Latest Concert hall Podcast Episodes
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 8 (Braving Harmony)
Braving the Stave - April 27, 2024 08:00 - 29 minutesBraving Harmony What has harmony got to do with colouring-in books, killing kittens and how to yearn for something unattainable? How can Rachmaninoff change the weather with a chord? JJ and Haz discuss their favourite harmonists, from early rule-breakers to Radiohead and folk artists. Support...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 7 (The Magic of Melody)
Braving the Stave - April 06, 2024 08:00 - 30 minutesThe Magic of Melody What gives a memorable melody its magic? JJ and Haz discuss the remedy, first, for 'earworms' and brave the world's ugliest melody before plundering the troves of music theatre, bebop and classical music for the most emotionally satisfying tunes. Support the Show. www.arts...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 6 (Braving Rhythm)
Braving the Stave - February 24, 2024 09:00 - 36 minutesBraving Rhythm In the first of a series exploring different parameters of music, Jon and Haz delve into fascinating rhythms, mining the works of Gershwin, Stravinsky, Bartók, Reich and more. Along the way they discover mind-boggling Bulgarian folk patterns, why rhythm is so hard to teach, and w...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 5 (Less can be more)
Braving the Stave - January 27, 2024 09:00 - 40 minutesThis month Jon and Haz take a step back from the orchestral stage and look at the more intimate world of chamber music, picking out their favourites and sharing how working in a chamber group can be so fulfilling. And those times when it doesn't work out so well... Support the Show. www.artsac...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 4 (Upbeats Christmas Cracker)
Braving the Stave - December 21, 2023 09:00 - 21 minutesWith Haz away due to a Christmas cold, Jon sees the year out with a festive mix of favourite moments from recent gigs, including a Turkish love song, a contemporary carol, the compulsory Sleigh Ride and a Welsh classic. Support the Show. www.artsactive.org.uk Email [email protected] Twitte...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 3 (Music of Protest)
Braving the Stave - November 28, 2023 11:00 - 25 minutesHaz and JJ bring some pep to your November with the music of protest and revolt, whether it's Obama breaking into song, Chopin feeling heroic or Billy Holiday lamenting a dark past. And what is the opposite of goosebumps? Support the Show. www.artsactive.org.uk Email [email protected] Twit...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 2 (Rain and Rainbows)
Braving the Stave - October 28, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutesGiven the weather recently, JJ and Haz ponder the different ways rain has been treated in music, including Chopin's disturbing dream, Britten's cheerful storm, Debussy's summer tempest, and John Luther Adams' electronic showers. Bambi gets a look-in too, as do two heart-rending versions of 'Over...
Upbeats: Season 4, Episode 1 (All things autumn. (And some concrete))
Braving the Stave - September 30, 2023 08:00 - 28 minutesAll things autumn. (And some concrete). As autumn beckons and St David's Hall lingers to have its concrete checked, JJ and Haz spend their first podcast back considering music of the moment: seasonal themes of renewal, colourful landscapes and some musique concrète too (the fun bits). The cha...
Upbeats: Episode 30 (Fanfares and Finales)
Braving the Stave - June 27, 2023 08:00 - 32 minutesTo culminate this season of Braving the Stave, Haz and Jon contemplate what it might be like to kiss a fanfaring trumpeter and uncover a disturbing past to the fanfare genre. They then pick their favourite rousing (or crushing) finales from the music of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bartok and John Wi...
Upbeats: Bonus Track (JJ interviews Sali-Wyn Ryan)
Braving the Stave - May 27, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutesContinuing the theme of our May episode, JJ interviews Sali-Wyn Ryan, a proudly Welsh member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and asks her about the perks and pitfalls of orchestral life. Support the Show. www.artsactive.org.uk Email [email protected] Twitter @artsactive Instagram arts...
Upbeats: Episode 29 (Braving the Orchestra)
Braving the Stave - May 27, 2023 08:00 - 36 minutesIn this deep-dive into orchestral life, JJ and Haz discover why so many orchestral musicians own a pilot's licence, why a percussionist can feel like a lemon, why basketball-players could make excellent violists and the most important question of them all: which section always arrives late to ev...
Upbeats: Episode 28 (Braving Minimalism)
Braving the Stave - April 29, 2023 08:00 - 39 minutesHaz sets out to enlighten JJ, a self-confessed harmony junkie, in the joys of Minimalism. Starting with the hippy experiments of La Monte Young, they trace the style's evolution via Glass and Reich to the complex scores of post-minimalist, John Adams. Along the way they discover why Haz salivate...
Upbeats: Episode 27 (Female Composers)
Braving the Stave - March 25, 2023 09:00 - 33 minutesHaz takes the lead in this podcast about female composers and women in music. Is there still a 'gender agenda' in the classical music industry, and is there enough female representation at the top table? Expect bold, beautiful music, frank exchanges and a contentious review of the film 'Tár'. Fe...
Upbeats: Episode 26 (Braving Sibelius and discovering 'The Voice of the North')
Braving the Stave - February 23, 2023 16:00 - 40 minutesWhat was the story behind Sibelius' French first name and what makes his music so distinct and compelling? Expect brooding mountain spirits, magical string textures, Welsh-sounding hymns and abrupt 'Fininish' endings. Including an interview with a champion and foremost interpreter of Sibelius' m...
Upbeats: Episode 25 (Braving Brahms)
Braving the Stave - January 28, 2023 09:00 - 36 minutesIn this first podcast of the year, JJ and Haz share what they love about Johannes Brahms and his music. It's more raving than 'braving' as they reveal some lesser known stories about when he grew his famous big beard, how he was a prankster, and why his first conducting of the concerto turned ou...
Tis the season to be cheesy?
Braving the Stave - December 17, 2022 06:00 - 24 minutesJJ and Haz discuss classical music's Christmas clichés and compete to find the piece with the most sparkle. With new carols from young Welsh composers and a nostalgic glance back to wintry treasure swaps from earlier podcasts. Support the Show. www.artsactive.org.uk Email [email protected]...
The sacred power of the voice
Braving the Stave - November 26, 2022 09:00 - 39 minutesWhat is it about the human voice and the special sound of a choir that holds such power for people (and makes JJ 'leaky')? Using examples from all genres, Haz and JJ explore issues of the perfect blend, keeping a drone in tune and what it means to have a 'true tone'. With an interview with membe...
Upbeats: Episode 22 (Who's scared of improvisation?)
Braving the Stave - October 29, 2022 08:00 - 32 minutesMention improvisation and many classical musicians break into a cold sweat. JJ and Haz debunk some common myths and delve into the roots and cures of 'improvophobia' and why every musician should give improv a go. And why it's good to be a 'musical magpie'. With inspiring examples from Messiaen ...
Upbeats: Episode 21 (Can Music Still Shock?)
Braving the Stave - September 24, 2022 08:00 - 40 minutesCan classical music still shock? Braving the Stave asks the question to BBC NOW's principal conductor Ryan Bancroft as he launches the autumn season with Stravinsky's infamous 'Rite of Spring'. JJ and Haz explore its continuing hold on audiences and share contemporary music that manages to provo...
Summer music
Braving the Stave - June 18, 2022 08:00 - 30 minutesJJ and Haz reach for their T-shirts and ponder how music expresses all things summery, whether the heat of Latin America or the poignancy of lost memories by a lake. Haz reveals a surprising summer piece that brings her out in hives. Which family of instruments sounds the warmest? And which vers...
Upbeats: Episode 20 (Summer Music)
Braving the Stave - June 18, 2022 08:00 - 30 minutesJJ and Haz reach for their T-shirts and ponder how music expresses all things summery, whether the heat of Latin America or the poignancy of lost memories by a lake. Haz reveals a surprising summer piece that brings her out in hives. Which family of instruments sounds the warmest? And which vers...
Upbeats: Episode 19 (Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony)
Braving the Stave - May 21, 2022 08:00 - 34 minutesJon and Haz take on Shostakovich's mighty Tenth symphony, but not before appreciating his lighter side. Expect quick quizzes, a lesser heard gem for the viola and a rather ambiguous Welsh sign-off. Support the Show. www.artsactive.org.uk Email [email protected] Twitter @artsactive Instagra...
Upbeats: Episode 18 (Vaughan Williams' kaleidoscope of London)
Braving the Stave - April 23, 2022 08:00 - 30 minutesWith Haz away, Jon takes a look at the signature sounds of Vaughan Williams, in particular in his 'London Symphony', which takes in all the sights and sounds of the city: from Big Ben to Bloomsbury Square, from drunken jigs to solemn marches. It's a work full of surprises. Support the Show. ww...
Music to Bridge Cultures
Braving the Stave - April 02, 2022 08:00 - 29 minutesAt a time of so much conflict, Jon and Haz discuss their favourite cross-cultural musical projects and celebrate the power of music to connect. With music from the Silk Road Ensemble, reflections on the past by both Russian and Ukrainian composers (cue stares into the middle distance) and a br...
Upbeats: Episode 17 (Music to Bridge Cultures)
Braving the Stave - April 02, 2022 08:00 - 29 minutesAt a time of so much conflict, Jon and Haz discuss their favourite cross-cultural musical projects and celebrate the power of music to connect. With music from the Silk Road Ensemble, reflections on the past by both Russian and Ukrainian composers (cue stares into the middle distance) and a br...
The best of both worlds?
Braving the Stave - February 19, 2022 09:00 - 34 minutesDo you prefer your apple crumble in a bowl with custard or deconstructed and reinvented like on Masterchef? Jon and Haz put a range of neo-classical and neo-baroque works to the 'crumble' test. Along the way, they consider why Schnittke is a slippery fish, what the collective noun for saxophone...
Upbeats: Episode 16 (The best of both worlds?)
Braving the Stave - February 19, 2022 09:00 - 34 minutesDo you prefer your apple crumble in a bowl with custard or deconstructed and reinvented like on Masterchef? Jon and Haz put a range of neo-classical and neo-baroque works to the 'crumble' test. Along the way, they consider why Schnittke is a slippery fish, what the collective noun for saxophone...
January Light Music
Braving the Stave - January 22, 2022 09:00 - 30 minutesMusical allergies and the Jazzical genre What are your musical allergies and pet peeves? Jon and Haz share theirs before quibbling over Gilbert and Sullivan. A brief introduction to the light classical genre follows, with examples of jazzical fusion. Will it be your cup of tea? Or, as the Germa...
Upbeats: Episode 15 (January Light Music)
Braving the Stave - January 22, 2022 09:00 - 30 minutesMusical allergies and the Jazzical genre What are your musical allergies and pet peeves? Jon and Haz share theirs before quibbling over Gilbert and Sullivan. A brief introduction to the light classical genre follows, with examples of jazzical fusion. Will it be your cup of tea? Or, as the Germa...
Christmas Cracker
Braving the Stave - December 18, 2021 09:00 - 31 minutesIn this Christmas Cracker, Jon and Haz ask some essential seasonal questions, including what are today's 'posh pantos', which music sounds Christmassy without even trying, and what their favourite new Christmas carols are. Support the show (https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/11010#!/DonationDetails...