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JS Bach's St Matthew Passion in Building a Library with Joseph McHardy and Andrew McGregor

JS Bach's St Matthew Passion in Building a Library with Joseph McHardy and Andrew McGregor. And Joanna MacGregor picks some exciting new releases to review.

Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music

9.30 am
Joanna MacGregor picks some exciting new releases to review, including music by Scriabin and Mahler, as well as the track which she has regularly "On Repeat".

10.30 am
Building a Library
Joseph McHardy recommends a recording of JS Bach's St Matthew Passion.

Bach's St Matthew Passion is one of the most profound and popular choral works with many diverse interpretations of record to choose from

11.20 am
Record of the Week
Andrew's pick of the best of the best this week

2 hours, 47 minutes

Music Played

  • Henry Purcell

    Now the night is chac'd away (from The Fairy Queen, Z629)

    Ensemble: Barokksolistene. Conductor: Bjarte Eike.
    • The Playhouse Sessions.
    • Rubicon.
    • 14.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Tarentelle, Op. 6

    Performer: Sharon Bezaly. Orchestra: Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Michael Collins.
    • Synergy.
    • BIS.
    • 201.
  • Claude Debussy

    Suite Bergamasque: III. Clair de lune

    Performer: Steven Osborne.
    • Debussy: Early and late piano pieces.
    • Hyperion.
    • 10.
  • Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k

    Symphony No 7 in D minor, Op 70: III. Scherzo - Vivace

    Orchestra: Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Jakub Hr暖拧a.
    • Brahms: Symphony No. 2 & Dvo艡谩k: Symphony No. 7.
    • Tudor.
    • 3.
  • Henry Purcell

    The Fairy Shuffle (Arr for String Ensemble by Bjarte Eike & Barokksolistene)

    Ensemble: Barokksolistene. Conductor: Bjarte Eike.
    • The Playhouse Sessions.
    • Rubicon.
    • 7.
  • Olli Mustonen

    Piano Quintet: I. Drammatico e passionato

    Performer: Olli Mustonen. Ensemble: Engeg氓rdkvartetten.
    • Mustonen: String Quartet No. 1 / Piano Quintet.
    • LAWO.
    • 5.
  • Alexander Scriabin

    Symphony No 4 - 'Le Poeme de l'extase', Op. 54

    Orchestra: Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Lan Shui.
    • Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy, Prometheus.
    • BIS.
    • 1.
  • Alexander Scriabin

    Prometheus (The Poem of Fire), Op 60:

    Performer: Yevgeny Sudbin. Choir: Singapore Symphony Youth Choir. Choir: Singapore Symphony Chorus. Orchestra: Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Lan Shui.
    • Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy, Prometheus.
    • BIS.
    • 3.
  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony No 9: IV. Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zur眉ckhaltend

    Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
    • Mahler: Symphony No 9.
    • BR Klassik.
    • 4.
  • Erwin Schulhoff

    Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra, Op. 43

    Performer: Dominic Cheli. Ensemble: RVC Ensemble. Conductor: James Conlon.
    • Shapeshifter - Music Of Erwin Schulhoff.
    • Delos.
    • 1.
  • Hugh Wood

    Symphony, Op 21: III. Scherzo - Con fuoco

    Conductor: Andrew Davis. Orchestra: 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra.
    • Wood: Symphony, Op. 21 & Scenes from Comus, Op. 6.
    • NMC Recordings.
  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Piano Concerto no.2 in F major Op.102 (2nd mvt)

    Performer: Boris Giltburg. Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vasily Petrenko.
    • Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 and String Quartet No. 8.
    • Naxos.
    • 7.
  • Gioachino Rossini

    Largo al factotum (from Il barbiere di Siviglia)

    Singer: Michael Spyres. Orchestra: Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg. Conductor: Marko Letonja.
    • Baritenor.
    • Erato.
    • 6.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations (excerpts)

    Performer: Mitsuko Uchida.
    • Beethoven: Diabelli Variations.
    • Decca.
    • 1.
  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony no.7 (Nachtmusik)

    Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. Conductor: Kirill Petrenko.
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 7.
    • BSO Recordings.
    • 2.
  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    Die tote Stadt: Gluck, das mir verblieb

    Singer: Jonas Kaufmann. Singer: Marlis Petersen. Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. Conductor: Kirill Petrenko.
    • Korngold: Die tote Stadt.
    • BSO Recordings.
    • 6.
  • William Byrd

    Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets (1611) (excerpts)

    Choir: The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers. Ensemble: Fretwork.
    • Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets (1611).
    • Coro.
    • 24.

Record Review

The link below each recording takes you directly to the label鈥檚 website. Please be aware that non-UK labels may be cheaper via a record store or an online retailer.

9.00am

The Playhouse Sessions 鈥 music by Purcell, Eike, Guthrie, etc.

Barokksolistene

Bjarte Eike

Rubicon听 RCD1096

Synergy 鈥 music by Telemann, Saint-Sa毛ns, Villa-Lobos, etc.

Sharon Bezaly (flute)

Michala Petri (recorder)

Bj枚rn G盲fvert (harpsichord, organ)

Michael Collins (clarinet)

Walter Auer (flute)

Bram van Sambeek (bassoon)

Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Urban Svensson

Thomas Dausgaard

Michael Collins

BIS 听BIS2339 (Hybrid SACD)

Debussy: Early and late piano pieces

Steven Osborne (piano)

Hyperion听 CDA68390

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 & Dvo艡谩k: Symphony No. 7

Bamberger Symphoniker

Jakub Hr暖拧a

Tudor听 TUD1742 (2 Hybrid SACDs)

09.30am 鈥 Joanna MacGregor: New Releases

Mustonen: String Quartet No. 1 / Piano Quintet

Engegard Quartet

Olli Mustonen

LAWO听 LWC1243

Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54, Prometheus, Op. 60 & Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53

Yevgeny Sudbin (piano)

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Singapore Symphony Youth Choir

Singapore Symphony Chorus

Lan Shui

BIS听 BIS2362 (Hybrid SACD)

Mahler: Symphony No. 9

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Sir Simon Rattle

BR Klassik听 900205

Shapeshifter - Music of Erwin Schulhoff

Gallia Kastner (violin)

Adam Millstein (violin)

Cara Pogossian (viola)

Ben Solomonow

Dominic Cheli (piano)

RVC Ensemble

James Conlon

Delos听 DE 3566

Joanna MacGregor: On Repeat

Hugh Wood: Symphony & Scenes from Comus

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano)

Daniel Norman (tenor)

大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra

Sir Andrew Davis

NMC听 NMCD070

10:10 am

Listener On Repeat

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Boris Giltburg (piano)

Rhys Owens (trumpet)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko

Naxos 8.573666

Baritenor 鈥 music by Mozart, Rossini, Ravel, etc.

Michael Spyres (baritenor)

Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg

Marko Letonja

Erato 听9029515666

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations

Mitsuko Uchida (piano)

Decca 听4852731

10.30am 鈥 Building a Library: Joseph McHardy on JS Bach鈥檚 St Matthew Passion

Recommended recording:

Benjamin Bruns (Evangelist)

Carolyn Sampson (soprano)

Aki Matsui (soprano)

Damien Guillon (counter-tenor)

Clint van der Linde (baritone)

Makato Sakurada (tenor)

Zachary Wilder (tenor)

Christian Immler (baritone)

Toru Kaku (bass)

Bach Collegium Japan

Masaaki Suzuki

BIS 听BIS2500 (2 Hybrid SACDs)

Other recommendations:

Mark Padmore (Evangelist)

Peter Harvey (Jesus)

Deborah York (soprano)

Julia Gooding (soprano)

Magdalena Kozen谩 (mezzo-soprano)

Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano)

James Gilchrist (tenor)

Stephan Loges (bass)

Gabrieli Consort

Paul McCreesh

DG Archiv听 4742002 (2 CDs)

Julian Pr茅gardien (Evangelist)

St茅phane Degout (Christus)

Sabine Devieilhe (soprano)

Hana Bla啪ikov谩 (soprano)

Lucile Richardot (mezzo)

Tim Mead (countertenor)

Reinoud Van Mechelen (tenor)

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (tenor)

Christian Immler (bass-baritone)

Maitrise de Radio France听听听听听听听听听

Pygmalion

Rapha毛l Pichon

Harmonia Mundi听 HMM90269193 (3CDs)

https://store.harmoniamundi.com/format/971780-j-s-bach-matthaus-passion-bwv-244

11:15 am

Mahler: Symphony No. 7

Bavarian State Orchestra

Kirill Petrenko

BSO Recordings 听BSOREC0001

Korngold: Die tote Stadt

Jonas Kaufmann (Paul)

Marlis Petersen (Marietta)

Andrej Filonczyk (Frank/Fritz)

Jennifer Johnston (Brigitta)

Choir and Children's Choir of the Bavarian State Opera

Bavarian State Orchestra

Kirill Petrenko

BSO Recordings听 BSOREC1001 (2 DVDs) / BSOREC2001 (Blu-ray)

11.25am 鈥 Record of the Week

Byrd: Psalmes, Songs and Sonnets (1611)

The Sixteen

Fretwork

Harry Christophers

Coro 听COR16193 (2 CDs)

Broadcast

  • Sat 8 Oct 2022 09:00

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