Gramophone Classical Music Podcast

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Pianist Hanni Liang speaks to Hattie Butterworth about her new album 'Voices' on Delphian Records formed around Liang's interest in Ethel Smyth's music and life. They also speak about Liang’s musical upbringing and her move towards doing things differently on the concert platform. She shares the cultural differences between China and the west, and what it was like growing up in Germany with Chinese parents.

For this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by soprano Nardus Williams and Director of the Dunedin Consort John Butt to talk about their new album exploring the music Handel wrote during his years in Rome, a young composer still in the early stages of his creativity. 'Handel in Rome' is released on Linn Records, and available now. 

For this week's Podcast, Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Rafael Payare, Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal to talk about the music of Schoenberg in the year that marks the composer's 150th anniversary. The focus is his beautiful new recording of Pelleas und Melisande and Verklärte Nacht, which is available today on the Pentatone label.

The 2024 Gramophone Classical Music Awards were revealed on Wednesday October 2, and for this week's edition of the Podcast Editor Emeritus James Jolly, Editor and Publisher Martin Cullingford, and Deputy Editor – and Editor of International Piano – Tim Parry, gathered in the studio to discuss the winners. From Instrumental to Opera, and from Early to Contemporary, join us as we discuss and celebrate the finest albums of the past year. 

Claire Booth speaks to Hattie Butterworth about her new album with Ensemble 360, 'Pierrot Portraits', focussed around Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and looking at other composer's interpretations of the character of Pierrot across time.

All audio clips come from Pierrot Portraits by Claire Booth and Ensemble 360 out now on Onyx Classics 

Editor Martin Cullingford is this week joined by violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Jeremy Denk and cellist Steven Isserlis to talk about their new recording for Sony Classical of Mendelssohn piano trios. 

Huw Montague Rendall is a singer who is making waves in the musical world, and he has just released his debut album with orchestra, 'Contemplation'. Signed to Erato by Alain Lanceron, Rendall gives us a superb showcase of his talents with a programme that ranges widely, and reveals many different facets of this fine young artist. Huw's partners for the album are the Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen and conductor Ben Glassberg.

The son of two distinguished singers – the mezzo Diana Montague and the tenor David Rendall – Huw talks to James Jolly about 'Contemplation'.

On October 2, the Swedish label BIS will hand over its Label of the Year Award to another company. So, to celebrate its 2023 Award, Gramophone’s James Jolly sat down to talk with BIS’s founder and guiding spirit for past 50 years, Robert von Bahr.

In this second of two podcasts, Robert discusses some of the outstanding artists who have recorded for BIS, including Bach Collegium Japan, Johan Dalene (who appears on the cover of the October issue of Gramophone), Yevgeny Sudbin, Carolyn Sampson and Sharon Bezaly, Robert's wife.

This podcast was made in association with BIS.

In this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by the conductor Semyon Bychkov to talk about his new recording with the Czech Philharmonic for the Pentatone label of the music of Dvořák - the composer's last three symphonies, Nos 7, 8 and 9, along with three concert overtures, In Nature’s Realm, Carnival and Othello. 

In almost exactly one month’s time, the Swedish label BIS will hand over its Label of the Year status to another company. So, to celebrate its 2023 Award, Gramophone’s James Jolly sat down to talk with BIS’s founder and guiding spirit for past 50 years, Robert von Bahr.

In this first of two podcasts, James and Robert discuss the label’s beginnings, some of its milestone projects and Robert shares some anecdotes as only he can.

This podcast was made in association with BIS.

Composer Bryce Dessner joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford for this week's podcast to talk about his new album for Sony Classical, featuring solo works performed by a superb line-up of star soloists.

A new album mapping 10 years of string writing, Anna Clyne's Shorthand takes its name from a concerto for cello and strings, performed on the album by Yo Yo Ma. Hattie Butterworth meets Anna to speak about this new project, as well as her BBC Proms commission and the impact of words, poetry and spirituality on her writing. 

This week on the Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford meets pianist Alexandra Dariescu who has recorded the piano concertos of Clara Schumann and Edvard Grieg for Signum with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Tianyi Lu. Dariescu talks about her passion for Clara Schumann's concerto, and why she thinks it should be much more widely performed than it has been historically. 

Leonard Bernstein (1918-90) was perhaps the most ‘complete’ classical musician of the last century, as composer (covering everything from Broadway musicals to serial orchestral works), conductor (one of the 20th century’s most admired), teacher or pianist.

Edward Seckerson interviewed Bernstein for Gramophone in December 1989, but his admiration went back much further, as he reveals to James Jolly in this next instalment in our occasional series focusing on major composers.

The music is drawn from Bernstein’s extensive CBS catalogue, now available from Sony Classical.

The great Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-89) was fascinated with technology from an early age, and, from the early 1960s onward, he filmed many of his performances. Deutsche Grammophon’s streaming service Stage+ has a huge archive of Karajan’s films including his Telemondial legacy – recorded with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics during the 1980s, the conductor's last decade.

Karajan’s biographer, and long-serving Gramophone critic, Richard Osborne, discusses Karajan’s video legacy with James Jolly, and they pick some favourites from the Stage+ catalogue.

This podcast is sponsored by STAGE+, the streaming service for classical music by Deutsche Grammophon, hosting concerts, operas, documentaries, albums and much more, including 50 live streams per year. With a special summer offer, you can get 2 months of STAGE+ for just 1€ with access to the entire content library and live broadcasts from some of this year’s finest summer festivals. Visit stage-plus.com/summer before August 16 to find out more.

As we step into the summer holiday period, this week we thought we’d revisit one of our special longer-length episodes from last year featuring one of our writers, our historical recording expert Rob Cowan on what we can gain from listening to recordings from the past.

Why should we listen to historic recordings? What can we learn from them, and which artists, many decades on, still offer listeners such extraordinary joy and insight? Across more than 45 fascinating minutes Rob addresses these questions, and we play excerpts from some absolute highlights from the archives. 

Hattie Butterworth meets soprano Sophie Bevan ahead of her appearance at the First Night of the Proms. Moving through Sophie's early life and career, they speak about her experience navigating a diagnosis of bowel cancer, the importance of her faith and family, and what she wishes audiences knew about the life of a singer. 

Music included in the epsiode:

'Take the Heart' from Jephtha Act I, Scene 3: George Friderich Handel · The Sixteen · Harry Christophers on CORO (2014)

'Perché, se tanti siete' from Scena di Berenic on Perfido!  · Sophie Bevan · Franz Joseph Haydn · Ian Page · Classical Opera / The Mozartists on Signum Classics (2017)

'Ferma l'ali' from Pt. 1 Scene 2 from Handel's La Resurrezione · The English Concert · Harry Bicket · Sophie Bevan on Linn Records (2023)

'Beati Quorum Via' by Charles Villiers Stanford from Vidi Speciosam: Sacred Choral Music · Graham Ross · The Bevan Family Consort  on Signum Records (2023)

In April, Dalia Stasevska, Chief Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, launched a new project, ‘Dalia’s Mixtape’, for Platoon. Leading her BBC orchestra, she has recorded ten works by ten modern composers, each shedding a new and different light on the symphony orchestra and what it can do. And, breaking with tradition, the project will unfold piece by piece over the next half year. And each work will be accompanied by a podcast focusing on the music.

In this latest episode, hosted by Gramophone’s Andrew Mellor, Dalia’s guest is the Master of the King's Music, Dame Judith Weir whose orchestral work Still, Glowing features on the 'Mixtape'. Composer and conductor discuss this haunting piece.

Conductor and founder of The Sixteen Harry Christophers speaks to Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford about his new album, ‘70: A Life in Music’, which features 39 carefully selected recordings from the conductor's career so far, spanning periods from the renaissance to contemporary music. Reflecting on his 45-year career, Christophers' talks about his introduction to music, the formation of The Sixteen and the future of young composers today. 

‘70: A Life in Music’ is out now on CORO.

Soprano and composer Héloïse Werner speaks to Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford about her new album, ‘Close-ups’, which features composers Barbara Strozzi, Julie Pinel and Hildegard of Bingen as well as compositions by Werner herself. Her second album sees her collaborating with fellow musicians Colin Alexander, Julian Azkoul, Max Baillie, Kit Downes, Ruth Gibson and Marianne Schofield. 

‘Close-ups’ is out now on Delphian.

For their debut Harmonia Mundi release as a duo, pianists Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy have recorded two works by Schubert, the great Fantasy in F minor and the Divertissement à la Hongroise, and, in between, a work they commissioned, Trompe-l’oeil by the Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov (b1955), who has said of his piece, ‘You can envisage it as the follow-up, or the rough draft of Schubert’s Fantasy. Something incomplete. Like a study for a composition that’s been abandoned en route.’

James Jolly went to visit Pavel and Samson, partners both off stage and on, at their home in North London recently to talk about the art of piano four-hands …

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená speaks to Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford about her new album, ‘Czech Songs’, which features composers Bohuslav Martinů, Antonín Dvořák, Hans Krása and Gideon Klein, and for which she's joined by the Czech Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle. ‘Czech Songs’ is out now on Pentatone.

The American tenor Nicholas Phan has just released an album of protest songs, many from the 1960s by legendary singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger and Malvina Reynolds. It also contains a new work by Errollyn Wallen. ‘A Change in Gonna Come’, featuring Palaver Strings, and a couple of guest appearances by Farayi Malek, is just out from Azica.

James Jolly talked recently to Nicholas Phan about the album, and also about another song project that he’s currently in the studio working on …

Since winning BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2012, aged 15, Laura van der Heijden has enjoyed a career as a cellist to watch. She’s a Chandos artist, recording both as a soloist and also as part of Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. This month she makes her concerto debut with an album of three British cello concertos, Frank Bridge’s Oration, Sir William Walton’s Cello Concerto (the work she played for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition) and Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s new cello concerto, Earth-Sea-Air. She is joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth. James Jolly recently went to speak to Laura about the new release.

You can also hear Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s cello concerto, Earth-Sea-Air, at the BBC Proms on Friday, July 26 joined by the same performers as on the new recording.

This week's Gramophone Podcast sees pianist Can Çakmur join Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about the latest album in his series for the BIS label in which he pairs works by Schubert with music by composers inspired by him - in this instance Ernst Krenek. As well as introducing Krenek's Second Sonata, he also talks about the composer's completion of Schubert's Piano Sonata in C Major, D 840.

With Winterreise, Andrè Schuen and Daniel Heide complete their recordings for DG of Schubert’s three song cycles, and have understandably saved the most challenging to last. James Jolly spoke to Andrè to discover how he approaches this colossal work, the Everest of any singer’s repertoire.

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Vienna, which took place on May 7, 1824, Gramophone’s podcast this week focuses on the work.

Antonello Manacorda has just completed a cycle of the nine symphonies with Akademie Potsdam for Sony Classical, including a brand-new Ninth. James Jolly went to visit him at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden , where he was conducting a run of Bizet’s Carmen.

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

The British bass Brindley Sherratt has released his first solo album, ‘Fear No More’, a Delphian recording, with Julius Drake at the piano. One of the UK’s most distinguished singers, and with an international reputation on the great concert and operatic stages, Sherratt talks to James Jolly about this new, and belated, chapter in his musical career.

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

Violinist James Ehnes talks about his new recording for Pentatone of Leonard Bernstein's Serenade and John Williams's Violin Concerto No 1.

Thomas Pitfield, born in Bolton in 1903 and whose life stretched to the very end of the 20th century – he died in 1999 – is one of those polymaths who embraced numerous different outlets: he was a composer, a poet, an illustrator, a calligrapher, a cabinet maker and a teacher. He is probably better known for the people he knew and taught – including John McCabe, John Ogdon and Ronald Stevenson – than in his own right. This new collection of songs is a good start to get to know a fine musical voice. James Jolly spoke, separately, to James Gilchrist and Nathan Williamson about this appealing composer. 

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

Kirill Gerstein’s new album, timed for release mid-way between the anniversary of the death of Claude Debussy (March 25) and Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), pairs music by Debussy and the Armenian, Komitas. Both composers were profoundly affected by the death and destruction surrounding them during the First World War, and both responded with music of multi-layered intensity. Gerstein links late Debussy piano music with Komitas’s piano works, as well as songs by each composer.

'Music in the Time of War' is released to stream and download by Platoon, and on two CDs with a substantial book of essays next month by Myrios. James Jolly spoke to Kirill Gerstein to learn about the project and why he brought together these two powerful musical voices in the same programme.

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

Klaus Mäkelä has been named Riccardo Muti's successor at the helm of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a role he assumes in 2027 alongside the post of Chief Conductor of Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Meanwhile, he remains committed to his two European orchestras, the Orchestre de Paris and the Oslo Philharmonic. 

Following his Decca debut recording, of the complete Sibelius symphonies in Oslo, Mäkelä has made two much-admired recordings of music commissioned by Serge Diaghilev. The first of these, made with the Orchestre de Paris, was released early last year – Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and the complete Firebird ballet – and James Jolly spoke to the conductor by Zoom back in February 2023 as Klaus was in Cleveland conducting performances of Mahler's Fifth Symphony.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall

This month's Gramophone Podcast explores the life and music of Franz Schubert. Editor Martin Cullingford talks to Richard Wigmore about this most remarkable of composers, one whose finest works, notably in the song, piano and chamber music genres, are today held to be among music's most beloved creations.

Paavo Järvi's latest recording project adds the five Mendelssohn symphonies to his substantial catalogue. Alpha Classics has released the new set which features the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. James Jolly caught up with Paavo Järvi recently by Zoom to talk about the cycle, but also to talk about the conductor's passion for recording the complete symphonic outputs of many of the great composers. 

This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

Hattie Butterworth is joined by composer Rebecca Dale for this week's Gramophone Podcast to explore her new album of works for cello and choir with cellists Steven Isserlis and Guy Johnston and the choir Tenebrae, out now on Signum Classics.

More about Rebecca Dale 

Dalia Stasevska, Chief Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, has launched a new project, ‘Dalia’s Mixtape’, for Platoon. Leading her BBC orchestra, she has recorded ten works by ten modern composers, each shedding a new and different light on the symphony orchestra and what it can do. Breaking with tradition, the project will unfold piece by piece over the next half year. And each work will be accompanied by a podcast focusing on the music.

In this first episode, hosted by Gramophone’s Andrew Mellor, Dalia’s guest is the Scottish composer and performer Anna Meredith whose work, Nautilus, originally conceived for electronics, is presented in a new acoustic guise. She, Andrew and Dalia discuss the work’s origins and its transformation into a vibrant new work for a traditional symphony orchestra.

Produced by Platoon and Gramophone.

This week on the Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by the co-founders of the 12 Ensemble – cellist Max Ruisi and violinist Eloisa-Fleur Thom – to talk about their fascinating new album on the Platoon Label, Metamorphosis, featuring music by Edmund Finnis, Claude Vivier, Oliver Leith and Richard Strauss.

For this week's Gramophone Podcast, Jonathan Cohen, conductor of Arcangelo, joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his new recording on the Alpha label of Handel's powerful late oratorio, Theodora, a work Cohen describes as Handel at 'his very finest and most inspired'.

The tenor Alessandro Fisher is a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Artist and a former member of the BBC New Generation Artists Scheme, and on February 23 Rubicon releases a solo album, ‘A Gardener’s World’, a collection of songs about flowers and their symbolic significance. Joined by the pianist Anna Tilbrook, Alessandro explores the horticultural theme in the company of composers from many countries, including France, Germany, Scandinavia, Catalunya and Argentina.

James Jolly went to visit Alessandro in his north London home and, overlooking the garden, they discussed the genesis of the new album, which was recorded live at Wigmore Hall in July 2021.

Pianist Lara Downes joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford this week to talk about her fascinating new recording of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, as reimagined for today's world by composer Edmar Colón to mark the iconic work's centenary, and available from the Pentatone label. 

Youth is an EP of solo piano music by Edmund Finnis and performed by Clare Hammond, and described as 'a set of brief pieces recalling an image, sensation of place, significant encounter or a moment of vivid perception'. Editor Martin Cullingford invited both Finnis and Hammond into the Gramophone Podcast studio to talk about this beautiful new recording. 

Timothy Ridout won last year’s Concerto category at the Gramophone Awards for his Harmonia Mundi recording, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins, of Elgar’s Cello Concerto transcribed by Lionel Tertis for viola, alongside the Bloch Suite for Viola and Orchestra. His new HM release continues his exploration of the huge role that Tertis played in the history of the viola, as player, teacher, arranger and champion of the instrument.

Ridout's new double album, for which he's joined by pianists Frank Dupree and James Baillieu, includes sonatas by York Bowen and Rebecca Clarke, as well as many shorter works with powerful links to Tertis. James Jolly met up with Timothy to talk about the album, and the place that Tertis holds for viola-players.

The great Polish pianist and conductor Krystian Zimerman came to London last October to collect his Gramophone Award, his seventh, for his latest DG album of music by Karol Szymanowki. James Jolly caught up with him on the morning of the ceremony, and their conversation ranged widely.

For his tenth album of music for trumpet and piano in the ‘re-imagined’ series for Linn, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood has turned to a composer right at the centre of the period he’s most associated with, the Baroque – and George Frideric Handel. ‘Handel for Trumpet’ features transcriptions of arias as well as theoretical ‘sonatas’, created from concertos and other works.

As well as being a contributor to Gramophone, Jonathan is also Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, a record producer, teacher – and trumpeter. Gramophone’s James Jolly spoke to him about the new album, how he maintains his technique amid a busy schedule and how being a recorded musician helps his role as the leader of one of the world’s great music conservatories.

The Tallis Scholars' acclaimed series of recordings of the Masses of Josquin Desprez is one of the great milestones to the catalogue. Featuring what may be the last Mass the composer wrote, the Missa Mater Patris, along with a Mass not by Josquin but once thought to have been by him, the penultimate volume certainly raises some fascinating questions!

To discuss them, The Tallis Scholars' founder and director Peter Phillips joined Editor Martin Cullingford for this Gramophone podcast - which features excerpts from the album, available on Gimell, which was named an Editor's Choice in the November 2019 issue of the magazine. We revisit that podcast 'From the Archive'.

Dame Janet Baker's contribution to classical music - in performance and on record - has been remarkable, enriching both the stage and the catalogue with performances of astonishing beauty, power and vivid insight. To mark her 80th birthday in August 2013, James Jolly met with her at Wigmore Hall to talk about her career for a Gramophone Milestones Podcast, made in association with EFG International. She shared her memories of working with Sir John Barbirolli, Leonard Bernstein, Gerald Moore, Raymond Leppard and Benjamin Britten.

Now 10 years on, we revisit the podcast to celebrate one of the UK's greatest musical artists, the recipient in 2011 of Gramophone's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Esa-Pekka Salonen took over the helm of the San Francisco Symphony in 2020 from Michael Tilson Thomas. Both men have had a major impact on symphonic music in California, and Salonen is one of the three guiding figures – with the LA Phil's Gustavo Dudamel and the San Diego Symphony's Rafael Payare – behind the California Festival, a statewide celebration of music that launched in November.

James Jolly spoke to Salonen at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco following an afternoon concert, as part of the California Festival, in November.

This week Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Owain Park, conductor, composer and founding director of The Gesualdo Six to explore the ensemble's new album, 'Morning Star', a programme of music for the feast of Epiphany, released by Hyperion Records. 

The Deutsche Grammophon recording of Carl Nielsen’s Fourth and Fifth Symphonies – with Fabio Luisi conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra – was voted Gramophone’s 2023 Recording of the Year, and in the December issue of the magazine our critics choose their personal favourite albums of the year. But, as is customary, this podcast focuses on some recommendations by Gramophone’s editors, Editor, Martin Cullingford, Deputy Editor, Tim Parry, and Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly.

This Gramophone Podcast is brought to you in association with STAGE+, the new streaming service from Deutsche Grammophon, which offers weekly live-stream videos of concerts from around the world, as well an archive of over 400 concerts to enjoy on demand, plus documentaries, audio albums, interviews and much more. Visit stage-plus.com or download the STAGE+ IOS App.

The soprano Maria Callas was born on December 2, 1923, and during her short life – she died aged 53 – rose to become one of the most celebrated singers of all time. And even 46 years after her death she remains a unique and unassailable figure in the world of opera and its interpretation. 

She left a substantial recorded catalogue – both commercially for Columbia/EMI/Warner Classics and on the myriad pirate recordings that still circulate. To mark this milestone anniversary Warner Classics has issued a 131-CD and one DVD set celebrating her art, 'La Divina – Callas in all her roles', a wonderful survey of her musical career.

This Warner Classics Icons podcast has been made by Gramophone, and on it James Jolly talks to Richard Fairman, a regular contributor to Gramophone and also the music critic of The Financial Times.

Composer Errollyn Wallen speaks to Hattie Butterworth about her new book, out now on Faber, mapping her trajectory as an artist, extensive recordings and philosophy on life.

Errollyn Wallen: Becoming a Composer

Check out Deutsche Grammophon STAGE+

Music clips used:

1. Cello Concerto from 'Photography' on NMC
2. horseplay: lively from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records
3. daedalus from 'Errollyn' on Avie Records
4. Dervish for Cello and Piano from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records
5. Peace on Earth from 'Peace on Earth EP' on the Kings College Cambridge label 

Composer John Pickard joins the Gramophone Podcast this week to talk to Editor Martin Cullingford about his new album, Mass in Troubled Times, available on the BIS label. 

Bertrand Chamayou, who won Gramophone's Recording of the Year in 2019 for his Erato album of two Saint-Saëns piano concertos, has turned his attention to two groundbreaking composers. John Cage was a great admirer of the music and aesthetic experiments of the Frenchman, Erik Satie - and Chamayou has created a programme for Erato that links the two, 'Letter(s) to Erik Satie'.

James Jolly caught up with Bertrand Chamayou at his Festival Ravel in St Jean de Luz in south-west France this summer to talk about the project.

The music critic and regular Gramophone contributor Richard Bratby has just published a history of the Academy of Ancient Music, Refiner's Fire, the first book telling the story of a period-instrument ensemble (Elliott & Thompson; £25). 

James Jolly spoke to Richard about the book, about its charismatic founder and long-serving Music Director Christopher Hogwood, and about how a substantial recording contract with Decca'a L'Oiseau-Lyre label – masterminded by the producer Peter Wadland – shaped the ensemble's style and approach.

This week's podcast is made in association with Wigmore Hall. For a full list of concerts, visit wigmore-hall.org.uk

This week's Gramophone Podcast explores the music by Gabriel Fauré for cello and piano to coincide with a beautiful new recording by Xavier Phillips and Cédric Tiberghien on La Dolce Volta - and the cellist and pianist join Editor Martin Cullingford to discuss it. 

This week's topic is a new recording by Brecon Baroque of Bach's Goldberg Variations in a fascinating new arrangement by Chad Kelly who, together with violinist Rachel Podger, joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about it. This week's Podcast is published in association with Wigmore Hall. 

Miloš's new album is a journey of music around the continent of Europe in the era of the Baroque, and is named an Editor's Choice in the current issue of Gramophone. Editor Martin Cullingford met up with the guitarist to talk about the story behind this beautiful recording, which is available on the Sony Classical label.

In this week's Gramophone Podcast we meet with Swedish violinist Johan Dalene, a former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year. He joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his new release on the BIS label, 'Stained Glass', recorded with pianist Christian Ihle Hadland – a beautifully-performed programme of Ravel, Prokofiev, Pärt, Bacewicz and Boulanger. 

In this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, we explore the full list of winners from this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards. Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Deputy Editor Tim Parry talk through the Category Winners, the Special Awards, and of course the new Recording of the Year - complete with excerpts of every album.

The complete piano trios of Dvořák is the topic this week, as Editor Martin Cullingford catches up with pianist Boris Giltburg, violinist Veronika Jarůšková and the cellist Petre Jarůšek, who have just recorded them for Supraphon. 

Jeremy Eichler's new book, Time's Echo, just out from Faber (HB; £25) tangles with memory – what we choose to remember, what to forget – as history takes hold, and he argues that music can become in many ways the most powerful form of memorial. To illustrate this argument, he engages with works by Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten. James Jolly caught up with him recently to talk about the book. 

The musical excerpts which appear on the podcast, with kind permission, are:

Shostakovich Symphony No 13, 'Babi Yar' Nikita Storojev; CBSO & Choir / Okko Kamu (Chandos)

Schoenberg A Survivor or from Warsaw Franz Mazura; CBSO & Chorus / Simon Rattle (Warner Classics)

R Strauss Metamorphosen Sinfonia of London / John Wilson (Chandos)

Britten War Requiem Soloists; Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral; LSO & Chorus / Richard Hickox (Chandos)

This Gramophone Podcast is published in association with Wigmore Hall. Visit Wigmore Hall's webite for full details of this week's events.

The conductor William Vann discusses his superb new Chandos Records release of Parry's Prometheus Unbound, Gramophone's Recording of the Month, with Editor Martin Cullingford. 

In a series of four Decca Icons podcasts, Gramophone's James Jolly explores the artistry of four major recording musicians with Rob Cowan, Jed Distler and Richard Fairman. Focusing on recordings in the Decca catalogue, the series turns the spotlight on Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti and, this week, Benjamin Britten. Each podcast is accompanied by a special Apple Music playlist. 

In this final podcast, James talks to the Financial Times and Gramophone critic Richard Fairman about this towering figure in British musical life. Britten recorded for Decca, as composer, pianist and conductor, for most of his adult life and left a peerless catalogue of recordings, including one of the classics of the gramophone, the War Requiem.

The latest in our series of composer podcasts focusses on Dmitri Shostakovich. Edward Seckerson joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to share his insights with us into one of the greatest of 20th-century musical figures, with a particular focus on his extraordinary symphonies and what they reveal about his life. 

In this third in our series of Decca Icons podcasts, James talks to the critic and broadcaster Rob Cowan about the Hungarian-born Sir Georg Solti who made his first recording for Decca in 1947 and remained a Decca artist until his death in 1997, leaving an extraordinary recorded legacy. The podcast is accompanied by a special Apple Music playlist which you can find at Gramophone's website. 

Jennifer Higdon wrote her Concerto for Orchestra for the Philadelphia Orchestra and its then-Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch who gave the work its premiere in 2002. Since then it's been recorded by the Atlanta Symphony and, on a new Naxos album just out, by the Houston Symphony - both conducted by Robert Spano. The new recording finds the Concerto for Orchestra joined by a much newer work, Higdon's double percussion concerto, Duo Duel (2020), played by the artists who commissioned it, Svet Stoyanov and Matthew Strauss.

James Jolly caught up with Jennifer Higdon to talk about the two works' beginnings, and about how the composer manages her amazingly busy schedule.

This week's podcast is produced in association with the Lake George Music Festival where you can enjoy classical music among some of America's most spectacular scenery. Visit lakegeorgemusicfestival.com to find out more.

Rachel Barton Pine's new album pairs Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1 with a new work by Earl Maneein called Dependent Arising, a heavy metal-influenced concerto written especially for her. In this week's Gramophone Podcast the violinist tells Editor Martin Cullingford about the recording, and explores some of the links between the two genres of music, classical and heavy metal. The album - called Dependent Arising - is available from Cedille. 

In a series of four Decca Icons podcasts, Gramophone's James Jolly explores the artistry of four major recording musicians with Rob Cowan, Jed Distler and Richard Fairman. Focusing on recordings in the Decca catalogue, the series turns the spotlight on Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti and Benjamin Britten. Each podcast is accompanied by a special Apple Music playlist. 

In this second podcast, James talks to the New York-based critic, composer, broadcaster and piano enthusiast Jed Distler about the Russian-born pianist and conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In the latest Podcast Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford caught up with the multi Award-winning composer Tan Dun to explore his new work, Buddha Passion, available on Decca, and to hear his fascinating thoughts on composing, conducting and on music in general.

Hyperion Records, one of the most admired and successful of specialist classical music labels, is from today available on streaming services. The entire catalogue will be uploaded in stages over the next year, but the initial 200 albums released today feature every Hyperion recording to have received a Gramophone Award – and from that illustrious list, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Deputy Editor Tim Parry have chosen three of their favourite albums, topped up with a tenth, to discuss and to share on this week's Podcast. Find out what they've chosen, as we celebrate some superb recordings and a splendid label. 

In a series of four Decca Icons podcasts, Gramophone's James Jolly explores the artistry of four major recording musicians with Rob Cowan, Jed Distler and Richard Fairman. Focusing on recordings in the Decca catalogue, the series turns the spotlight on Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Georg Solti and Benjamin Britten. Each podcast is accompanied by a special Apple Music playlist. 

In this first podcast, Rob and James talk about the great Dutch conductor who, during a long career, headed up ensembles and opera house in Amsterdam, London, Glyndebourne, Dresden and Chicago, as well as being a much sought-after guest, and left a vast recorded catalogue.

This week’s Podcast is another special long-length edition, for which Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Rob Cowan, Gramophone’s expert on historic and archive recordings and the author for 30 years now of our monthly feature devoted to the area, Replay. Why should we listen to historic recordings? What can we learn from them, and which artists, many decades on, still offer listeners such extraordinary joy and insight? Across more than 45 fascinating minutes Rob addresses these questions, and we play excerpts from some absolute highlights from the archives. 

Following five acclaimed albums with the LSO and JoAnn Falletta for Naxos, the composer Kenneth Fuchs has released a new collection of his orchestral works with John Wilson's Sinfonia of London. Recorded at St Augustine's, Kilburn, in North London, by Chandos, the collection has just been issued.

James Jolly caught up with Kenneth Fuchs just before last Christmas - and the day after recording sessions - to talk about the four works on the new album.

Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year is the only award voted for by our readers and music lovers worldwide. Each year, the magazine's editors produce a short list of 10 ensembles whose music-making, particularly on record, has made a particularly strong impression on our critics. In the second of two podcasts, Gramophone's Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly, talks to the broadcaster and critic Rob Cowan about these five superb ensembles.

To vote for your chosen orchestra, head to the Awards page of our website before September 7.

Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year is the only award voted for by our readers and music lovers worldwide. Each year, the magazine's editors produce a short list of 10 ensembles whose music-making, particularly on record, has made a particularly strong impression our critics. In the first of two podcasts, Gramophone's Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly, talks to the Copenhagen-based critic and cultural commentator, Andrew Mellor, about five of the nominated ensembles.

To vote for your chosen orchestra, head to the Awards page of our website, but before you do (and voting remains open until September 7), maybe wait until next week's podcast when James will be in conversation with Rob Cowan about the remaining five orchestras. And to help you make up your mind, you can listen to the specially created playlists on Apple Music Classical.

For his second album for Alpha Classics, again with his regular piano partner James Baillieu, the German baritone Benjamin Appl has put together a programme under the title 'Forbidden Fruit'. Musically it ranges widely, taking in songs in English, French and German, and all bound together by a theme, and then grouped under biblical verses. James Jolly caught up with singer and pianist by Zoom – Benjamin Appl in Switzerland and James Baillieu in the UK – to talk about the programme, whether audiences today demand such an approach and how concert-giving has changed since the dark days of the pandemic.

The July edition of Gramophone features a fascinating article by Handel expert Richard Wigmore, in which he focusses on six specific years spread throughout the composer's life to offer a fascinating insight into his art and his era. Last year Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford sat down with Richard to record a very special edition of the Gramophone Podcast - lasting more than an hour, it's filled with rich insight into Handel's music and some of its finest recordings. It's the perfect accompaniment to our cover story.

This week's Gramophone Podcast sees acclaimed viol player, and founding member of Fretwork, Richard Boothby join Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his new album 'Music to hear...'. Featuring works by Alfonso Ferrabosco written for lyra viol and dating from 1609, it's available now on Signum Classics. We discuss the composer and his place in the London cultural life of his day, and the sort of instrument he actually wrote for - plus, hear some beautiful excerpts from the album.

This week's guest on the Gramophone Podcast is tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his new album 'Rising', recorded with pianist Kevin J Miller, and available now from Warner Classics. The beautifully-performed programme includes commissions from six African-American composers of the younger generation who were invited to set texts by writers of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as songs by 20th-century composers.

This week's Gramophone Podcast features the countertenor Reginald Mobley, who joins us to talk about his new album 'Because', a programme of Spirituals performed with jazz pianist Baptiste Trotignon, and available on the Alpha label. He tells Editor Martin Cullingford about recording these beautiful, and moving, works, what they mean to him and what he hopes they will mean to audiences. 

The Gramophone Award-winning pianist Kirill Gerstein has recorded Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko: it forms part of a twinned release, 'Rachmaninoff 150', from Platoon. James Jolly met up with Gerstein a couple of months ago in London to talk about playing the music of a composer who left us two recordings of the concerto as well as being one of the greatest pianists ever to have lived. The second part of the programme includes solo works, with the Corelli Variations forming the centrepiece.

Chandos was named Gramophone’s Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards in October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label’s key artists and the people who steer and shape the label. 

This month, James Jolly talks to the conductor Edward Gardner, Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic and Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic; in August 2024 he will assume the Music Directorship of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet. His recorded catalogue for Chandos is extensive and is crowned by the 2020 release of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, recorded in Bergen, which was voted Gramophone’s Opera Award winner but also our Recording of the Year.

On this week's Gramophone Podcast we talk to tenor Karim Sulayman and guitarist Sean Shibe about their album 'Broken Branches', released today on the Pentatone label. Featuring music by composers including Dowland, Britten, and Takemitsu, as well traditional songs from the Middle East, it's a fascinating and highly personal project for them both. A podcast produced in association with Wigmore Hall. 

James Newby's new album, 'Fallen to Dust', for BIS explores English song, and particularly English on the theme of death. Joined by the pianist Joseph Middleton, he offers cycles by Sir Arthur Somerville and Gerald Finzi, as well as songs spanning a century, including contemporary settings by Jonathan Dove and Errollyn Wallen. A former BBC New Generation Artist, a recipient of a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, a Rising Star for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and an ECHO Rising Star, Newby's career has taken off impressively. James Jolly met up with him earlier this week to talk about the new album.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall. 

Countertenor Alexander Chance – last year's winner of the International Handel Singing Competition – joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his debut album of English lute songs, 'Drop not, mine Eyes', recorded with lutenist Tony Carr and available from Linn. 

Carlo Rizzi, Opera Rara’s Artistic Director, has recorded Mercadante’s Il Proscritto for Opera Rara, another rarity to add to the label’s growing catalogue. A well-chosen line-up of singers, including Ramón Vargas, Iván Ayón-Rivas, Irene Roberts, Elizabeth DeShong, Sally Matthews, Goderdzi Janelidze and Susana Gaspa, are joined by the Britten Sinfonia and Opera Rara Chorus. James Jolly catches up with the conductor.

The French pianist Cédric Tiberghien has just released a new album, Variation[s], on Harmonia Mundi. It takes Beethoven's many sets of themes and variations for solo piano as its starting point, and weaves in major sets by others composers, in Vol 1 by Mozart, Schumann and Webern.

James Jolly caught up with the pianist in New York, by Zoom, to talk about the project and find out his thinking on the programme of this first volume.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall

Guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre talks to Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford about his debut album for Deutsche Grammophon, Visages Baroque, which weaves a programme of arrangements of music by French Baroque composers around two major pieces by Bach. This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall. 

Tom Poster is pianist and co-artistic director of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, and in the latest in our series celebrating our Label of the Year Chandos Records, Editor Martin Cullingford talks to him about what defines the group and its aims, and about their three albums so far.

The two violinists of the Tippett Quartet – John Mills and Jeremy Issacs – tell Editor Martin Cullingford about the group's new recording of the three string quartets of Erich Korngold, released on the Naxos label.

Klaus Mäkelä's second recording for Decca finds him at the helm of his French orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris. They recorded Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and the complete Firebird ballet. James Jolly spoke to the conductor by Zoom when Klaus was in Cleveland conducting performances of Mahler's Fifth Symphony.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall

The soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen has just released an album of Richard Strauss, two late works – the Four Last Songs and the Closing scene from the opera Capriccio. On this new Sony Classical release she's joined by the Gewandhausorchester and Andris Nelsons. James Jolly caught up with her by Zoom to talk repertoire and the allure of Strauss's vocal writing.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall.

The Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare was appointed Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Montreal SO) at the start of the 2022-23 season and one of their first projects together, Mahler's Fifth Symphony, has just been released by Pentatone.

Rafael Payare was in London recently conducting a run of much-praised performances of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia at Covent Garden, and Gramophone's James Jolly took the opportunity to catch up with him to talk about his work in Montreal and the new Mahler recording.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall.

In this week's podcast, French mezzo soprano Lucile Richardot talks to Gramophone's Hattie Butterworth about Les heures claires, an album of the complete songs of Nadia and Lili Boulanger on the Harmonia Mundi label, and also about recording Scarlatti Cantatas with harpsichordist Philippe Grisvard, for Audax.

This week's Gramophone Podcast explores the life and works of Liszt, with a particular focus on his piano music. Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Gramophone writer and expert on both Liszt and the piano, Jeremy Nicholas to discuss the composer's greatest works, and their greatest recordings. Visit Gramophone's website for details of the featured excerpts. 

Pianist, composer and author Stephen Hough tells Editor Martin Cullingford about his latest book, a childhood memoir called Enough (published by Faber), his new recording of the music of Mompou, Música callada, and his String Quartet No 1, recently recorded by the Takács Quartet (both recordings available from Hyperion). 

The pianist Frank Dupree’s new album for Capriccio is his third devoted to the music of Kapustin: his previous concerto album, which included the Fourth Piano Concerto, made it to the short list in the Concerto category for last year’s Gramophone Classical Music Awards, and this new release, as well as containing the Fifth Piano Concerto, also includes the Concerto for two pianos and percussion, and the Sinfonietta for two pianos, both works find Frank joined by Adrian Brendle, and Dominik Beykirch conducts the Berlin RSO in the Fifth Piano Concerto.

James Jolly caught up with Frank to talk about how he discovered Kapustin's music and how it perfectly plays to his strengths as both a classical and jazz pianist.

Chandos was named Gramophone’s Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards last October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label’s key artists and the people who steer and shape the label. 

The conductor John Wilson, whose recordings feature regularly in Gramophone's monthly Editor's Choice listings, has amassed a sizeable catalogue for Chandos and it continues to grow with recordings with his own Sinfonia of London, the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

James Jolly caught up with John recently to talk about the Sinfonia of London and the recording plans he has with them, as well as his series focusing on the music of Eric Coates, Aaron Copland and Richard Rodney Bennett.

Rosalind Ventris's new album for Delphian, 'SOLA', finds her in the company of both contemporary and 20th century women composers who wrote solo repertoire for the viola. An album like this, showcasing works for solo viola written by women, is the first of its kind, taking us through the folk landscapes of Amanda Feery and Sally Beamish to Elisabeth Lutyens's defiant style and a beautiful solo suite by Imogen Holst. Hattie Butterworth caught up with Rosie in Foyles to learn more about the album and why she thinks it's important to advocate for this music.

Credits:

Mixing and mastering - Katy Ehrlich

Photo of Rosalind - Oxford Atelier 

Today's Gramophone Podcast takes us through the world of Stephen Sondheim in the company of Edward Seckerson and Sarah Kirkup. Exploring the power of newer musicals and how to be a successful musical theatre writer, the contemporary world of musical theatre comes alive through discussions, stories and musical excerpts, including Wicked, SIX and The Secret Garden. Gramophone's sister publication, Musicals, will become a bi-monthly publication from March.

In this special in-depth exploration of the music of Handel, Richard Wigmore, Gramophone writer and Handel expert, talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about the composer, one of the most dominant cultural figures of 18th-century London life. From his early years in Germany and Italy, to his success in London with both opera and, later, oratorios, we trace the development of his extraordinary career and music, and hear excerpts from some of the finest recent recordings.

Chandos was named Gramophone’s Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards in October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label’s key artists and the people who steer and shape the label. In this third podcast, James Jolly met up with Chandos's Managing Director, Ralph Couzens, and the producer Brian Pidgeon who has made hundreds of recordings for Chandos. The conversation took place in St Augustine's, Kilburn, North London, during a run of recording sessions with the Sinfonia of London and John Wilson.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge is one of the world's most famous choral occasions. Taking place on Christmas Eve in the iconic chapel, the reflective, moving and ultimately joyful journey through music and scripture is broadcast annually to millions. For this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford met with Director of Music Daniel Hyde to explore what makes this service so beloved, and to talk more generally about the acclaimed choir. 

As is traditional, Gramophone's reviewers have named their favourite recordings of the year (in the December issue and online). Now Gramophone's Editor, Martin Cullingford, Reviews Editor, Tim Parry, and Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly, each nominate three albums that they've enjoyed over the past 12 months.

Christmas has long inspired composers to write works of great beauty, reflectiveness and drama, and the new album from acclaimed choir Tenebrae explores a diverse and wonderful range of them. Placing Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols at its heart, 'In Winter's House' begins its journey in Advent, embracing composers including Bob Chilcott, Joanna Marsh, Owain Park, Vaughan Williams, Sally Beamish, Elizabeth Poston and many more in a wonderful celebration of seasonal works. In the latest Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford meets with Tenebrae's artistic director Nigel Short to talk about the recording. 

The pianist Mark Bebbington continues his invaluable service to British music with a new album for Resonus that gathers together four rarities from Vaughan Williams's output, ranging from the Piano Quintet of 1903 to the Fantasia on the 'Old 104th' Psalm Tune of 1949. Joined by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for three of the works, and by the entire orchestra plus the City of London Choir and conductor Hilary Davan Wetton for the Fantasia, this album fills in some major gaps in the VW recorded catalogue.

James Jolly caught up with the pianist to talk through the album's four works. 

Chandos was named Gramophone’s Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards in October – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label’s key artists. The violinist Tasmin Little was central to the Chandos roster from 2009 until her retirement two years ago.

James Jolly caught up with her to reflect on the role that recording played in her long career – from her first concerto album made when she was in her early twenties to her final concerto and chamber recordings, both of British music. She also talks about her life after stepping away from performance.

The National Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Gianandrea Noseda are marking the centenary of American composer George Walker by recording his five Sinfonias. Nos 1 and 4 have already been made available on streaming services, and to learn more about Walker and his music, Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford met up with Noseda during a recent visit to London.

Michael Spyres has won three Gramophone Awards: Opera and Recording of the Year in 2018 for Berlioz's Les troyens, and Voice and Ensemble in 2022 for 'Baritenor', an album that reveals his remarkable vocal range. Now, again for Erato and in the company of his Trojans conductor, John Nelson, he has recorded Les nuits d'été – but in the original keys and in Berlioz's envisaged registers. James Jolly spoke to Michael Spyres about his approach to the Berlioz songs, and also about whether he considers himself a tenor or a baritone these days.

Ruby Hughes's new album for BIS, 'Echo', finds her in the company of Huw Watkins, as both pianist and composer. His song cycle, Echo, written for Ruby, and commissioned by Carnegie Hall, sits at the programme's centre and is flanked by a sequence of short pieces by Bach (both sung and for solo piano), a handful of folksongs and three works by three more living composers, Deborah Pritchard, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Errolyn Wallen. James Jolly went to visit Ruby to discuss the album and some of the emotional waves it responds to, or even sends out.

Clare Hammond's new album is a wonderful recital of works by Hélène de Montgeroult. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford recently caught up with the pianist to talk about what drew her to this French composer's neglected music. 'Hélène de Montgeroult - Études' is available now on the BIS label.

Chandos was named Gramophone’s Label of the Year at the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Awards last month – a perfect excuse for a series of podcasts focusing on some of the label’s key artists. And the pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet would certainly count as one, with complete cycles of the Beethoven piano sonatas and concertos, the piano works of Debussy, the Prokofiev and Bartók piano concertos, a cycle of the Haydn piano sonatas as well as the Mozart piano concertos to his name.

Gramophone’s Editor Martin Cullingford caught up with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet recently to talk about his relationship with Chandos and the role recording has played in his career.

The violinist and cellist have recorded Brahms’s Double Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Manfred Honeck, plus Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G minor for which they are joined by Lambert Orkis at the piano. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford caught up with them to discuss their collaboration on this new album, released today on Sony Classical. Gramophone Podcasts are produced in association with Wigmore Hall. 

The American composer Mason Bates wrote Philharmonia Fantastique to a commission from a host of major US orchestras (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the American Youth Symphony). It was recorded for Sony Classical by the Chicago SO under Edwin Outwater and released earlier this year. Now an animated film by Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and featuring the work of Jim Capobianco, has been made using the same soundtrack. (It will be available from November 4 to rent or purchase in 4K and surround-sound on the AppleTV app and to stream on Apple Music.)

Gramophone's Editor, Martin Cullingford, spoke to Mason Bates about the work and the new animated film.

Gramophone Podcasts are made in association with Wigmore Hall, sponsors of the 2022 Chamber Award. 

Xavier de Maistre – with Cologne's WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann – has recorded harp concertos by Reinhold Glière and Alexander Mosolov for Sony Classical, supplemented by a couple of transcriptions of Russian ballet music. James Jolly spoke to the French harpist about the album, the two women harpists who inspired the works and the detective work involved in resurrecting the Mosolov concerto.

Gramophone Podcasts are made in association with Wigmore Hall, sponsors of the 2022 Chamber Award.

A recording of the Australian composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg’s The Moons Symphony has just been released in Dolby Atmos sound by Signum. Featuring London Voices and the London Symphony Orchestra, the work is conducted by Marin Alsop. For this podcast, Gramophone’s James Jolly spoke with Amanda in Dubai and Marin in Vienna about the project, its ambitious programme and the challenges of recording such a large-scale work in the middle of the pandemic.

Gramophone Podcasts are made in association with Wigmore Hall, sponsors of the 2022 Chamber Award. 

This week’s Gramophone Podcast sees flautist Sharon Bezaly talk to Editor Martin Cullingford about her new and wide-ranging album of concerto collaborations called ‘Synergy’, available today on BIS. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

The Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2022 were unveiled last night. Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry explore and celebrate all the winning artists and albums, complete with musical excerpts. 

Following last year's Gramophone Award-winning solo Verdi album, Ludovic Tézier returns to the composer – and a couple of others – for his latest Sony Classical  release, 'Insieme' (Together). Joining Jonas Kaufmann he explores some of the great tenor-baritone duets of the operatic repertoire with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. He talks to Gramophone Editor-in-Chief James Jolly.

This autumn marks five year since the death of the baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, aged just 55. To mark this sad anniversary Decca Eloquence has gathered together the 11 recital programmes he recorded for Philips following his sensational triumph at the 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, one that launched his live and recorded career. Anna Barry was the producer of all of Hvorostovsky’s recordings for Philips, and for this week's edition of the Gramophone Podcast she joined Editor Martin Cullingford to look back at a glorious voice and a fine artist.

Lucie Horsch’s new album, Origins, begins with the bebop of Charlie Parker before taking us on wide-ranging and diverse journey embracing Bartók, Piazzolla, and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, with a particular focus on folk music. The Dutch recorder player joined Editor Martin Cullingford on this week's Gramophone Podcast to talk about the release, which will be available on Decca next Friday.

The forthcoming album from Bjarte Eike and the Barokksolistene explores the world of Restoration London, when musicians, actors and art forms all mingled creatively in the backrooms of English pubs. Eike joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to tell us more about the recording. Gramophone Podcasts are published in association with Wigmore Hall.

Guitarist Plínio Fernandes's debut album for Decca Gold, 'Saudade', is a very personal album drawing on his Brazilian roots. From music at the heart of the classical guitar repertoire such as Villa-Lobos's Five Preludes to arrangements of popular songs, it's a wonderful portrait of both Fernandes as an artist and of the guitar's place in Brazilian musical life. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford met up with him.

Gramophone Podcasts are in association with Wigmore Hall.

Edward Seckerson joins the Gramophone Podcast to talk to Editor Martin Cullingford about the music, recordings and greatest interpreters of Mahler

The tenor Jonathan Tetelman has signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, the first fruit of which is a solo album called, simply, 'Arias'. James Jolly caught up with him by video call as the tenor prepared for a concert in Stockholm. They spoke the day 'Arias' was released.

For 'Arias', Jonathan Tetelman was joined by the Orquesta Filarmonica De Gran Canaria conducted by Karel Mark Chichon in some of Italian and French opera's favourite numbers, including a role Tetelman has performed to great acclaim, Paolo in Riccardo Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini.

During holiday periods, we occasionally return to past podcasts, and this week, prompted by the news that he is about to release a new album inspired by an encounter with György Kurtág, we revisit a conversation from September 2021 with the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. 

James Jolly caught up by video call with the pianist at his home in Iceland just a few days after Ólafsson's triumphant debut at the 2021 BBC Proms to talk about the album 'Mozart & Contemporaries' which gathers music by CPE Bach, Galuppi, Cimarosa and Haydn around the great Wolfgang Amadeus.

During holiday periods, we occasionally revisit past podcasts, and this week, prompted by the announcement that Andrew Nethsingha will be succeeding James O'Donnell as Organist and Choirmaster of Westminster Abbey, we return to a conversation from November last year.

Editor Martin Cullingford was joined by Andrew, Director of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge to discuss the choir's new album on Signum, 'The Tree' - as well as the recent announcement that the choir will soon welcome female voices for the first time in its history. 

Eloquence has just issued two box sets, 'Paul Paray: The Mercury Masters', 45 CDs in all, which gather together the recordings made for Mercury between 1953 and 1962. The French conductor (1886-1979) created a magnificent ensemble during his ten years as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Music Director, and their partnership became one of the cornerstones of the Mercury Living Presence catalogue. Rob Cowan, Gramophone's expert on archive recordings, spoke to James Jolly for this podcast about the recordings and Paray's very special art.

Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year Award is the only prize voted on by readers. To help you choose this year's winner, James Jolly spoke to two of Gramophone's regular contributors about five orchestras each, and in this second of two podcasts, Andrew Mellor gives his perspective on ensembles from Hungary, France, Norway, the UK and one that draws its players for over 40 different nationalities. The Orchestra of the Year Award is presented in association with Apple Music.

Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year Award is the only prize voted on by music lovers, and to help you decide on 2022's ensemble, James Jolly spoke to two of our regular contributors about five orchestras each. In the first of two episodes, Rob Cowan gives his perspective on ensembles from Austria, the Czech Republic, England, the USA and Germany. The Orchestra of the Year Award is presented in association with Apple Music, and you can listen to complete recordings of the works discussed in the special lossless playlist at our website.

Nico Muhly’s Stranger, premiered in 2020, gives its name to a new album from Avie featuring the tenor Nicholas Phan. The album also includes two earlier works, Muhly's Lorne ys my likinge, written as a companion piece to Benjamin Britten’s Abraham and Isaac and similarly scored for countertenor, tenor and piano (for which Phan is joined by countertenor Reginald Mobley and pianist Lisa Kaplan), and Impossible Things, setting poems by CP Cavafy, and featuring a solo violin and ensemble: on the new recording, The Knights, conducted by Eric Jacobsen with Colin Jacobsen taking the solo violin role. 

James Jolly caught up by video call with Nicholas Phan in San Francisco and Nico Muhly in New York to talk about the album, and how Stranger came into being.

Andrew Mellor is a former Gramophone Reviews Editor who now lives in Denmark where he pursues a career as a freelance journalist with a special focus on things Nordic, and he's still very much part of the Gramophone family as a regular contributor to the magazine. James Jolly caught up with him recently to talk about his new book, The Northern Silence, his passion for Nordic culture and the differences between the various countries he writes about. The Northern Silence is published by Yale University Press, and is just out. The recording of Sibelius's Tapiola is by the Helsinki PO and Leif Segerstam (Ondine).

Alexander Ullman's new album featuring Liszt's Piano Concertos Nos 1 and 2 and the Sonata in B Minor, is released today on Rubicon Classics. The Award-winning pianist joined Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford to explore this extraordinary music, its beauty and its challenges.  

The Canadian violinist James Ehnes has his own string quartet for which he’s joined by fellow violinist Amy Schwarz Moretti, viola-player Richard Yongjae O’Neill and cellist Edward Arron, and they’ve released the final instalment in their series of recordings for Onyx of the Op 74 and 95 quartets and all the late quartets. Their final volume includes the A minor, Op 132 and the F major, Op 135.

James Jolly caught up with James Ehnes by video call in Bergen, where he was recording the Nielsen Violin Concerto with Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic, to talk about how he formed the quartet, and their journey through the quartets of Beethoven. 

Anne-Sophie Mutter premiered John Williams’s Second Violin Concerto, written for her, in Boston in July 2021 and DG recorded the work shortly after. One of the most listened-to composers on the planet, thanks to his peerless film scores, Williams has long been drawn the concerto as a form, and has written for many great musicians, including Gil Shaham and Yo-Yo Ma. 

James Jolly caught up with John Williams by phone earlier this year to talk about the new violin concerto, Williams's concert music and his love of conducting. 

John Williams features on the cover of the July issue of Gramophone, out on June 10. Andrew Farach-Colton writes about Williams’s concert music and we review the new DG recording of the Second Violin Concerto as well as Yo-Yo Ma’s new Sony Classical recording of the revised version of John Williams’s Cello Concerto.

Helen Charlston has recorded her first entirely solo album for Delphian, for which she was joined by the theorbo player Toby Carr. 'Battle Cry: She Speaks' combines music of the 17th century with a new work written for her by Owain Park, 'Battle Cry', which gives the album its title.

James Jolly caught up with her to talk about the album and find out about what's coming up from this much sought-after young singer.

A BBC New Generation artist, Helen won First Prize in the 2018 Handel Singing Competition and was a Rising Star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for 2017-19.

Her first album for Delphian, mainly of duets with her soon-to-be-husband Michael Craddock, was 'The Isolation Songbook', warmly welcomed by Gramophone's Alexandra Coghlan who wrote that 'the results are varied, from comic miniatures to distilled dramas and contemplative outpourings, but together add up to a recital that’s hard to resist, at once fresh and profoundly familiar'.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers's new album, 'Shining Night', takes listeners on a musical journey through the passing of a day - via Villa-Lobos, Leo Brouwer, Bach and even Elvis - much of it in the company of guitarist Jason Vieaux. She talks to Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford about how she developed this wonderful programme. A Gramophone Podcast presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Jakub Józef Orliński was Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year in 2019 and in the three years since has established himself as one of the world’s leading countertenors. An exclusive Erato artist, he’s made a trio of recordings of Baroque music, but his new album, ‘Farewells’, for which he's partnered by Michał Biel, features a selection of Polish art songs that ranges over two centuries. James Jolly caught up with Jakub Józef Orliński by Zoom to talk about 'Farewells' and how he chose the songs for the album.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall. 

The 2022 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition launches on Tuesday, April 5 with its preliminary rounds in London. Between then and April 10, some of the world's most impressive young ensembles will be performing in front of an impressive jury until one is awarded first prize, and the guarantee of a glowing future.

James Jolly went to Wigmore Hall to talk to the Hall's Director John Gilhooly and Hélène Clément, the viola-player of the Doric Quartet, to learn about the competition and how the jury reaches its verdict. We hear excerpts from the Alpha Classics recordings by the 2018 winners, the Esmé Quartet (in music by Beethoven and Bridge) and the 2015 winners, the Van Kuijk Quartet (in music by Schubert).

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall. 

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall. 

A recording of Drone Mass by the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson is released today by Deutsche Grammophon, performed by Theatre of Voices and ACME, and conducted by Paul Hillier. In this week's Gramophone podcast, Hillier joins Editor Martin Cullingford to recall the creative process of working with Jóhannsson, and to explore this fascinating work and the experience of recording it. Gramophone Podcasts are produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

James Jolly met up with Martin to talk about the album, the connections it makes and his admiration for the work and playing of the American pianist Earl Wild.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall.

Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande was recorded for Harmonia Mundi, following performances directed by Daniel Jeanneteau at the Opéra de Lille last March. François-Xavier Roth conducted his period-instrument ensemble, Les Siècles, with Julien Behr and Vannina Santoni singing the title-roles. James Jolly caught up with the conductor by Zoom to talk about the opera.

Gramophone podcasts are given in association with Wigmore Hall.

For this week's Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by violinist Daniel Hope to explore his new album 'America', available now on the Deutsche Grammophon label 

Leonidas Kavakos's recording of the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin is newly released on Sony Classical. In today's Gramophone Podcast he talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about these extraordinary works. 

Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, designed by Harzog and du Meuron, and occupying a prime position in the old docks area of the city, opened its doors five years ago. Since then it has welcomed about 3.3 million concertgoers to the hall and 4.5 million visitors to the Plaza viewing platform. The result is that the concert audience in Hamburg has actually tripled over the past five years. More than 3400 educational events with 200,000 participants and almost 10,000 guided tours to date demonstrate how the Elbphilharmonie has succeeded in attracting people of all age groups.

In this latest Gramophone Podcast, produced in association with Hamburg Marketing, James Jolly spoke to the Elbphilharmonie's General and Artistic Director, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, and the Chief Conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Alan Gilbert, about the effect of the hall not just on the city but also in Continental Europe.

To find out more about what Germany’s second city has to offer, visit hamburg-travel.com

While we take a pause for Christmas, we're bringing you four podcasts which we found particularly memorable conversations, and this week it's once again the turn of Martin Cullingford to choose. In October 2019, he met up with the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber to talk about a classic of the instrument’s repertoire, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, which was first heard exactly 100 years earlier. The excerpts are taken from from Julian Lloyd Webber's own recording of the work conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, on the Philips label.

While we take a pause for Christmas and the New Year, we're bringing you four podcasts which we've particularly enjoyed making. This week's is by James Jolly, and comes from August 2018 when he went to Rome to report on a celebration of the music of a composer currently very much in the news with the release of the Steven Spielberg’s film of West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein, and whose centenary was being marked that year.

While we take a pause for Christmas, we're bringing you four podcasts which Gramophone's Martin Cullingford and James Jolly have chosen as particularly enjoyable conversations. This podcast dates from February 2019, the month the much-loved singer Dame Emma Kirkby turned 70 – and also the year in which Gramophone celebrated her enormous contribution to musical life with a Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award. James Jolly went to talk to the soprano for a special birthday podcast.

While we take a pause for Christmas, we offer four podcasts which Gramophone's Martin Cullingford and James Jolly have chosen as particularly enjoyable and memorable conversations. We start with one of Martin's ...

In this archive Gramophone Podcast from October 2018, the baritone Sir Thomas Allen talks about his Champs Hill album, September Songs. Drawing on personal favourites from the ‘Great American Songbook’, it sees the acclaimed singer step from the opera stage and lieder recital hall for which he is best known, to the music of Broadway. In this fascinating conversation he discusses his love of this repertoire, with its melodic beauty, lyrical inventiveness and emotional directness - and his choice of songs.

This week's episode is a little different. Instead of interviewing an artist about their new album, Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, and Reviews Editor Tim Parry, each choose their favourite three recordings of 2021, and explain why they were so impressed by them. Listen to the discussion - and excerpts from each album - in this week's special edition of the Gramophone Podcast.

Aleksandra Kurzak joined Vienna's Morphing Chamber Orchestra for a new album for Aparté - 'Mozart - Concertante'. The programme culminates in a performance of the great Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola, K364, but before that she sings a selection of arias that present many of the orchestra's players in solo roles. James Jolly caught up with the soprano by Zoom in Wrocław.

After leading orchestras in Bournemouth, Baltimore and São Paulo, Marin Alsop became Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2019. Her inaugural concert in Vienna's Konzerthaus featured music by Paul Hindemith, Christopher Rouse and Lera Auerbach, making a strong statement about where her musical sympathies lay. From that opening concert, recorded live, comes a new album from Naxos of Hindemith's Mathis der Maler Symphony and one-act opera Sancta Susanna, supplemented by a studio recording of three dances from another of the one-act operas, Nusch-Nuschi. 

James Jolly caught up with the American conductor to talk Hindemith, her vision for her new tenure in Austria and how the pandemic has reset many perceptions about the 'core' repertoire and how things might change in the future.

For this week's Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Andrew Nethsingha, Director of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge to discuss their new album on Signum, 'The Tree' - as well as the recent announcement that the choir will soon welcome female voices for the first time in its history. This week's Gramophone Podcast is produced in Association with Leipzig, the City of Music. 

The soprano Jeanine De Bique has released her first solo album, 'Mirrors', with Concerto Köln, for Berlin Classics. Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with her to talk about the recording, as well as Rameau's Platée, also just out from Harmonia Mundi, as she start rehearsals in Paris for Handel's Alcina at the Salle Garner.

This Gramophone Podcast is given in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

In this week's podcast we welcome countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, to talk about his new album À sa guitare, recorded with Thibaut Garcia. A beautiful album that takes us on a journey from the Renaissance to the modern age, it's available on the Erato label. The Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Leipzig - the city of music. 

The great Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink died on October 21 at the age of 92. During his 65 years career he conducted many of the world's great orchestras, holding posts with Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra for 27 years, as well as the London Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera, and regularly guest conducting the Boston Symphony, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Bavarian RSO, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and numerous others. He left over 450 recordings, and they provide the focus for this conversation between Gramophone's Editor in Chief, James Jolly, and the critic and broadcaster, and Gramophone reviewer, Rob Cowan.

This Gramophone Podcast is given in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

For this week's Gramophone Podcast Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by the acclaimed violinist and conductor Fabio Biondi to talk about the complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by JS Bach, which he has just recorded for the Naïve label. This week's Gramophone Podcast is in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

Bach's cello suites are among the most extraordinary works - both joyful and profound - written for the instrument. In his new book, 'The Bach Cello Suites: A Companion', published by Faber, Steven Isserlis draws on decades of reflection on this music, sharing his views and encouraging us to listen in even greater depth. He joins Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his book and the music. Excerpts throughout are taken from his recording of the suites, available on the Hyperion label, Gramophone’s Instrumental Award winner back in 2007. This Gramophone Podcast is produced in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

The winners of the 2021 Gramophone Classical Music Awards have been revealed. To hear more about what lay behind the decisions to honour this year's winners, and to hear excerpts from all the winning artists and recordings, listen to this special second edition of our Awards Podcast, featuring Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry. This week's Gramophone Podcast is in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

This weekend marks the 90th anniversary of the death of Carl Nielsen, and one of the most prominent flag-bearers for his legacy today is the Carl Nielsen International Competition. In this week’s Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford talked to the competition's President, the violinist and conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, about some innovative changes to next year's edition – and about the music of the composer it's named after. This week's Podcast is presented in association with Leipzig – the City of Music.

Today, we revealed the 11 albums to have won the recording categories at this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards, and which will now go on to compete to be named Recording of the Year on October 5. In this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry discuss these extraordinary recordings - and play excerpts from all 11 of them.

This week's Gramophone Podcast is in association with Leipzig – the City of Music, where in June and July 2022 the Leipzig Opera Festival will focus on the music of Wagner. 

Charles Owen's latest recording for Avie is of the First Book, Switzerland from Franz Liszt's Années de pèlerinage ('Years of wandering). Charles talks to James Jolly about how he took the opportunity to return to the work during the long, quiet months of lockdown, how he performed the work in his first concerts with an audience and how he became drawn into Liszt's world as the composer-pianist travelled throughout Europe.

This week's Gramophone Podcast is in association with Leipzig – the City of Music, where in June and July 2022 the Leipzig Opera Festival will focus on the music of Wagner. For full information at visit wagner22.de 

To celebrate his 60th birthday – and his first album for Decca in a decade – Jean-Yves Thibaudet has programmed a beautiful solo recital full of works with strong personal connections for him. Called ‘Carte blanche’, it ranges from Couperin to a Charles Trenet transcription, and is out today. Editor Martin Cullingford caught up with the pianist for this week's Gramophone Podcast

Gramophone's Artist of the Year for 2019, Víkingur Ólafsson, has recorded three critically acclaimed albums for DG, and now he adds a fourth entitled 'Mozart & Contemporaries' which gathers music by CPE Bach, Galuppi, Cimarosa and Haydn around the great Wolfgang Amadeus.

James Jolly caught up by video call with the pianist at his home in Iceland just a few days after Ólafsson's triumphant debut at the BBC Proms where he joined the Philharmonia and Paavo Järvi in concertos by JS Bach and Mozart.

Lucas Debargue, who shot to fame during the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition where he took fourth prize, but totally stole the audience’s hearts, and shortly after was signed by Sony Classical. 'Żal' is Debargue's sixth album for the label and, joined by the violinist Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica, he explores the music of the Polish composer and pianist Miłosz Magin (1929-99) who, like Chopin, settled in Paris.

James Jolly caught up with Debargue by video call to talk about the album and to learn what Żal is, and to hear how Debargue and Gidon Kremer collaborated n this new album.

Sean Shibe has just released a new album, 'Camino', an exploration of the cross-fertilisation of French and Spanish music, and built around the gentle sound world of Federico Mompou. He talks to James Jolly about the stop-start music-making experience of the pandemic and how it focused his mind on exploring Spanish music for the first time on record. A passionate advocate for new music, Shibe also reveals what he's been up to on the contemporary music front.

This Gramophone Podcast is given in association with Tomplay Sheet Music.

Jan Lisiecki, a former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, has recorded his eighth album for Deutsche Grammophon, the complete Chopin Nocturnes (his third Chopin recording for the DG). James Jolly caught up with him by video call in Poland where he's spent a long period during the pandemic and from where he has maintained a busy schedule.

Gramophone Podcasts are given in association with Tomplay Sheet Music.

With the voting open for the 2021 Orchestra of the Year Award, music journalist and broadcaster Rob Cowan joins Gramophone's Editor in Chief, James Jolly, to talk about ensembles from Germany, the USA, Singapore and Switzerland. This is the only award chosen by our readers and an international audience of music-lovers. Visit our Awards pages for the list of the ten nominated orchestras and to vote. But before you do, listen to the ensembles on ten specially curated playlists and our dynamic playlist on Apple Music in lossless audio.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

With the voting open for the 2021 Orchestra of the Year Award, Copenhagen-based music journalist and broadcaster Andrew Mellor joins Gramophone's Editor in Chief, James Jolly, to talk about ensembles from the UK, Italy, Germany and Canada. This is the only award chosen by our readers and an international audience of music-lovers. Visit our Gramophone Awards 2021for the list of the ten nominated orchestras and to vote. But before you do, listen to the ensembles on ten specially curated playlists on Gramophone on Apple Music in lossless audio.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

The BBC Proms opens this time next week - July 30 - with a packed six-week schedule of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, as well as chamber concerts in Cadogan Hall and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, online and on television. Editor Martin Cullingford met with the Proms' Director David Pickard to talk about some of the themes and highlights, and about the challenges of planning and staging a season in a time of Covid. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Nicola Benedetti's new album is out today on Decca Classics focussing on two composers of the Italian Baroque, Francesco Geminiani, and Antonio Vivaldi, and accompanied by eight live performances at Battersea Arts Centre and an online education project, the Baroque Virtual Sessions. Then on August 14 the violinist begins a residency at this year's Edinburgh International Festival, featuring music spanning the breadth of her instrument's repertoire and history. She talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about all these projects, as well what it feels like to return to live performance.

Kit Armstrong has recorded an album for DG of keyboard music by William Byrd and John Bull, under the title 'The Visionaries of Piano Music'. James Jolly caught up with him to talk about what drew him to a repertoire from over 100 years before Bach, playing music written for virginals on a modern piano and the distinct musical personalities of these two great composers.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall, where having streamed more than 200 concerts over the past year, the venue's doors are once again open.

This week's guest is pianist Angela Hewitt, who tells Editor Martin Cullingford about her beautiful new album 'Love Songs', transcriptions of songs by composers including Schumann, Schubert, Richard Strauss, Gluck, Grieg and De Falla - with arrangements by pianists and composers including Liszt, Godowsky, Grainger and Hewitt herself. The album is out today on the Hyperion label. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

When Randall Goosby signed to Decca Classics, his forthcoming first album was described as being a ‘journey across more than a century of African-American music for violin, tracing its roots in the spiritual through to the present day’. That fascinating and personal project - called Roots - is released today, and to explore its themes - as well as the music of composers including William Grant Still, Florence Price and Xavier Foley - the young virtuoso joined Editor Martin Cullingford in this week's Gramophone Podcast.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director of New York's Metropolitan Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain, makes his solo piano debut on record for DG with an album entitled 'Introspection'. Recorded during lockdown near his home in Montreal, the album is dedicated to his late piano teacher Anisia Campos.

James Jolly spoke to Yannick Nézet-Séguin about 'Introspection' but also about his relationship with the piano from his early years studying it to how he can keep it part of his busy schedule as one of the world's most sought-after conductors. This solo album follows a recent recording of Schubert's Winterreise with the mezzo Joyce DiDonato (who also spoke to us about the project for another Gramophone Podcast).

The Philadelphia Orchestra is currently Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year. 

For the next album in his universally acclaimed series for Chandos with the Sinfonia of London, John Wilson turns to the music of Henri Dutilleux. He talks to Gramophone's James Jolly about his love of the French composer's music, the art of orchestration and gives a sneak preview of some of the recording projects in the pipeline. His new album couples Kenneth Hesketh's orchestration of three works for solo instrument and piano – the Flute Sonatine, Oboe Sonata and Sarabande et cortège – with Dutilleux's 1953 ballet, written for Roland Petit, Le Loup.

Taking its name from George Gershwin's When do we dance?, the latest album for Naïve from Lise de la Salle finds her taking to the dance floor as she travels from her native France to Eastern Europe, Spain, Latin America and finally the USA. James Jolly caught up with her to talk about the concept behind the album, playing the music of Maurice Ravel whose Valses nobles et sentimentales take centre stage in the programme, and how she tackled playing jazz.

For her third album for Gramophone’s current Label of the Year, Alpha Classics, the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey re-visits the Baroque for ‘Tiranno’. She offers five works by four composers – Alessandro Scarlatti, George Frederick Handel, Claudio Monteverdi and Bartolomeo Monari – that put Nero, his mother Agrippina and second wife Poppea centre stage. Lindsey’s last stage role before the pandemic was as Nero in Sir David McVicar’s acclaimed production of Handel’s Agrippina at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and her first role before an audience as the Staatsoper in Vienna recently re-opened its doors to the public was as Nero in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

James Jolly spoke to Kate Lindsey the day before L’incoronazione di Poppea opened and they discussed the new album and its themes of power and corruption, her experience of playing Nero and her plans for the future.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Tine Thing Helseth's new album is a beautiful programme of works for trumpet and organ, some familiar, some bound to be new discoveries for many listeners. Recorded with organist Kåre Nordstoga and released on the Lawo label, it's the subject of this week's Podcast, for which the trumpeter joined Editor Martin Cullingford. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Ben Goldscheider's new album, 'Legacy', pays tribute to the great horn player Dennis Brain, whose centenary we mark this year. Featuring music by two composers Brain worked with – Benjamin Britten and Sir Malcolm Arnold – plus works by Francis Poulenc and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies written in his memory, and two new commissions by Huw Watkins and Roxanna Panufnik, the album is available today on Three Worlds Records. Editor Martin Cullingford talks to Ben Goldscheider about the release. Gramophone Podcasts are published in association with Wigmore Hall.

Jennifer Johnston has just appeared, as Waltraute, on the new BR-Klassik recording of Wagner's Die Walküre conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. She talks to James Jolly about her decade-long association with the Bavarian State Opera and its Generalmusikdirektor, Kirill Petrenko; about music in her home city of Liverpool; and memories of Christa Ludwig with whom she studied as a student.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

In this week's Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director of London's Barbican and author of a new book called The Life of Music: New Adventures in the Western Classical Tradition. As well as exploring the book's list of 100 recommended recordings, they also discuss five key turning points in the history of music.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall

In 2019, Joyce DiDonato and Yannick Nézet-Séguin performed Schubert's great song-cycle in concert at New York's Carnegie Hall, and Erato were on hand to record it. James Jolly caught up with the multi-Gramophone Award-winning mezzo to talk about her unique approach to the work. As one of a handful of women singers who have recorded Winterreise, Joyce needed to find her own way into the cycle, as she explains from her house in Spain. 

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Sir Antonio Pappano has recently been named as the new Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (succeeding Sir Simon Rattle at the start of the 2024 season). With perfect timing, the orchestra releases a new recording of Vaughan Williams's Symphonies No 4 and 6, the latter recorded live the day before the first lockdown. Next month, finds Pappano in front of his Roman ensemble, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, for a new Warner Classics album of Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben and the Burleske (with the pianist Bertrand Chamayou). James Jolly caught up with the conductor by video call at his house in Rome to talk about the two new releases, but also to discuss how he has been making music in these unusual and troubling times.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

This week's podcast sees acclaimed flautist Adam Walker join Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his two new albums of French music, both released on Chandos Records. The first, ‘French Works for Flute’, sees him joined by pianist James Baillieu in music by Franck, Widor, Saint‑Saëns and Duruflé - that last work also featuring viola player Timothy Ridout. The second album, ‘Belle Époque’, features Walker's Orsino Ensemble joined by pianist Pavel Kolesnikov in an eclectic programme of French music for wind ensemble. Gramophone podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

Anna Lucia Richter's second album for Pentatone, 'Il delirio della passione', is devoted to the music of Claudio Monteverdi, a programme she put together with Luca Pianca, who directs Ensemble Claudiana on the recording.

James Jolly caught up with Anna Lucia by video call to talk about the project, but also hear about her decision to switch from singing soprano to mezzo-soprano. Making use of the 'down-time' afforded her by lockdown, she worked with Prof Tamar Rachum in Tel Aviv via Skype and phone to develop her 'new voice'.

The Swedish pianist Peter Jablonski has recently released an album for Ondine of piano music by the Russian composer Alexei Stanchinsky (1888-1914). James Jolly caught up with Jablonski at his home in Stockholm to talk about this all-but-forgotten musician and what drew him to his music.

Jablonski, who was signed to Decca in his late teens, also reflects on how his career largely dictated his recorded repertoire – until quite recently – and how he has been using the fallow period of lockdown when concerts have ceased to explore new repertoire.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

This week's podcast is devoted to exploring the music, life and legacy of the greatest genius of Baroque music – and arguably of all music – JS Bach. Editor Martin Cullingford invited Bach specialist and Gramophone reviewer, the Royal Academy of Music's Principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, to talk about the composer of some of the most profound masterpieces ever written. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall. Musical excerpts are taken from: the Cello Suites by David Watkin on Resonus; the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by Rachel Podger on Channel Classics; the Goldberg Variations by Beatrice Rana on Warner Classics; and the St Matthew Passion conducted by Masaaki Suzuki on BIS. 

For her new album on Chandos Records, Francesca Dego has recorded a fascinating programme which pays homage to Niccolò Paganini – recorded on Paganini's own (and rarely played) violin, ‘Il Cannone’. She tells Editor Martin Cullingford about her experience of playing this historic instrument. Gramophone Podcasts are published in Association with Wigmore Hall.

Following her highly acclaimed debut album, a programme of Offenbach coloratura arias, for Alpha Classics – Gramophone's current Label of the Year – Jodie Devos turns to the English language for 'And Love Said …'.

James Jolly caught up with her by video call at her home in Paris to hear the story behind the album – an album which was selected as an Editor's Choice in Gramophone's March issue and described by our critic Hugo Shirley as 'a recital that bristles with life and love, at once engaging, beguiling and moving. Highly recommended.' Conversation ranged from her studies at London's Royal Academy of Music to her passion – handed on by her parents – for the music of Queen which resulted in the inclusion of Freddie Mercury's 'You take my breath away' on the new album. 

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall, where the music continues despite lockdown with 40 streamed concerts every weekday from Monday, February 22 until April 3.

This year is the centenary of the birth of the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, an anniversary celebrated by the accordionist Ksenija Sidorova on her new Alpha Classics, ‘Piazzolla Reflections’. Now based in Madrid, Ksenija talked by video call with Gramophone’s Editor in Chief, James Jolly about the album, her instrument and the other composers who appear on the programme. Running through the album are many Piazzolla gems including the Bandoneon Concerto, Aconcagua, the ever-popular Libertango and shorter pieces, but Ksenija has added new works, many written for her, to show off her instrument’s range and communicative power.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall, where the music continues despite lockdown with 40 streamed concerts every weekday from Monday, February 22 until April 3, 2021.

Benjamin Grosvenor's new Decca album focuses on one composer, Franz Liszt. The album includes the B minor Sonata as well as the Petrarch Sonnets, the Réminiscences de Norma and some shorter works. Gramophone's Reviews Editor, Tim Parry, caught up with Benjamin for this new Gramophone Podcast.

Grosvenor, a former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year and Instrumental Award winner, was introduced to the music of Liszt at an early age, and he talks about his experience of performing the composer's music and the different works on this new album.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall, where the music continues despite lockdown with 40 streamed concerts every weekday from Monday, February 22 until April 3, 2021.

Raymond Yiu's music is featured on a new Delphian album featuring performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under David Robertson, Sir Andrew Davis and Edward Gardner. In this Gramophone Podcast, James Jolly talks to him about the inspiration and evolution of the three works, The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured, which takes its title from an early 18th-century pamphlet; Yiu's Symphony, a 2015 BBC Proms commission, and The World Was Once All Miracle, commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the author and composer Anthony Burgess.

In the first episode of a brand new series for Gramophone, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly and critic and broadcaster Rob Cowan discuss Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and compare the various approaches that conductors have to taken to this most famous of masterpieces.

They talk about how a professional critic should approach a new recording, how performance practices have changed over the decades, and how – no matter how many times you've heard this symphony – Beethoven's genius always shines through.

Listen to all the discussed performances on an Apple Music playlist.

Daniel Hope, joined by Alexey Botvinov, has recorded an album for Deutsche Grammophon of music for violin and piano by Alfred Schnittke. James Jolly caught up with him to learn about his love for this music, how he met the composer and how he assembled this new recording. And after a 2020 like no other, Daniel Hope also talks about the life-changing series of 'Hope at Home' concerts, his work with his two chamber orchestras and his hopes and aspirations for the future.

Stephen Hough's new album 'Vida Breve' is a beautiful and thought-provoking meditation on death - and life - drawing on works by Busoni and Gounod (including their Bach arrangements), Chopin and Lizst - and even Hough himself. The pianist explores the programme with Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford, and you hear excerpts from the new album, which is released today on the Hyperion label. 

The pianist Joseph Middleton has been busy in the studio and the past months have seen a number of albums released that find him alongside some great voices. It seemed a perfect opportunity for a chat, so James Jolly caught up with Joseph to talk about his role playing for singers, how he builds programmes, the changing landscape for song recitals and how the English have focused on the art of of the accompanist (a word they also discuss). The podcast contains excerpts from recent recordings featuring Carolyn Sampson, James Newby, Samuel Hasselhorn and Ashley Riches.

Nathalie Stutzmann releases a new Erato recording of Baroque arias written for her voice-type: 'Contralto'. Conducting her orchestra, Orfeo 55, she explores arias written for some of the star contraltos of the day by Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Gasparini and Caldara (including five world-premiere recordings). James Jolly spoke to Nathalie Stutzmann during rehearsals with Norway's Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra of which she is Chief Conductor; she's also recently been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of Gramophone's 2020 Orchestra of the Year, the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Dame Evelyn Glennie talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about her latest recordings of new works for percussion, by composers Alexis Alrich, Sir Karl Jenkins, Ned Rorem and Christian Linberg. The first three are released next week on a new album from Naxos called Concertos for Mallet Instruments, while Lindberg's new work - called Liverpool Lullabies, a concertante work for percussion and trombone - appears on a new album out today from BIS.

January 5 sees Alfred Brendel turn 90 and he graciously agreed to speak to us for a Gramophone podcast and answer a few questions ...

Alfred Brendel had a long performing career – he gave his first recital in Graz, Austria when he was 17, in 1948, and his last concert 60 years later, in Vienna in December 2008. Early in his career he recorded for Vox, for whom he made many records of Beethoven’s music including the sonatas and concertos, as well as much other solo piano music. Since 1970 he recorded for Philips with whom he remained until the label was merged with Decca. His repertoire for Philips focused on the Austro-German repertoire and his recordings embraced the complete Mozart piano concertos, the Beethoven piano sonatas and concertos twice, as well as concertos and solos works by Schumann, Brahms and Liszt, and many of Schubert’s piano sonatas.

Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) has carved out a considerable reputation for its championing of modern American music, and its latest release is one of its most ambitious, a recording of Charles Wuorinen's 2004 opera, based on Salman Rushdie's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories, to a libretto by Jame Fenton. James Jolly spoke to Gil Rose, BMOP's Artistic Director about the orchestra and its label, but also about this latest project. And Gil also reveals some of the recording projects awaiting us in 2021.

As Gramophone publishes its annual digital magazine round up of Editor's Choice releases – 130 recordings in all – the magazine's Editor, Reviews Editor and Editor-in-Chief each select three albums that have made a big impact on them over the past 12 months. From solo guitar to two major 20th-century operas, the selection is broad, and celebrates some of the finest music-making of today from the likes of Víkingur Ólafsson, Sean Shibe, Marc-André Hamelin, Paavo Järvi, Edward Gardner, Natalya Romaniw and many more ...

On this week's Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by the founder and Music Director of the Crouch End Festival Chorus, David Temple, to explore the music of Benjamin Britten. His new album, released on the Signum Classics label, features Saint Nicolas and A Ceremony of Carols, both early works from the composer. What made Britten such an extraordinary composer for voices, and what role did his belief in community music play in his work?

Christian-Pierre La Marca releases the first of five albums for Naïve, and it focuses on the solo cello. 'Cello 360' brings together music by Marin Marais, Dowland and Purcell alongside modern masters like Thierry Escaich, György Ligeti and Henri Dutilleux, as well as lighter fare by Charlie Chaplin and The Beatles. Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with Christian-Pierre by video call at his house in Paris to talk about the project and how he assembled such an eclectic programme for this imaginative concept album.

To mark the release of his new album on Orchid Classics, composer and clarinettist Mark Simpson joins the Gramophone podcast to explore its captivating - and interlinked - mixture of old and new repertoire. Opening with a wonderfully textured work by Simpson himself, Geysir, it then continues with Mozart's Gran Partita.

The Eloquence label issued its first 25 titles exactly 21 years ago, a project conceived, and looked after ever since, by Cyrus Meher-Homji. James Jolly spoke to him about the label, how it came about and how it has changed over its first two decades. And Cyrus also reveals some of the releases scheduled for the coming months, including box sets devoted to the pianist Ruth Slenczynska and the organist Gillian Weir.

Following his Gramophone Award short-listed recording of Charles Valentin Alkan's Symphony and Concerto for solo piano (BIS), Paul Wee takes on another challenging work of the piano literature, Sigismond Thalberg's L'Art du chant appliqué au piano. Gramophone's Reviews Editor, Tim Parry – himself a pianophile – talked to Paul about the recording, Thalberg's piano music and how he balances his piano playing with his 'day job'.

'Mythologies', just out on Avie, contains five orchestral works by Anna Clyne covering a period of 10 years. James Jolly caught up with the New York-based composer at her home in New York to talk about the collection, her various roles as composer-in-residence, and where she looks for inspiration when responding to a commission.

On this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford spoke to Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge. They discuss what life is like for the college's choirs - both the Chapel Choir, and the Girls' Choir which Lapwood founded in 2018 - and explore their beautiful new album released on Signum Classics, 'All Things Are Quite Silent'.

In this week's Gramophone Podcast Richard Egarr tells James Jolly about his new recording of Dussek's Messe Solemnelle with the Academy of Ancient Music on the orchestra's own label.

The French conductor Alexandre Bloch was appointed Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lille in 2016 and has made a huge impact on the musical making in the city. Two of his recordings with the orchestra – Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de perles (for Pentatone) and Chausson's Poème de l'amour et de la mer, with Véronique Gens, and the Symphony (Alpha Classics) – were shortlisted for the Gramophone Classical Music Awards. And such has been the acclaim of the Bloch/ONL partnership that the orchestra was also shortlisted for this year's Orchestra of the Year Award.

The latest release from this dynamic partnership is Mahler's Seventh Symphony, just out from Alpha Classics. James Jolly met up with Alexandre Bloch earlier his year when the conductor was in London on a short UK tour with the Lille orchestra. They talked about Mahler and also about the Lille orchestra which is really beginning to attract major attention.

A special Gramophone Podcast devoted to this year's Awards - join us as we discuss the winners of this year's Artist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Label of the Year, Young Artist, Orchestra of the Year, Special Achievement, Concept Album and Beethoven 250 awards - plus we hear from the winner of this year's Recording of the Year!

For her first solo album, 'Anima Rara', for Opera Rara, for whom she's already recorded Leoncavallo's Zazà and Puccini's Le Willis, Ermonela Jaho celebrates one of her great soprano predecessors, Rosina Storchio. Joined by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana conducted by Andrea Battistoni, Jaho offers a programme of verismo arias, some familiar but many less so.

James Jolly met Ermonela Jaho early this year – face to face – while she was in London for a Wigmore Hall recital, and they talked about Storchio, the new album and both Puccini and Leoncavallo's takes on La bohème.

In this edition of the Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford meets Joseph Calleja to talk about a really fascinating and very personal project - a celebration of the music of the conductor Mantovani, Britain’s most successful album artist before the Beatles and the first to ever sell a million stereo records worldwide. On his new album for Decca, the tenor sings to Mantovani's historic and much-loved recordings - he explains how this project came about, and how they made it work.

The 10 recording category winners have been announced, and the countdown to the naming of the 2020 Gramophone Recording of the Year has begun. All with be revealed during the evening of October 6 at a special online ceremony from Glyndebourne hosted by Gramophone's James Jolly and the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. (Watch it on Gramophone's website, Facebook and YouTube channels and on Medici.TV.)

To accompany the revealing of the 10 recording category winners, James Jolly was joined by Gramophone's Editor, Martin Cullingford, and Gramophone's Reviews Editor, Tim Parry, to talk through the winning albums, an inspiring mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar - everything linked by the excellence of its performance.

Saxophonist Jess Gillam joins Editor Martin Cullingford to explore some of the themes behind her new album, Time, a very personal project for her. Featuring music and arrangements by composers including Michael Nyman, Max Richter, Thom Yorke and Joby Talbot, it's released on September 25 on Decca.

Editor Martin Cullingford talks to organist Stephen Farr about recording the complete solo organ music of James MacMillan. The album is out on the Resonus label, and in this podcast Farr sets the music in the wider context of MacMillan's work, and discusses the music's challenges and what makes it so distinct and enjoyable.

On this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford talks to Santtu-Matias Rouvali, the Principal Conductor Designate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, about his first recording with the orchestra, excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, which is available now on Signum Classics.

Eric Whitacre's latest work, for chorus, piano and cello, The Sacred Veil, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale who give the first performance at Walt Disney Hall in February 2019. With Whitacre himself conducting, The Sacred Veil has been recorded by those first performers, and the album is now available from Signum Classics. Set to words largely by the poet Anthony Silvestri, The Sacred Veil, takes as its theme the death, from ovarian cancer, in 2005, of Silvestri's wife Julie, who was only 36. James Jolly spoke to Eric Whitacre about the work, and how it came into being, for this Gramophone Podcast.

Keen to play her part in supporting the women and children suffering abuse and hardship in her native Mexico – a situation greatly worsened during the pandemic – the conductor Alondra de la Parra has created The Impossible Orchestra. Comprised of a stellar line-up of artists from 14 different countries – both orchestral players and soloists – The Impossible Orchestra has recorded, for video as well as audio, Arturo Márquez’s much-loved Danzón No 2 in an arrangement by de la Parra (who plays the piano in this performance). She speaks to James Jolly about the project and how she aims to support two major charities in Mexico.

Robin Ticciati, Music Director of the DSO Berlin, has just released an album that couples two tone-poems, Don Juan and Tod und Verklärung with the six songs, Op 68, often called the Brentano songs, sung by Louise Alder. As Ticciati rehearsed at Glyndebourne for the much reduced 2020 season, James Jolly caught up with him to talk about the new album.

Editor Martin Cullingford talks to guitarist Xuefei Yang about her new album Sketches of China, a beautiful celebration of music from her homeland and featuring contemporary commissions and arrangements of ancient pieces. Featuring excerpts from the album, released by Decca Classics China.

In the latest Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford talks to Max Richter about the composer's new album Voices, a powerful and poetic musical response to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, released today on Decca Records. 

In the latest Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by conductor David Skinner to discuss the new release by Alamire of the music of John Sheppard. Based on new research, the Gramophone Award-Winning vocal ensemble have recorded a version of the Tudor composer's masterpiece Media vita in morte sumus which, they argue, is how it would have originally been heard. The recording - a digital EP - is available now on Inventa Records.

Gramophone has been making an Orchestra of the Year Award since 2018 when it was given to the Seattle Symphony (last year the Award went to the Hong Kong Philharmonic). This year the voting is open and we offer ten ensembles for you to consider. Each has struck us for the dynamism, imagination and style of its collaborations with its conductors on record. This week Gramophone's Editor-in-Chief James Jolly is joined by Gramophone critic and broadcaster Rob Cowan to discuss the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lille.

Listen to each of the orchestra's exclusive playlist on Gramophone's curator page at Apple Music, as well as a dynamic playlist embracing all 10 ensembles (which is regularly updated). Then, when you are ready, head off to vote at gramophone.co.uk

Gramophone has been making an Orchestra of the Year Award since 2018 when it was given to the Seattle Symphony (last year the Award went to the Hong Kong Philharmonic). This year the voting is open and we offer ten ensembles for your to consider. Each has struck us for the dynamism, imagination and style of their collaborations with their conductors on record.

In this, the first of two podcasts, Gramophone's Editor-in-Chief James Jolly talks to Gramophone critic, Andrew Mellor, about five of the ensembles: the Freiburger Barockorchester, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo and MusicAeterna.

In this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford speaks to the Artistic Director of Voces8 about their fascinating new album 'After Silence' - it's out on July 24, but several sections are already available to stream online - and about the forthcoming online choral festival from the Voces8 Foundation, Live from London, of which Gramophone is a media partner.

The cellist Inbal Segev has just released an album of cello concertos by Anna Clyne, DANCE, and Sir Edward Elgar. Her partners on this Avie release are the London Philharmonic and Marin Alsop. James Jolly caught up with them – Inbal in New York and Marin in Baltimore – to talk about the album, how the Anna Clyne piece came about and what makes them fit so well together on the same album.

Beethoven's violin sonatas sit at the heart of the repertoire for violin and piano. As Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Huw Watkins embark on a complete cycle for Signum Classics - starting with Nos 1, 5 & 8 - they join Editor Martin Cullingford in this week's Gramophone Podcast to explore what the music means for performer and listener alike.

The broadcaster, critic, composer and author Stephen Johnson has recently published a new study of Mahler's Symphony No 8 – The Eighth: Mahler and the World in 1910. James Jolly spoke to him about the book: why Mahler's Eighth and the extraordinary story of its 1910 Munich premiere.

The Eighth: Mahler and the World in 1910 is published by Faber & Faber (hardback: £18.99 & ebook: £14.99). The musical excerpts come from Lorin Maazel's third (!) recording of the work, one captured live with the Philharmonia Orchestra, five choruses and nine soloists, and available from Signum Classics.

The conductor of Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon, talks to James Jolly about their brand-new DG release, 'Music of the Spheres'. It links themed-music that takes in Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, Thomas Adès's violin concerto, Concentric Paths (played by Pekka Kuusisto), a Dowland song arranged by Nico Muhly, 'Time stands still', Max Richter's Journey (CP1919) and David Bowie's song 'Life on Mars' (in an arrangement by John Barber and sung by Sam Swallow).

This week's guest is the conductor Robert Trevino, who today has released a set of the complete Beethoven symphonies with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, on the Ondine label - recorded in order, over a two-week period. He tells Editor Martin Cullingford about his personal and musical approach to these iconic orchestral works.

Martin Fröst has just released a new album for Sony Classical entitled 'Vivaldi'. On it he plays a handful of Vivaldi 'clarinet concertos', works created with the assistance of the composer and arranger Andreas Tarkmann from arias drawn from the composers operas. James Jolly spoke to Fröst at his home in Stockholm about the project and the challenges of performing at an unusual pitch and working with the period-instrument ensemble Concerto Köln.

Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by guitarist Sharon Isbin to discuss her two new albums, both out today on Zoho. The first, Affinity, features four world premiere recordings by Chris Brubeck, Leo Brouwer, Tan dun, and Richard Danielpour. The second, Strings for Peace, offers a journey through the ragas and talas of North Indian classical music.

Gabriel Prokofiev has just released a Signum Classics album of two of his concertos: his Concerto for Turntables No 1 and his Cello Concerto. James Jolly talked to the composer about the release and why the concerto as form appeals so strongly to him. The new recording features the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alexey Bogorad with Mr Switch on turntables and Boris Andrianov the cellist.

Purcell's The Fairy Queen, music originally written for an adaption of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, features music of delightful theatricality and some of the composer's most beautiful songs. Paul McCreesh, founder and Artistic Director of the Gabrieli Consort and Players, has recorded the work for his latest release on the group's Winged Lion label. For this week's podcast the conductor joins Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford to discuss the work, and his approach to capturing and conveying its 17th-century spirit and splendour.

The Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw, who has received terrific reviews of her stage performances in the Russian operatic repertoire (particularly as Tchaikovsky's Tatyana in Eugene Onegin), releases her first solo album, for Orchid Classics. Joined by her teacher from the Guildhall School of Music, the pianist Lada Valešová, they present 'Arion: Voyage of a Slavic Soul', songs by three Russians – Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov – and three Czech composers – Dvořák, Janáček and Novák.

James Jolly, in Gloucestershire, caught up simultaneously with Natalya in Swansea and Lada in London to talk about the repertoire, the programme and how they started working together.

As Onyx releases a fourth album of music by Elgar with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and its Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko, including the vocal works Sea Pictures and The Music Makers, James Jolly met the Russian conductor.

Sarah Traubel makes her recorded debut for Sony Classical with an album entitled 'Arias for Josepha', the soprano who created the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte ('The Magic Flute'). She's joined on the recording by the Prague Philharmonia conducted by Jochen Rieder and it's now available digitally.

In this latest Gramophone Podcast, Sarah Traubel talked to James Jolly about the programme and the various composers who write arias for Josepha, how she fills her time under lockdown and her two illustrious relatives.

The Sitkovetsky Trio – Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin), Wu Qian (piano) and Isang Enders (cello) – has launched a series for BIS focusing on Beethoven's music for piano trio and Vol 1 is just out. It contains Op 1 No 3 and Op 70 No 2 with the small B flat Trio, WoO39 tucked in between them. James Jolly caught up with husband-and-wife Alexander Sitkovetsky and Wu Qian to find out about how the Trio was formed, how they're approaching this Beethoven series and how they're filling their time now that they're under lockdown in their house in London.

Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by sopranos Julia Doyle and Grace Davidson to talk about their new recording of music for Tenebrae, Couperin's Leçons de Ténèbres and Gesualdo's Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday. The album, featuring the choir Tenebrae under the direction of Nigel Short, is available now on Signum Classics.

Released today by Alpha Classics, 'La Passione' combines Luigi Nono's Djamila Boupacha for solo soprano, Haydn's Symphony No 49 (sometimes called La Passione) and Gérard Grisey's Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil. Ludwig Orchestra is conducted by Barbara Hannigan who also sings in the two modern works. James Jolly spoke to Hannigan, down the line, to find out about how she put the album together.

Jack Liebeck today releases a new recording on Orchid Classics, coupling the violin concertos by Brahms and Schoenberg, both works which have strong personal connections. He's joined on the new album by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Gourlay.

Jack talks to James Jolly about why he put the two works together, how he sees their relationship and the challenges of learning and playing the Schoenberg concerto.

Gramophone is excited to announce the publication of its digital special: Ballet on Screen. With nearly 20 reviews of ballet DVDs released in the past year, written by the world’s best dance writers, this digital special is free to view. The special's editor Sarah Kirkup talks to Gramophone's editor Martin Cullingford about the magazine's contents, including its two features, one exploring Margot Fonteyn’s legacy on film, the other investigating the surging popularity of ballet in the cinema.

The violinist Johannes Pramsohler has recorded an album of sonatas by Pieter Hellendaal who studied in Italy and moved to England in the middle of the 18th century and worked as violinist, composer and teacher, spending the last couple of decades of his life in Cambridge. Pramsohler and his musical partners Gulrim Choï and Philippe Grisvard have recorded six of Hellendaal's 'Cambridge Sonatas' for Audax, an album released on March 6. Pramsohler talks to Gramophone's James Jolly about the composer and his music.

Eric Lu, winner of the 2018 Leeds Piano Competition and now signed to Warner Classics, today releases his new album. The bulk of the programme is given over to Chopin's Op 28 Preludes, to which he adds Brahms's late Intermezzo Op 117 No 1 and Schumann's last completed work, the so-called Ghost Variations. James Jolly caught up with him to talk about the programme, but also to find out about some of Eric's piano heroes ...

The Estonian conductor, Paavo Järvi, talks about his three orchestras, and particularly his Tokyo-based NHK Symphony Orchestra as they arrive in Europe as part of a concert tour that takes in nine cities. To coincide with the tour, Sony Classical has released two new albums: Mahler's Sixth Symphony and three work by Bartók, the Music for strings, percussion and celesta, Dance Suite and Divertimento.

Twenty five years after his first recording for BIS of JS Bach's St Matthew Passion, Masaaki Suzuki and his Bach Collegium Japan have taken the work into the studio for a second time, and a magnificent achievement it proves. James Jolly met up with Suzuki when he was in London recently, working with students at the Royal Academy of Music.

The latest album from The King’s Singers draws together music from the Protestant Reformation through to the US Civil Rights Movement, and right up until the present day. The uniting theme is that reflected in the album’s title – Finding Harmony, where music has given hope in times of oppression and brought people together after tragedy. Editor Martin Cullingford met countertenor Patrick Dunachie and bass Jonathan Howard to discuss this ambitious album, which is available now on Signum Classics.

José Serebrier has just released a new recording for BIS containing two works specially commissioned from him for the pianist Alexandre Kantorow and the flautist Sharon Bezaly, alongside a group of shorter works for orchestra. James Jolly went to meet Serebrier to talk about his music, how he approaches composition and conducting his own music. And what he does when he finds himself without manuscript paper! 

For her latest Signum Classics album, ‘The Divine Muse’, the soprano Mary Bevan has chosen a programme of Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf, and at its heart, Joseph Haydn’s scena Arianna a Naxos. She explores the project with James Jolly.

Rhian Samuel’s work for soprano and orchestra, Clytemnestra, was commissioned by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales who gave the first performance, under Tadaaki Otaka, and with Della Jones as soloists, in November 1994. Twenty five years later, the work has been recorded by the soprano Ruby Hughes with the same Welsh orchestra, this time conducted by Jac van Steen. Coupled with orchestral songs by Gustav Mahler and Alban Berg, Clytemnestra has just been released by BIS. James Jolly caught up with Ruby to talk about a project that’s very close to her heart.

The soprano Louise Alder has just released her first recording for Chandos. It’s called ‘Lines written during a sleepless night: The Russian Connection’ and finds her joined by the pianist Joseph Middleton in songs by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Grieg, Medtner and Britten. She tells James Jolly about the project.

The pianist Stephen Hough has just released a new Brahms album for Hyperion, 'The Final Piano Pieces'. It has just been named Gramophone's Recording of the Month in the January 2020 issue. James Jolly caught up with Stephen just before Christmas to talk about the recording for this Gramophone Podcast.

The Oscar-winning composer's latest project is the score for a musical animation of Sir Michael Morpurgo’s children’s book Mimi and the Mountain Dragon. Commissioned by the BBC, and to be broadcast on BBC One on Boxing Day, the film also features illustrations by Emily Gravett. In the latest Gramophone podcast, the composer talks about the project, which was recorded by the BBC Philharmonic and the Hallé's family of choirs.

Freddy Kempf has recorded another Prokofiev piano sonata album (containing Nos 3, 8 and 9) for BIS. During this year's Tchaikovsky International Competition, at which Kempf was a jury member in the piano category, James Jolly caught up with the pianist to talk about the composer and his music.

Alison Balsom's new album, Royal Fireworks, is a collection of virtuoso baroque works performed on natural trumpet. For the latest Gramophone podcast she joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about the natural trumpet and about the repertoire on the album. Royal Fireworks is available from Warner Classics.

Stile Antico's latest album - their third in a series of three explorations of Christmas from different countries - takes us to the golden age of the Spanish Renaissance, from the polyphony of Victoria to dance-like carols in the Spanish language. For the latest Gramophone podcast, soprano Helen Ashby and bass Will Dawes join Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford to talk us through this richly fascinating festive feast of choral music. A Spanish Nativity is available now from Harmonia Mundi.

In the latest Gramophone podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford meets renowned pianist Norma Fisher to talk about her life and career, about the condition that forced her to give up public performance in the 1980s, about her teaching work, and about volume 2 of the fascinating recordings from the BBC archives.

Sir Stephen Cleobury died on Friday, aged 70 - just two months since he had retired as Music Director of King's College, Cambridge, a post he'd held for 37 years. In tribute, we're republishing the last of the many interviews Gramophone conducted with him across his career, in which we discussed the then new release of music by Herbert Howells, and look back across his time leading the music at King's.

Maxim Emelyanychev joins the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as its new Principal Conductor, an occasion marked by the release, on Linn Records, of a new recording of Schubert's Great C major Symphony. Maxim was in the UK this summer conducting Handel at Glyndebourne and at Covent Garden. Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with him at the Royal Opera House to talk about his new role, his very wide-ranging musical sympathies and his approach to Schubert's last symphony.

The Tallis Scholars's acclaimed series of recordings of the Masses of Josquin reaches Volume 8. Featuring what may be the last Mass the composer wrote, along with a Mass not by Josquin but once thought to have been by him, this penultimate volume certainly raises some fascinating questions! To discuss them, the Tallis Scholars's founder and director Peter Phillips joins Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford on this week's podcast - which features excerpts from the album, available now on Gimell.

The pianist and conductor Lars Vogt has just released a new recording of Brahms's D minor Concerto with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, directing from the keyboard. James Jolly met him to discuss the project, released on the Ondine label.

Jonathan Biss has been recording the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas for the past nine years. Now, as he reaches the end of the journey with Vol 9, Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with the pianist to talk about this extraordinary series of works. Excerpts are taken from the album, released today by Orchid Classics. 

Elgar's Cello Concerto was premiered 100 years ago today, and to mark the anniversary Julian Lloyd Webber joins Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford to explore the work, its performance and recording history, and to discuss why it still speaks so powerfully to audiences today. The podcast features excerpts from Julian Lloyd Webber's own recording of the work with Yehudi Menuhin, on the Philips label.

For his new album, the pianist Joseph Moog has chosen to explore the music of Franz Liszt, presenting works from across the composer's life, including his monumental Sonata in B Minor. Called 'Between Heaven and Hell', it's available on the Onyx label, and in the latest Gramophone podcast Moog discusses the project with Editor Martin Cullingford.

The 2019 Gramophone Classical Music Awards have been announced! In this special edition of the Gramophone podcast, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry explore the winning albums, and you can hear from some of the artists honoured by Special Awards, including our Artist of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award winners. 

The pianist Boris Giltburg is recording Beethoven's five piano concertos for Naxos with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasily Petrenko. The first album is out with the first two piano concertos and the early Rondo, WoO6 from 1793. James Jolly met up with Boris Giltburg after a performance of the First Piano Concerto and the day before the recording sessions.

Igor Levit has just released a set, on Sony Classical, of the 32 piano sonatas, an early and very impressive contribution to the Beethoven 250 commemorations. James Jolly met him at Steinway's London showroom to talk about the sonatas, and also to find out how the pianist approached this colossal project.

2020 is Beethoven Year - he was born 250th years ago, in 1770 – and the record industry is lining up a vast number of releases in celebration. Berlin-based Deutsche Grammophon, not surprisingly, is spearheading the campaign with a huge Beethoven Edition and one of the earliest releses is a new set of the five piano concertos.

The young Polish-Canadian pianist, Jan Lisiecki, joined the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for a tour which ended up in Berlin with a live recording.

Lisiecki spoke to James Jolly at the Jurmula Festival in Latvia – where Jan was playing the Fourth Concerto with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, and he explained how this project came about and how the Fourth Concerto occupies a special place in his musical affections and career. 

In the third and final of our three podcasts exploring the Gramophone Awards 2019 shortlist, Editor-in-Chief James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry discuss the Contemporary, Opera, Recital and Solo Vocal Awards.

The 2019 Gramophone Classical Music Awards are just over one month away. In the second of our three podcasts exploring the shortlist, Editor Martin Cullingford and Reviews Editor Tim Parry discuss the Early, Choral and Chamber categories.

The 2019 Gramophone Classical Music Awards are just over one month away, and in the latest issue of Gramophone we reveal the shortlist of the top three albums in each category. Over the next few weeks, the Gramophone Podcast will be devoted to exploring that shortlist. We start this week with the Editor-in-Chief James Jolly and Reviews Editor Tim Parry discussing the Orchestral, Concerto and Instrumental categories.

Jasper Parrott talks to Gramophone's James Jolly about the role of recording in an artist's professional and artistic life, and how it has changed during the 50 years that HarrisonParrott has been one of the world's leading artist management companies.

Georgian London was a glorious and artistically rich era, with a dynamic musical life, whether in concert halls, opera houses, churches or pleasure gardens. On his new album, From Palaces to Pleasure Gardens, released on the Regent label, organist Thomas Trotter celebrates this period with a programme of music performed on the newly restored 1735 Richard Bridge organ of Christ Church, Spitalfields. In this week's Gramophone podcast he talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about the works he's chosen, and about the extraordinary instrument he has recorded them on.

Danny Elfman is known to millions for his scores for over 100 movies, including many collaborations with the director Tim Burton, not to mention his inimitable title music for The Simpsons. This summer he released a new album on Sony Classical containing his Violin Concerto and Piano Quartet. The concerto, written for and played by Sandy Cameron, joined by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by John Mauceri, was the subject of a conversation Gramophone's James Jolly had with Elfman. But they started by talking about the emergence of the specialist film composer in the past 50 or so years.

In this third, and final, Orchestra of the Year Award podcast, James Jolly is joined once again by Rob Cowan to talk about the last quartet of orchestras competing for this prestigious award: Les Siècles, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. To listen to the contenders for the Orchestra of the Year Award, presented with Apple Music, go to our Awards page, sign up for a free three-month Apple Music trial subscription, listen to the playlists and cast your vote. The winner will be revealed at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards on October 16.

Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year Award is the only one offered as a public vote. Our editorial team has produced a short list of ten ensembles which have particularly impressed for their work on record over the past 12 months and, with Apple Music, has created ten playlists featuring each of the orchestras’ work (as well as an 11th which includes all ten ensembles and which is updated regularly).

In this, the second of three podcasts dedicted to the Award, Gramophone’s Contributing Editor, the critic and broadcaster Rob Cowan, joins Gramophone’s James Jolly to talk about the nominated ensembles. This week their focus is on three major European ensembles, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

To listen to these three playlists (as well as the other eight) and to vote, just visit the Apple Music page on Gramophone's website, where you can also start your free three-month trial to Apple Music. 

Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year Award is the only one offered as a public vote. Our editorial team has produced a short list of ten ensembles which have particularly impressed for their work on record over the past 12 months and, with Apple Music, has created ten playlists featuring each of the orchestras’ work (as well as an 11th which includes all ten ensembles and which is updated regularly).

In this, the first of three weekly podcasts, Gramophone’s Contributing Editor, the critic and broadcaster Rob Cowan, joins Gramophone’s James Jolly to talk about the nominated ensembles. This week their focus is on the two US groups, the San Francisco Symphony and Boston Symphony Orchestra, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra.

To listen to these three playlists (as well as the other eight) and to vote, just visit the Apple Music page on Gramophone's website, where you can also start your free three-month trial to Apple Music.

The tenor Nicky Spence, with Julius Drake at the piano, has just released a new recording of Janáček’s 'The diary of one who disappeared' on Hyperion - Gramophone’s Recording of the Month in its August issue. Almost simultaneously, Resonus has released on CD for the first time, Mark Anthony Turnage’s cycle 'A Constant Obsession'. The Scottish singer talks to James Jolly about these fascinating projects.

Isata Kanneh-Mason has chosen to explore the music of Clara Schumann - whose bicentenary is marked this year - for her debut disc on Decca. Gramophone’s Editor Martin Cullingford met with her, to talk about the life of one of the 19th century’s most acclaimed virtuosos, and her often neglected music.

Edward Gardner has just released another instalment in his City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Mendelssohn cycle, a collection of overtures, and a new Brahms symphony cycle with the Bergen Philharmonic starts this autumn – both for the Chandos label. Editor-in-Chief James Jolly caught up with him to talk about recording complete series of works, how he approaches such well-know repertoire as the Brahms symphonies, and how he seeks a different sound for each composer.

For his new Signum Classics album, Hugo Ticciati and his ensemble O/Modernt have explored the ground, or chaconne, down the years. James Jolly caught up with him when O/Modernt were in London recently to talk about the album.

Sir John Tavener's The Protecting Veil was premiered at the BBC Proms 30 years ago. To coincide with the anniversary, a new recording has been issued by Signum Classics which finds Matthew Barley directing Sinfonietta Riga from the cello - James Jolly meets him.

The latest recording from King's College Cambridge explores the music of Herbert Howells, featuring choral music (including An English Mass), organ works, and a newly completed Cello Concerto. Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford met with Music Director Stephen Cleobury to talk about the album - and, as Cleobury prepares to retire from the position this summer, to look back over 37 years of extraordinary music-making.