Soprano Claire Booth discusses two new albums she's released in 2024 to mark 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg's birth.

Composer Adrian Sutton, the creative force behind the Olivier Award-winning scores for War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, speaks to Jon Jacob, reflecting on his diverse career, spanning from TV advertising to his celebrated work in theatre and concert music.

As Sutton prepares for the October 2024 release of his latest album, featuring his Violin Concerto performed by Fenella Humphreys and the BBC Philharmonic, he shares the inspirations and challenges behind his compositions. The episode also touches on his resilience in the face of a stage four cancer diagnosis and his unwavering dedication to his craft.

Recorded in Stoke on Trent where members of the NYO - the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain are rehearsing for their summer concert tour in which they perform music by Wagner, Mahler, and Missy Mazolli at Bridgewater Hall on 7 August, Saffron Hall in Cambridgeshire on 9th, and finally the BBC Proms on 10th August.

This Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast episode features Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu who, on the 16th August releases her recording of Clara Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor (pared the Grieg Piano Concerto). She's also playing a major role in the Leeds International Piano Competition later this year giving the first Alexandra Dariescu Award for the outstanding performance of music by a female composer - Clara Schumann's concerto is one of the concerto that finalists can select for the Concerto Final. The Leeds gets underway on 11 September, with the Finals staged on 20 and 21 September. Alexandra joins Petroc Trelawny presenting the Leeds on Medici TV.

The Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast hears from mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron in this episode, previewing her appearance at the 2024 Ryedale Festival in particular her collaboration with dancer Suleiman Suleiman and musician Hibiki Ichikawa intertwining a Japanese Kabuki play with Schubert's iconic Winterreise song cycle.

In this podcast Fleur talks about her international influences, illustrating what fuels her work - discovery - something closely aligned to Thoroughly Good's approach to classical music.

Fleur appears at Ryedale from 13th July. Spring Snow is scheduled for 16th July. Listen to the podcast for repeat performance dates in London and Europe.

https://ryedalefestival.com/event/13-spring-snow/

Recommended recording: Counterpoint, 2021

Conductor, organist, harpsichordist and lovely man Ton Koopman riffs on the joys of JS Bach at BachFest in Leipzig, ahead of his festival in the Dordogne - Itineraire Baroque - where he and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra will be performing Bach’s St John Passion.

Jon Jacob speaks to ETO General Director Robin Norton-Hale and members of the cast and production team about the English Touring Opera production of Blond Eckbert that opens the 75th Aldeburgh Festival on 7th June 2024.

How can recontextualising classical music help build a new audience for the genre? Classics Explained YouTube producer Ben Levy explores the opportunities he's discovered using animation to tell the story of some of classics most-loved works, and some of the pushback he's received doing so.