This Classical Life

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Jess Gillam with... Mari Samuelsen Oct 30, 2021

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Jess Gillam and violinist Mari Samuelsen share the music they love, including Gershwin, Nick Cave, Hannah Peel, Huw Watkins and Queen!

Playlist: Gershwin – Walking the dog (Promenade) from Shall we Dance [Los Angeles Philharmonic, Michael Tilson Thomas] John Bennet – Weep, O Mine Eyes [Attacca Quartet] Nick Cave – Push The Sky Away Hannah Peel – Emergence In Nature Huw Watkins – Flute Concerto; III. Allegro Molto [Adam Walker (flute), Halle, Ryan Wigglesworth] Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35; I. Moderato nobile [Nicola Benedetti, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits] Vivaldi / Max Richter – Recomposed, Vivaldi The Four Seasons; Spring 3 [Daniel Hope (violin), Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin, André de Ridder]

Jess Gillam with... Carlos Simon Oct 16, 2021

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Jess Gillam is joined by composer Carlos Simon to share the music they love including the Philip Glass opera Akhnaten, Quincy Jones' Happy Feet, Gabriela Lena Frank, Earth Wind and Fire and a cracking tune from Sibelius.

Playlist: Philip Glass - Funeral of Amenhotep (from Akhnaten) [Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Karen Kamensek, Zachary James] Bach - Sonata for Violin and Keyboard No.3 in E Major, BWV 1016; 3rd movement [Renaud Capuçon (violin), David Fray (piano)] Quincy Jones - Happy Feet (from the movie Walk, Don’t Run) Traditional – The Butcher's Boy [Kronos Quartet, Natalie Merchant] Gabriela Lena Frank - Leyendas, “An Andean Walkabout” - mvt. 2 Tarqueada [Chiara Quartet] Fanny Mendelssohn - Das Jahr - June [Liana Serbescu (piano)] Earth Wind and Fire - Can’t Let Go Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43; 2nd Movement [New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein]

Jess Gillam with... Claire M Singer Oct 09, 2021

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Jess Gillam and composer Claire M Singer share the music they love, with music from Meredith Monk, Telemann, Lee Scratch Perry, Schnittke and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Playlist: Meredith Monk – The Games: Spaceship (Arr. M Gordon for Chamber Ensemble) [Bang On A Can All-Stars] Telemann – Sonata TWV 41:f1 in F minor; I. Triste [Frans Bruggen (recorder), Anner Bylsma (cello) Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord)] Lee Scratch Perry – Blackboard Jungle Dub Miklos Rozsa - Spellbound [LSO, John Williams] Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Storm (Excerpt) Eydis Evensen - Brotin Alfred Schnittke – Requiem aeternam [Eric Ericsons Kammarkör, Radiokören, Conductor – Tõnu Kaljuste] Eric Whitacre – October [Youngstown State University Symphonic Wind Band, Stephen Gage]

Jess Gillam with... Gabriella Swallow Oct 02, 2021

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Jess Gillam and cellist Gabriella Swallow share the music they love including Scott Walker's Sleepwalkers Woman, Barbara Hendricks singing Britten, electricity and fire from CPE Bach, love and longing from Carole King and Stravinsky is at The Fair.

Playlist: Stravinsky – Petrushka First Tableau: The Shrovetide Fair [Concertgebouw, Riccardo Chailly] Chilly Gonzales - Overnight Benjamin Britten – Les Illuminations, Op. 18 IX. Depart [Barbara Hendricks, English Chamber Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis] Alfa Mist - Mulago John Adams – Shaker Loops IV. A Final Shaking [Orchestra Of St. Luke's, John Adams] Carole King – So Far Away CPE Bach: Flute Concerto in A minor, Wq.166, H.431 1. Allegro Assai [Emmanuel Pahud, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Trevor Pinnock] Scott Walker – Sleepwalkers Woman

Jess Gillam with... Jacob Mühlrad Sep 27, 2021

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Jess Gillam and composer Jacob Mühlrad share the music they love. Jacob introduces us to the music of Sven-David Sandström and a glistening re-mix of Josin by Kiasmos. We have some passionate tango performed by Nicola Benedetti and friends, a landscape of sound from John Cage and Missy Mizzoli tells the story of Isabelle Eberhardt. Plus some early Mahler, unfinished Schubert AND a meeting of musical magic with Chris Thile and Brad Meldhau.

Playlist:

Carlos Gardel - Por Una Cabeza (Arr. John Lenehan) - Nicola Benedetti (violin), Ksenija Sidorova (accordion), Leonard Elschenbroich (cello), Leonard Elschenbroich (piano), Alexander Sitkovesky (violin) John Cage – In a landscape (Alexei Lubimov - piano Chris Thile, Brad Meldhau - Tabhair dom do Lamh Mahler – Piano Quartet in A minor - Gidon Kremer (violin), Veronika Hagen (viola), Clemens Hagen (cello), Oleg Maisenberg (piano) Missy Mizzoli – Song From the Uproar: Overture - Abigail Fischer (mezzo), NOW Ensemble, Steven Osgood Josin – Company (Kiasmos Remix) Sven-David Sandström - Agnus Die - Swedish Radio Choir, Peter Dijkstra Schubert - Symphony no. 8 (D.759) in B minor "Unfinished", 1: Allegro moderato - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber

Jess Gillam with... George Harliono Sep 18, 2021

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Jess Gillam and pianist George Harliono share the music they love. George introduces us to the fascinating world of Soviet composer Mikael Tariverdiev as well as Bobby Hebb's joyous dedication to his brother 'Sunny'. Missy Mazzoli writes a chorus inspired by Sardinian folk music and Itzhak Perlman lovingly performs Elgar's Salut d'amour. Plus we'll hear heart-wrenching music from Anthony and the Johnsons and Saint-Saëns PLUS Dvořák's playful piano quintet.

Playlist: Antonín Dvořák - Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 81 (3rd mvt) (Andreas Haefliger - piano, Takács Quartet) Missy Mazzoli - Vesper Sparrow (Roomful of Teeth) Mikael Tariverdiev - Prelude from 17 moments of Spring (Mikael Tariverdiev - piano) Edward Elgar - Salut d’amour (Itzhak Perlman - violin, Samuel Sanders - piano) Bobby Hebb – Sunny Jean Sibelius - Andante Festivo (Gothenburg Symphony, Neeme Jarvi - conductor) Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There’s Someone Camille Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, Act II: Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix (Anita Rachvelishvili - soprano, Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI, Giacomo Sagripanti - conductor)

Jess Gillam with... Sheku Kanneh-Mason Aug 28, 2021

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Ahead of his performance at the 2023 Final Night of the Proms, revisit cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason's chat with Jess Gillam as they share the music they love. First aired August 2021

Mozart takes us to heavenly plains with his Great Mass, Leroy Anderson plays a typewriter, Max Richter sends us to sleep and we'll hear some heart-wrenching cello playing from Jacqueline du Pré in Dvorak's Silent Woods. Plus Jess and Sheku discuss the iconic voices of legends Bob Marley and Nina Simone.

Playlist: Dvořák - Silent Woods for cello and orchestra, Op. 68 No. 5 (Jacqueline du Pré - cello, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim - conductor) Sam Cooke – Falling in Love Mozart - Mass in C minor, K427 'Great' – Kyrie (Barbara Bonney - soprano, Berlin Radio Choir, Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado - conductor) Margaret Bonds – Troubled Water (Samantha Ege - piano) Leroy Anderson – The Typewriter (Eastman Rochester Pops Orchestra, Frederick Fennell) Bob Marley & The Wailers – African Herbsman Max Richter – Dream 1 Nina Simone – I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free (Nina Simone - vocals/piano, Studio Orchestra, Sammy Lowe - conductor)

Jess Gillam with... Jonathan Bloxham Aug 21, 2021

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Jess Gillam and conductor Jonathan Bloxham share the music they love. With a beautifully pensive tango from Piazzolla, Curtis Mayfield's life-affirming song 'Move on Up' and court jesters and curses from Verdi. Also, Anna Clyne is inspired by Persian poetry, Nick Drake sings about growing up and Haydn keeps to time.

Playlist: Haydn - Symphony No. 101 in D major 'The Clock' - finale (Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado - conductor) Piazzolla – Oblivion (Gidon Kremer - violin, Per Arne Glorvigen - bandoneon, Alois Posch - double bass, Vadim Sakharov - piano) Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up Anna Clyne – DANCE: I. when you're broken open (Inbal Segev - cello, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Marin Alsop - conductor) Verdi – “Cortigiani, Vil Razza Dannata” - Rigoletto, Act 2 (Sherrill Milnes - baritone, Rigoletto, London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge - conductor) Nick Drake – Place to Be Brahms - Piano Trio, Op. 8 in B - 1st mvt, Allegro con brio (Jascha Heifetz - violin, Arthur Rubinstein - piano, Emanuel Feuermann - cello) Michael Nyman – Water Dances - Stroking… Syncronizing (Michael Nyman Band)

Jess Gillam with... Courtenay Cleary Aug 11, 2021

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Jess Gillam joins up with the Australian violinist Courtenay Cleary to share some of their favourite music, including an iconic work by Richard Strauss, a highly charged Janacek String Quartet, a spellbinding farewell from David Bowie, kaleidoscopic Australian jazz-funk and a special gift from the Aurora Orchestra.

Playlist: R. Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic) Janacek - String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" (Emersen String Quartet) David Bowie - Lazarus Arvo Part - Fratres (Ursula Schoch, Marcel Worms) Marcello - Oboe Concerto in D Minor (Heinz Holliger, I Musici) Hiatus Kaiyote - Nakamarra Scriabin - Piano Sonata No.5 in F Sharp Major (Vladimir Ashkenazy) Barber - Sure On This Shining Night (Allan Clayton with Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon)

Jess Gillam with... Tom Weaver Jul 31, 2021

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Jess Gillam joins up with American pianist Tom Weaver to share some of their favourite music, including Dvorak's Eighth Symphony, a virtuosic Vivaldi violin concerto played on the trumpet, an energetic tango by Piazzolla, plus tracks from Aerosmith and Electric Light Orchestra.

Playlist: Dvorak – Symphony No.8, 3rd movement (Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion (from Toys in the Attic) Piazzolla – Night Club 1960 (from Histoire du Tango) (Astoria) Vivaldi – Violin Concerto in A minor (arr. trumpet) (Alison Balsom, Scottish Ensemble) Mahler – Das Lied von der Erde, 1st movement; Das Trinklied vom jammer der Erde (Jonas Kaufmann, Jonathan Nott, Vienna Philharmonic) George Walker – Hoopla (A Touch of Glee) (Sinfonia Varsova, Ian Hobson) Electric Light Orchestra – The Whale (from Out of the Blue) JS Bach – Fugue in D# minor, BWV 853 (from Well Tempered Clavier Book 1) (Edward Aldwell, piano)

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