Gramophone Classical Music Podcast

Gramophone
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  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
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Gramophone Classical Music Podcast

Weekly conversations about classical music with leading musicians and writers

  1. Charles Villiers Stanford: Jeremy Dibble on the composer's music

    1 DAY AGO

    Charles Villiers Stanford: Jeremy Dibble on the composer's music

    In a special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, we explore the music of Charles Villiers Stanford with the leading expert on the composer, Jeremy Dibble, who joins Editor Martin Cullingford to mark the centenary year of Stanford's death. Though arguably still best known today for his church music, we discuss the full breadth of Stanford's works, including his symphonies, songs, chamber music, and his operas - the latter a genre he was devoted to throughout his life.

    1h 3m
  2. Conductor William Christie: An 80th birthday conversation

    DEC 13

    Conductor William Christie: An 80th birthday conversation

    William Christie, the founder - and guiding spirit for the past 45 years – of Les Arts Florissants, celebrates his 80th birthday on December 19.  Gramophone's James Jolly went to visit him at home in Paris to talk about his long career and its colossal impact of the rediscovery of the music of his adopted homeland. Since leaving the USA in the early 1970s and settling in France, Christie has been a major figure both in concert and on record (with a clutch of Gramophone Awards to his name), focusing on music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Their conversation ranged widely taking in memories of the harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick, the countertenor Alfred Deller, the founder of Harmonia Mundi Bernard Coutaz, and many others. Musical excerpts are from from his Harmonia Mundi catalogue, including his latest release 'Bill and Friends' which finds him performing with a host of young musicians.

    59 min
  3. Rob Cowan on George Szell's Cleveland Orchestra Beethoven symphonies

    DEC 6

    Rob Cowan on George Szell's Cleveland Orchestra Beethoven symphonies

    George Szell took over the Cleveland Orchestra in 1946, and, once he had created the instrument he needed, he started an extensive series of recordings for CBS (American Columbia, now Sony Classical). The focus was on the great works of the Austro-German repertoire and, needless to say, the nine Beethoven symphonies and a selection of overtures were among them (recorded between 1957 and 1967). Sony Classical have just gathered together the symphonies and overtures from the large 'George Szell Complete Columbia Collection' set from 2018, and are releasing them on seven CDs on December 13 and also digitally (already available). James Jolly went to talk to Gramophone's long-serving contributor Rob Cowan about the recordings, and also about George Szell as a conductor in general.

    23 min
  4. Benjamin Nicholas on Gabriel Jackson's The Christmas Story

    NOV 29

    Benjamin Nicholas on Gabriel Jackson's The Christmas Story

    Benjamin Nicholas, Music Director of Merton College, Oxford joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his new recording of Gabriel Jackson's The Christmas Story. This major new commission by the college, available now on the Delphian label, has been recorded by the Choir and Girl Choristers of Merton College and the Oxford Contemporary Sinfonia, and is an Editor's Choice in the latest edition of Gramophone.

    33 min
  5. Thélème's Director Jean-Christophe Groffe on pairing John Dowland and John Cage

    NOV 22

    Thélème's Director Jean-Christophe Groffe on pairing John Dowland and John Cage

    Thélème won Gramophone’s Early Music Award in 2022 with their Aparté album of music by Josquin Desprez, ‘Baisiez-moi’. Now they return with a new programme, also for Aparté, ‘All we get is life’, that brings together the music of John  Dowland and John Cage – with an extra track featuring Sting in his song ‘Shape of my Heart’ which he performs alongside Thélème. James Jolly caught up with Thélème’s Director and one of his vocalists, Jean-Christophe Groffe, to talk about what made him bring these two composers together on a single album.

    23 min
  6. Pianist Charles Owen on 'The Young Schumann'

    NOV 15

    Pianist Charles Owen on 'The Young Schumann'

    The British pianist Charles Owen has made some fine recordings, securing a quartet of Gramophone Editor's Choice accolades for albums of Poulenc, Jonathan Dove, Liszt and, with the violinist Augustin Hadelich, a collection of Czech music. Now, for Avie, he turns his attention to the music of Robert Schumann from the 1830s, including Carnaval, Papillons, the Intermezzi Op 4 and the Abegg Variations. James Jolly caught up with Charles recently in London to talk about the album, how Schumann's fascination with the duality of his character infuses these early works, and also about the luxury of recording in a beautiful restored barn deep in The Cotswolds without having to worry about the strict timetable of a commercial recording studio.

    26 min
  7. Alec Frank-Gemmill on Mozart's horn concertos

    NOV 8

    Alec Frank-Gemmill on Mozart's horn concertos

    In this week's Gramophone Podcast, the horn player Alec Frank-Gemmill joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his beautiful new recording of Mozart's horn concertos, released today on the BIS label.

    25 min
  8. Pianist Alexandre Kantorow on his new Brahms, Schubert and Liszt album

    NOV 1

    Pianist Alexandre Kantorow on his new Brahms, Schubert and Liszt album

    Alexandre Kantorow was winner of the piano category at the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition as well as the recipient of that year’s Grand Prix. One of the world's finest young musicians, he has recorded a series of much-praised albums for BIS. And the latest release – a Gramophone Editor's Choice in the November 2024 issue – completes the trio of recordings of the three youthful piano sonatas by Johannes Brahms. It’s joined by Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy and a selection of Schubert songs in Liszt’s transcriptions. James Jolly caught up with Alexandre in Paris recently to talk about the new release, and also to find out about his plans for the future.

    29 min
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Weekly conversations about classical music with leading musicians and writers

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