This Classical Life

Jess Gillam and baritone Benson Wilson share the music they love, including the voices of Johnny Mathis, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Samoan gospel singer Lani Alo.Today we played…Copland – Appalachian Spring: Allegro (Leonard Bernstein, New York Phil) Erroll Garner - Misty (Johnny Mathis) Pulp – Common People Verdi – Don Carlos: "O Carlo, ascolta" from Act IV Scene 2 (Dmitri Hvorostovsky, BBC Welsh SO, Richard Armstrong, recorded at 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World final) Interpol – Untitled (from Turn on the Bright Lights) John Rutter – What sweeter music (Choir of King’s College Cambridge Stephen Cleobury, Robert Quinney (organ) Lani Alo – Alo i ou faiva (Lani Alo and Livingston Efu) Poulenc – Double Piano Concerto in D Minor: III. Finale (Mischa Cheung and Yulia Miloslavaskaya (pianos), Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra, Sergey Simakov)

Jess Gillam talks to pianist and composer Rosey Chan about the music that they love, including Mahler, Miles Davis and Eurythmics.Today we played:Vivaldi – Orlando finto pazzo, RV 727; ‘Se in ogni guardo’ (Philippe Jaroussky, Ensemble Matheus, Jean-Christophe Spinosi) Mahler - Totenfeier (OAE, Vladimir Jurowski) Miles Davis/Bill Evans - Blue in Green (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb) Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Francaix - Petit Quartour 1. Gaguenardise (John Harle, Glenn Martin, David Roach, Andrew Findon) Samthing Soweto (feat. Mzansi Youth Choir) – The Danko! Medley Chopin - Nocturne for piano (Op.posth) in C sharp minor [1830] (Vladimir Ashkenazy) Mozart - String quartet No.19 K465 “Dissonance”; 1. Adagio – Allegro (Emerson String Quartet)

Jess Gillam is joined by conductor Ryan Bancroft to share the music they love, with music by Debussy, Aruna Sairam, Caroline Shaw, Joby Talbot and Massive Attack plus a warm hug from Beethoven.Playlist: Debussy - Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (Orchestra National de la RTF, Constantin Silvestri) Joby Talbot - Once around the sun; January - A Yellow Disc Rising from the Sea Aruna Sairam – Tillana, Kalinga Nardhanam Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy Leos Janacek – Taras Bulba; 1. The Death of Andri (Vienna Philharmonic, Sir Charles Mackerras) Nina Simone – Strange Fruit Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte (Attacca Quartet) Beethoven - Emperor Piano Concerto no.5; II. adagio (Murray Perahia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink)

Jess Gillam is joined by composer and pianist Tom Donald to swap tracks they love, including music by Keith Jarrett, Schumann, Stravinsky, big dog little dog and Elton John.Playlist:Keith Jarrett - Book of Ways 4 Igor Stravinsky - Infernal Dance from The Firebird (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Andris Nelsons) Gustav Mahler - Symphony No 3 in D minor - Part 2 (4th mvt) (Christa Ludwig / New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein) J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988: Aria (Murray Perahia) Ross Edwards - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1st mvt) (Dennis Hennig / Queensland Symphony Orchestra / Myer Fredman) big dog little dog - Panorama Elton John - Idol Robert Schumann - Concert Piece for 4 Horns & Orchestra, Op 86 (1st mvt) (Markus Maskuniitty / Martin Schöpfer / Kristofer Öberg / Mónica Berenguer Caro / Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra / Sakari Oramo)

Jess Gillam and soprano Alexandra Oomens share the music they love, including Handel, Janacek and Marilyn Monroe.Today we listened to...Handel – Guilio Cesare: Act 3; Da Tempeste (Amanda Forsythe, Apollo’s Fire, Jeanette Sorrell) Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now Elena Kats-Chernin - Memorial Rag (Gondwana Voices, Lyn Williams) Janacek – Glagolitic Mass: VIII. Intrada (CBSO, Simon Rattle) Andrew Bird – Pulaski at Night Philip Glass – Glassworks: I. Opening (Philip Glass Ensemble, Michael Riesman) Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, lyrics by Bert Kalmar – I wanna be loved by you (Marilyn Monroe, Matty Malneck and His Orchestra) Tchaikovsky – Piano Concert No. 1: 1st mvt Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito (Martha Argerich, Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado)

Jess Gillam and composer and violinist Sasha Scott share the music they love, including Vivaldi, Ligeti, Henriette Renié, and The Prodigy. Sasha Scott was one of the Senior Category winners in the BBC Young Composer 2019 competition.Playlist:Witold Lutosławski – Symphony No 4 (Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra / Antoni Wit) Francis Poulenc – Flute Sonata FP 164 (1st mvt) (Emmanuel Pahud / Éric Le Sage) The Prodigy – Out of Space Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons: Winter (1st mvt) (Pekka Kuusisto / Virtuosi di Kuhmo) György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo Cello (1st mvt) (Miklós Perényi) Henriette Renié – Harp Concerto in C minor (1st mvt) (Emmanuel Ceysson / Orchestre Régional Avignon Provence / Samuel Jean) Brahms – Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat, Op 83 (1st mvt) (Krystian Zimerman / Wiener Philharmoniker / Leonard Bernstein) Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again

Jess Gillam and composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman share the music they love including Tchaikovsky, Arve Henriksen, Pan Daijing, Ella & Louis and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.Playlist:Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake - op.20 Act 2, No. 10 (LSO, Andre Previn) Arve Henriksen - Arco Akropolis Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Let’s Call the whole thing off Pan Daijing – Phenomenon Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique – Un Bal (West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim) Mosseri, Herskedal, Talbot, Marshall - San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) Penguin Cafe Orchestra - The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Andante (Dmitri Shostakovich Jr, I Musici De Montreal, Maxim Shostakovich)

Jess Gillam chats to composer and saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi about the music they love. With music by Heiner Goebbels, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Dinah Washington and Prokofiev.Playlist: Heiner Goebbels - Suite for Sampler and Orchestra: Courante (Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Peter Rundel) Louise Farrenc - Nonet in E flat major Op.38 for chamber ensemble: 3rd mvt; Scherzo vivace (Consortium Classicum) Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 55; IV. Larghetto (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda) Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth Empirical - The Simple Light Shines The Brightest Anna Thorvaldsdottir - In the Light of Air; III. Existence (International Contemporary Ensemble) Toru Takemitsu - Litany: II. Lento misterioso (Kotaro Fukuma, piano) Michael Nyman - Prosperos Magic (from Prosperos Books)

Jess Gillam talks to singer, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson about the music they love including Errollyn Wallen, Jill Scott, Barber, and Berio.Playlist: Errollyn Wallen - Concerto Grosso: 1st mvt (Tai Murray, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Chi-Chi Nwanoku, Chineke!, Anthony Parnther) Caroline Shaw - And the Swallow (The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Anna Lapwood) The Abyssinians - Declaration of Rights Samuel Barber - Adagio for strings (New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein) Lucio Berio - Sinfonia: iii. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung (London Voices, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Peter Eotvos) Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10: 2nd mvt (Liverpool Philharmonic, Vasily Petrenko) Jill Scott - Slowly, Surely

Jess Gillam and composer Eric Whitacre get all Christmassy and share their favourite festive sounds including music from Prokofiev, Darlene Love, Danny Elfman and Nat King Cole.Playlist: Prokofiev – Lieutenant Kije Suite, Op. 60; IV Troika (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi) Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Danny Elfman – What’s This? Ella Fitzgerald – The Secret of Christmas Philip Lawson - Lullay My Liking (The King’s Singers) Leroy Anderson - Sleigh Ride (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Christopher Bell) Gustav Holst (Arr. Gjeilo) – In the Bleak Midwinter (Voces8) Jacob Collier - In the Bleak Midwinter Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)