Who the devil was Paganini? • Dame Ethel Smyth • London Symphony Orchestra

PODCAST:

What's been going on in the classical music world this month? Join the BBC Music Magazine team for a look at the latest news, including the London Symphony Orchestra's new East London Academy and the Royal Opera House's revamped Linbury Studio.

We also chat about this month's magazine, in which we explore the demonic genius of Niccolò Paganini. You can hear a taster of your free 'Virtuoso Violin' cover CD, featuring Jack Liebeck, in this podcast, as well as a clip from Dénes Várjon's De la nuit – our Recording of the Month. Plus we pay homage to Dame Ethel Smyth, the leading British composer and militant suffragette.

And, as ever, we bring along the most exciting new recordings we've been listening to recently, including pianist Víkingur Ólafsson's Bach, Shostakovich and Schubert performed by the Aris Quartet and violinist Viktoria Mullova's Arvo Pärt.

This month's episode is presented by the magazine's editor Oliver Condy and features managing editor Rebecca Franks and reviews editor Michael Beek.

Links: News: London Symphony Orchestra's East London Academy: https://lso.co.uk/lso-discovery/lso-east-london-academy.html; Linbury Theatre: http://www.classical-music.com/article/royal-opera-houses-new-linbury-theatre; This month's magazine: http://www.classical-music.com/magazine/current-issue/bbc-music-magazine; First Listen: Víkingur Ólafsson: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/johann-sebastian-bach/1410551592; Aris Quartet: http://www.genuin.de/en/04_d.php?k=484; Viktoria Mullova: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/arvo-p%C3%A4rt/1435606086