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Pianist Kirill Gerstein on his life in jazz and classical music

Tom Service talks to pianist Kirill Gerstein about straddling the jazz and classical piano worlds. And we discover the new accessible instrument opening up music to everyone.

Tom Service with guests, stories and the perfect classical soundtrack for the weekend!

Tom's guest is acclaimed pianist Kirill Gerstein, who talks about his musical life. Kirill started out as a jazz pianist, and then at the age of 12 was discovered in St Petersburg by vibes legend Gary Burton which changed his life. Later he took the decision to focus on classical music and ahead of his performance of Rachmaninov at the 蘑菇短视频 Proms, he talks to Tom about how he thinks about music.

Every year the Proms features brand new pieces of music, but one of them, premiered in the Albert Hall in 1992, has since gone on to have more than 600 performances and is a modern classic. Composer James MacMillan and percussionist Evelyn Glennie talk to Tom about how they made Veni, Veni Emmanuel.

Plus we discover the new instrument that's opening up playing music to disabled musicians. The Clarion is a musical instrument that can be played independently with any part of the body, including the eyes. Tom is joined in the studio by its inventor, Barry Farrimond-Chuong, musician Cass Alabaster and composer Charlotte Harding who has written a new piece for the National Open Youth Orchestra to feature in the Proms.

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3 hours

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Saturday 09:00
蘑菇短视频 Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Anton Bruckner

    Symphony no.3 in D minor (3rd mvt)

    Orchestra: Anima Eterna Brugge. Conductor: Pablo Heras鈥怌asado.
    • Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 \"Wagner Symphony\" (1873 Version): III. Scherzo. Zieml.
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 1.

  • Jean鈥怭hilippe Rameau

    Suite in A minor (Sarabande)

    Performer: Alexandre Tharaud.
    • Rameau: \"Nouvelles suites\".
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 3.

  • Sir James MacMillan

    The Gallant Weaver

    Choir: The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers.
    • CORO.

  • Carlos Simon

    Holy Dance (4 Black American Dances)

    Orchestra: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Manfred Honeck.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Violin concerto no.5 in A major K.219 (1st mvt)

    Performer: Isabelle Faust. Orchestra: Il Giardino Armonico. Conductor: Giovanni Antonini.
    • Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-5; 2 Rondos.
    • harmonia mundi.
    • 6.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Frondi tenere... Ombra Mai Fu (Serse)

    Singer: Philippe Jaroussky. Ensemble: I Barocchisti. Conductor: Diego Fasolis.
    • VIRGIN.

  • Steve Reich

    New York Counterpoint (Slow)

    Performer: Evan Ziporyn.
    • NONESUCH.

  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Cello concerto no.2 in D minor Op.119 (2nd mvt)

    Performer: Sol Gabetta. Orchestra: Les Si猫cles. Conductor: Fran莽ois鈥怷avier Roth.
    • Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 119/II. Allegro non troppo - Cadenza - Molt.
    • Sony Classical/Sony Music.
    • 1.

  • Domenico Scarlatti

    Sonata in D minor Kk.9 'Pastorale'

    Performer: Anne Queff茅lec.
    • Scarlatti: Sonatas.
    • Warner Apex.

  • Pyotr Tchaikovsky

    Symphony no.5 in E minor Op.64 (4th mvt)

    Orchestra: Tonhalle-Orchester Z眉rich. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.
    • Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Francesca da Rimini.
    • Alpha Classics.
    • 4.

  • Oscar Levant

    Blame it on my Youth

    Performer: Kirill Gerstein. Performer: Gary Burton.
    • Myrios.

  • Claude Debussy

    脡tude retrouv茅e

    Performer: Kirill Gerstein.
    • Myrios.

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Piano concerto no.2 in C minor Op.18 (3rd mvt)

    Performer: Kirill Gerstein. Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic. Conductor: Kirill Petrenko.
    • berlin Philharmoniker.

  • Kian Soltani

    Variations on a theme by Paganini

    Performer: Kian Soltani. Performer: Pablo Ferr谩ndez.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Cantata BWV.140)

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • J.S. Bach, Cantatas Vol 12: Gardiner.
    • Soli Deo Gloria.
    • 19.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Funeral March (Symphony no.5)

    Music Arranger: Thibault Bertin-Maghit. Ensemble: collectif9.
    • No Time for Chamber Music.
    • Alpha Classics.
    • 6.

  • Amy Woodforde-Finden

    Kashmiri Song (4 Indian Love Lyrics)

    Music Arranger: Sir Stephen Hough. Performer: Martin James Bartlett.
    • Till I Wake.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 3.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Symphony no.3 in F major Op.90 (1st mvt)

    Orchestra: Staatskapelle Dresden. Conductor: Christian Thielemann.
    • Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4; Overtures (Live At Semperoper, Dresden).
    • Deutsche Grammophon (DG).

  • James MacMillan

    Veni, Veni Emmanuel

    Performer: Evelyn Glennie. Orchestra: Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Jukka鈥怭ekka Saraste.
    • RCA.

  • Edvard Grieg

    To the Spring (Lyric pieces - book 3 Op.43)

    Performer: Leif Ove Andsnes.
    • EMI.

  • George Walker

    Lyric for Strings

    Orchestra: Australian Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Tognetti.
    • 蘑菇短视频ward: Bryce Dessner _ George Walker _ Ruth Crawford Seeger.
    • ABC Classic.
    • 2.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata no.30 in E major Op.109 (1st mvt)

    Performer: Mitsuko Uchida.
    • Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 109, 110 & 111 (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, 2025.
    • Universal Music Operations Limited.
    • 1.

  • Benjamin Britten

    The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Op. 34 (Theme and Fugue)

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
    • Britten: Spring Symphony, Sinfonia da Requiem, The Young Person's Guide to the O.
    • LSO Live.
    • 16.

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Laudate Dominum for 5 voices, chor, 2vn, 4vdg/trb

    Singer: Emma Kirkby. Singer: Evelyn Tubb. Singer: Nigel Rogers. Singer: Joseph Cornwell. Singer: David Thomas. Choir: Taverner Choir. Ensemble: Taverner Players. Conductor: Andrew Parrott.
    • Monteverdi: Selva Morae e Spirituale: Taverner Consort/Choir/Players/Andrew Parr.
    • EMI.
    • 5.

  • Olivier Messiaen

    Turangal卯la-symphonie (Final)

    Performer: Yuja Wang. Performer: C茅cile Lartigau. Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andris Nelsons.
    • Messiaen: Turangal卯la-Symphonie.
    • DG.

Broadcast

  • Saturday 09:00
    蘑菇短视频 Radio 3