Record Review Podcast Episodes Available now
Building a Library: Verdi's Aida
Set in the Egypt of the Pharaohs, Verdi's Aida premiered at the Cairo opera house in 1871
Building a Library: Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
Mozart's final instrumental work was written for his friend, clarinettist Anton Stadler.
Building a Library: Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
Messaien's piece was premiered at a prisoner of war camp, outdoors in the rain, in 1941.
Building a Library: Schoenberg's Gurrelieder
Nicholas Baragwanath guides us through Schoenberg's epic Romantic cantata, Gurrelieder.
Building a Library: Survey of Ethel Smyth recordings
Explore the music of an underrated composer and a member of the women's suffrage movement
Building a Library: Ives's Second Symphony
Edward Seckerson joins Andrew McGregor to assess recordings of Ives Symphony No. 2.
Building a Library: Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez
Tom McKinney heads to Spain with the ever-popular Rodrigo Guitar Concerto.
Building a Library: Bach's B Minor Mass
Bach completed this piece by refashioning music he'd composed throughout his career
Building a Library: Rossini's The Barber of Seville
Ben Walton compares recordings of Rossini's hugely popular opera on Beaumarchais's play.
Building a Library: Sibelius's Tapiola
Tapiola is Sibelius's final masterpiece for orchestra. Andrew Mellor recommends a version
