Chandos was named Gramophone 's Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards last October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label's key artists and the people who steer and shape the label. The conductor John Wilson, whose recordings feature regularly in Gramophone 's monthly Editor's Choice listings, has amassed a sizeable catalogue for Chandos and it continues to grow with recordings with his own Sinfonia of London, the BBC Philharmonic and ...
Feb 01, 2023•38 min
Rosalind Ventris's new album for Delphian, 'SOLA', finds her in the company of both contemporary and 20th century women composers who wrote solo repertoire for the viola. An album like this, showcasing works for solo viola written by women, is the first of its kind, taking us through the folk landscapes of Amanda Feery and Sally Beamish to Elisabeth Lutyens's defiant style and a beautiful solo suite by Imogen Holst. Hattie Butterworth caught up with Rosie in Foyles to learn more about the album ...
Jan 27, 2023•33 min
Today's Gramophone Podcast takes us through the world of Stephen Sondheim in the company of Edward Seckerson and Sarah Kirkup. Exploring the power of newer musicals and how to be a successful musical theatre writer, the contemporary world of musical theatre comes alive through discussions, stories and musical excerpts, including Wicked, SIX and The Secret Garden. Gramophone's sister publication, Musicals, will become a bi-monthly publication from March.
Jan 20, 2023•49 min
In this special in-depth exploration of the music of Handel, Richard Wigmore, Gramophone writer and Handel expert, talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about the composer, one of the most dominant cultural figures of 18th-century London life. From his early years in Germany and Italy, to his success in London with both opera and, later, oratorios, we trace the development of his extraordinary career and music, and hear excerpts from some of the finest recent recordings.
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Chandos was named Gramophone 's Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards in October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label's key artists and the people who steer and shape the label. In this third podcast, James Jolly met up with Chandos's Managing Director, Ralph Couzens, and the producer Brian Pidgeon who has made hundreds of recordings for Chandos. The conversation took place in St Augustine's, Kilburn, North London, during a run of re...
Jan 06, 2023•31 min
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge is one of the world's most famous choral occasions. Taking place on Christmas Eve in the iconic chapel, the reflective, moving and ultimately joyful journey through music and scripture is broadcast annually to millions. For this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford met with Director of Music Daniel Hyde to explore what makes this service so beloved, and to talk more generally about the acclaimed ...
Dec 22, 2022•22 min
As is traditional, Gramophone 's reviewers have named their favourite recordings of the year (in the December issue and online ). Now Gramophone 's Editor, Martin Cullingford, Reviews Editor, Tim Parry, and Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly, each nominate three albums that they've enjoyed over the past 12 months.
Dec 20, 2022•38 min
Christmas has long inspired composers to write works of great beauty, reflectiveness and drama, and the new album from acclaimed choir Tenebrae explores a diverse and wonderful range of them. Placing Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols at its heart, 'In Winter's House' begins its journey in Advent, embracing composers including Bob Chilcott, Joanna Marsh, Owain Park, Vaughan Williams, Sally Beamish, Elizabeth Poston and many more in a wonderful celebration of seasonal works. In the latest Gr...
Dec 17, 2022•31 min
The pianist Mark Bebbington continues his invaluable service to British music with a new album for Resonus that gathers together four rarities from Vaughan Williams's output, ranging from the Piano Quintet of 1903 to the Fantasia on the 'Old 104th' Psalm Tune of 1949. Joined by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for three of the works, and by the entire orchestra plus the City of London Choir and conductor Hilary Davan Wetton for the Fantasia, this album fills in some major gaps in the ...
Dec 09, 2022•26 min
Chandos was named Gramophone 's Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards in October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label's key artists. The violinist Tasmin Little was central to the Chandos roster from 2009 until her retirement two years ago. James Jolly caught up with her to reflect on the role that recording played in her long career – from her first concerto album made when she was in her early twenties to her final concerto and cha...
Dec 07, 2022•34 min
The National Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Gianandrea Noseda are marking the centenary of American composer George Walker by recording his five Sinfonias. Nos 1 and 4 have already been made available on streaming services, and to learn more about Walker and his music, Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford met up with Noseda during a recent visit to London.
Dec 05, 2022•23 min
Michael Spyres has won three Gramophone Awards: Opera and Recording of the Year in 2018 for Berlioz's Les troyens , and Voice and Ensemble in 2022 for 'Baritenor', an album that reveals his remarkable vocal range. Now, again for Erato and in the company of his Trojans conductor, John Nelson, he has recorded Les nuits d'été – but in the original keys and in Berlioz's envisaged registers. James Jolly spoke to Michael Spyres about his approach to the Berlioz songs, and also about whether he conside...
Dec 01, 2022•30 min
Ruby Hughes's new album for BIS, 'Echo', finds her in the company of Huw Watkins, as both pianist and composer. His song cycle, Echo , written for Ruby, and commissioned by Carnegie Hall, sits at the programme's centre and is flanked by a sequence of short pieces by Bach (both sung and for solo piano), a handful of folksongs and three works by three more living composers, Deborah Pritchard, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Errolyn Wallen. James Jolly went to visit Ruby to discuss the album and some of th...
Nov 25, 2022•21 min
Clare Hammond's new album is a wonderful recital of works by Hélène de Montgeroult. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford recently caught up with the pianist to talk about what drew her to this French composer's neglected music. 'Hélène de Montgeroult - Études' is available now on the BIS label.
Nov 18, 2022•19 min
Chandos was named Gramophone 's Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards last month – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label's key artists. And the pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet would certainly count as one, with complete cycles of the Beethoven piano sonatas and concertos, the piano works of Debussy, the Prokofiev and Bartók piano concertos, a cycle of the Haydn piano sonatas as well as the Mozart piano concertos to his name. Gramophone 's ...
Nov 11, 2022•35 min
The violinist and cellist have recorded Brahms's Double Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Manfred Honeck, plus Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G minor for which they are joined by Lambert Orkis at the piano. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford caught up with them to discuss their collaboration on this new album, released today on Sony Classical. Gramophone Podcasts are produced in association with Wigmore Hall.
Nov 04, 2022•22 min
The American composer Mason Bates wrote Philharmonia Fantastique to a commission from a host of major US orchestras (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the American Youth Symphony). It was recorded for Sony Classical by the Chicago SO under Edwin Outwater and released earlier this year. Now an animated film by Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and featuring the work of Jim...
Oct 28, 2022•22 min
Xavier de Maistre – with Cologne's WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann – has recorded harp concertos by Reinhold Glière and Alexander Mosolov for Sony Classical, supplemented by a couple of transcriptions of Russian ballet music. James Jolly spoke to the French harpist about the album, the two women harpists who inspired the works and the detective work involved in resurrecting the Mosolov concerto. Gramophone Podcasts are made in association with Wigmore Hall , sponsors of th...
Oct 21, 2022•24 min
A recording of the Australian composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg's The Moons Symphony has just been released in Dolby Atmos sound by Signum. Featuring London Voices and the London Symphony Orchestra, the work is conducted by Marin Alsop. For this podcast, Gramophone 's James Jolly spoke with Amanda in Dubai and Marin in Vienna about the project, its ambitious programme and the challenges of recording such a large-scale work in the middle of the pandemic. Gramophone Podcasts are made in association w...
Oct 13, 2022•31 min
This week's Gramophone Podcast sees flautist Sharon Bezaly talk to Editor Martin Cullingford about her new and wide-ranging album of concerto collaborations called 'Synergy', available today on BIS. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.
Oct 07, 2022•21 min
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2022 were unveiled last night. Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry explore and celebrate all the winning artists and albums, complete with musical excerpts.
Oct 05, 2022•50 min
Following last year's Gramophone Award-winning solo Verdi album, Ludovic Tézier returns to the composer – and a couple of others – for his latest Sony Classical release, 'Insieme' (Together). Joining Jonas Kaufmann he explores some of the great tenor-baritone duets of the operatic repertoire with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. He talks to Gramophone Editor-in-Chief James Jolly.
Sep 30, 2022•29 min
This autumn marks five year since the death of the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, aged just 55. To mark this sad anniversary Decca Eloquence has gathered together the 11 recital programmes he recorded for Philips following his sensational triumph at the 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, one that launched his live and recorded career. Anna Barry was the producer of all of Hvorostovsky's recordings for Philips, and for this week's edition of the Gramophone Podcast she joined Editor Mart...
Sep 23, 2022•23 min
Lucie Horsch's new album, Origins, begins with the bebop of Charlie Parker before taking us on wide-ranging and diverse journey embracing Bartók, Piazzolla, and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, with a particular focus on folk music. The Dutch recorder player joined Editor Martin Cullingford on this week's Gramophone Podcast to talk about the release, which will be available on Decca next Friday.
Sep 16, 2022•22 min
The forthcoming album from Bjarte Eike and the Barokksolistene explores the world of Restoration London, when musicians, actors and art forms all mingled creatively in the backrooms of English pubs. Eike joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to tell us more about the recording. Gramophone Podcasts are published in association with Wigmore Hall.
Sep 10, 2022•25 min
Guitarist Plínio Fernandes's debut album for Decca Gold, 'Saudade', is a very personal album drawing on his Brazilian roots. From music at the heart of the classical guitar repertoire such as Villa-Lobos's Five Preludes to arrangements of popular songs, it's a wonderful portrait of both Fernandes as an artist and of the guitar's place in Brazilian musical life. Gramophone 's Editor Martin Cullingford met up with him. Gramophone Podcasts are in association with Wigmore Hall.
Aug 31, 2022•23 min
Edward Seckerson joins the Gramophone Podcast to talk to Editor Martin Cullingford about the music, recordings and greatest interpreters of Mahler
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 11 min
The tenor Jonathan Tetelman has signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, the first fruit of which is a solo album called, simply, 'Arias'. James Jolly caught up with him by video call as the tenor prepared for a concert in Stockholm. They spoke the day 'Arias' was released. For 'Arias', Jonathan Tetelman was joined by the Orquesta Filarmonica De Gran Canaria conducted by Karel Mark Chichon in some of Italian and French opera's favourite numbers, including a role Tetelman ...
Aug 19, 2022•21 min
During holiday periods, we occasionally return to past podcasts, and this week, prompted by the news that he is about to release a new album inspired by an encounter with György Kurtág, we revisit a conversation from September 2021 with the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. James Jolly caught up by video call with the pianist at his home in Iceland just a few days after Ólafsson's triumphant debut at the 2021 BBC Proms to talk about the album 'Mozart & Contemporaries' which gathers music ...
Aug 12, 2022•30 min
During holiday periods, we occasionally revisit past podcasts, and this week, prompted by the announcement that Andrew Nethsingha will be succeeding James O'Donnell as Organist and Choirmaster of Westminster Abbey, we return to a conversation from November last year. Editor Martin Cullingford was joined by Andrew, Director of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge to discuss the choir's new album on Signum, 'The Tree' - as well as the recent announcement that the choir will soon welcome femal...
Aug 04, 2022•31 min
