Music to my ears
What the classical world has been listening to this month
Martin James Bartlett Pianist
Something that always turns up when I put my music on shuffle is Shura Cherkassky’s recording of Schulz-evler’s Concert Arabesques on themes by Johann Strauss ‘The Beautiful Blue Danube’. It was one of the first classical piano recordings I ever heard, and it transformed my perception of the piano as a box of hammers to this glittering, capricious and witty thing – imagine all the beauty and excitement from the Vienna New Year’s Day concert condensed into one piano piece.
I don’t always listen to piano music, though. One piece I often return to is Saint-saëns’s Organ Symphony. There’s a recording conducted by Charles Munch, when he had just started his tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which still feels fresh after all these years.
It’s a masterpiece and so well recorded – the detail is so intricate and clear, and Berj Zamkochian,
‘The excitement of the Vienna New Year’s Concert is condensed into one piano piece’
the organist, gets a great range of colour from the instrument.
I’m always astounded by soprano Renée Fleming’s versatility. Her rendition of
Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ on her album Haunted Heart is such an interesting take. An opera singer turning to jazz might not necessarily fit like a glove – but with Renée it really does. She moves so easily between operatic roles and the sensuality of jazz. And also…
Just before the pandemic, a wonderful French bistro called Parkside Brasserie opened up near me in Elm Park. The owners have been so good to me, and the food is just exquisite – not pretentious at all. The chef Scott is self-taught and makes incredible escargots, steaks and duck breasts.
Featuring works by Rachmaninov and Gershwin, Martin James Bartlett’s ‘Rhapsody’ is released by Warner Classics on 4 March
Coco Tomita Violinist
There’s a specific recording of Beethoven’s Archduke Piano Trio that I enjoy listening to – it’s the one by violinist Isabelle Faust, cellist Jean-guihen Queyras and pianist Alexander Melnikov. They play on period instruments, and I love the sound of the pianoforte in this piece. I particularly like the Andante cantabile third movement. Beethoven takes this simple tune and elaborates on it in such a fluid way – it’s so heartfelt and the dialogue between the instruments really shines through.
I have followed the Netherlands Bach Society on Youtube for many years. The performance of Bach’s Chaconne by their director, Shunsuke Sato, is probably the most mind-blowing thing I have ever heard. The Chaconne is an intense journey, but the way he performs it is so free and light – in his bow stroke, it is almost like he is dancing to the spirit of Bach. Sato is a Baroque specialist, and I appreciate the period instrument sound in general. It’s raw and, in a way, rustic.
When I’m doing chores or, say, on a train journey, I like to put on Nat King Cole’s Route 66 album. I’ve always been drawn to jazz, and every track on this album is very sweet and charming – I think of it being like a box of chocolates that
leaves you so satisfied at the end. There’s one song where he skat sings, and it gives me the tingles. It makes me want to start dancing, and touches a different place that classical music never really does. And also…
I have been passionate about yoga for years. If ever I feel lost, it’s something in my life that really centres me again, both physically and mentally. It reminds me how to breathe and, while it’s not exactly a work-out, it’s a process with different moves that flow from one to the next. I particularly like the fact that it’s something you can do almost everywhere. I reckon that every musician could benefit from it!
Coco Tomita’s ‘Origins’ is released on Orchid Classics on 4 March
Julie Cooper Composer
I’ve been fascinated by the creativity that’s come out of lockdown, and Eliza Marshall’s The Rhythms of Migration was released in November. It was Eliza’s baby, but it’s a real fusion and she had some incredible musicians playing on it – a combination of classical, jazz, ethnic instruments, soundtrack and folk. They created the project to raise awareness about the planet and nature. I particularly love the opening track, ‘Awakenings’; it’s a very atmospheric soundscape.
I came across violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster for the first time, together, when they started to stream their amazing little recitals from Elena’s parents’ home in the States. Elena’s tone was so amazing that I decided to ask her to play on my album. They’ve just released an album called From Brighton to Brooklyn, and there’s a magical track on it called ‘Cradle Song’ by Frank Bridge, which I heard recently on Radio 3’s In Tune.
Pianist and violinist Poppy Ackroyd released a hauntingly beautiful, intimate solo piano album recently. The projects she’s done before have had combinations of electronics and chamber ensembles, but Pause is just piano. There’s a track called ‘Suspended’, which she worked on with filmmaker Jola Kudela. It’s so interesting, very eerie and quite ethereal, as she’s just plucking the inside of the piano with both hands. It runs beautifully through the film that Jola has created, of London and Brighton’s empty streets during lockdown.
And also…
I’m very much an outdoor runner, though not a serious marathon or 10km runner. I need to be running through fields or by water – not on roads, but anywhere that I can stop and take photos. Serious runners would think that’s horrific! I need to be immersed in nature, and I never run with anything in my ears; I love to hear all the sounds around me. It’s really inspiring and clears my head when I’m writing. Julie Cooper’s album ‘Continuum’ is out now on Signum Records