In the very last Classical Top 5, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner look back at their favourite guests, moments and music from the series and discuss issues that have emerged in what has been an extraordinary 18 months for the industry.  The show has welcomed some incredible guests and thousands of pieces of music have been mentioned in a wide-range of subjects. We hope you've enjoyed being with us and discovered things along the way - we've certainly loved doing it. But...

Our guest this week is the superstar harpsichordist, organist, writer and commentator Mahan Esfahani and he's got a few things to get off his chest about the classical music industry. Mahan chooses his Top 5 Myths about Classical Music - those oft-accepted views, approaches and ideas in music that can remain unchallenged. Why should a composer's wishes always be respected? Is every work we hear on radio really a masterpiece? Is fame and talent really down to just good PR? A wide-ranging...

A huge subject for the team this week: Violin Concertos. So many to choose from, everything from rare curiosities to much-performed classics. Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner dive in with a mix of 'Bible and Shakespeare' choices and personal picks from the baroque to last month and everything in between!    Producer: Tommy Pearson   If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5.  Thank you!   For all latest...

What are those pieces, performances, recordings or events that changed your entire perception of them and perhaps turned a dislike into a love?This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte highlight the moments that, for them, were game-changers in their classical music life. It's a deeply personal trip of memories through favourite teachers, revelatory recordings, performances and surprising discoveries. Share your game-changing moments in classical music over on our Facebook page!Producer: Simon...

Our guest this week is pianist and writer Susan Tomes, one of the world's finest chamber musicians; member of the Florestan Trio, Domus Ensemble and solo recitalist as well as a brilliant writer on music. Susan's latest book, "The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces" is published in July. Susan chooses her Top 5 Trios - all of them classics in the repertoire - and the team adds theirs. From Mozart to Judith Bingham and all points between, it's the usual Classical Top 5 mix!With Tommy Pearson,...

This week the team tackles First Symphonies; those that were numbered the first by their composers, or were written first but given another number (or no number at all) or are the only symphony they wrote. The first symphonies of some of the greatest composers are amongst their least known works - for others, it's their biggest hit. Lots to choose from, as always, for Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Who will make it onto the final list?Producer: Simon Funnell   If you...

It is said that 99% of all music written is never performed! But it's certainly true that some composers and pieces deserve a better hearing and, for often a myriad of reasons, never quite get into the standard repertoire. Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner pick the works (and composers) that they think are unjustly neglected or have simply fallen out of fashion.    Producer: Simon Funnell   If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation...

Tommy Pearson talks to one of the great legends of British choral life, the singer, conductor, music director and manager Terry Edwards. Terry formed London Voices - one of the busiest professional choirs in the UK - in 1973, managed the Swingles, created the ground-breaking vocal group Electric Phoenix, was director of the London Sinfonietta Voices and Chorus and for 12 years was Chorus Director at the Royal Opera House. Before all that, he also played basketball for Great Britain!In this...

In the second of his conversations with figures in music who have played a key role in his life, Tommy Pearson talks to the composer Sir George Benjamin, who he first met at school when George visited his school for a London Sinfonietta education project. They talk about music education, the role of a composer today, studying with Olivier Messiaen, the joy of music and writing a hit opera. And in a deeply personal tribute, George remembers his close friend and fellow composer, Oliver...

This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte are joined by actor, writer, broadcaster and critic Jeremy Nicholas who chooses his Top 5 recordings of classical music. With such a vast number to choose from, Jeremy and the team select the ones that mean the most to them for a variety of reasons, personal and professional.  Can they ever shake off the allure of that first recording they heard of a piece? With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Producer: Simon Funnell If you enjoy...

This week, one of the most important figures in arts broadcasting, Sir Humphrey Burton, celebrates his 90th birthday. As a special tribute to Humphrey, here is an exclusive interview Tommy Pearson recorded with him in 2018 at home in Aldeburgh - and this is the first time the recording has been heard.  In a wide-ranging chat, Humphrey Burton talks about his extraordinary career, from joining the BBC in the 1950s, to heading Music and Arts at the BBC and LWT, his long working relationship with...

This week, the team is joined by conductor and host of the "A Mic on the Podium' podcast, Michael Seal who chooses 5 moments in music that have shocked him; ranging from the personal - on the podium - to major issues facing the industry.  A wide-ranging discussion on shocking musical moments, events and, er, bassoons.  With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner.    Producer: Simon Funnell   If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation...

This week, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner are joined by a violinist who spent much of his time playing in one of the UK's most popular ensembles - the Brodskys - before becoming an in-demand orchestral leader: Andrew Haveron, currently concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia.  Andrew chooses his Top 5 (and then some!) Quintets. They can come in many forms and a myriad of different instrumentations and composers have often saved their best music for a...

Our guest this week is superstar composer and presenter Howard Goodall who chooses his Top 5 (and more!) works for unaccompanied choir. A chorister throughout his childhood, Howard went on to write some of the most performed choral works of recent years (as well as themes to hit TV shows like Blackadder, Red Dwarf, QI and The Vicar of Dibley). But which pieces mean the most to him?With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner.    Producer: Simon Funnell   If you enjoy our podcasts,...

This week, Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner choose their Top 5 Classical Earworms - those pesky tunes that get stuck in your head and are impossible to shift, whether you like them or not! From Handel to Karl Jenkins, you are bound to find at least one of their choices will stay with you long after the podcast. You have been warned! Producer: Simon Funnell   If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5.  Thank you!   For...

This week, the team is joined by US conductor, lecturer and teacher Christopher Russell who has made it his special mission across his career to feature works by American composers old and new. Chris chooses both classics and lesser known repertoire in his Top 5, alongside the team's own. With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Producer: Simon FunnellFor all latest info:Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theclassicaltop5 On Twitter: twitter.com/classicaltop5 

This week, the team is joined by Emmy, Tony, Grammy Award-winning and 7-time Oscar nominated composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins Returns, Sleepless in Seattle, Sister Act, A Few Good Men, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut) who chooses the musicals that mean the most to him. Marc reveals a wide variety of choices and regularly turns to the piano to illustrate them! With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Producer:...

This week, Tommy, Richard and Charlotte are joined by conductor Barry Wordsworth who chooses his Top 5 Ballets. As Music Director and now Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet and Music Director Laureate of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Barry has conducted a huge range of ballets in his long career. So which ones will he choose?  With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Producer: Simon FunnellIf you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation...

This week the team tackles a very big subject - Overtures. There are a LOT of them! Helping them whittle it down to 5 each is special guest Paul Daniel, who has conducted countless overtures in his time, especially in the opera house where he has been music director of Opera North and English National Opera, among others. Will your favourite overture make the final list?Producer: Simon FunnellIf you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5. ...

We're back! A new year and a new series as Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner continue their survey of the greatest works, performers and composers in classical music. This week we select our Top 5 Solo Instrumental Works - pieces with no accompaniment (and excluding piano, which will get its own show!). Producer: Simon FunnellIf you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5.  Thank you!  For all latest info:Our Facebook...

Join Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby, Charlotte Gardner and special guest Fiona Maddocks (from our original line-up!) for a look back at this extraordinary year as well as favourite guests, discoveries and surprises from the series so far. And listen out for our competition to win an exclusive Classical Top 5 face mask! Email your answer to [email protected] Producer: Simon Funnell If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue in 2021 by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5. ...

Our guest this week is one of the world's greatest singers, baritone Sir Thomas Allen. Sir Tom chooses the 5 male voices that he loves hearing the most, including some he's worked alongside. And the team offer their choices too, from bass all the way up to countertenor. Who will make the grade?With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. Producer: Simon Funnell If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue in 2021 by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5.  Thank...

Tommy Pearson talks to three members of London Brass, the group made up of the finest brass players in the UK. Gareth Small (Principal Trumpet, The Halle), Andy Crowley (Session trumpeter) and Richard Bissell (French Horn, Royal Opera House) talk about the latest London Brass album, a collection of Christmas favourites, as well as the history of the group and some of their favourite pieces for brass ensemble. If you enjoy our podcasts, please help us continue in 2021 by making a donation at...

Our special guest this week is the actor, writer and director Simon Callow. Simon chooses 5 Song Cycles that have meant the most to him in a lifetime of loving classical music and working within it as opera director, narrator and actor (he played Mozart in the original production of Amadeus). With Tommy Pearson, Richard Bratby and Charlotte Gardner. If you have enjoyed our podcasts this year, please help us continue in 2021 by making a donation at paypal.me/classicaltop5. Anything big or...