The BBC director general is expected to announce the release of much of the corporation’s huge back catalogue of classical music broadcasts and recordings to the public.

Speaking on Thursday at the launch of the BBC’s Our Classical Century, a year-long celebration of music programming, Tony Hall is planning to unveil an initiative to make key works in one of the largest publicly owned music archives in the world available on demand.

Hall is expected to say: “In an age of ever-growing platforms and social media sharing, these historic and recent performances will be returned to the public as their rightful property.”

The release will include key recordings made at the BBC Proms on television and on Radio 3, seminal interpretations of works from the BBC orchestras and choirs, and from major talent competitions, such as BBC Young Musician, the New Generation Artists and Cardiff Singer of the World.

“While the way we consume and share content is changing rapidly, music’s ability to bring us together has stayed the same, and classical music’s role in that should not be underestimated,” Hall is due to say.

He is also expected to highlight the BBC’s importance at the centre of Britain’s creative industries, and warn that its role is not sustainable without additional resources.

Our Classical Century will run on BBC Two, BBC Four, BBC Radio 3 and on BBC Sounds from mid-November.