Articles
Subscribe
The scariest operas: how the supernatural world has inspired opera composers
Ashutosh Khandekar explores how the supernatural in opera has served to express both our deepest fears and darkest desires
What's it like to study with a living legend? Cellist János Starker was 'like a doctor with X-ray eyes'
Ildikó Szabó remembers her cello lessons with the great János Starker
Best Halloween songs: 10 of the scariest tunes from classical, jazz, folk and more
Our round-up of the best songs about Halloween that you might want to add to your festive playlists in the approach to 31 October...
Scariest songs: 11 terrifying tunes to enjoy this Halloween
From Janáček to Maxwell Davies, here is our roundup of ten of the most spine-chilling songs from the worlds of opera and folk song
Best music for Halloween: 7 spooky pieces to send shivers up your spine
Welsh National Opera conductor James Southall chooses some of the best spooky works of classical music to listen to this October
Ludwig: we solve the BBC drama’s Beethoven puzzle…
Ludwig is a must-watch on the small screen, but the six-part drama’s murder mysteries aren’t the only puzzle to solve. The score is littered with references to Beethoven, but what are they? We chat to one of the series’ composers to find out…
15 composers who travelled to remote locations – and risked life and limb in the name of art
Fifteen great composers inspired by wanderlust – from gaping desert canyons to uninhabited icy landscapes
Put your classical music knowledge to the test with the weekly BBC Music Magazine quiz!
Take your seats for this week's BBC Music Magazine quiz
War of the Romantics: why Brahms accused his great rival Liszt of being 'an evil influence'
How two prominent 19th century composers were at loggerheads when it came to the philosophy of music
5 musical geniuses who could sight-read any piece - even the most fiendishly difficult ones!
The violinists and pianists throughout history who have had the best memories and sight-reading techniques
Never marry a classical musician... here's 10 reasons why
Free concert tickets and a home filled with the joys of music might seem tempting now, but you could live to regret it...!
A document of despair… How Beethoven's anguished Heiligenstadt Testament revealed his advancing deafness
Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament reveals the composer's pain over his encroaching deafness
Witches, ghosts and pumpkins: the best Halloween songs for children
Our round up of best Halloween songs for young children
Wallace & Gromit & Bach – Toccata & Fugue’s starring role in new film trailer
Everyone’s favourite animated duo are back, or is that Bach? The new teaser trailer for Vengeance Most Fowl has just dropped and it features one of the composer’s most familiar works... played by a penguin!
Smetana Má Vlast: a guide to the great, patriotic Czech work and its best recordings
Woods, fields and a rolling river beguile Mikel Toms as he names the best recordings of the Czech’s famous fond portrayal of his home patch
Are audiences still biased against works by female composers?
A decade ago, concert venues began to promote more works by women; but, asks Jessica Duchen,
has that trend inspired change in the long term?
'A beautiful beating heart, even when it was filthy': author Lemony Snicket on his musical inspirations
The author of A Series of Unfortunate Events shares the music that has shaped his life and career
This is the instrument New York doesn't want you to hear
Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs laments the absence of a pipe organ from America's biggest city
Kung fu to breakdancing: six professional musicians share tips for optimising your health and wellbeing
How do musicians hone their minds and bodies? We find out why today’s leading performers are dedicating more time to their wellbeing in order to play better
From Madame Butterfly to Mamma Mia! How operas gave birth to stage musicals
Were Rodgers & Hammerstein the Puccini of the mid-20th century? If so, where do operas end and musicals begin? James Inverne explores the classical origins of today’s musicals…
How the golden age of rail travel transformed American classical music forever
May 10 1869 was a big date: the completion of America’s First Transcontinental Railroad. Brian Wise describes how music thrived in the golden age of train travel
'It's given me a laser focus' - theatre composer Adrian Sutton on his terminal diagnosis
Facing a terminal illness has given award-winning theatre composer Adrian Sutton a sharp new impetus, he tells Michael Beek
Leif Segerstam (1944-2024): obituary
Leif Segerstam, who was one of classical music’s most colourful yet supremely talented personalities, has died at the age of 80