Gramophone Classical Music Podcast

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'.

The French tenor, Cyrille Dubois, with his regular piano partner Tristan Raës, releases the complete songs by Gabriel Fauré on May 27. This Aparté release is the first time the entire song output of the composer has been recorded by a single singer. James Jolly caught up with Cyrille Dubois to discuss the project, and also hear about what the tenor is up to next. 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.

The Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley has just released an album, 'Crossing the Bar', created during lockdown and prompted by her acquiring a new piano. Gramophone's James Jolly went to speak to her at Angel Studios in Islington about the album, but also about her work in music across so many different genres. Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall.

This week's guest is Emmanuelle Haïm, the conductor of Le Concert d'Astrée, and the creative spirit behind its superb catalogue of brilliant and Award-winning albums. It's 20 years since she founded the ensemble to perform baroque music, and in a celebratory podcast Haïm tells Editor Martin Cullingford about those two decades of discovery. Musical excerpts are taken from the new album 'Une nouvelle fête Baroque - 20 ans du Concert d'Astrée', available from today on Erato. This Gramphone Podcast is produced in association with Wigmore Hall.

While we take a short break, we've revisited one of the most popular episodes we've published. It's a conversation devoted to exploring the music, life and legacy of a composer whose work is very associated with Easter – the greatest genius of Baroque music, JS Bach. In March 2021, 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 given in association with Wigmore Hall.

In this week's Gramophone Podcast Editor Martin Cullingford meets with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet to discuss volume six of his series of Mozart piano concertos, recorded with the Manchester Camerata and conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy. This album features Piano Concerto No 22, K482 and No 23, K488, and is available on the Chandos label. Gramophone Podcasts are produced 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.