CATEGORIES

Live choice

Paul Riley picks the month’s best concert and opera highlights in the UK

Nikolai Medtner

Admired by Rachmaninov and outstanding as a pianist, Medtner had a subtle yet hauntingly distinct compositional style, says Francis Pott

Boulder United States

Jeremy Pound admires both the mountains and the plains as he explores the various delights of this year’s Colorado Music Festival

Passing the test

Forget tweedy examiners behind desks, bland pieces and those dreaded aural tests. Graded exams are not what they used to be, as Clare Stevens explains

Man on a mission

In conversation with Michael Church, the pianist Evgeny Kissin speaks out about the invasion of Ukraine and how this relates to his experiences of anti-Semitism while growing up in the USSR

Analogueage

Over the past few years, a resurgence of interest in vinyl recordings has taken popular music by storm. Cellist Leonard Elschenbroich tells Simon Heighes why classical musicians should also take an interest

A memorable folk trail

Rick Jones steps into Vaughan Williams’s shoes and dons his boater as he follows the composer’s folksong trail around Surrey and Sussex

Changing lives

As Buskaid celebrates its 25th anniversary, Leon Bosch explains the success of the South African string training programme

I spent three days doing nothing but practising breathing. And now I never run out of air

THE BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

Findingflow

With a new Warner Classics recording contract and a year-long residency at London's Southbank Centre to his name, Abel Selaocoe's star is in the ascendant. But as the South African cellist tells Charlotte Smith, he has a higher mission - to bridge the divide between African and Western music

30 Glorious Years!

In celebration of BBC Music Magazine's 30th birthday, we present 30 unmissable albums of the past three decades

BACKSTAGE WITH… Cellist Guy Johnston

How did you come up with the inspiration for it?

This month: Trish Clowes

‘I respond to what band members are interested in – you develop together’

Benjamin Britten

His music was deeply rooted in the landscapes of Suffolk, but Britten also drew inspiration from well outside Europe

Pentopixels

Communication between musicians and their fans was once time-consuming if more personal. Ariane Todes looks at how social media has changed everything

Roger and out

As a leading pioneer of the period performance movement, Roger Norrington has transformed how we hear composers from Bach to Mahler. As he retires, he shares his memories with Julian Haylock

Order & Progress

Since Brazil gained independence 200 years ago, its composers have enriched both classical and jazz worldwide, as Mervyn Cooke relates

Fifteen composers at 30

What were the great composers getting up to as they reached three decades? Jeremy Pound looks at some notable examples

Bodø Norway

Michael Beek joins the inaugural Aria Borealis Bodø, a biennial Early Music festival and singing competition just beyond the Arctic Circle

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Music that changed me

A Time to Judge

As the World Federation of International Music Competitions celebrates its 60th anniversary, we take a look at its history.

A World of Song

Over the Easter weekend, London hosts the first ever International Youth Choir Festival. Elinor Cooper meets the choirs taking part

Ermonela Jaho

Learning and practising technique is one thing, says the Albanian soprano, but the key to a great performance is understanding what your character is going through – and being able to express it.

A Romantic Journey

Imogen Cooper’s considerable reputation has been carved by her refined, majestic interpretations of late Classical repertoire. But now, she tells Jessica Duchen, it’s time to shake things up a bit with a little help from Liszt and Wagner

Musical Destinations Heading Out on the Ranch Tippet Rise: US

Jeremy Pound flies to Montana, where the Beartooth Mountains provide the backdrop to a new arts centre that aims to brings music and art together in perfect harmony.

The Heart Of Glass

The American Philip Glass, who turns 80 this month, is a composing trailblazer whose impressively wide range of styles and works has helped shift the course of western music. Brian Wise meets him in New York.

On the trail of Monteverdi

To mark the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth, conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner is embarking on a major worldwide tour, performing the Italian’s three operas. He tells Paul Riley all about it 

Ronald Brautigam

In years gone by, the very sight of a fortepiano in a concert hall might have sent audiences haring for the exit. Thankfully, says Brautigam, perceptions of the instrument have since changed for the better

The Keys to a Fortune

Tipped by Mozart as Haydn’s heir, Ignace Pleyel is better known today for his family company’s pianos than his music. So, asks Nick Forton, what happened?