Working amidst political and personal setbacks, Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-96) flourished as a composer, admired by Shostakovich and championed by the leading Soviet musicians of the day. His death in Moscow in 1996, however, went largely unnoticed. More happily, his extensive catalogue has recently secured an increasing number of performances and r…

En este podcast charlamos con el director argentino Leonardo García Alarcón acerca de su nuevo álbum donde dirige obras de Handel y Colonna.

In this podcast Skip Sempé introduces his new album of music by John Dowland and talks about the Renaissance orchestra and why it creates such a unique and beautiful sound. According to Sempé: "The idea of a ‘Renaissance Orchestra’ in which all the different instrumental consorts are brought together is the overlooked message of these sixteenth- an…

This podcast presents pianist Giorgio Koukl in conversation with Raymond Bisha at the end of a five-year project to rehabilitate the complete works for piano solo and duo by Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994). Virtually self-taught, Rieti went on to establish his composing credentials, becoming the only Italian composer, for example, to be invited to write…

Vol. 27 in the Naxos Music of Brazil series features music by César Guerra-Peixe (1914-1993). In this podcast, Raymond Bisha discusses the life and music of the composer, known as the 'Brazilian Bartók' on account of his ethnomusicological research, with conductor Neil Thomson. Describing Guerra-Peixe as an “extremely prolific, incredibly rounded, …

Charlamos con los integrantes del cuarteto de saxofones Kebyart acerca de su nuevo álbum Unraveled, Homage to Maurice Ravel.

Raymond Bisha introduces the latest instalment in the Capriccio label's exploration of rarely performed or recorded symphonic works by Miklós Rózsa, outlining his maturation not only into one of the most successful film composers of all time, but also the creator of equally fine concert works. The album's programme comprises his Rhapsody for Cello,…

The GRAMMY Award-winning team of composer Michael Daugherty, conductor David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony returns with a new album comprising a set of remarkable works exploring associations with flight and space exploration, both tragic and triumphant. In this podcast, the composer explains the context and inspiration behind the three works…

El compositor Roberto Sierra nos habla acerca de su nuevo álbum con obras para piano y de cámara interpretadas por el ensemble Continuum.

Italian composer Goffredo Petrassi’s reputation was established in 1932 when his Partita (8.572411) won critical acclaim. Three years later he premiered the first of his eight Concertos for Orchestra which secured his reputation outside of Italy. Raymond Bisha delves into a new release of the first three of those concertos performed by the Orchestr…

Raymond Bisha introduces the third instalment of a collectable series of seven albums showcasing Ukraine-born composer Alexey Shor’s appealing personal style and superb craftsmanship. The programme features vivid portraits of literary figures for piano (Behzod Abduraimov) and orchestra (Kyiv Virtuosi), similarly an homage to Glinka, and a dazzling …

Born in 1986, Jake Runestad is a versatile and prolific young composer whose visceral music and charismatic personality have fostered a busy schedule of national and international commissions, residencies, workshops, and speaking engagements, enabling him to be one of the youngest full-time composers in the world. In this podcast he discusses with …

En este podcast charlamos con el compositor estadounidense Sean Hickey acerca de la composición de su obra para piano Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, que fuera grabada para el sello Sono Luminus.

Notker Balbulus (c.840-912), also known as Notker of St Gall or Notker the Stammerer, was a renowned Benedictine monk at the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland who made substantial contributions to both the music and literature of his time. In this podcast Michael Alan Anderson, musical director of Schola Antiqua of Chicago, explains to Raymond Bisha …

Since the 1970s, Brazilian conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky has steadfastly developed one of the most brilliant careers across the Brazilian and international music scenes, The Guardian in 2009 hailing him as one of Brazil's living icons. He's heard in this podcast In conversation with Raymond Bisha, discussing the music of fellow Brazilian icon, the …

José Duce Chenoll y Juan José Pastor Comín nos habla acerca de esta nueva grabación con música y melodías con textos eróticos del Siglo de Oro español.

American composer Daron Hagen talks about his cantata Everyone, Everywhere in conversation with Raymond Bisha. Composed In 2023 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Hagen found impetus in the contemporary political status of his own nation to recontextualise the declaration's dry language and enable him to conv…

A delightful collection of lute music from the courts of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I, played by Italian lutenist Elisa La Marca. This was a time of incredible cultural richness in England brought forth composers such as John Dowland and writers such as William Shakespeare. Because the lute was one of the favoured instruments in court during …

In this podcast, Raymond Bisha discusses a new album from the Danish National Vocal Ensemble with their chief conductor, Slovenian Martina Batič. The programme similarly melds the two nations in a programme of choral music by Slovenian composer Uroš Krek (1922-2008) and Danish composer Else Marie Pade (1924-2016), the latter a pioneer in electronic…

El contratenor Franco Fagioli nos habla acerca de su nuevo álbum en donde interpreta un programa compuesto por arias que fueros escritas para el último de los castrados del siglo XIX Giovanni Battista Velluti.

Yasunori Imamura, whose recording of Bach’s complete lute works has been described as a ‘magnificent interpretation’ (Naxos 8.573936–37), turns his attention to the Cello Suites. Imamura has chosen to perform these iconic suites on the theorbo, the most important plucked instrument in the lute family, with a range very similar to the cello. Certain…

To mark his inauguration as Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle chose Joseph Haydn's oratorio The Creation. After two concerts on September 21 and 22, 2023 in Munich's Herkulessaal, the work was performed on September 24 in the historic basilica of Ottobeuren in Upper Swabia, together with the three…

When Notre-Dame de Paris caught fire in 2015 the organ was not damaged - some would call it a miracle. In this podcast I talk to Olivier Latry, organist at Notre-Dame, about his album Bach to Notre-Dame which was the last album recorded at Notre-Dame before the fire. Latry was also organist when Notre-Dame reopened in 2024.…

La soprano Elena Rivera y el pianista Jorge Robaina nos hablan acerca de su nuevo álbum interpretando melodías de la compositora Emiliana de Zubeldía.

Giovanni Sollima has been exploring Bach for as long as he has been playing the cello, and the journey continues with his new album dedicated to the Bach cello suites and pieces by other composers who were inspired by Bach. In this podcast Sollima talks about the Bach Suites, and his ongoing investigation of Bach’s music…

What to make of Norwegian composer Christian Sinding, who is chiefly remembered only by ambitious amateur pianists for his Rustle of Spring? He was a more important figure in the music of his native Norway than this might suggest; there, in his time, he was second only to Grieg. Raymond Bisha introduces us to Sinding's four symphonies that reveal t…

Entrevistamos al clarinetista español Pablo Barragán acerca de su participación en el álbum SZINERGIA interpretando obras de Hartmann, Kodály, Weiner, Bartók.

Developed in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naxos' Music of Brazil series is part of the Brasil em Concerto project, presenting around 100 orchestral, chamber, choral and vocal works from the 19th and 20th centuries, many of which were previously unpublished or simply undiscovered. Such was the case of Francisco Migno…

This podcast features conductor Sir Simon Rattle in conversation with Raymond Bisha as they reference his new recording of Mahler's Seventh Symphony with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Sir Simon outlines his personal history with the work, from being overwhelmed at hearing it for the first time as a young schoolboy to his mature understandi…