Podcast: Bruckner’s Symphonies. All Versions. Part 1.

Marking the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, Raymond Bisha dips into the fruits of Naxos’ project to record all 18 versions of the composer’s 11 symphonies. Featuring movements performed by the Bruckner Orchester Linz and the ORF Radio Vienna Symphony Orchestra, plus annotations from conductor Markus Poschner and Bruckner scholar Professor Paul Hawkshaw, Raymond Bisha opens Read More …

Podcast: Manual overdrive. American organ concertos.

A recent new album of American organ concertos featuring multi-award-winning artists brought together the artistry of organist Paul Jacobs and the contemporary music pedigree of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero. The high expectations generated by such a rare programme were met with distinction and this podcast conversation between Raymond Bisha and Paul Read More …

Podcast: Janna Gandelman: a recital of Catalan violin works

In the first half of the 20th century, Catalan instrumental music was dominated by works for the piano and the cello. As a result, the importance of Catalan violin repertoire is often overlooked. Raymond Bisha introduces a new album of such works for violin and piano that’s full of captivating contrasts, featuring twelve works by Read More …

Podcast: Fischer hallmarks Haydn: the effect, not the sound.

Conductor Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra have already persuaded audiences to absorb the symphonies of Brahms and Beethoven through their distinctive lens. Now they’re midway through a series of recordings of Haydn’s great late symphonies. Raymond Bisha’s conversation with Fischer draws the curtain on just how he fathoms Haydn’s essence: “He’s hiding his Read More …

Podcast: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s 3 String Quartets.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, perhaps best known for his numerous film scores and works for guitar, also composed in a variety of other genres, from transcriptions for cello to violin concertos, piano works and orchestral music. Raymond Bisha turns our attention in this podcast to his three string quartets, written respectively in 1929, 1948 and 1964, and Read More …

Podcast: Margaret Brouwer. Orchestral colour, imagery and emotional power.

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha talks with American composer Margaret Brouwer about the inspiration and compositional approach behind the orchestral pieces on the programme of her new album. Spanning a period of twenty-four years, the works are brilliantly performed by Marin Alsop and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, vividly capturing the music’s wide range Read More …

Podcast: The Music of Brazil. Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897–1948)

Five years into the celebrated Naxos Music of Brazil series, we reach Vol. 21 and the music of Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897–1948), who was a key figure in the cultural life of Rio de Janeiro. Lorenzo Fernández’s two symphonies suffered neglect after the composer’s untimely death at the age of fifty. Raymond Bisha introduces the Read More …

Podcast: Smetana, Susskind & St Louis. An Elite Recording.

Smetana’s Má vlast is an unprecedented cycle of six related symphonic poems that evoke Czech legends and celebrate the beauty of the country’s landscapes. Received with “unending storms of applause” at its 1882 premiere, Má vlast reflects the unique characteristics that form the heart and soul of the Czech nation. Raymond Bisha introduces an acclaimed Read More …

Podcast: Paul Chihara’s complete piano works. Quynh Nguyen’s complete absorption.

Pianist Quynh Nguyen discusses her recording of the complete piano works of Paul Chihara, the distinguished American composer whose output includes the scores for over 100 motion pictures and television series. Past exchanges between performer and composer about the items on the programme reflect an intensely deep and detailed collaboration, with AllMusic.com warmly welcoming the Read More …

Podcast: Lukas Foss. A composer on the podium.

JoAnn Falletta, conductor of the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, discusses a programme of orchestral works by composer/conductor Lukas Foss, who was both a predecessor of hers in Buffalo and a mentor to her. Highlighting his eclecticism as a composer, who went wherever his mind took him, Raymond Bisha discusses the performers’ latest album, which features four Read More …