The Classical Top 5

15/07/2021

In the very last Classical Top 5, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner look back at their favourite guests, moments and music from the series and discuss issues that have emerged in what has been an extraordinary 18 months for the industry. The show has welcomed some incredible guests...

06/07/2021

Hi everyone,
We are sorry that there hasn't been a podcast for a few weeks. We were due to record our very last edition but have been caught in a mix of holiday, illness and availability!

We are hoping to bring you the podcast next week; a look back at the last unprecedented 18 months with some of our favourite guests back who will be recommending something from the classical music world - a recording, concert, performance, book, film - for us to explore.

What would you recommend right now? Let us know and we'll try to include them in the show!

16/06/2021

I highly recommend this edition of CT5 - with the estimable harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. A joy to record. Can’t believe it’s our penultimate episode…

Our guest this week is the superstar harpsichordist, organist, writer and commentator Mahan Esfahani and he's got a few things to get off his chest about the classical music industry. Mahan chooses his Top 5 Myths about Classical Music - those oft-accepted views, approaches and ideas in music that c...

16/06/2021

Our guest this week is the superstar harpsichordist, organist, writer and commentator Mahan Esfahani and he's got a few things to get off his chest about the classical music industry. Mahan chooses his Top 5 Myths about Classical Music - those oft-accepted views, approaches and ideas in music that c...

27/05/2021

A huge subject for the team this week: Violin Concertos. So many to choose from, everything from rare curiosities to much-performed classics. Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner dive in with a mix of 'Bible and Shakespeare' choices and personal picks from the baroque to last month an...

21/05/2021

What are those pieces, performances, recordings or events that changed your entire perception of them and perhaps turned a dislike into a love?
This week, Tommy Pearson Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner highlight the moments that, for them, were game-changers in their classical music life. It's a deeply personal trip of memories through favourite teachers, revelatory recordings, performances and surprising discoveries.

Share your game-changing moments in classical music with us in the comments below! And what about the pandemic - how much of a game-changer do you think it will be for classical music?

What are those pieces, performances, recordings or events that changed your entire perception of them and perhaps turned a dislike into a love?This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte highlight the moments that, for them, were game-changers in their classical music life. It's a deeply personal trip o...

13/05/2021

Our guest this week is pianist and writer Susan Tomes, one of the world's finest chamber musicians; member of the Florestan Trio, Domus Ensemble and solo recitalist as well as a brilliant writer on music. Susan's latest book, "The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces" is published in July. Susan chooses h...

29/04/2021

This week the team tackles First Symphonies; those that were numbered the first by their composers, or were written first but given another number (or no number at all) or are the only symphony they wrote. The first symphonies of some of the greatest composers are amongst their least known works - f...

23/04/2021

HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to our very own Charlotte Gardner!

You can hear Charlotte and the rest of the team choose the works they think have been unjustly neglected in the latest podcast, out now.

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-hrscx-1018302

23/04/2021

It is said that 99% of all music written is never performed! But it's certainly true that some composers and pieces deserve a better hearing and, for often a myriad of reasons, never quite get into the standard repertoire. Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner pick the works (and compo...

14/04/2021

Tommy Pearson talks to one of the great legends of British choral life, the singer, conductor, music director and manager Terry Edwards. Terry formed London Voices - one of the busiest professional choirs in the UK - in 1973, managed the Swingles, created the ground-breaking vocal group Electric Pho...

08/04/2021

In the second of his conversations with figures in music who have played a key role in his life, Tommy Pearson talks to the composer Sir George Benjamin, who he first met at school when George visited his school for a London Sinfonietta education project. They talk about music education, the role of...

02/04/2021

Huge thanks to everyone that pointed out a technical issue in this week's podcast. It has been fixed and should be in your regular feed now.
Apologies!

https://classicaltop5.podbean.com/e/top-5-classical-recordings/

This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte are joined by actor, writer, broadcaster and critic Jeremy Nicholas who chooses his Top 5 recordings of classical music. With such a vast number to choose from, Jeremy and the team select the ones that mean the most ...

01/04/2021

This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte are joined by actor, writer, broadcaster and critic Jeremy Nicholas who chooses his Top 5 recordings of classical music. With such a vast number to choose from, Jeremy and the team select the ones that mean the most to them for a variety of reasons, personal a...

25/03/2021

This week, one of the most important figures in arts broadcasting, Sir Humphrey Burton, celebrates his 90th birthday. As a special tribute to Humphrey, here is an exclusive interview Tommy Pearson recorded with him in 2018 at home in Aldeburgh - and this is the first time the recording has been hear...

18/03/2021

This week, the team is joined by conductor and host of the "A Mic on the Podium' podcast, Michael Seal who chooses 5 moments in music that have shocked him; ranging from the personal - on the podium - to major issues facing the industry. A wide-ranging discussion on shocking musical moments, events....

12/03/2021

This week, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner are joined by a violinist who spent much of his time playing in one of the UK's most popular ensembles - the Brodskys - before becoming an in-demand orchestral leader: Andrew Haveron, currently concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orches...

04/03/2021

Our guest this week is superstar composer and presenter Howard Goodall who chooses his Top 5 (and more!) works for unaccompanied choir. A chorister throughout his childhood, Howard went on to write some of the most performed choral works of recent years (as well as themes to hit TV shows like Blacka...

26/02/2021

This week, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner choose their Top 5 Classical Earworms - those pesky tunes that get stuck in your head and are impossible to shift, whether you like them or not! From Handel to Karl Jenkins, you are bound to find at least one of their choices will stay w...

17/02/2021

This week, the team is joined by US conductor, lecturer and teacher Christopher Russell who has made it his special mission across his career to feature works by American composers old and new. Chris chooses both classics and lesser known repertoire in his Top 5, alongside the team's own. With Tommy...

11/02/2021

This week, the team is joined by Emmy, Tony, Grammy Award-winning and 7-time Oscar nominated composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins Returns, Sleepless in Seattle, Sister Act, A Few Good Men, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut) who chooses the mu...

03/02/2021

This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte are joined by conductor Barry Wordsworth who chooses his Top 5 Ballets. As Music Director and now Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet and Music Director Laureate of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Barry has conducted a huge range of ballets in his long care...

28/01/2021

We're so sorry that we weren't able to bring you a podcast this week. But we're back next week with Top 5 Ballets! Our special guest is conductor Barry Wordsworth, who'll be choosing his top 5 ballets and why they mean the most to him.

What are YOUR Top 5 ballets? Which ones simply have to make the list? Let us know!

21/01/2021

This week the team tackles a very big subject - Overtures. There are a LOT of them! Helping them whittle it down to 5 each is special guest Paul Daniel, who has conducted countless overtures in his time, especially in the opera house where he has been music director of Opera North and English Nation...

13/01/2021

Happy New Year! It's great to be back for a new series of Classical Top 5. This week we choose our favourite Solo Instrumental Works (but excluding piano which will get its own show later!).
What are your favourites?

We're back! A new year and a new series as Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner continue their survey of the greatest works, performers and composers in classical music. This week we select our Top 5 Solo Instrumental Works - pieces with no accompaniment (and excluding piano, which wi...

23/12/2020

Here we are sporting our Classical Top 5 face masks (Charlotte’s didn’t quite arrive in time for the recording!).

You can win one by entering our competition. Just listen to the latest podcast and email your answer to [email protected]

Good luck!

23/12/2020

Our final podcast of 2020 is a look back at this extraordinary year and we’ve been picking our highlights, including our favourite guests, music, discoveries and surprises. Our guest is our old friend Fiona Maddocks.

And you can win an EXCLUSIVE Classical Top 5 Face Mask - the must-have accessory for 2021!
Listen out for the question at the end of the podcast and email your answer to [email protected]

Winner will be picked at random and announced here and on Twitter on New Year’s Day. Good luck!

‎Music Commentary · 2020

23/12/2020

Join Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby, Charlotte Gardner and special guest Fiona Maddocks (from our original line-up!) for a look back at this extraordinary year as well as favourite guests, discoveries and surprises from the series so far. And listen out for our competition to win an exclusive Classic...

16/12/2020

Our guest this week is one of the world's greatest singers, baritone Sir Thomas Allen. Sir Tom chooses the 5 male voices that he loves hearing the most, including some he's worked alongside. And the team offer their choices too, from bass all the way up to countertenor. Who will make the grade? With...

13/12/2020

The latest Special Edition of the podcast is with members of London Brass: trumpeters Andy Cowley, Gareth Small and horn player Richard Bissell. They talk about all things brass and introduce their latest Christmas album.

Of course, we also asked them for their Top 5 Pieces for Brass:

Andy Crowley
1. Stadt Wien - R Strauss
2. Fanfare for the Common Man - Copland
3. Fanfare for St Edmundsbury - Britten
4. Fanfares Liturgiques - Tomasi
5. Eonta - Xenakis

Richard Bissell
1. Elergy from A Downland Suite - Ireland
2. Brassman’s Holiday - Billy May’s Big Fat Brass
3. Punchinello March - Rimmer
4. La Peri Fanfare - Dukas
5. Konzertmusic for Brass & Strings - Hindemith

Gareth Small
1. Canzon Duodecimi Toni a 10 - Gabrieli
2. Give it One - Maynard Ferguson
3. Fanfare for the Common Man - Copland
4. Sinfonietta - Janacek
5. Stadt Wein or Wein Fanfare - R Strauss

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/classical-top-5-special-edition-london-brass/id1505984915?i=1000502195606

‎Show The Classical Top 5, Ep Classical Top 5: Special Edition - London Brass - 12 Dec 2020

12/12/2020

Tommy Pearson talks to three members of London Brass, the group made up of the finest brass players in the UK. Gareth Small (Principal Trumpet, The Halle), Andy Crowley (Session trumpeter) and Richard Bissell (French Horn, Royal Opera House) talk about the latest London Brass album, a collection of....

11/12/2020

As we head towards the end of this extraordinary year and our final podcasts of 2020, we have a small request.

We've produced 34 editions of The Classical Top 5 podcast so far this year and we think you'll agree we've featured some amazing special guests, including Steven Isserlis, Peter Sellars, James MacMillan, Tasmin Little, Julian Lloyd Webber, Sir Mark Elder, Sir David Pountney, Sir James Galway, Stephen Hough, Daniel Harding, Rev Richard Coles and Simon Callow. Next week, we welcome Sir Thomas Allen.

We all do it for free, even as our careers have been seriously affected by the pandemic. We would love to continue bringing you more Top 5s and the best guests into 2021.

Production and PR does cost money, however, and each podcast takes time to put together. If you have enjoyed our podcasts this year, it would be wonderful if you could show your appreciation by making a donation - big or small - to help us continue beyond Christmas. Without your support, we may not be able to carry on. So anything you can give would be much appreciated.

You can donate to our Paypal account here: paypal.me/classicaltop5

We love reading your ideas each week for the Top 5s and have learned so much from the incredible range of music that's suggested every time. Please do keep them coming in!

Thank you for all your support through downloads, comments and likes so far.

- from the Classical Top 5 Team

09/12/2020

Our special guest this week is the actor, writer and director Simon Callow. Simon chooses 5 Song Cycles that have meant the most to him in a lifetime of loving classical music and working within it as opera director, narrator and actor (he played Mozart in the original production of Amadeus). With T...