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This Classical Life... with Gerald Finley

Jess Gillam sits down for a listening party with the Canadian baritone, Gerald Finley. They share music by Mozart, the King's Singers, Stan Getz, Vivaldi and Stacey Kent.

Gerald Finley is one of the world’s leading operatic baritones, known for his powerful performances in dramatic opera, in recital and on the international stage including the ѿý Proms. Gerry joins Jess to talk through monumental moments in his musical career including his time at King's College Cambridge and how he nearly joined the King's Singers, a love of jazz, what happens right before going on stage at the opera and how he craves silence when on the road. Jess also brings also music by the Danish String Quartet, Vivaldi, Stan Getz and Nadia Boulanger.

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1 hour

Music Played

  • Maurice Ravel

    Alborada del gracioso

    Orchestra: Sinfonia of London. Conductor: John Wilson.
    • Maurice Ravel: Ma Mère L’oye; Boléro; Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales; Pavane Pou.
    • Chandos.
    • 9.
  • Richard Wagner

    Der fliegende Holländer, Act I: Die Frist ist um

    Lyricist: Richard Wagner.
    • Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 4.
  • Gregorio Allegri

    Miserere mei, Deus

    Conductor: Stephen Cleobury. Choir: Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
    • Allegri's Miserere and Other Music of the Italian 16th Century.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 2.
  • Brian Wilson

    Good Vibrations

    Composer: Mike Love. Lyricist: Brian Wilson. Lyricist: Mike Love.
    • Greatest Hits.
    • Capitol Records.
    • 19.
  • Dave Brubeck

    Take Five

    • 100% Dave Brubeck, Vol. 3.
    • Top Tracks.
    • 7.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Don Giovanni - Overture

    Librettist: Lorenzo Da Ponte. Orchestra: London Classical Players. Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington.
    • Mozart Treasures.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 307.
  • Albert Hammond

    I'm a train

    Composer: Mike Hazlewood.
    • Signum Records.
  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Flute Concerto in A Minor, RV 440: III. Allegro

    Conductor: Richard Tognetti. Orchestra: Australian Chamber Orchestra.
    • Vivaldi: Flute Concertos.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 24.
  • Franz Schubert

    Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795: No. 5, Am Feierabend

    Lyricist: Wilhelm Müller.
    • Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795.
    • Hyperion.
  • Franz Schubert

    Schubert: Winterreise, D. 911: No. 23, Die Nebensonnen

    Lyricist: Wilhelm Müller.
    • Schubert: Winterreise, D. 911.
    • Hyperion.
  • Benjamin Britten

    Let us sleep now...In paradisum from War Requiem

    Singer: Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya. Choir: The Bach Choir. Singer: Dietrich Fischer‐Dieskau. Choir: Highgate School Choir. Choir: London Symphony Chorus. Performer: Simon Preston. Ensemble: Melos Ensemble. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Benjamin Britten.
    • Britten: War Requiem.
    • Decca.
    • 4.
  • Trad.

    Traditional: Stædelil (Arr. Danish String Quartet)

    • Last Leaf.
    • ECM New Series.
    • 10.
  • Jim Tomlinson

    The Ice Hotel

    Composer: Kazuo Ishiguro. Performer: Stacey Kent.
  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Nocturne (The Gadfly Suite, Op.97a)

    Performer: Sheku Kanneh‐Mason. Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Mirga Gražinytė‐Tyla.
    • DECCA.
  • Nadia Boulanger

    La mer est plus belle

    Lyricist: Paul Verlaine.
    • This Be Her Verse.
    • Alpha Classics.
    • 12.

Broadcast

  • Sat 6 Sep 2025 17:00

Why are more young people listening to classical music?

Why are more young people listening to classical music?

20yo classical musician and presenter Jess Gillam is here to improve your playlist game.

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