Monday 31 January 2022

'A Little Night Music'

The violin and piano duo Opus Two brings sparkling music and they joined me for some sparkling conversation - albeit across the miles.


Opus Two's latest album is an arrangement of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music: Suite for Violin and Piano from the pen of veteran Broadway composer Eric Stern.  This is a lovely release and it was a pleasure to discuss it with violinist William Terwilliger and pianist Andrew Copperstock.

Thanks to William and Andrew for allowing me to use clips from the suite alongside our conversation.


Monday 24 January 2022

'Two For the Road' from Tara Minton and Ed Babar

The stunning harp of Tara Minton begins this episode, as the harpist and I discuss her latest album and the joy of working with musicians such as here duo partner bassist Ed Babar and producer, bassist and arranger Geoff Gascoyne.

    On Two For the Road, we hear Tara and Ed in their own contribution to the the Great American Songbook and the modern British jazz canon. Gascoyne and Babar's contributions are evident and this is a wonderful album that is definitely on my 2022 favourites list, even at this early stage of the year.

    Thanks to Tara for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.


Monday 17 January 2022

Claudette Sorel Rediscovered

In a rare twist to the usual format for Harmonious World, I was not speaking to either the performer or the composer of the album I had been listening to. This time, I was speaking to renowned conductor JoAnn Falletta on her work to bring the performances of pianist Claudette Sorel to the listening world.

    Claudette Sorel Rediscovered  is a double DC showcasing the late pianist in solo works and American concertos, all taken from her out-of-print recordings. This was a labour of love for Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director JoAnn Falletta and it was fascinating to discuss Sorel, the music and the process of bringing this music to life once more.

    Thanks to JoAnn for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.



Monday 10 January 2022

'You Light Me Up'

For the latest episode of Harmonious World, I was joined by singer songwriter Kira Velella.

    Kira's latest single is You Light Me Up, which is probably what we all need right now, as we approach two years of pandemic and lockdowns.  You can find Kira on Bandcamp, along with many of my other guests from past episodes.

    Thanks to Kira for allowing me to use the track alongside our conversation.


Tuesday 4 January 2022

Paul Edis releases debut album - 'The Still Point of the Turning World'

The first Harmonious World episode of season 7 - and 2022 - features composer and pianist Paul Edis.

    The Still Point of the Turning World  brings Paul's stunning composing and performing zeal to this debut album on Lateralize Records. We had a great chat about how Paul came to release this album and something about what the future holds.

    Thanks to Paul for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.