Pitch Me Classical

YolanDa Brown talks to trumpeter Anne McAneney and cellist Francis Bucknall and explores Stravinsky’s Firebird.  The Firebird is a hugely popular work, but what makes it so enduring? Anne, Francis and YolanDa discuss its story, Stravinsky’s revolutionary writing, and how to keep the music sounding fresh on stage and in recordings. They also mention a number of related works and why Stravinsky...

YolanDa Brown joins violinist Minn Majoe and horn player Mark Vines to share their touring tips and tricks. Hot off the plane from their recent tour to Asia, Minn and Mark share the highlights and lowlights of the trip with YolanDa, who brings in her own touring experiences. They discuss the difficulties of transporting large instruments, suitcase essentials, and how to navigate washing your cloth...

YolanDa Brown joins harpist Rachel Masters and trombonist Mark Templeton to talk all things festive in this special Christmas episode.  In this episode of LPO Offstage YolanDa and her guests share their favourite musical Christmas memories. They discuss the magic of carol singing, the pros and cons of seasonal gigs, and their favourite Christmas repertoire including some amusing alternative l...

We’ve been dipping into the LPO Offstage archives and revisiting our favourite episodes. In this one, YolanDa Brown sits down with baritone Roddy Williams, horn player Johnny Ryan and cellist Kristina Blaumane to hear what singers can learn from instrumental playing, and why the issues of balancing a voice with an orchestra may not be what you expect.  YolanDa also discovers how the players t...

Here’s another favourite episode from the LPO Offstage archives! YolanDa Brown chats to Damian Davis about the celebrated LPO truck, complete with a hydraulic lift and kitchenette, and asks how he safely transports hundreds of instruments to concert halls around the world. She also hears bass player Laura Murphy’s point of view - when do you take your ‘second’ instrument, and what do you abso...

We’re taking you back to one of our favourite episodes of LPO Offstage from the archives. This episode is all about venues and YolanDa Brown talks to violinist Tania Mazzetti and trombonist Mark Templeton to discover insights about how different acoustics can radically affect performance, as well as the best (and worst) backstage facilities. And quite a lot of beer. And sausages.  If you have...

If you’re playing and listening to music all day for your job, what do you listen to the rest of the time? In this final episode of Series 6, YolanDa Brown sits down with Simon Carrington (principal timpanist) and Alice Ivy-Pemberton (violinist and co-leader of the LPO) to talk about their personal relationship with music…  They discuss music that imbues every day walking with meaning and pur...

YolanDa Brown takes us through some of the best bits of Series 6, from alternative career paths, to romance in the orchestra, and a deep dive into Holst’s Planets.  There’s also advice from Anna Lapwood about how to get into classical music, and Ben Gernon gives us a tour of the orchestra pit at Glyndebourne opera house.  Plus, Lee and Dave’s must have tour items…  Produced by Tande...

YolanDa Brown joins cor anglais player Sue Böhling and double bass player Hugh Kluger to find out the reality of life as an orchestral musician, from finding the best bakeries in South East London to having a whole additional career as an interior designer.  In this episode of LPO Offstage YolanDa sits down to chat with Sue and Hugh about their must have items on tour, what they listen to out...

YolanDa Brown joins trumpet player Anne McAneney, cellist Francis Bucknall and harpist Rachel Masters to discuss Gustav Holst’s most famous work, The Planets.  Space, the solar system and intergalactic travel have been depicted in music and films for decades, but Gustav Holst was there early, trying to communicate the vastness of the planets (and their mythical links) with music.  In thi...

We’ve dug into the archives to share one of our favourite episodes of LPO Offstage - Keeping in Shape.  Facing the fear of fear, admitting you might not always want to go to those after concert drinks, and searching for the best strengthening exercises to avoid injury as a musician and a conductor are just a few of the tips and topics discussed by YolanDa Brown, cellist Elisabeth Wiklander an...

Every summer, the LPO heads down to Glyndebourne in Lewes, East Sussex for a season as one of the opera house’s resident orchestras. In this episode of LPO Offstage, YolanDa meets conductor Ben Gernon ahead of the evening’s performance of Donizetti’s opera ‘The Elixir of Love’.  As Ben and YolanDa chat about what it’s really like to conduct an opera, they wander through the opera house, the f...

YolanDa Brown joins tuba player Lee Tsarmaklis and trombone player Dave Whitehouse to get the inside scoop on the low brass section of the orchestra.   What exactly is the low brass section? As well as their respective trombone and tuba, Dave and Lee have to play multiple instruments ranging from the cimbasso, to the alto trombone, to the sousaphone and the ‘baritone thingy’. But do they all...

YolanDa Brown joins Eastbourne’s Arts Ambassador Chris Connelley, LPO viola player Kate Leek and clarinettist Tom Watmough to find out what their top tips are for visiting Sussex, the LPO’s second home.  As well as the Royal Festival Hall, the LPO performs regularly in Brighton, Eastbourne and Lewes in East Sussex for the Glyndebourne season. And quite a few of the musicians live in the...

YolanDa Brown joins organist and conductor Anna Lapwood, piccolo player Stewart McIlwham and violinist Martin Höhmann to take a close look at Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No.3 - his organ symphony.  They discuss the challenges of communicating with the conductor from the organ, how to get the perfect tempo so those mammoth chords have maximum impact, and how the flutes and violins manage the...

The very thought of an audition might make you nervous, but what can you learn from being assessed in this way, and what do the musicians look for when they’re sitting on an audition panel?  YolanDa Brown joins cellist Kristina Blaumane and trombone player Mark Templeton to get an inside look at orchestral auditions: from managing nerves, to how to distinguish between players when you have to...

Johannes Brahms has a special place in many musicians’ hearts - but what is it about his writing that is so captivating?  Today on LPO Offstage, YolanDa Brown joins violinist Fiona Higham, timpani player Simon Carrington, and horn player Mark Vines to find out how Brahms writes for their instruments, why the horn is not actually playing the notes as they are on the page, and how different con...

Lots of musicians find love within the music industry - whether it’s at college, singing in a choir or playing in studios… But what’s it really like living and working with your partner?  YolanDa Brown joins violinist Minn Majoe and viola player Martin Wray to catch up about what they’ve been up to recently…  From chamber ensemble ‘speed dating’, to Minn’s blog about where to eat on tour...

YolanDa Brown takes us through some of the best bits of Series 5, and also can’t resist delving into some earlier episodes. Expect mysterious triangle insights, a look at the practical side of writing music, an explanation of why Beethoven might sound a bit strange on first listen, and a classical music fan who you may know from a very famous baking competition…  With Andy Barclay, Brett Dean...

YolanDa Brown is joined by the LPO’s Principal Conductor Edward Gardner for a quick fire round to find out the answers to questions such as what makes the perfect baton and what it’s like working with different orchestras, as well as his top tips for young aspiring conductors, and how trusting yourself in the moment is key to performing.  Plus, Ed reveals a few particularly embarrassing condu...

YolanDa Brown is joined by the LPO’s Principal Percussionist Andy Barclay to find out everything she can about a very famous instrument – the triangle. It may conjure up memories of school music lessons or the theme from the Pink Panther but the triangle also has an illustrious history and is used widely in all forms of music from pop to classical.   It's also remarkably difficult to play (we...

What’s the role of technology in music? Does it enhance creativity, and can it be a hindrance?  YolanDa Brown is joined by LPO cellist Elisabeth Wiklander and session drummer Dav Shiel, who is Project Manager and Associate Musician at Drake Music - a charity that helps disabled people reach their musical potential through the use of assistive technology.    From using an iPad to com...

What is so special about Beethoven? YolanDa Brown gets an inside view of what it’s like to play and conduct Beethoven’s third symphony from the perspective of conductor Karina Canellakis and horn player Annemarie Federle.  Karina explains why Beethoven’s music is ‘a universal form of musical communication’ and together with Annemarie they consider how much you should take a composer’s life in...

YolanDa Brown sits down with double bass player Laura Murphy and horn player Gareth Mollison to find out what it means to be an ‘experienced’ musician and how things have changed in the orchestra over the years from technology to travel. Gareth reveals what’s different about being in the LPO now compared to when he joined in 1986, and Laura muses on what might change in the future. YolanDa also as...

YolanDa Brown sits down with the LPO’s Artistic Director Elena Dubinets, and violinist and President of the LPO’s board Martin Höhmann to ask how you make sure a symphony orchestra stays relevant, and what it takes to curate a season of music.  Elena Dubinets reveals the careful thought, deliberation and research behind the themes in the LPO’s current season ‘A Place to Call Home’: from displ...