrent with Radio 3's broadcast.