Alexis Ffrench: Classical Soul

It’s often impossible to describe what goes into making music’s most beautiful moments. But one thing they all share is “soul”, born, says pianist and Classical Connections Radio presenter Alexis Ffrench, of “musicians whose soulful artistry and technical brilliance are combined with a deep, direct emotional connection to the listener”. Here are artists who, Ffrench tells Apple Music Classical, “embody the art of possibility”. We begin with Beethoven, whose opening movement to the “Moonlight” Sonata is surely one of the most soulful and reflective piano works ever written, played here by Daniel Barenboim, an iconic figure whose life has been spent in the service of this composing titan. Jazz pianist Jon Batiste share Barenboim’s passion for Beethoven, leading him to one of 2024’s most mind-blowing albums. “On Beethoven Blues, Batiste brings an arrestingly fresh perspective to Beethoven’s Für Elise,” says Ffrench, “imbued with lashings of New Orleans flair and searing new insights.” Jazz and its affinity with classical music is one of this playlist’s recurring themes, with Art Tatum and Keith Jarrett blurring genre boundaries. As does Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, a work that took classical audiences’ breath away from its premiere in 1924. “Lara Downes presents a shimmering and breathtaking new take on Rhapsody in Blue,” says Ffrench, “reimagining and reinventing this iconic work that is so emblematic of America’s creative spirit.” Threaded throughout are some of classical music’s enduring favourites, including the enchanting and hypnotic slow movement from Ravel’s G major Piano Concerto, the Aria from the Goldberg Variations (performed by Glenn Gould in his 1981 version) and the heartbreaking central movement from Górecki’s Symphony No. 3. There are some wonderful discoveries, too, such as Rautavaara’s haunting work for orchestra and recorded bird calls, Cantus arcticus, and a rare 1962 recording of Fauré’s Requiem with the composer’s former pupil Nadia Boulanger conducting the New York Philharmonic. Ffrench has included some of his own tracks, too, adding some of his own soul to the mix. “This playlist mirrors the story of my latest album, Classical Soul Vol. 1,” says Ffrench, “an ode to the ‘inner symphonies’ that shape us and reframe our terms of reference through wellsprings of emotion and timeless melody.”