

Gramophone Classical Music Podcast
Gramophone
Weekly conversations about classical music with leading musicians and writers
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 24, 2025 • 34min
Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky on his new album 'Gelosia!'
The French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has just released a new Erato album of cantatas da camera by Alessandro Scarlatti, Porpora, Galuppi, Handel and Vivaldi, 'Gelosia!'. On it he also conducts his ensemble Artaserse, which he founded in 2002, and with which he increasingly appears solely as conductor rather than as singer. Gramophone's James Jolly went to talk to him in Paris about the new album, but also about a major milestone in his musical career, 25 years of making recordings for Erato.

Oct 20, 2025 • 35min
The Hermes Experiment on their new album, Tree
The Hermes Experiment - an ever-innovative, exploratory and imaginative ensemble - have released their new album, Tree, a meditation on nature, memory and change embracing contemporary composers and reimagined music from the past. Two members of the group, soprano Héloïse Werner and clarinetist Oliver Pashley - who also both have compositions on the album - joined Editor Martin Cullingford in the Gramophone Podcast studio to discuss this beautiful release.

Oct 17, 2025 • 57min
Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2025: The Winners
In this special edition of the Gramophone Podcast, we explore the full list of winners from this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards. Editor Emeritus James Jolly, Editor Martin Cullingford, Deputy Editor Tim Parry and Editor of Opera Now and Choir & Organ Hattie Butterworth talk through the Category Winners, the Special Awards, and of course the new Recording of the Year – complete with excerpts of every album.

Oct 10, 2025 • 26min
Maxim Emelyanychev on Mozart's symphonies
For this week's Gramophone Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford travelled to Padua to talk to Maxim Emelyanychev, Chief Conductor of Il Pomo d'Oro, about recording Mozart symphonies - and specially their latest release of Symphonies Nos 35 and 36, and Violin Concerto No 3 - on period instruments for the Aparté label.

Oct 2, 2025 • 31min
Tine Thing Helseth on Echoes, her new album of trumpet concertos
This week's guest on the Gramophone Podcast is trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth, who talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about her new recording on the Lawo label. Called 'Echoes', it features works by Arutiunian, Penderecki and Weinberg - she talks about the album, as well as her wider work championing her instrument and its repertoire.

Sep 26, 2025 • 42min
Ian Page on the music of Gluck
In this week's Gramophone Podcast, the conductor Ian Page joins Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about the music of the 18th-century composer Gluck, setting him in the context of musical developments of his time. The conversation marks the release of the new album from his ensemble The Mozartists - a recording of arias from Gluck operas, sung by Ann Hallenberg, and newly released on Signum Classics.

Sep 19, 2025 • 38min
Anastasia Kobekina on Bach's Cello Suites | Gramophone Podcast
In this week's Gramophone Podcast, cellist Anastasia Kobekina talks about her new recording of one of the most revered series of works for her instrument - Bach's Solo Cello Suites. While the album isn't released by Sony Classical until next Friday (September 26), three movements are already available as singles, and in this side ranging conversation with Editor Martin Cullingford Kobekina talks about interpreting music from the Baroque through to the present day. The Gramophone Podcast will now be included in The British Library Sound Archive, catalogued and preserved for future generations as part of the nation's audio and cultural heritage. Gramophone Magazine is a leading monthly publication for classical music, offering expert reviews, in-depth interviews, and industry insights. Available in print and online, it connects enthusiasts with the best recordings, artists, and trends in classical music worldwide.

Sep 10, 2025 • 56min
Composer John Rutter: a birthday conversation
One of the most-performed composers of our time, Sir John Rutter, celebrates his 80th birthday on September 24. To mark the occasion Harmonia Mundi has released an album of his choral music sung by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, directed by Graham Ross – 'John Rutter: A Clare College Celebration'. And next week Decca releases an all-orchestral collection, 'Reflections', that includes a performance of Rutter's piano concerto, which gives the album its title. Rutter himself conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Steven Osborne the piano soloist. James Jolly went to visit Sir John at his home to talk about the new releases but also reflect on his long association with Clare College, and much else.

Sep 2, 2025 • 29min
Rowan Pierce on recording Bach, Handel and Vivaldi | Gramophone Podcast
Soprano Rowan Pierce joins Jonathan Whiting to reflect on the intimacy of making chamber-scale Baroque music without a conductor, the challenges of Bach's expansive recitatives, and the almost operatic drama of Handel's 'Tra le fiamme'. She also speaks about her long collaboration with Ashley Solomon, the ensemble's director, and about finding new colours and meaning in these works – music that, though written three centuries ago, resonates with striking relevance today. We were also incredibly honoured to recently learn that the Gramophone Magazine Podcast will now be included in The British Library Sound Archive, catalogued and preserved for future generations as part of the nation's audio and cultural heritage. To hear other Gramophone podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'Gramophone' in your Podcast App of choice, or visit Gramophone's page on Apple or Spotify.

10 snips
Aug 29, 2025 • 33min
Composer Jake Heggie on 25 years of writing operas
Jake Heggie, an acclaimed American composer known for his operas like 'Dead Man Walking', joins to discuss his recent work 'Intelligence', inspired by Civil War spies. He shares insights into its eight-year creative journey and the importance of emotional storytelling. The conversation also reflects on the 25th anniversary of 'Dead Man Walking', celebrating its impact as a leading contemporary opera. Heggie highlights the moral complexities of capital punishment and the transformative power of art in humanizing difficult narratives.


