Blessed Be I - Michael Finnissy

Monsters are not only for halloween, but can also appear in our relationships. Thomas Pitfield was a master in creating somber atmospheres in art song. Listen to the fiery fury of a Skeleton, addressing the cold heart of her former lover - with James Gilchrist as a speaker and virtuoso Nathan Williamson on the piano.

The podcast becomes a meeting platform - French soprano Sarah Aristidou and Australian mezzosoprano Lotte Betts-Dean never met before, but they have a lot in common: They have been singing contemporary art song for many years, curating their own programs and recording very individual albums. Enjoy the first encounter of two young star artists.

Friendship happens often on the same level of frequencies. But it is a bliss if two composers and musicians find each other, at least for a little while. Sidney Corbett commemorates his dear friend Richie Beirach, who passed away on the 26th of January 26. His jazz mastery was way above piano playing, it was deepest poetry and as easy as it might sound - truly speaking from the heart.

Sometimes it seems as if we follow a plan in life almost designed. Since his youth, Roderick Williams has been composing art song, but his singing career sent him around the world. Now, he is able to combine both talents in a natural way. Sabine Bergk talks with Roderick Williams about life and art - and about art song that brings new life to both, like a shiny new coat.

Happy 80th Birthday, Michael! Thank you for composing music for so long. We celebrate you today!

Happy 80th Birthday, Michael! Thank you for composing music for so long. We celebrate you today!

When countries are shaking under political turbulences, music can reflect our situation in an intimate way. In the middle of Brexit and the Windrush Scandal, the pianist Natalie Burch commissioned a work to the composer William Marsey - and he took the House of Commons Bill 110 (2013-14) as a text for an art song.

The poet Bryan Heiser suffered with polio from a young age, never descending into self-pity in his writing. In collaboration with James Gilchrist, composer and pianist Nathan Williamson has created a stunning collection of Heiser settings, bursting with physicality, intimacy and irony. 

Rainer Maria Rilke is celebrating his 150th Birthday on the 4th of December and, without thinking about Birthday parties, I recorded an interview with the German-British composer Tom Lane. Enjoy listening to this amazing poem about music itself, set into music.

Working together can become a blessing for a composer as well as a singer. If creating is a form of being, it becomes a present to ourselves. Sabine Bergk talks with Michael Finnissy and Lotte Betts-Dean about the creative process, of truly becoming the composition and about the blessing of existing together through music.