Gramophone Classical Music Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Cellist Zlatomir Fung on his debut recording of opera fantasies Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Zlatomir Fung won the Cello category of the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition, and also has an enviable collection of other cello awards and prizes to his name. He was a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Winner in 2022 and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2020.

His debut recording, 'Fantasies', is just out from Signum and on it he explores, with his pianist Richard Fu, a very specific genre, the virtuoso fantasy based on popular operas of the day. And Zlatomir has contributed his own fantasy based on Janáček's Jenůfa.

James Jolly went to talk to him at Henry Wood Hall in London earlier this year just before a rehearsal with the London Philharmonic with whom he was performing a couple of concerts.

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Conductor Alan Gilbert on Brahms and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

Alan Gilbert is Chief Conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, as well as Music Director of the Royal Swedish Opera. Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with him during a run of Wagner's Die Walküre in Stockholm, where he lives.

They talked about his Hamburg-based orchestra, the role today of a radio orchestra and also about the work orchestra and conductor have just released (on the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester label to stream and download), Brahms's Third Symphony.

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Leif Ove Andsnes on Liszt's Via Crucis Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford talks to pianist Leif Ove Andsnes about his new recording on Sony Classical of the extraordinary work Via Crucis by Franz Liszt, the composer's deeply spiritual meditations on the Stations of the Cross, released just before the start of Holy Week.

This week's podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall, where performers over the coming week include two performances by the former Gramophone Artist of the Year, pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, conductor William Christie with the ensemble that he founded, Les Arts Florissants, and the Chiaroscuro Quartet. For full details of these concerts, and many more, visit https://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

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Jessica Duchen on the life of pianist Myra Hess Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

This week journalist and author Jessica Duchen joins Holly Baker to talk about her new book Myra Hess - National Treasure, which is out now on Kahn & Averill.

Extracts of music on the podcast come from the album 'Myra Hess - The complete solo and concerto studio recordings' on APR Records

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James Ehnes on Bach's complete violin concertos Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

This week violinist James Ehnes joins the Gramophone Podcast to talk about his new recording of Bach's complete violin concertos, recorded with Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra, and released on the Analeketa label.

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Attacca Quartet on Ravel and relationships Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

The two-time Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet has seen stratospheric success in recent years across new and popular music collaborations. Hattie Butterworth meets the group as their debut album with Platoon of Ravel's String Quartet is released.

Music clips:

Ravel String Quartet – Platoon PLAT26294

Entr'acte by Caroline Shaw from Orange – Nonesuch 7559792609

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Anna Dennis and Julian Perkins on John Weldon's The Judgment of Paris Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

John Weldon, born in 1676, was an English composer and pupil of Henry Purcell. Keyboardist Julian Perkins and soprano Anna Dennis join Hattie Butterworth to discuss the world premiere recording of Weldon's opera 'The Judgment of Paris', recorded by the Academy of Ancient Music and Cambridge Handel Opera

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Pianist Bertrand Chamayou on his 'Ravel Fragments' album Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

Maurice Ravel was born 150 years ago, on March 7, 1875, and he is the subject of numerous tributes this season. Bertrand Chamayou recorded the complete piano works ten years ago for Erato ('No one who loves French music or exquisite piano-playing will want to miss this' wrote Patrick Rucker in Gramophone), a set that incidentally has just been released on LP. So, by way of a supplement, he has curated a programme that weaves a handful of Ravel transcriptions together with tributes and memorials by other composers.

James Jolly went to visit Bertrand at his home in Paris this week to talk about the new album, but also to discuss Ravel's place in the pianist's repertoire.

This Gramophone Podcast is given in association with Wigmore Hall

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Ian Bostridge and Saskia Georgini on Schumann songs Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

Tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Saskia Georgini join Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford this week to talk about their new album of Schumann Songs, Twilight, released on the Pentatone label.

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Nevermind on Bach's Goldberg Variations Feb 22, 2025

Show notes

For this edition of the Gramophone Podcast Editor Martin Cullingford was joined by three of the four members of the French ensemble Nevermind - flute player Anna Besson, viola da gamba player Robin Pharo and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau - to talk about the group's new creative exploration of Bach's Goldberg Variations, newly released on the Alpha label.

This Gramophone Podcast is given in association with Wigmore Hall

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