Record Review Podcast Episodes Available now
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
Building a Library: Beethoven's String Quartet No 12, Op. 127
Stephen Johnson compares recordings of the first of Beethoven's late string quartets.
Building a Library: Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony
Rob Cowan sifts through "Tchaik 4," a piece written at a time of emotional turmoil.
