This Classical Life

Jess meets percussionist Vivi Vassileva to swap some of their favourite music... Vivi is sharing the crazy time signatures of young jazz piano wizard Jesus Molina, traditional Bulgarian music and a Tchaikovsky waltz in 5/4! Jess is offering up the raw emotion of Anna Clyne, Alison Russell and Vikingur Olaffson playing Kaldalóns's Ave Maria on an upright piano. Playlist: Anna Clyne – Shorthand [The...

Jess Gillam is joined in the studio by countertenor Hugh Cutting to share the music they can't get enough of. Hugh's choices include the voices of Barbra Streisand, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, and Glen Campbell. Jess brings soundscapes by Anders Hillborg and Dictaphone, and a reimagining of Benjamin Britten's 'Concord' by cellist Matthew Barley. Playlist: Vivaldi - Bassoon Concerto in E Minor, RV 484:...

Jess Gillam and composer Daniel Elms swap the tracks they love. Daniel's choices include a string quartet by Thomas Adès, a song by My Bloody Valentine, and the crazy cabaret of HK Gruber; Jess brings lush orchestral scores by Prokofiev and Sibelius, and a souful song from Lorraine Ellison. Playlist: DANIEL ELMS: Consolations in travel [BBC Concert Orchestra/Robert Ames] THOMAS ADES: Arcadiana - V...

Jess Gillam hosts the music show for people who like classical and other stuff too. Today her guest is the violinist Geneva Lewis, who is rapidly becoming known as one of the most classy young players around today. She has recently joined Radio 3's New Generation Artists and is hugely in demand as both a soloist and chamber musicians. Jess and Geneva sit down for a listening party of the music the...

Jess Gillam is joined in the TCL studio by the violinist and composer Daniel Pioro, to share an eclectic mix of some of their favourite music. Jess' choices today include a violin concerto by Vivaldi, music for saxophone by Gavin Bryars and a track by James Blake. Daniel brings along one of Biber's Rosary Sonatas, music by Claire M Singer and a tribute to the American saxophonist Pharoah Sanders,...

Jess Gillam is joined by composer and multi-instrumentalist Cosmo Sheldrake for a listening party. Music includes Gil Evans and Miles Davis's take on Concierto de Aranjuez, and Thomas Tallis's Spem in Alium. Playlist: Rodrigo arr. Gil Evans - Concierto de Aranjuez [Miles Davis] JS Bach arr. Siloti - Prelude (BWV.855a), transc. for piano in B minor (orig. in E minor, '48' no.10) [Vikingur Olafsson]...

Jess is joined by Egyptian soprano, and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Fatma Said, for a listening party of the music they love the most, including Dhafer Youssef, Elliott Smith, Jane Morgan, Massenet and Haydn. Playlist: Ravel – Daphnis et Chloe, M. 57; Introduction [New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez] Ángel Gregorio Villoldos - Ad Ay Sa’ab (El Choclo) [Fatma Said, Quinteto Ángel] Ell...

Jess Gillam meets the trumpeter Aaron Akugbo and they share some of their favourite music, including tracks by Jacob Collier, Errolyn Wallen, Mahler and Beyonce. Edinburgh-born Aaron trained at the Royal Academy of Music, and cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical influence. An ex-principal of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, he now combines playing in some of the UK’s top orch...

Jess's guest this week is composer Isobel Waller-Bridge. Best known for her work in TV and film, Isobel has scored The Split, Fleabag, Emma, Vita & Virginia and many more, but she's also a prolific composer for the theatre and is known for her evocative contemporary classical and electronic music for the concert hall. Jess and Isobel sit down for a listening party of the music they love the mo...

Jess's guest this week is folk artist Sam Amidon. His songs reimagine and breathe new life into old songs and ballads, but his musical life also encompasses any number of collaborations with classical composers, experimental producers as well as the jazz world which he finds so inspiring. Sam and Jess settle in for a listening party of the music they love, including Ornette Coleman and friends hav...

Jess's guest this week is the guitarist and composer Laura Snowden. They meet in the TCL studio for a listening party which revels in the beauty of John Tavener's choral music; unwraps a piece for guitar by the Australian composer and synesthete Phillip Houghton during which explores the range of sounds possible to obtain from the instrument; pauses in the sound world of Laurie Anderson, and follo...

Jess's guest this week is the French-born British pianist and composer Riopy. They meet in the TCL studio for a listening party including Debussy's Clair de Lune, a new concerto by Marius Neset for saxophone, the Gotan Project's driving anthem to Buenos Aires, and epic organ music by Bach. Playlist: Müller/Makaroff/Solal: Santa Maria del Buen Ayre (Gotan Project) Marius Neset: Manmade - Saxophone...

Jess's guest this week is the cellist Max Ruisi, artistic director of the 12 Ensemble, a "revolutionary string orchestra". They meet in the TCL studio for a listening party including a beautiful lament by Monteverdi, a bird-themed string quartet by Haydn, mesmerising music for solo oboe by Britten, and tracks from Cosmo Sheldrake and Herbie Hancock. Playlist: Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3; 1st...

Harpist Lavinia Meijer has worked with an impressive list of people, including Philip Glass, Iggy Pop and Patty Smith, she joins Jess Gillam this week to chat about the music they can't get enough of. Lavinia is declaring her love for the bagpipes with a track by The Chieftains, we’ve two stunning concertos from Unsuk Chin and Korngold, re-worked film music by Peter Gabriel plus Stravinsky, Alabam...

Jess Gillam is joined by Qanun player Maya Youssef for a listening party of some of the music they love the most. Jess brings some spine-tingling violin by Philip Glass and an absolute classic by Peter Gabriel, while Maya shares an earworm by Dvorak, and like all good parties it all ends with a little studio dance session to tracks by Toufic Farroukh and Hooverphonic Playlist: John Adams - Shaker...

Jess is joined in the studio by Brazilian guitarist Plínio Fernandes to share the music they love. Plínio shares his Latin roots with Villa-Lobos, Albéniz and a beautiful duet by Elis Regina and Tom Jobim, and Jess offers up Bartok inspired Jazz from Stan Getz and Eddie Sauter, a fiendishly difficult concerto by John Adams and Scott Walker is lamenting the weather. Playlist: Heitor Villa-Lobos - B...

Jess Gillam and harpist Magdalena Hoffman meet online to share the music they love, with the revolutionary sound of Gil Scott-Heron, Portico Quartet, Nino Rota, Schumann and Esperanza Spalding. Playlist: Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Handel - Keyboard Suite No 1 (Set II) in B-flat Major, HWV 434 (trans. Wilhelm Kempff) - Roberto Cominati (piano) Schumann - Szenen aus Goeth...

Jess Gillam and trumpeter Alison Balsom are joined by a live audience at The Hay Festival to have a listening party of some of the music they love the most. Alison brings along one of their most beautiful tunes and outs herself as a Queen superfan, then shares the Miles Davis tune that brings her most joy. Meanwhile Jess shares an absolute banger by Piazzolla, an epic sax solo by Rachmaninov and a...

Jess chats with conductor Charlotte Politi about the music they both love, with a ballet by Tchaikovsky, an opera by Mozart, Isobel Waller-Bridge's Illuminations and a classic by The Supremes. Playlist: Khachaturian – Masquerade – Ballet Suite: 1. Waltz [London Symphony Orchestra, Stanley Black] Mozart - Così fan tutte: 'Soave sia il vento' [Véronique Gens (soloist), Pietro Spagnoli (soloist), Ber...

Jess Gillam and pianist Kunal Lahiry have a listening party of tracks they love, including a seminal teenage memory involving Tori Amos, a Nirvana cover and an apple martini. Plus tracks by Orlando Weeks, epic choral music by Brahms and Yo-Yo Ma playing one of the most beautiful melodies ever written, Dvorak's Song to the Moon

Jess Gillam and baritone Benjamin Appl share music they love - including tracks by Barbra Streisand and Thom Yorke, the tune of all tunes from Tchaikovsky violin concerto, a heartbreaker by Marlene Dietrich and Ben reveals his majestic side with a choral banger that he always takes on planes...

Jess Gillam and cellist Amalie Stalheim share the music they love, including the soundtrack to Amalie's teenage years, two very different lullabies and a 'feel-good' sonata. Playlist: Shostakovich - Jazz Suite No 2 - Dance 2 [Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Dmitry Yablonsky] Björk- Army of Me Mendelssohn – Cello Sonata No.2 in D Major, Op. 58: I. Allegro assai vivace [Steven Isserlis - cello, Me...

Jess Gillam and countertenor Jakub Josef Orlinski share some of the music they love, including saxophone music by John Harle, Andreas Scholl singing Handel, a slice of feelgood from Gregory Porter and some Polish rap from O.S.T.R. Plus Jakub shares how he ended up becoming one of the world's biggest countertenors by drawing straws in his choir (and losing) and how his past as a skateboarder and br...

Jess Gillam and composer Ella Jarman-Pinto share the music they love, with life-affirming tunes from Anna Meredith, Flora Purim and Jungle. Beauty in simplicity from Howard Skempton and Luke Howard, fire passion and grit from Elizabeth Maconchy and a little moment of comfort from Johann Christian Bach. Playlist: Anna Meredith – Sawbones Johann Christian Bach – Sonata No.5 in A Major, Op. 17, No. 5...

Jess Gillam and violinist Esther Abrami swap playlists, including a French-inspired movie score by Rachel Portman, Paris meets Beirut in jazz form by trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, a gorgeous Motown tribute to Otis Redding, and a classic French chanson reimagined by the one and only Jarvis Cocker. Playlist: Jonny Greenwood - House of Woodcock (from the Phantom Threads OST) Mendelssohn - Violin Concert...