Rediscovering Maddalena Casulana: unveiling the lost musical treasures of the Renaissance composer

Blogs
Friday, May 3, 2024
| Gramophone

We owe it to Maddalena Casulana to bring her music into the present and by recording it and publishing a modern score for further live performances, sending it into the future

Conductors Are Just Human Beings. Who Knew?

Blogs
Monday, April 22, 2024
| Gramophone

The 20th Malko Competition highlighted a generational shift in what we think of as ‘a conductor’ - is the end nigh for the age of the maestro?

Exploring Schumann's chamber music

Blogs
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
| Gramophone

Pianist Théo Fouchenneret introduces two new recordings in the Schumann Collection: ‘Works With Wind Instruments’ and ‘Trios and Quartet For Piano and Strings (live)’

Caricature or portrait: the depiction of Irish culture in Stanford’s opera ‘Shamus O’Brien’

Blogs
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
| Gramophone

‘Paralleling contemporary shows such as Mrs Brown's Boys, its success lies in its ability to critique societal norms and highlight political tensions through a heightened, colourful, yet humorous lens’

Championing the music of Dorothy Howell: ‘Her music jumped off the page - it was evocative, bold and imaginative, overflowing with fantastic colours and character’

Blogs
Friday, March 8, 2024
| Gramophone

I hope listeners will love these colourful, characterful, skilful works as much as I do, and that they will also become enthralled with Dorothy Howell’s ferocious talent and fascinating story

Michael Spyres and Christophe Rousset reflect on their new album: In the Shadows

Blogs
Friday, March 1, 2024
| Gramophone

Spyres and Rousset introduce In the Shadows

Dichterliebe’s Daughter: Lili Boulanger’s Overlooked Masterpiece 'Clairières dans le Ciel'

Blogs
Friday, November 17, 2023
| Gramophone

'Extraordinary works of art remind us that that we’re not alone in our wonder and love and suffering'

The art of playing piano duets

Blogs
Friday, November 17, 2023
| Gramophone

'Listening skills, dialogue and a sense of shared endeavour are essential components, as in any chamber music collaboration'

Royal Philharmonic Society: revealing the creative process

Blogs
Friday, November 17, 2023
| Gramophone

The Royal Philharmonic Society invites you to step inside a facet of classical music usually off-limits to public eyes and ears…

Academy of Ancient Music: my favourite recordings, by Laurence Cummings

Blogs
Monday, November 13, 2023
| Gramophone

In celebration of the orchestra’s 50th anniversary, AAM Music Director Laurence Cummings looks back at some of his favourite AAM recordings

Music Teachers Through Time – A Playlist

Blogs
Friday, November 10, 2023
| Gramophone

In Part Two of our countdown to this month’s Music For Youth Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall, composer and MFY Ambassador Jack Pepper curates a playlist of music written by the finest music teachers…

Music For Youth Proms: Inside the Orchestration

Blogs
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
| Gramophone

Composer, radio presenter and Gramophone contributor Jack Pepper is also a proud ambassador for UK national charity Music For Youth. This year’s MFY Proms will premiere songs from his new stage musical, which tells the true story of his piano teacher and has classical music at its heart

World Heartbeat Academy: a music school on a mission

Blogs
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
| Gramophone

World Heartbeat Academy provides life-changing opportunities to children and young adults to experience music, from first lesson to first professional recording

Pianist Cordelia Williams on the beguiling nature of musical miniatures

Blogs
Friday, September 15, 2023
| Gramophone

Rather than a coherent ‘whole’, this music gives us micro-glimpses into countless worlds – inner worlds, literal worlds, dissolving worlds, worlds of imagination

An opera composer asks: who am I writing for?

Blogs
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
| Gramophone

Composer Will Todd talks about writing the opera Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, ahead of a performance at If Opera

How it feels to play in the world's great concert halls for the first time

Blogs
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
| Gramophone

BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Tom Borrow reflects on his debut appearances at concert halls around the world and looks ahead to his first performance at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms

Running up that hill: what do Ligeti's Etudes and ultra endurance sports have in common?

Blogs
Friday, July 1, 2022
| Gramophone

Pianist Christina McMaster reflects on the extreme demands that are placed on artists and athletes alike

Laurence Equilbey on Louise Farrenc the symphonist

Blogs
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
| Gramophone

The conductor pays tribute to Louise Farrenc, a composer whose works deserve a place in symphonic programmes and in the discography

Conducting in the 21st Century

Blogs
Friday, June 11, 2021
| Gramophone

Tomorrow night, we’ll know who has won the 2021 Malko Competition. The contest in Copenhagen has taught us plenty of lessons along the way...

Matthew Sharp’s CoronAdventure Year

Blogs
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
| Gramophone

The British cellist follows up from his blog last year, explaining how his desire to keep classical music alive during the pandemic has taken him to France for some wide-ranging artistic projects