This Classical Life

Latest Episodes:

Jess Gillam with... Karim Kamar Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam and pianist Karim Kamar share some of their favourite music. Karim has an amazing musical story - after loving playing as a kid but never studying properly, at 25 he decided to quit his job and learn the piano seriously to become a professional musician. He spent years painstakingly learning how to play - and has since released 6 albums and performed at some of the most iconic music venues from Ronnie Scott’s to the Royal Albert Hall. He’s also a bit of a star on social media with millions of fans who follow his adventures of him playing the many street pianos you find around the country.

His music picks are all based around the piano - from the pure romance of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, to the video game imagination of Ryuichi Sakamoto and the latin funk of Stevie Wonder. Meanwhile Jess finds a new inspiration in Sibelius's Third Symphony, one of her teenage soundtracks in Massive Attack and an uneasy waltz by Shostakovich.

Playlist:

MILES DAVIS: Nardis [Bill Evans Trio] SHOSTAKOVICH: Jazz Suite no.2 – Waltz no 2 [Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Riccardo Chailly (conductor)] RUYICHI SAKAMOTO: Seven Samurai: Ending Theme RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto no 2 – 2nd mvt Adagio sostenuto [Khatia Buniatishvilli (piano), Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi (conductor)] MASSIVE ATTACK: Hymn of the Big Wheel CHOPIN: Waltz op.64 no.2 in C sharp minor [Arthur Rubinstein (piano)] SIBELIUS: Symphony no.3 – 2nd mvt Andantino [BBC Philharmonic /John Storgards (conductor)] STEVIE WONDER: Another Star

Jess Gillam with... Delia Stevens Aug 31, 2023

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Jess Gillam is joined by percussionist Delia Stevens to share the music they love and make some new discoveries, including tracks by Tessa Lark, Avner Dorman, Fabiano do Nascimento and Jack Hylton and His Orchestra.

Playlist: Debussy: Danse profane for harp & orchestra Tessa Lark: Jig and Pop Cyrille Aimée: It’s a Good Day Vega Trails: Love Your Grace Avner Dorman: Frozen in Time (Indoafrica & Eurasia) Julius Klengel: Hymnus Fabiano do Nascimento: Forro Brasil Jack Hylton & His Orchestra: Life is just a bowl of cherries

Jess Gillam with... Braimah Kanneh-Mason Aug 24, 2023

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Jess Gillam and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason swap some of their favourite tracks and chat about their lives in music. Braimah comes armed with a classic Beethoven recording by violinist Itzhak Perlman, a feel good tune by The Melodians and a Haydn quartet. Meanwhile Jess spins Rachmaninov at his most romantic, Monteverdi by the ensemble l'Arpeggiata and a soaring performance by Etta James.

Playlist:

HAYDN – String Quartet, op.33 no 2 ‘The Joke’ 1st mvt Allegro Moderato [London Haydn Players] ETTA JAMES – At Last RACHMANINOV – Symphony no 2 – 3rd mvt ‘Adagio’ [London Symphony Orchestra/Simon Rattle (cond)] JOSEPH ACHRON – Hebrew Melody, op.33 [Josef Hassid (violin), Gerald Moore (piano)] MONTEVERDI, arr. Pluhar – Zefiro Torna, SV251 [Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor), Nuria Rial (soprano), l’Arpeggiata/Christina Pluhar (director)] THE MELODIANS: Rivers of Babylon TRAD: Ku-Isa Tama Laug [David Darling (cello), The Wulu Bunun] BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D, op.61 – 3rd mvt [Itzhak Perlman (violin), Berlin Philharmonic/Daniel Barenboim (conductor)]

(revised repeat)

Jess Gillam with... James Newby Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam and baritone James Newby swap some of their favourite tracks and chat about their lives in music. James - who was one of Radio 3's New Generation Artists - is one of the country's most exciting young baritones and performs all around Europe in everything from contemporary opera to intimate song recitals. His music picks include a choral piece by Howells that changed the direction of his life and catapulted him into a music career and the stunning voices of Celeste and Bryn Terfel. Meanwhile Jess picks a stunner of a voice of her own in Sarah Vaughan, alongside the energy of John Adams and a tender ballad for violin and piano by Donald Grant.

Playlist:

MOZART: Marriage of Figaro – Overture [Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nezet Seguin (conductor)] DONALD GRANT: Bha lá eile ann [Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano)] HERBERT HOWELLS: Nunc Dimittis (from Collegium Regale) [Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury] CELESTE: Strange JOHN ADAMS: Short Ride in a Fast Machine [City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle (conductor)] DILYS ELWYN EDWARDS: The Cloths of Heaven (Gwiseg Nefoedd) [Bryn Terfel (baritone), Malcolm Martineau (piano)] CORELLI: Follia [Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall] SARAH VAUGHAN: Be My Love

Revised repeat.

Jess Gillam with... Anne Sofie von Otter Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam swaps favourite music with the mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter

Anne Sofie is one of classical music's most celebrated singers with a huge back catalogue of recordings, and she's also known for her huge versatility and musical curiosity working with artists from conductors Claudio Abbado and Giuseppe Sinopoli to Elvis Costello, Brad Mehldau and Rufus Wainwright.

Today though she's listening to other people's recordings, as she and Jess sat down together to listen to a Janacek fanfare and a headphone blasting piece of Verdi. Jess picks a Nina Simone track that left them both speechless, while Anne Sofie brought along a ravishing piece by Rameau and (quite literally) turned up the volume on a barnstorming Beyoncé track.

Playlist:

JANACEK: Sinfonietta, 1st mvt 'Sokol Fanfare' [Vienna Philharmonic, Charles Mackerras (conductor)] JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON: Good Night, Day [Hildur Guðnadóttir (cello), Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra, Anthony Weeden (conductor)] BEYONCÉ: Countdown RAMEAU: Les Boréades, Act 4 Entrée de Polymie [Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (cond)] VERDI: Requiem, Dies Irae (into Tuba Mirum) [Coro y Orchestra dell’Accademia Nationale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano (conductor)] NINA SIMONE: Little Girl Blue BENGAN JANSON: I’ve Found a New Baby

Jess Gillam with... Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux Jul 22, 2023

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Jess Gillam and violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux share their favourite music with each other, including the sublime voices of Dhafer Youssef and the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, an intimate transcription of Gluck, joy and happiness from Boccherini and the Maccabees plus the unmistakable vibrato of Sidney Bechet.

Jess Gillam with... Pekka Kuusisto Jul 15, 2023

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Jess Gillam is joined by the Finnish violinist, conductor, and composer Pekka Kuusisto. They share thoughts on some favourite music, from a jazz arrangement of a Monteverdi madrigal to piano music by Ligeti, and from Bernstein's Wonderful Town to the Swedish singer Katarina Barruk.

Jess Gillam with... Sehyogue Aulakh Jun 26, 2023

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Jess Gillam and percussionist Sehyogue Aulakh share some of the music that they love, from Aretha Franklin to Dmitri Shostakovich, JS Bach and Seckou Keita.

Sehyogue's Playlist:

SHOSTAKOVICH – Symphony No. 5 in D Minor Op. 47: I. Moderato (Royal Concertegabouw Orchestra, Bernard Haiktink) MOBY – Porcelain COUPERIN arr. Ades – Les Baricades misterieuses (Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon) ARETHA FRANKLN – (You make me feel like a) Natural Woman SECKOU KEITA - Sakiliba COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – Ballade in A Minor Op. 33: I. Allegro energetico, ma non troppo presto (Chineke! Orchestra, Kalena Bovell SIMON MOULLIER - Acceptance (Simon Moullier - Vibraphone, Balafon, Percussions, Synths; Dayna Stephens - Saxophone ; Simon Chivallon – Piano; Luca Alemanno – Bass; Jongkuk Kim - Drums)

Jess Gillam with... Tessa Lark Jun 17, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam meets violinist Tessa Lark to swap some of their favourite music. Tessa is an in-demand classical concert violinist but growing up in Kentucky, she’s equally inspired by bluegrass music and American folk styles and so blends the two influences in a lot of her work. Traditional music features prominently in her music choices as the Martin Hayes Quartet and Swedish duo Vasen rub shoulders with a Beethoven Symphony. Meanwhile Jess brings along an orchestral tearjerker by Pietro Mascagni, a track by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and some retro soul vibes by Saun and Starr.

Playlist:

VASEN: Silverschottis GIOVANNI SOLIMA: Il bell’Antonio – tema II [Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Kathryn Stott (piano)] MICHAEL THURBER & THE HUNTERTONES: Gigantic Energy SAMUEL COLERIDGE TAYLOR: Violin Concerto in G minor, op.80 – 2nd mvt [Elena Urioste (violin), Chineke! Orchestra, Kevin John Edusei (conductor)] MARTIN HAYES QUARTET: The Boy In the Gap JEAN LENOIR: Parlez moi d’amour [Lucienne Boyer (singer)] BEETHOVEN: Symphony no 2 in D major, op.36 4th mvt ‘Allegro molto’ [Vienna Philharmonic, Simon Rattle (conductor) SAUN & STARR: In the Night

Jess Gillam with... Zubin Kanga Jun 10, 2023

Show notes

Jess Gillam is joined by composer, pianist and technologist Zubin Kanga, with music from Gesualdo to Ravel via Laurie Spiegel and Jaco Pastorius.

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