Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast

Pianist Pavel Kolesnikov appears at The Two Moors Festival in October 2021 in a programme of Bach's Goldberg Variations. In this podcast he explores identity, the careers he might pursue if he had the time, and 'those shoes'.

Throughout 2020 and 2021 Help Musicians UK supported creatives impacted by COVID-19 to the tune of £18 million. In this podcast HMUK ambassador Nicky Spence and CEO James Ainscough explain how the 100 year old charity works, how its support has been invaluable, and how it will be vital in the years to come. 

The Jukebox Album is the soundtrack to the feeling that characterises this period in time we’re slowly coming out of, and perhaps a reminder that we should forget about either. A love letter from two musicians to their audience. A potent reminder of things previously taken for granted. A musical Ground Zero.     

Composer Mark-Anthony Turnage has written a Concertino for clarinettist John Carnac. It will be performed at Music@Malling in Kent in late September by clarinettist John Carnac. Jon Jacob spoke to composer and performer about the work at rehearsals in Birmingham. 

Ben Goldscheider appeared with members of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective at the recent Lammermuir Festival in East Lothian, Scotland. In this conversation he discusses horn player Dennis Brain, plus works by Oliver Knussen and Ruth Gipps. 

Grace Davidson and Christian Forshaw's new album Historical Fiction blends Baroque and Renaissance in a contemporary setting. Produced by Forshaw during the pandemic, it develops fragments of melody into a musical framework, creating a soundtrack for a royal occasion. The album is released on 17 September 2021. 

The London Festival of American Music runs from 13-18 September 2021 and this year features a ground-breaking opera exploring the personal stories of a trans character in 'As One'. In this podcast, a LFAM artistic director, conductor and producer Odaline De la Martinez introduces the festival and talks about how she came to discover the music of Dame Ethel Smyth. For more information and tickets v...

Gil Shaham is one of a handful of performers who can switch between the character in the music and the personality of the performer mid-performance. Nothing is compromised as was witnessed at the InClassica International Music Festival in Dubai 2021. How does he manage to look so bright and perky on stage? And does it stop when he walks off the stage? 

Live from London boasts a viewing audience in 75 countries, with an estimated global reach of 4.5million. The series has raised more than £1 million for artists and arts organisations around the world. The latest series includes performances of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, Chineke!, and VOCES8 amongst a great many others. It would be easy to tell that story starting with when the pandem...

Joseph Phibbs arrangement of Benjamin Britten's first work Our Hunting Fathers features in Snape Malting's August season of concerts. In this podcast Phibbs talks about his work on the arrangement, and Phibbs' own clarinet concerto. A new cello sonata by Joseph Phibbs will be premiered by Tom Poster and Guy Johnston on 29 September at the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival. 

Live Music Now is one of the UK’s biggest musical charities working specifically within the health and wellbeing arena, delivering inspirational musical moments. Jon Jacob visited the Priscilla Wakefield House in North London where folk singer Zoe Wren entertained dementia home residents one warm afternoon in late June 2021. 

Francisca Fullana's new album on Orchid Classics reflects the effervescent energy the violinist brings to his interview responses. Jon Jacob speaks to Francisco about 'Bach's Long Shadow' from his current home in California. Buy 'Bach's Long Shadow' via Presto Classical. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8907184--bachs-long-shadow-the-chaconne-files

Ahead of her London Mozart Players performance of Glazunov and Nyman at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon ( https://www.londonmozartplayers.com/whats-on/ ), the saxophonist shares her insights on the power of music, the way music changed her as a kid, and what it was like to discovered she was an MBE. More details on the Jess Gillam Ensemble tour of 'Time' on the Jess Gillam website. https://www.jess...

Domestic travel, budget hotels, and sanitised breakfasts. Post-pandemic classical music premieres are the post-pandemic equivalent of international travel. Composer Dani Howard talks about her new concerto for trombone, what it feels like to have her picture in the PRS For Music reception, and how to keep a positive mindset. Hint: you'll need to exercise. 

Norwegian Trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth's new release is a masterclass in seemingly effortless tone production. A must listen. And its a reflection of her personality too. Maybe. You be the judge. Buy Tine Thing Helseth's Magical Memories from Presto Classical . 

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason appears at the BBC Proms this summer playing Dvorak's Cello Concerto. In the run up to that performance he's appeared with the London Mozart Players performing the same work. And he's worked with cellists half his age in Croydon sharing a bit of the Sheku sparkle. In this podcast hear from Sheku and musicians and teachers from Croydon Music and Arts about the impact the...

In this podcast Camilla King Head of Programming at Cheltenham and Jon Jacob talk about an arts administrators response to furlough, the sense of loss she experienced when her work was lost to the pandemic, logistics and especially about planning for different scenarios. The industry is fragile. And it depends on people like Camilla as much as the musicians themselves to get it back on its feet. I...

For more information about the Hertfordshire Festival of Music (4-10 June 2021) visit the HFOM website . 

A new set of songs composed by Russell Hepplewhite with words by Michael Rosen joins the ever-growing Friday Afternoons songbank commissioned by Britten-Pears Arts. Russell explores his compositional journey and how 'Everything' came to be written. More information on the Friday Afternoons website . 

Two composers born 80 years apart, one in Russia, the other in France. What links the two? And how did pianist Sabine Weyer come to be introduced to both? The answer is via email. Buy Sabine Weyer's Mysteries via Presto Music. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/3952--interview-sabine-weyer-on-miaskovsky-and-bacri

Waterperry Opera returns in 2021 with a series of outdoor performances running from 12-21 August 2021. Guy Withers, Rebecca Meltzer and Emma Doherty explore some of the challenges the Company faces post-lockdown. Box Office opens 3 May. More details on the Waterperry website. https://www.waterperryoperafestival.co.uk/