Julian Lloyd Webber showcases 30 of the very best musicians under the age of 30 – the stars of the future, if they’re not already stars of the present.
Across five weeks, the former cellist and conductor will share his favourite recordings from a wide range of musicians, from cellists to organists, and composers to trumpeters, celebrating them at a time when it has never been more difficult for them to show their talents on stage.
Upcoming Shows
Sunday 28 February
Join Julian Lloyd Webber for the first episode in an exciting new series on Classic FM, where the former cellist and conductor showcases 30 of the very best musicians under the age of 30; quite simply – these are the stars of the future, if they’re not already stars of the present.
Over the next five weeks Julian shares his favourite recordings from a wide range of musicans, from cellists to organists, and composers to trumpeters, celebrating them at a time when it has never been more difficult for them to show their talents on stage.
To begin, a pianist who at the age of 28 is already a veteran of the concert platform, holds multiple awards, and in 2011 was named one of the ‘Top 10 Britons of the Year’ by The Daily Telegraph: Benjamin Grosvenor. There’s also a sparkling performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto d’Aranjuez from 20 year old guitarist Junhong Kuang, and the debut recording by an internet sensation, violinist Esther Abrami.
Sunday 7 March
The world-renowned cellist returns to highlight more of his “30 under 30”; those young musicians who deserve a place in the spotlight.
This week, the nineteen year old Dutch violinist whose playing has been described as a “miracle of musicality”; Noa Wildschut performs Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.5. Julian also introduces listeners to Freddie de Tomasso – a British/Italian tenor whose voice is already setting pulses racing across Europe. He sings Addio, sogni di Gloria; a track from his new album Passione.
Then, Julian shares his particular interest in the career of a musician who plays on the very same Stradivarius cello that he himself performed on for thirty years. 29-year old Iranian Kian Soltani is under the wing of Daniel Barenboim as a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and shows off his talent by concluding tonight’s show with the finale of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto.
Sunday 14 March
The world-renowned cellist presents the third episode in his series celebrating the brightest young stars in classical music; thirty musicians under the age of thirty.
This week, Julian discovers a multi-award winning cellist from Azerbaijan, who’s teamed up with pianist Anna Fedorova for his album Russian Masters. From it, Julian plays Jamel Aliyev’s own arrangement of a lively passage from Borodin’s opera Prince Igor.
He also introduces an organist and conductor who in 2016 became the youngest person to hold the position of Director of Music at an Oxbridge College. At the age of 21, Anna Lapwood took charge at Pembroke College, Cambridge and Julian features a performance from the College Choir she founded, with Anna directing from the organ.
Finally, one of Britain’s biggest rising stars performs the music of Elgar, as Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays his world-famous Cello Concerto alongside the London Symphony Orchestra.
