CATEGORIES

Look back in anguish

Despite Korngold's denials, there is much to suggest that his Symphony in F sharp is a grim depiction of the dark days of Nazism, argues Jessica Duchen

Come again?

If something is worth hearing once it's worth hearing again, explains Rebecca Franks, who charts a history of the use of echoes in music

THE BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

Music by women and composers of colour is not a separate set of pieces from the ones we know

A brilliant melting pot of discoverable works

Erik Levi enjoys Patricia Kopatchinskaja and friends' eloquent performances of lesser-known works by exiled composers

Pierre Boulez

Tom Stewart celebrates a composer, conductor and musical iconoclast for whom breaking from tradition was not an option but a must

Vienna's cacophonous concert ends to the sound of slapping

‘Fighting at a Schoenberg concert.

Molto humoroso

Cartoonist and broadcaster Gerard Hoffnung lampooned the world of classical music with splendid affection and wit, writes Andrew Green

There and back again

With retrospectives on album and in concert this month, Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore reflects on his years in Middle-earth and tells Michael Beek why he has a lot to thank the LPO for...

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN Pick a theme... and name your seven favourite examples

Composer-conductor Odaline de la Martinez prizes tempo, swing and bounce in her top rhythmic works

Crystal clear with plenty of punch

The great is, they say, the enemy of the good, and that is certainly the case with David Sanger’s interpretation of Vierne’s Organ Symphony No. 1, which stands head and shoulders above a strong field of alternative versions.

Istanbul Turkey

Charlotte Smith is entranced by a city that straddles east and west, and places an abundance of art, music and culture at the heart of its identity

BBC muSIC MAGAZINE AWARDS 2025

VOTE NOW and help choose the best classical recordings of the past 12 months

Louis Vierne Organ Symphony No. 1

As Notre-Dame re-opens, Terry Blain names the finest recordings of a spectacular showcase by one of the cathedral’s famous former organists

Frenchpolish

From music of the past to jazz, from Spanish dance to kitchen crockery, Ravel took a remarkable range of influences as his inspiration and turned them into perfectly crafted masterpieces, writes Paul Riley

The 11 best film scores of all time

Together, music and film can create magic, but which have done it best? Michael Beek asks top film and TV composers to vote

A way with words

Great operas are inextricably linked with their composer but, asks Jessica Duchen, how often do we acknowledge the important role of the librettist?

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN Pick a theme... and name your seven favourite examples

Conductor Domingo Hindoyan nominates the best musical depictions of anger and frustration

A glittering beacon

Until its destruction in the fire of 1936, the Crystal Palace was one of the world's most exciting music venues, and its legacy still lives on today, writes Tom Service.

Christoph Willibald Gluck

Paul Riley traces the wandering existence of a cosmopolitan composer who made it his life's work and ambition to rip up opera's rulebook

The Awards are upon us once more!

Time to vote for the best recordings of the last 12 months

LEADING FROM THE FRONT

From running efficient rehearsals to learning to speak to orchestras with clarity and empathy, an array of exciting courses for conductors has bloomed in recent years, finds Clare Stevens

Kindred spirits

As their second opera takes to the stage, composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K Smith talk to Charlotte Smith about their special partnership

The censors' refusal to play ball drives Verdi to despair

In the early months of 1857, Verdi had Shakespeare on his mind, and specifically King Lear.

11 Bed-Hopping Composers

Jeremy Pound lifts the covers off those notorious notesmiths who found the thrill of playing away simply too hard to resist

André Rieu Violinist, Conductor

King of the Waltz, Dutch musical impresario André Rieu has taken the world by storm with his Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Late Bloomer

Three hundred years ago, Antonio Vivaldi published The Four Seasons. But despite the work's spectacular popularity today, it was not until the 20th century that it really discovered its true audience, writes Nicholas Kenyon

Atlanta US

Though well known for its world-class orchestra, Georgia's leafy state capital also boasts a thriving opera scene, as Michael Beek discovers

Ludwig van Beethoven

Terry Williams explores the best recordings of a symphony that shows the perky sense of humour lurking within its curmudgeonly composer

Puppet of the Reich?

Wilhelm Furtwängler has long been seen as a symbol of Nazism. But, as Andrew Green explains, the conductor was a strong opponent of the regime

"The first time I was shown how to play Bach on the harpsichord, it gave me goosebumps

As Bach Collegium Japan celebrates its 35th anniversary, its legendary music director speaks to Amanda Holloway about a lifetime devoted to the great Baroque composer