Barbican Classical Music Podcast

'There is something about mortality or the knowledge that time is not infinite that tends to focus artists' energy in a particular way'. We talk to Jonathan Biss, the American pianist and writer, about the late music of the great Romantic composers and his relationship with their music

‘Hans Zender has taken Schubert's Winterreise and exploded it, he's made a work of art about a work of art.’ As we prepare to transform our Theatre into the winter's landscape of Winterreise, we talk to director Netia Jones, tenor Ian Bostridge, conductor Baldur Brönnimann and more about this iconic piece of art

We talk to composer Andrew Norman and video artist Deborah O'Grady about how the American landscape influences classical and contemporary music, and how to make a visual statement from these works. Both Andrew and Deborah feature Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic's upcoming International Associate Residency, which covers the themes of American Soundscapes and includes the music of John Williams and Mahler- for more info see www.barbican.org.uk/music/series.asp?id=1505

In this exclusive Barbican classical podcast, writer and broadcaster Catherine Bott interviews Fabio Biondi, director and founder of Italian period instrument ensemble Europa Galante, shedding light on the detective work that brought Vivaldi’s 1738 l'Oracolo in Messenia back from obscurity.

We talk to Harrison Birtwistle’s closest friends and collaborators to find out more about the man behind the music of one of our greatest living composers. Audio clips used by kind permission from Universal Edition.

Ben Eshmade explores the music and myths featured in our series of concerts celebrating the 80th birthday of one of our greatest living composers, Sir Harrison Birtwistle. Audio clips used by kind permission from Universal Edition.

In the first of a series of three podcasts, we introduce you to our Birtwistle at 80 celebration and speak to Sir Harrison Birtwistle's peers and collaborators about his life and work, as well as the great man himself. Audio clips used by kind permission from Universal Edition.

One of the world’s oldest and most prestigious symphony orchestras, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam returns to the Barbican for its second International Associate residency in April. Led by Chief Conductor Mariss Jansons, the residency celebrates the orchestra’s strong Bruckner tradition as three of his greatest and most evocative symphonies are performed together with concertos by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

In 2012, multi award-winning Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes recorded the music of Beethoven for the first time in his career. In letting the world hear his thoughts on some of the most significant piano music ever written, Andsnes confirmed those qualities that have made him one of the greats – his selfless admiration for the composer, his combined humanity and spirituality, his taste for balance and his verve and wit. Jon Tolansky catches up with him to talk about his forthcoming Barbican recital that sees his performing Beethoven’s tempestuous, tuneful, beautiful and uplifting piano sonatas.

Timed to coincide with the climax of Benjamin Britten’s centenary, and encompassing the composer’s own birthday, Barbican Britten is an unmissable two-week celebration bringing fresh life to a huge range of Britten’s work through imaginative, daring and sensational performances. For the first of three Barbican Britten podcasts, Sandy Burnett caught up with author, documentary maker and Britten scholar, John Bridcut and as well giving us fascinating insights into his life, he tells us how he is seeking to illuminate this great composer

Ahead of their performance of Monteverdi’s Fifth Book of Madrigals at the Barbican on 15 June, Catherine Bott travels to Paris to speak to Les Arts Florissant’s director for this project, Paul Agnew about these multi-voiced songs of life and love and the intriguing controversy that surrounded them after they were completed.

In this edition, Catherine Bott talks to AAM founder Christopher Hogwood as he continues his celebrated cycle of Handel operas at the Barbican with a classic but surprising tale of piracy, lost love and a journey to the underworld. Premiered in 1740, Imeneo was Handel's "farewell to Italian opera" and contains all the vivid characterisation and drama he had been perfecting over the previous decade.

Broadcaster Sandy Burnett presents this special edition Barbican Classical Music podcast live from our 2013-14 season launch. We introduce you to our packed programme of concerts and speak to representatives from our resident and associate orchestras and ensembles about their seasons.

On 16 March, Barbican audiences will finally get to hear the European premiere of 'The Gospel According to the Other Mary', John Adams and Peter Sellars's hugely anticipated follow up to the Nativity oratorio El Niño. This epic oratorio for orchestra, chorus and soloists will be performed by the LA Phil and led by Gustavo Dudamel who describes the piece as "one of the most important works for our time". Ben Eshmade speaks to the key people involved in this project and explores its journey from inception to realisation.

In the second part of our Maxim Vengerov podcast, Maxim continues discussing his passion for teaching music, his charity work with UNICEF, MIGDAL and MIAGI and the programme for his Barbican recital on Wed 20 Feb, which includes Beethoven, Schubert, Franck and Saint-Saëns. Find out how old Vengerov was when he gave his first music lesson, made his first recording and why solo performing is like driving a Formula 1 car!