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Free Download: Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A played by the Carducci Quartet and Julian Bliss

This week's free download is the third movement from Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A, K581. It is performed by the Carducci Quartet with clarinettist Julian Bliss and recorded for Signum Records. 

This is Mozart's only completed clarinet quintet and was written for the clarinettist Anton Stadler, who Mozart also wrote his Clarinet Concerto for. It was written at the end of Mozart's life, in 1789.

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Increase in classical music streams and sales in 2018

Classical music consumption in 2018 increased by more than a tenth on the previous year, as stated by the BPI in new figures released this week. Sales and streams of classical music have grown by 10 per cent in the past year, outperforming the overall 5.7 per cent rise in UK music consumption as a whole.

The rise in classical music consumption was primarily driven by a 6.9 per cent increase in the sales of CDs, which account for nearly 60 per cent of the UK’s classical music. Streaming now accounts for 25.2 per cent of classical music consumption, which is an increase on previous years but is still lagging behind other musical genres. The BPI has suggested that this could be as a result of the difficulties in search functions on streaming platforms.

The combined sales of the top-30 albums increased by 69 per cent on 2017, showcasing the wide-reaching success of albums including Andrea Bocelli’s Si and In Harmony by Aled Jones and Russell Watson, which were the two best-selling classical recordings this year.

• Who is Sheku Kanneh-Mason?
• Music streaming to be included in the classical charts

Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s appearance at the Royal Wedding helped put classical music on a wider stage, with his debut album Inspiration reaching the top of the classical charts for 14 weeks.

Ludovico Einaudi was the most popular classical artist on streaming platforms, accounting for 8.6 per cent of all classical music streams. This was closely followed by a handful of film music composers. 

• Royal Weddings: The best classical music choices

The BBC Music Magazine Playlist

Every Monday, the BBC Music Magazine team choose their favourite new recordings of the past week. The tracks are compiled into The Playlist, which can be accessed via the BBC Music Magazine's Apple Music page. 

This week's playlist:

The listings for previous playlists are featured below.

Vol. 6

Saint-Saëns Ascanio, Acte I, Tableau 1: Scène 1 ‘Très bien!’ (Jean-François Lapointe, Joé Bertili, Chœrs de la Haute École de Musique de Genève/Guillaume Tourniaire

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 III. Allegro con fuoco (Xiayin Wang, Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Peter Oundjian

Purcell Come Ye Sons of Art (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary): ‘Strike the Viol, Touch the Lute’ (Tim Mead, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien/François Lazarevitch)

Aleksander Sedlar Savcho 3 (Nemanja Radulovic, Double Sense, Stéphanie Fontanarosa/Aleksander Sedlar)

Barbara Strozzi Arie, Op. 8 No. 2: ‘Che si può fare’ (Emoke Baräth, Il Pomo d’Oro/Francesco Corti)

Josef Suk 6 Piano Pieces, Op. 7: No. 1, Liebeslied (arr. for violin and orchestra) (Eldbjørg Hemsing, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra/Alan Buribayev)

Scheidemann Pavana Lachrymae in D minor (Yoann Moulin)

Beethoven String Quartet in E minor ‘Razumovsky’: III. Allegretto (Elias String Quartet)

Mozart Violin Sonata in D Major, K306: III. Allegretto (Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov)

Moteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine: VIII. Paslmus 126. Nisi Dominus a dieci voci (Bruno Boterf, Ludus Modalis)

Vol. 5

Tchaikovsky Swan Lake, Act 1 (1877 Version): No. 8, Danse des coupes. Tempo di polacca (State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’/Vladimir Jurowski

John Harbison Requim, Pt. 1: II. Sequence I. Dies irae (Nashville Chorus, Nashville Symphony/Giancarlo Guerrero)

Richard Strauss 5 Lieder, Op. 41: No. 1, Wiegenlied (Arabella Steinbacher, WDR Symphony Orchestra/Lawrence Foster)

Parry English Lyrics, Set 12: No. 7, The Sound of Hidden Music (Sarah Fox, Andrew West)

Andrzej Panufnik I Kwartet smyczkowy: III. Postlude (Apollon Musagete Quartett)

Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2: II. Scherzo (Live) (Eric Lu)

Szymanowski Nocturne & Tarantella in E minor, Op. 28: II. Tarantella (Jennifer Pike, Peter Limonov)

Einaudi Life (Live) (Angèle Dubeau, La Pietà)

Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli 6 Sonatas for Violin and Continuo, Op. 3: Sonata No. 2 ‘La Cesta’ (Elicia Silverstein, Mauro Valli)

Dvořák Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor: II. Poco adagio (Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt)

Florence Price Symphony No. 4: III. Juba Dance (Fort Smith Symphony/John Jeter)

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 16: III. Allegro di molto (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Manchester Camerata, Gábor Takács-Nagy

Haydn Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 30 No. 5: I. Allegro con brio (Roman Rabinovich)

Johann Strauss I Radetzky-Marsch, Op. 228 (Christian Theilemann, Vienna Philharmonic

Vol. 4

Arvo Pärt Passacaglia (Victoria Mullova, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi)

Michael Higgins The Angel Gabriel (Sonoro/Neil Ferris)

Debussy Cello Sonata in D minor: I. Prologue. Lent. Sostenuto e molto risoluto (Jean-Guiden Queyras, Javier Perianes)

Massanet Hérodiade, Act 1: ‘Celiu dont la parole efface… Il est doux, il est bon’ (Salomé) (Elsa Dreisig, Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie/Michael Schonwandt

Poulenc Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani in G minor: I. Andante (Live) (James O’Donnell, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin)

Schumann Fantasiestücke Op. 72: I. Zart und mit Ausdruck (Sol Gabetta, Bertrand Chamayou)

Gurney Since I Believe in God the Father Almighty (Teberae/Nigel Short)

Peter Gregson Bach: The Cello Suites: Recomposed by Peter Gregson – Suite No. 1 in G, BWV 1007: I. Prelude (Peter Gregson, Richard Harwood, Reinoud Ford, Tim Lowe, Ben Chappell, Katherine Jenkinson)

JS Bach Concerto in D minor, BWV 974: III. Presto (Víkingur Ólafsson)

Purcell King Arthur, Act 1: ‘Come If You Dare’ (Robert Buckland, Vox Luminis/Lionel Meunier)

Messiaen La Nativité du Seigneur: V. Les enfants de Dieu (Richard Gowers)

George Onslow String Quartet No. 29 in E-flat, Op. 73 Elan Quintet)

Cécile Chaminade Arabesque No. 1, Op. 61 (Mark Viner)

Enescu Strigoii, Pt. 3: Bătrânu-și pleacă geana și iar rămâne orb (Alin Anca, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/Gabriel Bebeșelea)

Max Richter Mary Queen of Scots: The Shores of Scotland

Tchaikovsky Swan Lake, Act II (1877 version): No. 13a, Danses des cygnes I. Tempo di valse

Vol. 3

Emilie Mayer Symphony No. 4: IV. Presto (Neubrandenburg Philharmonie/Stefan Malzew)

Weber Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major: IV. Rondo - Allegro giocoso (Julian Bliss & Carducci String Quartet)

John Hess Vous, qui passez sans me voir (Julien Behr, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon/Pierre Bleuse)

John Francis Wade Adeste fideles (arr. M Suzuki for Choir and Organ) (Bach Collegium Japan Chorus/Masato Suzuki & Masaaki Suzuki)

Schumann Fantasiestücke: I. Zart und mit Ausdruck (Sol Gabetta, Bertrand Chamayou)

Domenico Sarro Messa a 5 voci: 'Laudamus te' (Maxim Emelyanychev, Jakub Józef Orliński, Il Pomo d'Oro)

Holst Invocation Op. 19 No. 2 (Guy Johnston, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Davis)

Dowland Come, Heavy Sleep (Grace Davidson, David Miller)

Schumann Humoreske Op. 20: II. Hastig (William Youn)

RO Morris Love Came Down at Christmas (arr. Stephen Cleobury) (Stephen Cleobury, Henry Websdale, Choir of King's College, Cambridge)

Tchaikovsky The Seasons Op. 37a: XII. December. Christmas (Barry Douglas)

Berlioz Roméo et Juliette: Pt. 3, Finale - Oath of Reconciliation (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Michael Tilson Thomas)

Elgar Chanson de nuit (Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder)

James Burton Tomorrow Shalle Be My Dancing Day (Jack Hawkins, Michael Bell, James Adams, Joseph Wicks, Choir of St John's College, Cambridge)

Vol. 2

Julian Anderson Heaven is Shy of Earth: III. Gloria (With Bird) (Susan Bickley, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Oliver Knussen)

Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegro (Live) (William Caballero, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck)

Derek Bermel Murmurations: I. Gathering at Gretna Green (ROCO)

Frank Martin Ballade for Flute & Piano (Bridget Bolliger, Andrew West)

Debussy Violin Sonata in G minor: III. Finale. Très animé (Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov)

Anonymous Now May We Singen (ORA Singers/Suzi Didby)

Rachmaninov Prelude in G minor Op. 23 No. 5 (Live at Philharmonie, Berlin/2018) (Yuja Wang)

James Newton Howard Violin Concerto: II. Andante semplice (James Ehnes, Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Cristian Măcelaru)

Sally Beamish In the Stillness (Sonoro/Neil Ferris)

Parry Suite moderne (arr. J Dibble for Orchestra): III. Romanza. Lento (BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Rumon Gamba)

Jonathan Dove A Brief History of Creation: X. Whales Return to the Sea (Hallé Children's Choir, Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder)

Purcell King Arthur, Act 1: 'Come if You Dare' (Robert Buckland, Vox Luminis/Lionel Meunier)

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 4 (Live at Kimmel Center, Philadelphia) (Daniil Trifonov, The Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin)

Fagerlund Höstsonaten, Act 1: charlotte Andergast! Vilken konstnär! (Krista Kujala, Mari Sares, Jere Martikainen, Jarmo Ojala, Finnish National Opera Chorus, Finnish National Opera Orchestra/John Storgards

Vol. 1

Julian Anderson Heaven is Shy of Earth: III. Gloria (With Bird) (Susan Bickley, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen)

Zemlinsky Albumblatt (Erinnerung aus Wien) (William Youn)

Schreker The Birthday of the Infanta: Suite I. Reigen (Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/JoAnn Falletta)

Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1 K.207: III. Presto (Nikolaj Znaider, London Symphony Orchestra)

Tchaikovsky The Seasons, Op. 37a, TH 135: XII. December. Christmas (Barry Douglas)

Holst In the Bleak Midwinter (Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Isata Kanneh-Mason)

Glazunov The Seasons ‘L’été: No. 9, Scène de l’été (Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitri Kitayenko

JS Bach Prelude & Fugue BVW 855a: Prelude No. 10 in B minor (Vikingur Ólafsson)

Magnus Lindberg Tempus fugit Pt. 1 (Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Hannu Lintu)

Gurney Since I Believe in God the Father Almighty (Tenebrae/Nigel Short)

Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker Act 1: No. 6 Clara and the Nutcracker (Los Angeles Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel)

Ravel Ma mère l’Oye Suite, M. 60: V. Le jardin féerique (Prague Philharmonia/Emmanuel Villaume)

Eric Whitacre Deep Field: Earth Choir (Eric Whitacre Singers, Virtual Choir 5, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Eric Whitacre)

Five essential works by Brahms

Symphony No. 3

Brahms’s finest symphony may not have the fireworks of, say, the Violin Concerto, but its subtle drama and dark atmosphere are magical.

Recommended recording:
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan
DG 477 7159

• The 20 greatest symphonies of all time

Ein Deutsches Requiem

Brahms employs full symphony orchestra and chorus for this majestic setting of passages from the Lutheran bible written in response to his mother’s death.

Recommended recording:
Dorothea Röschmann (soprano), Thomas Quasthoff (baritone), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Berlin Radio Choir/Simon Rattle
EMI 365 3932

• Brahms's A German Requiem - text

Piano Concerto No. 2

This deeply humane concerto was written just after the Symphony No. 3. The slow movement’s use of cello as a ‘second’ solo instrument was innovative.

Recommended recording:
Emil Gilels (piano), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Eugen Jochum
DG 447 4462

• 10 piano concertos you might not know

Intermezzi Op. 117

Brahms was a supreme pianist and his solo piano music has extraordinary range and variety. His late Intermezzi, however, are stunningly written miniatures.

Recommended recording:
Nicholas Angelich (piano)
Virgin 379 3022

• Five of the best pieces for Piano Left Hand

Violin Concerto

Full of gypsy inflections and wild virtuosity, the Violin Concerto, written in 1879 for Joseph Joachim, is one of the most popular in the repertoire.

Recommended recording:
Nikolaj Znaider (violin), Vienna Philharmonic/Valery Gergiev
RCA 88697103362

• The 20 greatest violinists of all time

The best recordings of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony

‘The awakening of joyful feelings upon arriving in the countryside’ 

Beethoven’s sub-title for the opening movement of his Sixth Symphony must have been far from the thoughts of those Viennese citizens who had braved the winter weather on 22 December 1808 to attend a mammoth all-Beethoven concert in the Theatre an der Wien. 

His warmest symphony was first heard in joyless conditions as the theatre’s heating had broken down. Whereas the Fifth, also premiered that day, epitomises the defiant side of Beethoven’s personality, the Sixth is its antithesis, both an expression of his love of Nature and a hymn of thanksgiving. 

Musical imitations of rural life include the drone of a bagpipe, a babbling brook, the unlikely trio of nightingale, quail and cuckoo, a rustic dance, a summer thunderstorm and the carolling of a shepherd’s pipe.

• Five essential works by Beethoven 

The best recording 

Otto Klemperer 
Philharmonia Orchestra 1957
EMI 567 9652

Otto Klemperer’s radiant recording of the Pastoral Symphony may be over 50 years old, but once the taste for it has been acquired, it’s addictive. 

Yes, it has its idiosyncrasies. Take, for instance, his view of the Scherzo – his insistence that it’s a Ländler, a heavy footed Austrian dance, is possibly inherited from his mentor Gustav Mahler, who it is documented conducted this movement at a similarly easy-going tempo. 

Never intended as fleet-footed Arcadians, Beethoven’s merrymaking peasants, as portrayed by Klemperer, even more resemble those grotesques found in the paintings of Flemish artist Pieter Breughel. But Klemperer’s tempo for the Allegro ma non troppo first movement strikes one as ideal, measured but purposeful. 

In the Andante, the water in the brook flows naturally and the birdsong cadenza shows off the Philharmonia’s woodwind trio to charming effect. Taken at a quickish tempo, the Shepherd’s Hymn is a real Ode to Joy, both euphoric and strong. 

There is no noticeable slowing for the Coda, no nostalgic glancing back; the symphony’s spell is finally broken with a peremptory ‘Amen’ from full orchestra. Klemperer, as always, divides his violins left and right, opening up the texture, and the 1957 stereo recording sounds better than it has any right to. 

• A guide to Beethoven's Symphony No.5

Three more great recordings 

Alexander Rudin
Musica Viva Moscow (2010)
Fuga Libera Fug564

Until the 1980s, Beethoven symphony performance was largely the preserve of the standard symphony orchestra. Next up was period instrument performance, removing excess varnish but sometimes risking damage to original paintwork. 

But now hear what the 25 players of Musica Viva Moscow – a chamber-sized orchestra playing on modern instruments – can do. Suffice to say, they are a class act. The opening chord is struck rather than gently insinuated: this Pastoral is unique in being kick-started. 

In the Thunderstorm of the fourth movement, cellist conductor Alexander Rudin keeps his brass and timpani in check – thus delivering more of a summer shower than an elemental deluge. 

Throughout, there are countless wayside details to stop and admire, making this live, imaginative and finely recorded Pastoral, complete with violins divided either side of the orchestra, a hugely enjoyable one. 

• 6 of the Best: Beethoven's overlooked works

Giovanni Antonini
Basel Chamber Orchestra (2010)
Sony 88697648162

Should the Pastoral Symphony be thrilling? This one certainly is. The sound that this young chamber orchestra produces is dazzling. With fresh, incisive string tone, wonderfully bucolic horns in the Scherzo, vibrant woodwind (the ravishing oboe playing in particular is deserving of a special mention), Giovanni Antonini’s Pastoral is a joy from start to finish. 

For those attuned to the Old School of Beethoven Conducting, exemplified by the likes of Bruno Walter or Karl Böhm, Antonini’s tempo for the first movement may sound merely breathless; however, in context and on repeated hearing, it makes perfect sense. 

Even without antiphonal violins, this beautifully recorded disc must feature on any shortlist.

• The best recordings of Beethoven's Symphony No.7

Paavo Järvi
Bremen Chamber Philharmonic (2009)
RCA 8869754542

Like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Warner Classics, 1992), Paavo Järvi opts for a medium-size ensemble playing on modern instruments. Interpretatively, they are quite similar and both can be warmly recommended, but Järvi’s decision to divide his Bremen Chamber Philharmonic violins ultimately gets him my vote of the two. 

In addition, he offers beautifully judged tempos, transparent orchestral textures and a real sense of engagement with the score. This Pastoral really does seem to be lit from within. 

Järvi’s marvellously played and recorded account, free of any interpretative quirks, is true both to the letter and spirit of Beethoven – though, ultimately, no single recording can tell us absolutely everything about this inexhaustible score.

• Beethoven's Symphonies: What did the 19th century think?

And one to avoid

Herbert von Karajan made several recordings of the Pastoral. The earliest and best was in mono with the Philharmonia Orchestra in the 1950s – a beautifully played, invigorating performance with plenty of fresh air in its lungs. 

However, his 1970s digital re-make is a dull run-through with a jumbo-size Berlin Philharmonic machine on autopilot. If you crave a BPO Pastoral, it must be André Cluytens’s wonderful 1960 recording.

Five essential works by Bizet

Symphony in C

Composed by Bizet when aged 17 and only rediscovered in 1935. Light and almost Schubertian in style, the slow movement includes a haunting oboe lament.

Recommended recording:
Les Siècles/François Xavier Roth
Mirare MIR 036

• 20 greatest symphonies of all time

Songs

Bizet wrote his songs in the days before they had been elevated to ‘high art’, but they are unfailingly charming and include such classics as the sultry ‘Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe’.

Recommended recording:
Ann Murray (mezzo-soprano), Graham Johnson (piano)
Hyperion CDA 66976

• Six of the best Schubert songs

Jeux d’enfants

Best-known in its orchestral guise, the two piano version gives a more complete collection of these affectionate vignettes of children at play. Great fun.

Recommended recording:
Tamara Granat, Daniel Propper
Dux 0739

• Six of the best musical child prodigies

L’Arlesienne

Bizet’s incidental music to Daudet’s stage play, The Girl From Arles, perfectly captures its Provence setting; his imaginative orchestration includes an early pre-jazz use of saxophone.

Recommended recording:
Choeur de l’Opéra de Lyon; Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble/Marc Minkowski
Naïve V 5130

• The best classical works for saxophone

Carmen

Easily Bizet’s single most famous work, his deft characterisation and the sheer tunefulness of his opera sounds as fresh as ever.

Recommended recording:
Grace Bumbry, Jon Vickers; Orchestre de Paris/Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Classics for Pleasure 367 6962

• Six of the best operatic demises

Which is your favourite piece by Franz Liszt?

Lang Lang

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6

My favourite piece to perform by Liszt is the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6. I started to play this piece at a very early age (around 10 years old) and it really helped me to build confidence at the keyboard.

It helped me enormously with my technique, especially because of the famous octaves, and is a good way of teaching students how to play rubato (in the middle section).

I think it is extremely important for young artists to learn these skills, particularly when performing Liszt. It taught me a key and invaluable lesson – how to make a difficult piece feel and sound easy. This work has stayed with me for years and even after all this time, I never ever tire of it.

• 10 piano concertos you may not know

Stephen Hough

Sonata in B minor

Liszt’s B minor Sonata is, I think, one of the greatest works of the 19th century, and probably the one work in which he completely fulfilled the potential of his youth. It’s an exploration of human experience, a mountain, an ocean. And yet it’s interesting that Liszt, who gave poetic titles to most of his music, simply calls this one ‘Sonata’.

The work holds together so well that giving it a title would perhaps have limited it. Anybody can press the keys of the piano and make it sound, but this piece is difficult because you need to keep the tension of the architecture.

A performance of it has to have two things: it has to sound like you’re improvising, but also feel like every single bar is inevitable. I can only compare it to a great novel or play, in which everything is a surprise but when you look back at the end, everything seems to fit.

• Five of the best pieces for Piano Left Hand

Khatia Buniatishvili

Mephisto Waltz No. 1

I would say the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 has most inspired me as a pianist. People often think it’s just about virtuosity, but actually he tells a strong story. That’s difficult to do in a ten-minute piece, but Liszt does it here.

Based on Lenau’s Faust, it’s set in the Dorfschenke, a village inn where there’s a wedding. Mephisto plays the violin – a waltz – while Faust starts to dance with Gretchen. It’s an emotional, rather than erotic, love story, though there’s also this dark Mephistophelian side. Of course the piece is difficult to play but for me it’s all about emotion and telling a story.

s a pianist, Liszt took a lot of risks and in his music there are always huge jumps between registers. But you have to play Liszt without fear, and with total freedom. With Liszt the power doesn’t come from totally clean, planned playing but from the crazy and diabolic.

• The best recordings of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Deux Légendes

In general, the image people have of Liszt is loud, fast, bombastic, virtuosic and pyrotechnical. There is a lot of that, it’s true, but he was a much deeper composer than that.

The Deux Légendes (St François d’Assise: la prédication aux oiseaux and St François de Paule marchant sur les flots) show Liszt as a poet and are incredibly powerful spiritually, too. When you play them in concert, you find that there is something completely magical that happens every time.

For me, St François d’Assise is like time is completely stopping – plus you have all those incredibly beautifully written birdsongs and the trills and tremolos: very difficult to render, but incredibly touching and moving, and inspiring to play. St François de Paule is also very intense and very powerful.

It also shows the orchestral side of Liszt on the piano – he had a mastery of transcribing the orchestra to the piano and you really find that here.

• Forgotten piano concertos

Marc-André Hamelin

Sonata in B minor

I’d have to say the B minor Sonata has most inspired me, because it’s Liszt’s towering achievement, in any form. He broke so much ground with this piece; it’s a fantastic piece of architecture and the ideas have such quality and depth.

There’s been so much debate as to whether it’s one, three or four movements, yet it’s incredibly cohesive. It seems, well, the best word I can come up with is ‘inevitable’. I like to think that, in a good performance, the listener should be aware, at least instinctively, of how long the piece will last and what’s likely to be said or expressed. It’s very much like telling a story.

Some pianists, unfortunately, seem to treat it as a virtuoso vehicle first and foremost. Some listeners, too, I think. But to me thinking of it like that is like tearing a page off a Gutenberg Bible and using it to wrap carrot peelings.

• The best recordings of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

Martin Roscoe

Sonata in B minor

The B minor Sonata is Liszt’s most complete work for piano. You sometimes feel in other pieces that – inspired though they might be – there are slightly weaker passages or extraneous notes that don’t fulfil a genuine musical purpose, but no one could ever say that about the Sonata.

As a player, it offers huge challenges: at almost 30 minutes without a break, there’s a lot of stamina needed; you have to try to keep an overview of the whole piece so you don’t lose its shape or narrative; and, of course, you have to display a spectrum of emotions that ranges from the spiritual to the demonic.

It’s a work I’ve played for almost the length of my career. Recently, I played it at my own festival, and felt it was one of my best performances. It was great to know that, at 58, I can still play that piece!

• The best recordings of Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata

Louis Lortie

Années de pèlerinage

I’ve been studying and playing the Années de pèlerinage a lot this year. From the Troisième Année, the ‘Jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este’ has struck me as being so incredibly adventurous. This piece really heralded 20th-century pianism – all the pianistic ideas of Ravel, Debussy and Messiaen are already present here.

The fluidity of the pianistic style of it didn’t exist before, and it also must have sounded almost shocking at the time as it has so little feeling of functional harmony. It is tonal, but even the relationships between dominant and tonic are blurred. Liszt loves to add so many tones – an added sixth, a seventh, a ninth – to the chords so they always sound suspended, which is one of the tricks of Impressionism.

Technically it is challenging due to the fact that you have to barely touch the keys – on a modern piano it’s really difficult to get the fluidity and transparency that you want in all the tremolandos that accompany the main theme. It’s such a wonderful piece, though. I’m always in awe of it when I play it.

Leslie Howard

Christus

It’s an easy choice: Liszt’s oratorio Christus is simply the best piece of music he wrote. I get inspired as a musician, and then play the piano. Fortunately, though, he did arrange four numbers from it for solo piano, and I’ve been lucky enough to conduct the whole thing. I think it’s far and away the best Romantic oratorio, and it’s criminal that it’s little known here.

Wagner went to the first performance, and he stole bits of it for Parsifal – he also used bits of Liszt’s The Bells of Strasbourg Cathedral. If I had to pick one inspirational piece from Christus as far as the piano goes, it’s the ‘March of the Three Holy Kings’.

It’s kind of a symphonic poem in itself and the piano version is beautifully done. When Liszt does piano versions of orchestral pieces, like his Beethoven Symphony arrangements, he manages to get the spirit and sound absolutely right.

RELATED ARTICLES

• A guide to Franz Liszt

• Review: Liszt Sonata in B Minor (Hamelin)

• Review: Liszt Piano Works (Hough)

Films with live orchestras: Our 2019 performance guide

Following on from the successes of 2018’s live orchestral film screenings, we’ve compiled a list of the film, silent film and television performances of 2019, and where to find them. There’s sure to be something to suit everyone!

Brave

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/ Dirk Brossé

19^th January- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Get Out

19^th February- Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Titanic

2^nd April- Liverpool Echo Arena

3^rd April- Manchester Arena

4^th April- First Direct Arena, Leeds

5^th April- The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

• Films with live orchestras: Our 2018 performance guide
• Six of the best classical music film cameos

Back to the Future

Czech National Symphony Orchestra/ Ben Palmer

13^th April- London’s Royal Festival Hall

16^th April- Symphony Hall, Birmingham

17^th April- Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

18^th April- Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

19^th April- Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

21^st April- Sage, Gateshead

25^th April- The Anvil, Basingstoke

Royal Scottish National Orchestra/ Neil Thompson

24^th May- Usher Hall, Edinburgh

25^th May- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

24^th April- Bristol Hippodrome

• Six of the best classical pieces on film
• Six of the best film scores

Wallace and Gromit’s Musical Marvels- Featuring The Wrong Trousers

The Picture House Orchestra

16^th May- Buxton Opera House

17^th May- Blackpool Pleasure Beach

18^th May- Blackpool Pleasure Beach

19^th May- Sheffield City Hall

20^th May- Victoria Hall, Stoke

23^rd May- De Montfort Hall, Leicester

25^th May- Liverpool Echo Arena

26^th May- Manchester Lowry

27^th May- London Barbican Hall

29^th May- Birmingham Symphony Hall

31^st May- The Forum, Bath

1^st June- St. David’s Hall, Cardiff

2^nd June- The Hexagon, Reading

6^th June- Sage, Gateshead

8^th June- Usher Hall, Edinburgh

9^th June- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

• 10 of the best (and worst) films about composers
• Six of the best pop songs inspired by classical music

Silent film with live orchestra

Metropolis

Philharmonia Orchestra/ Esa-Pekka Salonen

13^th June- Royal Festival Hall, London

Television series with live orchestra

Blue Planet II

City of Prague Orchestra/ Matthew Freeman

13^th March- International Centre, Bournemouth

14^th March- Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

15^th March- Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

16^th March- Genting Arena, Birmingham

17^th March- The O2 Arena, London

19^th March- First Direct Arena, Leeds

20^th March- Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle

21^st March- The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

23^rd March- SSE Arena, Belfast

24^th March- 3Arena, Dublin

26^th March- Liverpool Echo Arena

27^th March- Manchester Arena

28^th March- FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield

Click here to find out more about this concert tour

The best recordings of Bruckner's Symphony No.9

Fate didn’t look kindly on Bruckner.

His symphonies cruelly attacked, or subjected to disastrous cuts by his well-meaning students, he was mocked by his many detractors for his quaint country manners and odd behaviour. His life seemed beset by ridicule and disappointment.

Only his unwavering belief in God, to whom the Ninth Symphony was dedicated, provided him with the determination to persevere during periods of crisis. Even so, towards the end, he still had moments of doubt.

Tragically, he failed to complete his Ninth Symphony, struggling with it even on the day he died. Just as tragic was its first performance in Vienna in 1903 in a severely mutilated form concocted by Ferdinand Löwe, one of Bruckner’s  pupils.

It wasn’t until 1932 that what Bruckner actually wrote was heard in Munich at a private concert. Its first public performance was given later that year by Clemens Krauss and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

• The 20 Greatest Symphonies of all time

The best recording

Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (1988)
Deutsche Grammophon E427 3452

For many listeners, Bruckner’s Ninth is the most visionary of all symphonies. I first heard it as a teenager in Bruno Walter’s classic 1959 recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and have been under its spell ever since. The list of great recordings is a long one, and still growing.

The fact that even legendary Brucknerians such as Sergiu Celibidache, Otto Klemperer, Eugen Jochum, Herbert von Karajan, Bernard Haitink, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Günter Wand – all superb in their different ways – don’t make the shortlist here is testimony to the Ninth’s continuing fascination.

It’s to Carlo Maria Giulini that I’m drawn again and again – one can never tire of his profound realisation of this wonderful score. His live Vienna Philharmonic account from 1988, beautifully recorded, is a humbling experience. 

From its misty opening, clearly indebted to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, to the ethereal ending of the Adagio, this performance is just about perfect. Giulini’s terracing of Bruckner’s unorthodox orchestral structure, quite unlike that of any other symphonist, is a wonder of internal clarity, no detail overlooked, no texture smudged.

The Vienna Philharmonic is the Bruckner orchestra par excellence, its burnished string tone a special glory, woodwind and brass superbly alert and to the fore. In climaxes, the sound of the orchestra at full throttle is simply overwhelming, horns and trombones waging antiphonal war to hair-raising effect.

Even within his own outstanding list of recordings, Giulini’s Bruckner Ninth Symphony is possibly the most precious gift this great conductor has.

• The best recordings of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony

Three more great recordings

Wilhelm Furtwängler (conductor)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (1944)
Praga Digitals PRD350125

Some would reckon that Wilhelm Furtwängler is the echt Bruckner conductor, and this recording, set down in Second World War Berlin, is like no other.

It’s as if Furtwängler were mirroring the devastating world events unfolding beyond the walls of the Beethoven-Saal where this Berlin Philharmonic recording was made – tempos in the first movement are often frenetic, he unleashes the dogs of war in the Scherzo and the Adagio’s dissonant climactic chord becomes an agonised scream.

Excellently remastered, this 1944 recording is now available on the Praga Digitals label.

• Who are the Berlin Philharmonic's past chief conductors?

Claudio Abbado (conductor)
Lucerne Festival Orchestra (2013)
Deutsche Grammophon 479 3441

What better testament to Abbado than this moving 2013 recording from his final concert with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra?

Although mortally ill, he summons up all his reserves to produce a performance of great resolve and personal strength, not so much a farewell as a vision of what might come. 

Whereas Karajan and Klemperer head straight for Mount Olympus, Abbado favours a more human approach. His star-studded orchestra plays sublimely for its hero and DG’s sound is exemplary.

• The 10 greatest symphonies of all time... according to Twitter

Fabio Luisi (Conductor)
Dresden Staatskapelle (2003)
Sony G0100014380065

What is it about Italian conductors? On the evidence of their recordings, they simply seem to ‘get’ Bruckner’s Ninth.

Fabio Luisi’s beautifully recorded live 2003 recording with the Dresden Staatskapelle is the third by an Italian in my chosen quartet.

The first movement heaves like a mighty ocean, its uneasy ebb and flow flawlessly managed; the Scherzo has all the savagery demanded of it; and the Adagio, with its vast mood swings between faith and despair, is simply superb. 

• The trouble with Karajan

And one to avoid

Leonard Bernstein was gracious enough to concede that, when it came to Bruckner, he could not compete with Herbert von Karajan.

The Bruckner idiom does indeed seem alien to him on this 1990 Vienna Philharmonic recording. He seems to be trying hard to find links with Gustav Mahler… but really, there aren’t any.

The best classical music for New Year's Eve

As we nurse our heads and stomachs after several days of overindulgence, we all need a little help rallying for the next big event – welcoming in the new year. Whether it’s a tune for New Year’s Eve, or merely one that suits the melancholic first few days of the new year, the BBC Music Magazine team have got you covered. 

To coincide with our New Year playlist on Apple music (available here), the BBC Music Magazine team has chosen the pieces they feel best suit this time of year. 

‘In dir ist Freude’, BWV 615 from Orgelbüchlein (JS Bach)

There's no more joyous start to the new year than ‘In dir ist Freude’ (In Thee is gladness) from JS Bach’s Orgelbüchlein, a collection of chorale preludes marking various points in the liturgical year.

This ingenious two-and-a-half-minute gem sees the cantus firmus chorale theme shoot back and forth between the hands, over the top of a recurring bass motif. It’s utterly thrilling.

• Six of the best organs in the world
• Five essential works by JS Bach

Winterreise (Schubert)

Once you've got over the hangover of 1 January, the New Year means going back to work in the dark, filthy weather and a dwindling post-Christmas bank account as the next pay day takes forever to arrive.

The grey misery of Schubert’s Winterreise matches this vile time of year to perfection. Our recording of choice is by the masterful Christian Gerhaher, baritone extraordinaire. 

• Six of the best Schubert songs
• The best recordings of Schubert's Winterreise

Dream (John Cage)

John Cage’s Dream is a meditative meander of a piece, written for the dancer-choreographer Merce Cunningham. A quiet solo piano line wanders from place to place, while the pedal is used to create a gently shimmering halo of resonance.

The effect is otherworldly, hypnotic. It’s the ideal music if, as the old year turns to the new, you want a moment or two to reflect on the past and imagine the future.

• Five of the best pieces for Piano Left Hand
• Classical music's rule-breakers

Radetzy March, Op. 228 (Strauss)

Catching the Vienna Musikverein concert on TV is a great way to start the new year. Johann Strauss’s Radetzky March (1848), one of the most famous regular fixtures, always has a festive touch, with the encore’s snare drum introduction beginning before the conductor has returned to the podium.

It is traditional for the maestro to direct the audience’s clapping and Daniel Barenboim did this (in 2014) while shaking hands with each member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

• The 20 Greatest Conductors of all time
• Six of the best orchestral players

Ravel Piano Concerto in G major, I. Allegramente

Any piece that starts with a whip-crack is sure to get any party started. After a lively Spanish-inspired opening, the movement then transitions into a more reflective, melancholic piano solo, but it seems incapable of repressing the merriment, with blues-influenced flourishes continually interrupting.

Ravel admitted outright that he wasn’t trying to do anything profound or complex with this piece, and it is exactly this sentiment we look for on a night like New Year's Eve. Simple, unbridled fun.