This Classical Life

Latest Episodes:

Jess Gillam with... Laura Cannell Dec 30, 2023

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Jess Gillam shares music with composer Laura Cannell, including a sublime Biber Requiem, new music by Kenya Grace, traditional Norwegian fiddle music and a Memphis Soul Stew!

Playlist: Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No. 1; first movement [Vladimir Ashkenazy, London Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel] Kenya Grace - Strangers John Mackey – Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble [ Timothy McAllister, ASU Wind Ensemble] Sven Nyhus – Fanitullen (The Devil's Dance) Domenico Scarlatti – Sonata in F minor, K. 466 [Vladimir Horowitz] Tarquinio Merula - Ciaccona [His Majesty’s Sackbuts and Cornetts] King Curtis – Memphis Soul Stew Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber - Requiem in F minor - Dies Irae [Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh]

Jess Gillam with... Lise Davidsen (This Classical Christmas) Dec 23, 2023

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Jess Gillam is joined by Norwegian soprano and Last Night of the Proms star Lise Davidsen for a very Christmassy edition of This Classical Life. They share their favourite Christmas music and chat about what gives them that festive feeling!

Lise Davidsen has been described as “the greatest soprano in the world right now”, with a “one-in-a-million voice”. Her performance at the Last Night of the Proms 2023 received rave reviews, and she has sung at iconic venues including the Metropolitan Opera House, Royal Opera House, and Teatro alla Scala, Milan. And she’s just released a whole album of seasonal favourites and Nordic delights via Decca, called Christmas From Norway.

Lise brings along a haunting Scandinavian carol, a sugary-sweet soundtrack from a cult Christmas film, and a modern classic from Coldplay. Jess's choices include a traditional English wassail song, a rock'n'roll Rudolph from Chuck Berry, and a Christmas jig from Yo-Yo Ma and Natalie MacMaster.

PLAYLIST:

ADOLPHE ADAM – O helga natt (Adams julsång) [Jussi Björling] NATALIE MACMASTER/ TRAD. FRENCH-CANADIAN - A Christmas Jig/Mouth of the Tobique Reel [Yo-Yo Ma, Natalie MacMaster] CHUCK BERRY – Run Rudolph Run KAREL SVOBODA – Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (Three Wishes for Cinderella): Motiv - Einleitung TRAD. ENGLISH – Wassail Song [John Kirkpatrick and friends] SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – The Forest of Wild Thyme Op 74: Christmas Overture (arr. Sydney Baynes for orchestra) TRAD. SCANDINAVIAN – Mitt hjerte alltid vanker (My Heart Forever Dwells) [arr. O. Matre for chorus] COLDPLAY – Christmas Lights

Jess Gillam with... Guylaine Eckersley Dec 16, 2023

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Jess Gillam and bassoonist Guylaine Eckersley share their favourite tracks, with music by Abel Selaocoe, Pergolesi, Vivaldi, Laura Misch and a guilty pleasure from Frozen 2.

Playlist: Abel Selaocoe - Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side Pergolesi - Stabat Mater [Philippe Jaroussky (counter-tenor), Julia Lezhneva (soprano), I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis] Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez - Into the Unknown [from Frozen 2] Rachmaninov - Symphony no 3 [Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nezet Seguin] Vivaldi - Bassoon Concerto in A minor, rv498 [Sergio Azzolini (bassoon), L’Onda Armonica] Laura Misch - Glass Shards Grażyna Bacewicz - Concerto for String Orchestra [Amadeus Chamber Orchestra] Vaughan Williams - Silent Noon (from the House of Life) [Roderick Williams (baritone) , Iain Burnside (piano)]

Jess Gillam with... Daniel Shao Dec 11, 2023

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Jess Gillam and flautist Daniel Shao play each other their current favourite music. Daniel is a versatile musician, at home in the classical repertory with a number of leading orchestras, or performing contemporary music and exploring his Chinese heritage with the group Tangram. Daniel's choices include Britten, Whitney Houston, and music for the flute by Ibert.

Today's choices:

Britten - Dawn from 4 Sea Interludes (BBC Philharmonic, Edward Gardner) Gluck - Dance of the Furies from Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) Joanna Newsom - The Book of Right-On Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren Ibert - Flute concerto, 2nd mvt (Clara Andrada, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Jaime Martín) Hildegard of Bingen - Ancient Suite (Martin Fröst, The Adolf Fredrik's Girls Choir) Whitney Houston - Didn't we almost have it all Cleo Sol - 23

Jess Gillam with... Cécile McLorin Salvant Nov 29, 2023

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Jess Gillam meets jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant to swap some of their favourite music. Cécile is a 3 time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer and her music shows off her passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, jazz, baroque and folkloric music. She spoke to Jess ahead of her show at London Jazz Festival 2023 and picked some of her favourite voices from Maria Callas singing Puccini to flamenco star Camarón de la Isla and an air de cour by Gabriel Bataille.

Jess brought along a string quartet by Caroline Shaw, a Hollywood inflected Concerto by Korngold and the most beautiful of songs by Aretha Franklin

PLAYLIST:

GABRIEL BATAILLE: Sortés soupirs témoins de mon mártire [Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, Annie Dufresne (soprano)] CAROLINE SHAW: Plan & Elevation – v. The Beech Tree [Attacca Quartet] WANDA JACKSON: Funnel of Love KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto, op.35 – 1st mvt [James Ehnes (violin), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (cond)] ARETHA FRANKLIN: Ain’t No Way PUCCINI: La bohème, Act 4 “Sono andati” [Maria Callas (soprano), Giuseppe di Stefano (tenor), La Scala Milan Chorus & Orchestra, Antonino Votto (cond)] POULENC: Stabat Mater – i. Stabat Mater dolorosa [Cappella Amsterdam, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National SO, Daniel Reuss (cond)] CAMARON DE LA ISLA: Yo vivo enamorao (Tangos) [Camaron De La Isla (singer), Paco De Lucía (guitar)]

Jess Gillam with... Matthew Barley Nov 01, 2023

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Jess Gillam and cellist Matthew Barley sit down to listen together to the music they love.

Matthew's career as a cellist has seen him straddle any number of different genres and continents. He's just as at home in front of an orchestra as he is improvising in a nightclub, playing chamber music with his wife – the violinist Viktoria Mullova - or going solo and combining his cello with electronics.

Their playlist today is suitably eclectic - Matthew brings a taste of Brazil from the singer Elza Soares and legendary songwriter Jobim, a lament on the duduk and reminisces his first childhood experience of classical music via the music of Beethoven. Jess has Tchaikovsky ballet music bursting with tunes, some sunshine by Marianna Martines and mandolin player Avi Avital and a beautiful piece of Junk by Paul McCartney.

Playlist: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM: Agua de Beber [Gonzalo Rubalcaba (piano)] TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake – Act 4 finale [London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn (conductor)] ELZA SOARES: Flores Horizontais MANUEL DE FALLA: No. 4 Jota from Canciones populares españolas [Avi Avital (mandolin)] DJIVAN GASPARYAN: 7 December 1988 [Djivan Gasparyan (duduk/voice)] MARIANNA MARTINES: Overture in C major – 1st mvt [La Floridiana] PAUL MCARTNEY: Junk BEETHOVEN: Symphony no 6 (Pastoral) – 1st mvt “Erwachen heiterer…” [Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Jarvi (conductor)]

Jess Gillam with... Ema Nikolovska Oct 28, 2023

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Jess Gillam and mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska share the music they love, including a traditional Macedonian folk song, Janelle Monáe’s sci-fi concept album The Arch Android, a sublime Bach partita in the hands of guitarist Sean Shibe and the beautiful voices of Mara Carlyle and Odetta.

Playlist: Janacek - Prelude to The Cunning Little Vixen [Vienna Philharmonic, Sir Charles Mackerras] Odetta - Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Tose Proeski - Zajdi, Zajdi Telemann - Concerto in G Major, TWV 51:G2; I. Andante [Andrius Puskunigis, St Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Donatas Katkus] Janelle Monáe - Neon Valley Street Bartok - Divertimento for Strings; III. Allegro assai [Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe] Mara Carlyle – Pianni J.S Bach - Partita in C minor, BWV 997; III. Sarabande [Sean Shibe]

Jess Gillam with... Nicholas Collon Oct 14, 2023

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Jess Gillam meets with the conductor Nicholas Collon to share some of the music they love. Today their musical journey takes in the harmonic genius of Jacob Collier, glorious choral music by Poulenc, a youthful Octet by Mendelssohn, a dreamy song from Sibelius, Britten’s iconic Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, some grooves from Pino Palladino and Taylor Swift visits The Lakes.

Playlist: Felix Mendelssohn – Octet in E flat major, IV. Presto [Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble] Pino Palladino & Blake Mills – Ekute Francis Poulenc – Figure humaine, VIII. Liberte [Tenebrae, Nigel Short] Benjamin Britten - The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra [London Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Britten] Taylor Swift – The Lakes Sibelius - Lieder No. 4 Op 37 - Was it a Dream [Kari Lövaas, Berliner Symphoniker, Eduardo Marturet] Jacob Collier / Henry Mancini – Moon River Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 4, Op. 29 (FS76) 'The Inextinguishable'; 1. Allegro [Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Fabio Luisi]

Revised repeat.

Jess Gillam with... Sumina Studer Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam and violinist Sumina Studer swap some of their favourite music. As well as picking up prizes for her playing in the Berliner International Music Competition and the Verbier Festival amongst others, and performing with various orchestras across the world, Sumina still finds the time to make hugely popular videos for social media where she demystifies the violin to try and bring classical music to the biggest possible audience.

She brought along to the studio the incredible voice of Millie Jackson, one of Ravel's most beautiful pieces for piano and something nostalgic from the soundtrack to the anime Kiki's Delivery Service. Meanwhile Jess chose some banjo virtuosity by Bela Fleck, a homage to Piazzolla by violinist Gidon Kremer and an elegy by Yoshimatsu.

Playlist:

JOE HISAISHI: A Town with an Ocean View PIAZZOLLA: Soledad [Gidon Kremer (violin)] RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G – 2nd mvt Adagio [Martha Argerich (piano), Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado (conductor)] MILLIE JACKSON: If You’re Not Back in Love by Monday BELA FLECK/EDGAR MEYER: The B Tune [Béla Fleck (banjo), Zakir Hussain (table), Edgar Meyer (double bass)] TAKASHI YOSHIMATSU: And Birds are Still…. Op.72 [Manchester Camerata, Sachio Fujioka (conductor)] COPLAND: Symphony No. 3 – 4th mvt [San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)]

Jess Gillam with... Lucy Humphris Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam and trumpeter Lucy Humphris share their favourite music. Their musical adventure today includes scary Prokofiev, dreamy Debussy, wide open space from Edmund Finnis and Schoenberg, birdsong with Lady Maisery and some 8-bit chiptune from the computer game FEZ by Disasterpeace.

Playlist:

Cinderella-Suite Nr. 1, Op. 107, VIII. Midnight Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, Theodore Kuchar

Edmund Finnis - Preludes I and II for Solo Cello Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello)

Disasterpeace - Adventure from FEZ

Debussy – Reverie Jean Yves Thibaudet (piano)

Lady Maisery – Birdsong

Colin Stetson - Nature is Timeless

Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4: I. Sehr langsam Juilliard String Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma

Clara Schumann - Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17: III. Andante Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Pablo Ferrandez (cello), Lambert Orkis (piano)