BBC Young Musician 2024 semi-finalists announced
The much-loved biennial search for the UK’s most promising classical music performers has announced its 2024 semi-finalists
'Don't let your inner monologue get in the way': Why nervousness and stage fright are all in the mind
British/Iranian pianist Arsha Kaviani says that when musicians becomes nervous, they're making the performance too much about themselves
Leoš Janáček: five of his most sinister works
The great late Romantic composer Leoš Janáček had a fascination for the darker recesses of human experience. Here are five of his most sinister works
Everything you need to know about the music for Gladiator II
It’s one of the most anticipated films of the year, but what can you expect from the music in Ridley Scott’s sequel to Gladiator? Here’s everything we know so far…
Famous black composers: 11 great names and their impact on the story of classical music
A short guide to some of the greatest black composers from history, from Chevalier de Saint-Georges via Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Florence Price to Jessie Montgomery
Best wedding music: the ultimate classical music choices for your wedding ceremony
Whether you're getting married in a church or a registry office, everyone needs music. Here are some of the best bridal choruses and pieces of music to be played on the organ or during your ceremony or service
Were Bach, Vivaldi and Rossini the real pioneers of disco?
Forget New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s. For the heart of the disco revolution, head back to Bach, Handel and Rossini in the 18th and 19th centuries, says Tom Service
Vivaldi Four Seasons: five of the greatest recordings of all time (and, just for fun, three wild cards)
These four revolutionary violin concertos remain Vivaldi's most-loved works. Lucy Chaudhuri rounds up the best recordings of The Four Seasons to date, and adds in three wild cards for good measure
ABRSM announces new exams for one handed pianists
Music exams for one-handed pianists herald new opportunity for candidates with upper limb differences
Best of Handel: six essential works by the Baroque master drama, exuberance and grandeur
We name the best pieces by Handel, the Baroque master of opera and oratorio
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
'I was in a cold sweat for 28 minutes' – trumpeter Alison Balsom on her best and worst concert performances
Leading British trumpeter Alison Balsom remembers the best and worst performances of her career - including having to play in a different key!
Roomful of Teeth to Eighth Blackbird: 15 brilliantly bizarre music group names (spot 'em all below...)
The Revolutionary Drawing Room, anyone? Jeremy Pound explores some of classical music's strangest ensemble names and explores their origin stories
'I can do nothing but think of you...' Music's great romantic couples
We celebrate love by getting intimate with some of the Romantic era's most famous lovebirds
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Jewish composers suppressed by the Nazis: seven great voices we're starting to hear again
The Nazis destroyed the lives and reputations of many Jewish composers, but decades on, their music is still awaiting rediscovery, says Jessica Duchen
Judith Bingham: British composer and mezzo-soprano whose music explores spiritual, historical, and environmental themes
Meet the composer 'always chasing the chimaera of the perfect piece and never capturing it'
George Gershwin: he forged a new musical language for 20th-century America
Whether it's Broadway songs or jazz-influenced pieces for the concert hall, George Gershwin is regarded as one of the greatest melodists of the 20th century
Shostakovich: Russia's voice of the oppressed, who walked a tightrope between artistic sincerity and political survival
Dmitri Shostakovich: the Soviet voice of the oppressed, and a composer of huge integrity
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Appalachian Spring: Aaron Copland's masterful evocation of America's wide open spaces
The 1940s ballet Appalachian Spring has become one of Copland’s most popular works. And its true American spirit has inspired many great recordings, finds Anthony Burton
Ludovico Einaudi, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Max Richter: 18 definitive ambient classical albums you should hear
The best post-classical albums and modern masterpieces to inspire and move you
Bruckner's Fifth Symphony: a work almost destroyed by well-meaning but misguided acolytes
Devout yet unconventional, Bruckner’s Fifth has long been misjudged, says Terry Williams, who finds which recordings reveal its greatness
Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic: seven of the best recordings
The British conductor spent 16 years at the helm of the Berlin Philharmonic. Together, they created landmark recordings of some of classical music's best loved works
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Brett Dean: Rooms of Elsinore
There’s a bit of everything in this superb Hamlet-inspired selection box, says Christopher Dingle in his review
Anna Clyne: Shorthand
This evocative retrospective is an all-star survey of the Anna Clyne’s string works and features a host of memorable moments, says Jo Talbot in her review
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Tonhalle/Järvi)
Michael Jameson is blown away by this towering performance of Bruckner’s Ninth from Paavo Järvi’s peerless Tonhalle orchestra, captured in a glorious recording
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
The best bluetooth speakers to take on your travels
Which are the best speakers to take on holiday with you? Here's our handy guide to battery life, connectivity, waterproof ratings and a whole lot more...
These are the best hi-fi systems for your money right now
An all-in-one hi-fi system is a good option if you don't want a separate amplifier, speakers and CD player. Here are some of the best hi-fi systems on the market today
What is a digital music streamer and which one should I buy?
Our expert Chris Haslam gives valuable advice on buying and using your hi-fi...