Sam and Tim are joined by the Classical PopUps players for a live edition of the podcast. Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet and the 1950s Ellington/Strayhorn remix both get the analysis treatment. There’s plenty of trivia along the way, along with a few giggles – and some Philharmonia gin. Merry Christmas!

Sam speaks to harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani about his responsibility as a musician, dynamics and milky tea. Plus: why Janáček is an inspiration for all late bloomers and the latest in space-age sound technology.

Tim chats to Paul Morley about his new book, A Sound Mind, which charts his journey into classical music, giving a history and critique of the genre from his own, unique perspective as a seasoned rock and pop journalist. Sam deconstructs a piece by one of Paul’s favourite composers, Debussy, and tries to work out what exactly it makes him FEEL. Watch out for new jingles, plenty of laughs and a healthy dose of pseudo intellectualism.

Tim chats to British composer Eleanor Alberga about her Jamaican upbringing and her wonderful piece for narrators and orchestra, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’, which is being performed as part of Music@Malling this year. Sam finds unlikely parallels between the NBA and Heinrich Biber’s 'Sonata Representativa', and chats to Cathy Boyes of the Brighton Early Music Festival.

In the first episode of the new season Sam catches up with Jess Gillam for a JOINT analysis of one of the tracks from her newly-released second album, Time. Meanwhile, Tim reviews concerts from Apartment House and European trio Pavel Kolesnikov, Elina Buksha and Aurélien Pascal.

For the final episode of the season a host of musical big wigs – from Stephen Hough to Steven Isserlis, Errollyn Wallen to Tom Service – phone in to give the boys recommendations for summer reading. Sam also waxes lyrical on the panharmonium, a precursor to the modern synthesiser for which Beethoven wrote his Wellington Sieg, whilst Tim speaks to New York-based author Annik LaFarge about her upcoming book, Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions.

In this, the penultimate episode of this series, the boys take a trip to Renaissance Italy in pursuit of the abbess-composer Eleonora d'Este. Sam reviews Silhouettes, the latest disc from viola-piano duo Dana Zemtsov and Anna Fedorova, and Tim chats to violinist Jennifer Pike about Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Polish cuisine.

Sam and Tim dissect one of Julius Eastman’s most controversially titled works, catch up with the gang from Living Room Live and discuss spherical music with the Founder and Principal Conductor of the Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon.

The boys take a closer look at the jet-set nature of the classical music industry, and ask whether the current crisis presents an opportunity to make some changes.

Tim and Sam are back with special guests Harry Christophers and Katy Hill of The Sixteen to talk about their latest video and podcast, Choral Chihuahua – PLUS Sam reveals the only piece of music impossible to perform during lockdown.