Classical Podcasts
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Episode 58: Antal Doráti in London, with producer Thomas Fine
14th Jun 2025
Two new box sets celebrate Antal Doráti’s London recordings for Mercury in the 1950s and ’60s. Rob Cowan is joined by producer and remastering engineer Thomas Fine, whose parents recorded the original sessions, to discuss some of the many highlights in the sets.
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Episode 57: James Rhodes on MANíA
16th Mar 2025
James Rhodes talks to Matthew Ash about his new album MANíA (out now on Signum), in a wide-ranging conversation that reaches deep into a shared wonder at the power and beauty of music, as well as 4AM awakenings and coffee.
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Episode 56: Rufus Wainwright on Dream Requiem
19th Jan 2025
The ever-eclectic Rufus Wainwright chats with Matthew Ash about his new choral work, Dream Requiem, and some of the passions and influences that continue to inspire his diverse musical creativity.
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Episode 55: John Suchet on Beethoven
14th Nov 2024
The celebrated writer and broadcaster speaks to Rob Cowan about his eighth (!) book on the composer (published by Elliott & Thompson Limited last month), reflecting on why he finds the man and his music so endlessly fascinating and the solace which he has drawn from it during troubled times.
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Episode 54: Manfred Honeck on Bruckner
15th Oct 2024
Our guest contributor Rob Cowan speaks to the Austrian conductor about his recent recording of Symphony No. 7 with the Pittsburgh Symphony, his long-standing relationship with Bruckner’s music, and the influence of the countryside & religion on the composer's musical imagination.
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Episode 53: Rebeca Omordia talks African Pianism
30th Sep 2024
Matthew spoke with award-winning pianist Rebeca Omordia about her latest exploration of the rich vein of African piano music, on SOMM Recordings.
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Episode 52: Twenty-Five Years of LSO Live
5th Sep 2024
To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the London Symphony Orchestra's own label, Head of LSO Live Becky Lees, first violinist Maxine Kwok, and principal percussionist Neil Percy talk to James about how the label came to exist, the process of capturing live concerts for release, and their memories of some favourite recordings through the years.
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Episode 51: Nunconventional - The Poor Clares of Arundel on their second album for Decca
24th Jun 2024
Sisters Aelred and Graca of the Poor Clares talk about their recently-released album My Peace I Give You, and look back at the community's recorded debut Light For The World in 2020.
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Episode 50: A Close-Up Look – Heloïse Werner on her latest solo album
22nd Jun 2024
The singer and composer talks about her second solo album on Delphian, with vocal works ranging from medieval to contemporary (including several of her own adventurous compositions).
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Episode 49: Berliner Philharmoniker's Olaf Maninger talks to Rob Cowan about this year's double anniversary
30th May 2024
Olaf Maninger talks to Rob Cowan about the 10th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker label, and the 15th of Digital Concert Hall.
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Episode 48: Doubling Brahms - Busoni and his violin concerto with Francesca Dego
24th Feb 2024
The violinist talks about her new recording of violin concertos by Brahms and Busoni on Chandos - explaining why she was drawn to the Italian composer's music, how his violin concerto reveals his profound admiration for Brahms's, and what happens when a wife-and-husband musician couple take to the stage together.
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Episode 47: An Invitation to the Dance – Storming the ‘barricades mystérieuses’ with Martin James Bartlett
27th Jan 2024
The pianist talks about his trio of recordings for Warner Classics, explains why his latest album mercifully didn’t require him to get his own feet moving - well, not much, anyway - and ponders the role of dance-inspired music within the broader classical repertoire.
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Episode 46: La Divina - Rob Cowan and Alain Lanceron on the centenary of Maria Callas's birth
31st Dec 2023
Host Rob Cowan is joined by the President of Warner Classics & Erato, Alain Lanceron, to discuss La Divina’s legacy on record – picking out some highlights from her vast discography on his label along the way…
Featured product
La Divina - Maria Callas in all her roles
Maria Callas (soprano)
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Episode 45: Tudor Wild Child - Thomas Weelkes with Dr Katie Bank
2nd Dec 2023
Music historian and 'choir geek extraordinaire' Dr Katie Bank sorts fact from fiction in a look at the life of notorious Tudor troublemaker Thomas Weelkes, who along with William Byrd sees the four hundredth anniversary of his death fall this year.
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Episode 44: Take me to your Lieder - Schubert in English with Roderick Williams, Rowan Pierce and Christopher Glynn
18th Nov 2023
Baritone, soprano and pianist offer their perspectives on the latest instalment in Signum Classics's series, which features Jeremy Sams's translations of Schubert Lieder.
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Episode 43: Sound the trombone! Onyx Brass at 30 with Amos Miller
28th Oct 2023
As "the classiest brass ensemble in Britain" turns 30, Onyx Brass's trombonist Amos Miller looks back over three decades of brass quintet music-making, with an eye on exploring contemporary repertoire. We discuss the group's latest album, 'The sun is free to flow with the sea', and some of the works featured on it, as well as touching on questions of diversity in classical music.
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Episode 42: A Great Musical Dett - Choral Music by Black Composers with Dr Marques Garrett
23rd Sep 2023
A discussion of the OUP's recently-published collection of sacred and secular choral works by Black composers, with its editor Dr Marques Garrett - taking in Vicente Lusitano, Undine Smith Moore, R Nathaniel Dett (Dr Garrett's own particular labour of love) and more.
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Episode 41: Standing out from the Crowd - Arthur Bliss with Paul Spicer
13th Aug 2023
Author Paul Spicer recently joined us at our store in Leamington Spa to discuss his new biography of Arthur Bliss, in conversation with Andrew Burn, chairman of The Bliss Trust.
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Episode 40: A Russian Soul in Exile - Sergei Rachmaninoff with Fiona Maddocks
6th Aug 2023
Sergei Rachmaninoff's period of exile from Russia is discussed with the author of a highly enjoyable new book 'Goodbye Russia', Fiona Maddocks.
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Episode 39: A Mercury Legend - Antal Doráti with Rob Cowan and Thomas Fine
23rd Jul 2023
The Mono and Stereo recordings made by Antal Doráti with the Minnesota Orchestra are discussed with Rob Cowan and the executive producer of the new box sets, and son of the original producers, Thomas Fine.
