Articles
Why making music together in the home is a wonderful way to unite families
'Twice in my career, I missed my cue to appear on stage': tenor Jonas Kaufmann on his best and worst performances
Gods, kings and valkyries: 7 epic Wagner opera characters you should know
British soprano Susan Bullock selects the juiciest Wagner roles for singers to get their teeth into
Are robotic conductors the future of music – and can they ever be as good as humans?
Just like fads for Tamagotchi and Furbys, robotic conductors are currently flavour of the month – but they’re not a patch on the real thing, says Tom Service
18 weird and wonderful Christmas album covers: our pick of the best
Christmas over the years has inspired a glorious array of quirky covers from record company designers. We present our favourites…
Essential Christmas albums: 10 timeless recordings to get you in the Christmas spirit
What is the perfect music to get oneself into the festive spirit? We ask ten of our writers to name the albums they couldn’t imagine Yuletide without
Leroy Anderson: master of American light music and composer of Christmas classic 'Sleigh Ride'
Geoff Brown hears sleigh bells jingling and typewriters pinging as he celebrates the unique talents of America’s master of light music
Amahl and the Night Visitors: an iconic US Christmas TV tradition
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols: how the beloved Christmas service began in a lowly Cornish barn
Although the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is today synonymous with King’s College Cambridge, the format originated in Cornwall, as Andrew Green explains
In the Bleak Midwinter - the world's favourite Christmas carol
Ashutosh Khandekar heads back to a particularly bleak midwinter in the early 20th century, as he traces the chilly history of one of today’s most beloved carols
15 Christmas music essentials - a must-have list for classical music lovers
It’s time to make a few notes, please, as Jeremy Pound sets out
his musical must-have list for the festive season that lies ahead
Audio gift guide 2024: perfect gifts for audio lovers this Christmas, at every price point
From cute bedside radios to tantalising turntables, Chris Haslam suggests a wide range of perfect gifts for audio lovers this Christmas
Best Christmas TV & Radio - December 2024 classical music round-up
The 50 best Christmas carols of all time
Here's a list of the best-ever Christmas carols for the festive season, as voted for by 50 top choral experts from across the UK and US. Do you agree with their choices?
'I detest him'... 'The most sublime music ever'... 11 of the best quotes about Beethoven
Famous quotes about the great composer from other great minds and creatives
'We can’t continue to make classical music performance a precious museum piece'
Ahead of his immersive production of Handel's Messiah in 2022, conductor Gregory Batsleer explained to us why he wants to change the way we present classical music
You know his Cello Concerto. But here's why the Elgar Violin Concerto should be better known
Violinist Vilde Frang on squaring up to epic works and coping with imposter syndrome
The Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang is always drawn to a challenge – and, as she tells Ariane Todes, making difficult choices has helped her to grow as a musician
Best piano concertos of all time: 12 incredible works for piano and orchestra
These are some of the greatest piano concertos - the finest works ever written for piano with orchestra
Debussy Préludes: Impressionism in music
Gerald Larner explains how Debussy, by defying the rules of conventional harmony, transformed piano music’s landscape
Giuditta Pasta: the legendary Italian soprano who blazed a trail a century before Maria Callas
A century before Maria Callas caught the world’s attention, there was another singer wielding immense power both on and off stage, Giuditta Pasta. George Hall tells the story of the Italian soprano
The world’s greatest orchestras - and their finest moments on disc that you must hear
Our guide, continent by continent, to the world's best orchestral ensembles - and a great recording that shows each at their stunning best
'My uncle tormented me too much': what drove Beethoven's nephew to attempt suicide?
In 1826 Beethoven’s tormented nephew pulled the trigger on himself
Bumblebee princes, murderous genies and singing dragons: 15 forgotten operas ripe for rediscovery
Robert Thicknesse names fifteen fabulous but forgotten operas