In our 100-year history, Gramophone has always celebrated innovators, be they people or organisations, who have challenged the norm and tried something different. 

Dalia Stasevska, joined by the BBC Symphony Orchestra of which she’s Principal Guest Conductor, has recorded ten tracks by ten modern composers which will be released, one at a time, by Platoon over the coming months, resulting in a playlist, ‘Dalia’s Mixtape’.

We’re delighted to engage with this project: Gramophone’s April front cover features Dalia, and inside she talks to Kate Molleson about her mixtape project.

Every track will be accompanied by a podcast hosted by Gramophone contributor Andrew Mellor, on which he’s joined by Dalia and the composer of the work in question. It’s going to be an exciting journey featuring some hugely impressive and distinctive composers in the months ahead...

Episode 1: Anna Meredith's ‘Nautilus’

In this first episode, hosted by Gramophone’s Andrew Mellor, Dalia’s guest is the Scottish composer and performer Anna Meredith whose work, Nautilus, originally conceived for electronics, is presented in a new acoustic guise. She, Andrew and Dalia discuss the work’s origins and its transformation into a vibrant new work for a traditional symphony orchestra. 

The recording of Anna Meredith's Nautilus by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Nautilus

Episode 2: Andrea Tarrodi's ‘Wildwood’

Andrew Mellor explores Andrea Tarrodi's Wildwood with Dalia Stasevska and the composer herself, who joins the podcast from her kitchen in Stockholm.

The recording of Andrea Tarrodi's Wildwood by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Wildwood

Episode 3: Noriko Koide's 'Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain'

Dalia Stasevska and Andrew Mellor discuss Noriko Koide's delicate and innovative Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain before being joined by the composer from her home in Tokyo. Koide talks about the great influence of Gamelan music in her life and the three explore the connections between Japanese and Finnish culture.

The recording of Noriko Koide's Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Swaddling Silk and Gossamer Rain

Episode 4: Caroline Shaw's 'The Observatory'

Dalia's Mixtape continues with Caroline Shaw's The Observatory. In this episode, Dalia Stasevska and Andrew Mellor are joined by someone who is the very model of a genre-less composer, Caroline Shaw.

The recording of Caroline Shaw's The Observatory by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: The Observatory

Episode 5: Jóhann Jóhannsson's They Being Dead Yet Speaketh (from Miners’ Hymns)

Andrew Mellor and Dalia Stasevska discuss the premiere recording of the orchestral version of Jóhann Jóhannsson's They Being Dead Yet Speaketh (from Miners’ Hymns), which has just been released by Platoon. They are joined by Gudni Franzson, a close collaborator of Jóhannsson, who explores the genesis of the work.

The recording of Jóhann Jóhannsson's They Being Dead Yet Speaketh (from Miners’ Hymns) by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: They Being Dead Yet Speaketh

Episode 6: Judith Weir's ‘Still, Glowing’

In this latest episode, hosted by Gramophone’s Andrew Mellor, Dalia’s guest is the Master of the King's Music, Dame Judith Weir, whose orchestral work Still, Glowing features on the 'Mixtape'. Composer and conductor discuss this haunting piece.

The recording of Judith Weir's 'Still, Glowing' by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: 'Still, Glowing'

Episode 7: Lauri Porra's 'Utu'

Andrew and Dalia are joined in this episode by Dalia's husband, Lauri Porra. Porra's Utu is a depiction of the rural area around the summer cabin that Dalia and Lauri share. Unusually, the whole piece is based on natural string harmonics, an idea inspired by Lauri's experience as the bass player in the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius.

The recording of Lauri Porra's Utu by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Utu

Episode 8: SØS Gunver Ryberg’s 'Coexistence'

Andrew and Dalia discuss SØS Gunver Ryberg and her work Coexistence, a composer who aligns her work more to sculptors and visual artists rather than other composers, and whose work combines orchestral colours with electronic soundscapes and experimentation. SØS Gunver Ryberg joins the conversation to explain her creative process.

The recording of SØS Gunver Ryberg’s Coexistence by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Coexistence

Episode 9: Julius Eastman: Symphony No. II - The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend's Love for the Beloved

This week on the podcast, Dalia and Andrew discuss Julius Eastman's Symphony No. II, The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend's Love for the Beloved.

The recording of Julius Eastman's Symphony No. II, The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend's Love for the Beloved by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Symphony No. II

Episode 10: Julia Wolfe's 'Pretty'

In this final episode of the Dalia's Mixtape podcast, Dalia Stasevska and Andrew Mellor are joined by composer Julia Wolfe from Downtown New York to discuss her orchestral work Pretty. Wolfe explains how the work explores the many meanings and interpretations of the word 'pretty', particularly as it relates as an adjective commonly used to describe women. Wolfe explores the influence of rock music on her orchestral works, and Dalia describes how she brought the feeling of a party to the recording.

The recording of Julia Wolfe's Pretty by Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra is out now. Explore the streaming options here: Pretty