Anam- The Up-bow Down-low

Episode 2: Two Erring Humans This episode is all about perfection, and what that word means in the modern day world of classical music. Our well-meaning discussion on trying to achieve the impossible gets a bit sidetracked by robot trumpet players before being joined by Finnish virtuoso pianist Paavali Jumppanen who charmingly gives us his take on what it means to be perfect in an environment governed by digital recording technology and expectation. Paavali takes us on a trip into the unexpected industry of niche live-to-vinyl recordings, and we meet one of ANAM’s pianists, the delightful Andrew Leathwick, and accidentally inflict jazz on a Beethoven concerto. In advance, sorry.

Episode 1: New Music In this first episode of the Up-Bow Down-Low, brought to you by musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), we talk about ‘new music’, the nebulously-defined body of recently composed Western classical music, and the challenges in getting audiences to listen to and understand what they’re hearing. We talk about the old and the new, and what it means to play the unfamiliar and the sometimes uncomfortable. We’re joined by the wonderful Ed Carroll, former Principal Trumpet of the Rotterdam Philharmonic and new music extraordinaire, who sheds some careful light on this tricky topic. We also meet Liam Meany, one of ANAM’s stellar cellists and all-round good guy.