The Gramophone Magazine Podcasts

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 incl…

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 listin…

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 Elisabet…

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…

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…

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 Br…

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 Ma…

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, Jo…

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…

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 th…

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 re…

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…

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…

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 De…

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 …

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 Ed…

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 work…

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 amb…

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 Ceci…

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. Ann…

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, whic…