This Classical Life

Jess Gillam is joined by Italian-American violinist Francesca Dego to swap some of their favourite music. Francesca has played everywhere from Wigmore Hall to Lincoln Centre New York, and her latest recording of Brahms and Busoni violin concertos with BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Dalia Stasevska is out now via Chandos. Today Francesca has brought along music from neglected Finnish composer Helvi Leiviskä and a fiendish 12-tone work from Schoenberg, while I’ve chosen David Bowie’s swansong.PLAYLIST:GIOACHINO ROSSINI – ‘Una voce poco fa’ (Il barbiere di Siviglia: Act 1) [Teresa Berganza (mezzo soprano), London Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Gibson (conductor)] PETER MAXWELL DAVIES – Farewell to Stromness [Richard Casey (piano)] HELVI LEIVISKA – Orchestral Suite No 2, Op 11 (2nd mvt, Humoresque) [Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska (conductor)] DAVID BOWIE - Lazarus JOHANNES BRAHMS – Concerto for violin and cello in A minor, Op 102 (2nd mvt, Andante) [Salvatore Accardo (violinist), Heinrich Schiff (cello), Kurt Masur (conductor), Gewandhausorchester] ARNOLD SCHOENBERG – Phantasy for violin and piano [Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Joonas Ahonen (piano)] LANKUM – Wild RoverProduced by Rachel Gill.

Jess Gillam chats with tenor Alessandro Fisher, exploring their musical influences, from barbershop quartets to brass band music. They discuss the emotional impact of music in memorial services and share personal connections to unique pieces like Fritz von Dülle's Andy Mosik and Raye's 'Worth It'.

Jess Gillam swaps music with pianist James Baillieu, including works by Mozart, Bach, and Ella Fitzgerald.Pianist James Baillieu has worked with musicians including Lise Davidsen, Timothy Ridout and Pretty Yende, and has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Vienna Musikverein. He is also Senior Professor of Ensemble Piano and a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He’s brought Martha Argerich playing Schumann and a classic Bob Dylan song, while Jess's choices include Mahler and Goldfrapp.PLAYLIST: WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART – “Signori, di fuori” (Le nozze de Figaro: Act 2, Scene 9) [Lorenzo Regazzo (bass), Simon Keenlyside (baritone), Patrizia Ciofi (sop), Véronique Gens (sop), Concerto Köln, René Jacobs (cond)] JOHN ADAMS – Hallelujah Junction (1st mvt) [Nicolas Hodges (piano), Rolf Hind (piano)] BOB DYLAN – Blowin’ in the Wind GUSTAV MAHLER – Symphony No 5 in C sharp minor (4th mvt, Adagietto) [Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel (cond)] JUAN TIZOL/DUKE ELLINGTON/IRVING MILLS – Caravan [Ella Fitzgerald (singer), Duke Ellington and his Orchestra] JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH – Cello Suite No 2 in D minor, BWV 1008 (4th mvt, Sarabande) [Yo-Yo Ma (cello)] ROBERT SCHUMANN - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Kinderszenen, Op 15: No 1) [Martha Argerich (piano)] GOLDFRAPP – Lovely HeadProduced by Rachel Gill.

Jess Gillam and soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha share their favourite tracks.South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha was the winner of the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2021 and is a current BBC New Generation Artist. She’s brought a track from iconic South African artist Miriam Makeba and Maria Callas singing a prayer from Verdi’s Otello, and Jess has picked a dance of death from Saint-Saens and jazz from Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker.PLAYLIST: MAHALIA JACKSON– If I Can Help Somebody CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS – Danse macabre, Op 40 [Luben Yordandoff (violin), Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim (cond)] GIUSEPPE VERDI – Ave Maria (Otello: Act 4) [Maria Callas (sop), Orchestre de la Société Des Concerts Du Conservatoire, Nicola Rescigno (cond)] HENRY PURCELL – Music for a While (Oedipus, Z 583) [Martin Fröst (clarinet), Sebastien Dube (double bass)] MIRIAM MAKEBA – The Click Song JIMMY MCHUGH/DOROTHY FIELDS– Don’t Blame Me (Live) [Charlie Parker Quintet] DOMENICO CIMAROSA – Sonata No 42 in D minor, arr Ólafsson [Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)] VINCENZO BELLINI – Mira, O Norma (Norma) [Joan Sutherland (sop), Montserrat Caballé (sop), Welsh National Opera Orchestra, Richard Bonynge]Produced by Rachel Gill

Jess Gillam swaps favourite music with pianist Keelan Carew, and between them they put together a boundary-pushing playlist with songs by Kurt Weill and Nat King Cole - pianistic fireworks by Busoni and Chopin, orchestral fireworks by Shostakovich and some classic Japanese jazz fusion by Casiopea.Playlist: KURT WEILL: Der Abschiedsbrief [Teresa Stratus (sop), Kurt Weill (piano)] SHOSTAKOVICH: Festive Overture [Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy (cond)] CASIOPEA: Swear [Album: Mint Jams] MAURIZIO CAZZATI: Ciaccona [L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar] CHOPIN: Ballade no.1 in G minor, op 23 [Vladimir Horowitz (piano)] MEERNAA: Good Luck [Album: Strange Life] BUSONI: Piano Concerto in C major, op.39 – iv. All Italiana, Tarantella [Kirill Gerstein (piano), Boston Symphony Orchestra] NAT KING COLE: When I Fall in Love

Jess Gillam meets violist Jordan Bak to share some of their favourite music.Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is a proud new music advocate – he’s performed world premieres of works by composers including Kaija Saariaho and Augusta Read Thomas. His debut album IMPULSE was released in 2022 and he’s performed with orchestras including London Mozart Players. His musical picks include works by Florence Price, reggae singer Koffee, and Benjamin Britten, whilst Jess has chosen a classic Radiohead track and Stokowski’s take on Bach.PLAYLIST:FLORENCE PRICE – String Quartet No 2 in A minor (3rd mvt, Juba) [Catalyst Quartet] FANNY MENDELSSOHN - Schluss [Heather Schmidt (piano)] PALACE – Live Well JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, ARR LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI – Passacaglia And Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 [Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)] KOFFEE – Toast RADIOHEAD – House of Cards BENJAMIN BRITTEN – Night Piece “Notturno” [Stephen Hough (piano)]

Jess's guest this week is the composer Kate Whitley.Kate is an award-winning composer and pianist, who also runs the Multi-Story Orchestra. The orchestra was born in a multi-story car park in Peckham, and perform in car parks around the country, as they wanted to take classical music out of formal concert halls. They also create hugely powerful musical projects like the RPS Award-winning The Endz that involve the local community and young people in their music making.Kate and Jess settle in for a listening party of the music they love including a beautiful work by Caroline Shaw and Bjork, the biggest of brass by Mussorgsky, bluegrass courtesy of the Goat Rodeo and a contender for greatest ever cover version by the Pet Shop Boys.Playlist:CAROLINE SHAW – Partita for 8 Singers: 2. Sarabande [Roomful of Teeth] MUSSORGSKY – Night on Bald Mountain [Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti (conductor)] BJORK: Pneumonia GOAT RODEO - Attaboy [Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Yo Yo Ma] VIVALDI – La Folia [Apollo’s Fire, Jeannette Sorell] SON LUX - This is a Life [Mitski, David Byrne] GABRIELE MIRABASSI – Girotondo [Gabriele Mirabassi [clarinet), Luciano Biondini (accordion)] PET SHOP BOYS: Always on My Mind

Jess Gillam meets Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene to swap some of their favourite music.At 23 years old, Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene is already the winner of several awards, including the prestigious Carl Nielsen Competition in 2019, the Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award in 2022, and a Swedish Grammy in 2023. His music choices include a squelchy bassline from Thundercat, a Swedish Eurovision classic, and a virtuosic violin concerto that’s close to his heart. Jess's choices include Bernstein conducting a favourite Mozart symphony, and music from the saxophonist Branford Marsalis.PLAYLIST:LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Sonata for Violin and Piano No 8 in G major, Op 30 No 3 (3rd mvt) [Gidon Kremer, Martha Argerich] BRANFORD MARSALIS – A Thousand Autumns [Branford Marsalis Quartet] TOMMY KÖRBERG - Stad i ljus (City in Light) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART – Symphony No 40 in G minor, K 550 (1st mvt) [Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein] THUNDERCAT – Them Changes CARL NIELSEN – Violin Concerto Op 33 (IIb – Rondo: Allegretto Scherzando) [Arve Tellefsen, Yehudi Menuhin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra] YEAH YEAH YEAHS FT. PERFUME GENIUS – Spitting Off the Edge of the World PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY – The Nutcracker, Op 71: Miniature Overture [Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra]

Jess Gillam and conductor Robert Ames share some of the tunes they love, with music by Philip Glass, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Makaya McCraven, Pauline Oliveros and J.S. Bach.Playlist: Philip Glass – Aguas da Amazonia - Madeira River [Uakti] Abel Selaocoe – Voices of Bantu Hildur Guðnadóttir - For Petra [London Contemporary Orchestra, Robert Ames] Tchaikovsky – The Tempest, Op. 18; VI. Andante non tanto [BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Alpesh Chauhan] Makaya McCraven – In These Times Camille Saint-Saens – Le lever de la lune Pauline Oliveros / Stuart Dempster / Panaiotis - Suiren J.S. Bach – Aria from Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068 "Air on a G String" (Arr. Leopold Stokowski) [BBC Philharmonic, Matthias Bamert]

Jess Gillam meets mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron to swap some of their favourite music.Singaporean-British mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron sings everything from opera to chamber music, from the baroque to the contemporary. She is mentored by Barbara Hannigan and has performed with LSO, Czech Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. She joins Jess ahead of performing Freya Waley-Cohen's Spell Book with Manchester Collective in London. Her music choices include a contralto version of Schubert's Winterreise, a traditional Uyghur folk song, and a toe-tapping melody from the musical Kiss Me, Kate. Jess brings along 'stadium jazz' from saxophonist Donny McCaslin, elegant incidental music from Purcell, and a joyful explosion of sound from indie band Villagers.PLAYLIST: HENRY PURCELL – Abdelazer Z 570 (2nd mvt, Rondeau) [Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner] COLE PORTER - Too Darn Hot (Kiss Me, Kate) [2019 Broadway Cast Recording] OLIVIER MESSIAEN – La mort du nombre [Sholto Kynoch (piano), Kaoru Yamada (violin), Rhona McKail (soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor)] TRADITIONAL UYGHUR – Derdi Tolidur Yarning (Such Pain My Love) [Sanubar Tursun (vocals and dutar)] WILLIAM WALTON – Symphony No 1 in B flat minor (4th mvt) [London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis] DONNY MCCASLIN – Stadium Jazz FRANZ SCHUBERT – Gute Nacht (Winterreise, D 911) [Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto), Inger Södergren (piano)] VILLAGERS – The First Day