Gramophone Classical Music Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In May this year, the Concertgebouw – Amsterdam's legendary concert hall – played host to the 2025 Mahler Festival. Originally scheduled for 2000, the centenary of the first such event, but moved back by five years due to the pandemic, the Mahler Festival saw all of Mahler's symphonies performed chronologically over two weeks, and performed by a handful of the world's great orchestras. The Eighth Symphony fell to the local band, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Designate, Klaus Mäkelä, who gave two performances, both of which were recorded. And that recording has just been released by Decca – digitally worldwide, with a CD version available in Japan and Korea to coincide with the orchestra's first tour of Asia with Mäkelä before Christmas.

James Jolly caught up with Klaus Mäkelä to talk about the conductor's continuing fascination with Mahler's music, and particularly with the Eighth Symphony, the performances of which were clearly a highpoint in the conductor's career so far.

Mao Fujita, who took second prize in the Piano category at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, released an album on Sony Classical of 72 preludes back in the autumn of 2024 – the three sets of 24 by Chopin, Scriabin and Akio Yashiro. Now as a pendant to that project he has recorded another six, by Ravel, Rachmaninov, Mompou, Franck, Busoni and Alkan. These have been issued individually over the past couple of months, and on November 28 they are all gathered together as an EP.

James Jolly caught up with Mao Fujita in the summer at the Verbier Festival and spoke to him about the 72 preludes album, the new six preludes, and his plans for the future.

One of the most-performed composers of our time, Sir John Rutter, celebrates his 80th birthday on September 24. To mark the occasion Harmonia Mundi has released an album of his choral music sung by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, directed by Graham Ross – 'John Rutter: A Clare College Celebration'. And next week Decca releases an all-orchestral collection, 'Reflections', that includes a performance of Rutter's piano concerto, which gives the album its title. Rutter himself conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Steven Osborne the piano soloist.

James Jolly went to visit Sir John at his home to talk about the new releases but also reflect on his long association with Clare College, and much else.

The Tallis Scholars' acclaimed series of recordings of the Masses of Josquin Desprez is one of the great milestones to the catalogue. Featuring what may be the last Mass the composer wrote, the Missa Mater Patris, along with a Mass not by Josquin but once thought to have been by him, the penultimate volume certainly raises some fascinating questions!

To discuss them, The Tallis Scholars' founder and director Peter Phillips joined Editor Martin Cullingford for this Gramophone podcast - which features excerpts from the album, available on Gimell, which was named an Editor's Choice in the November 2019 issue of the magazine. We revisit that podcast 'From the Archive'.

Dame Janet Baker's contribution to classical music - in performance and on record - has been remarkable, enriching both the stage and the catalogue with performances of astonishing beauty, power and vivid insight. To mark her 80th birthday in August 2013, James Jolly met with her at Wigmore Hall to talk about her career for a Gramophone Milestones Podcast, made in association with EFG International. She shared her memories of working with Sir John Barbirolli, Leonard Bernstein, Gerald Moore, Raymond Leppard and Benjamin Britten.

Now 10 years on, we revisit the podcast to celebrate one of the UK's greatest musical artists, the recipient in 2011 of Gramophone's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Esa-Pekka Salonen took over the helm of the San Francisco Symphony in 2020 from Michael Tilson Thomas. Both men have had a major impact on symphonic music in California, and Salonen is one of the three guiding figures – with the LA Phil's Gustavo Dudamel and the San Diego Symphony's Rafael Payare – behind the California Festival, a statewide celebration of music that launched in November.

James Jolly spoke to Salonen at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco following an afternoon concert, as part of the California Festival, in November.

This week Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by Owain Park, conductor, composer and founding director of The Gesualdo Six to explore the ensemble's new album, 'Morning Star', a programme of music for the feast of Epiphany, released by Hyperion Records. 

The Deutsche Grammophon recording of Carl Nielsen's Fourth and Fifth Symphonies – with Fabio Luisi conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra – was voted Gramophone's 2023 Recording of the Year, and in the December issue of the magazine our critics choose their personal favourite albums of the year. But, as is customary, this podcast focuses on some recommendations by Gramophone's editors, Editor, Martin Cullingford, Deputy Editor, Tim Parry, and Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly.

This Gramophone Podcast is brought to you in association with STAGE+, the new streaming service from Deutsche Grammophon, which offers weekly live-stream videos of concerts from around the world, as well an archive of over 400 concerts to enjoy on demand, plus documentaries, audio albums, interviews and much more. Visit stage-plus.com or download the STAGE+ IOS App.

The soprano Maria Callas was born on December 2, 1923, and during her short life – she died aged 53 – rose to become one of the most celebrated singers of all time. And even 46 years after her death she remains a unique and unassailable figure in the world of opera and its interpretation. 

She left a substantial recorded catalogue – both commercially for Columbia/EMI/Warner Classics and on the myriad pirate recordings that still circulate. To mark this milestone anniversary Warner Classics has issued a 131-CD and one DVD set celebrating her art, 'La Divina – Callas in all her roles', a wonderful survey of her musical career.

This Warner Classics Icons podcast has been made by Gramophone, and on it James Jolly talks to Richard Fairman, a regular contributor to Gramophone and also the music critic of The Financial Times.

Composer Errollyn Wallen speaks to Hattie Butterworth about her new book, out now on Faber, mapping her trajectory as an artist, extensive recordings and philosophy on life.

Errollyn Wallen: Becoming a Composer

Check out Deutsche Grammophon STAGE+

Music clips used:

1. Cello Concerto from 'Photography' on NMC
2. horseplay: lively from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records
3. daedalus from 'Errollyn' on Avie Records
4. Dervish for Cello and Piano from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records
5. Peace on Earth from 'Peace on Earth EP' on the Kings College Cambridge label