Uchronias

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 – 14-18 July 2025

“Uchronia” – noun – neologism. An alternative history or genre of speculative fiction that reimagines historical events or characters in a new light.

Five startling, counterfactual stories featuring Chopin, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Beethoven and Satie. These stories were originally created for classical music magazine Scherzo from the imagination of Spanish writer and radio presenter Martín Llade, with hints of Borges and Marcel Schwob.

Uchronias straddles the gap between fact and fiction, creating hypothetical, “what if” scenarios around 19th and 20th century composers and their lives.

Stories by Martín Llade
Read by Blake Ritson

With thanks to Juan Lucas and David Johnston.

Episode 1 – The sensible thing was to kill him
Episode 2 – The Sibelius Report
Episode 3 – Stravinsky Goes Pop
Episode 4 – Must it be so?
Episode 5 – Satie’s Aleph

Stories originally published as “El horizonte quimérico” by Scherzo Editorial S.L.

Executive producer, Sara Davies
Sound mix, Adam Woodhams
Translated, produced and presented by Nicolas Jackson

An Afonica production for BBC Radio 3