Jessica Duchen
Journalist and Critic, BBC Music Magazine
Jessica Duchen studied music at Cambridge University and was the classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and the JC, among others. Jessica Duchen has written librettos include numerous choral works and operas for the composer Roxanna Panufnik, including Silver Birch, commissioned by Garsington Opera and shortlisted for an International Opera Award in 2018. Two more works based on stories by Oscar Wilde were commissioned for Garsington’s Youth Company, The Happy Princess with composer Paul Fincham (2019) and The Selfish Giant with John Barber, which fell victim to lockdown, this has been postponed to 2021.
Recent articles by Jessica Duchen
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: the musical prodigy who brought the sound of Wagner and Puccini to Hollywood
Embracing youthful stardom, Nazi censorship and Hollywood success, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's story was truly remarkable, says Jessica Duchen
Schumann Violin Concerto: a bizarre tale of ouija boards, witch-hunts and Nazi propaganda
Jessica Duchen tells the extraordinary story of how a message from beyond the grave led to a race to resurrect and perform an important 19th-century work
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?
Robert Schumann: the ultimate tortured Romantic genius?
Meet Robert Schumann, tortured genius of music's Romantic age - and creator of some of the 19th century's most exhilarating music
Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Nos 1 & 2
Jessica Duchen can’t tear herself away from this glimmering Mendelssohn set from Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk
Louise Farrenc: the gifted composer who brought the battle of the sexes to 19th-century France
Though multi-faceted and mightily gifted, the French composer Louise Farrenc could easily have gone entirely unnoticed, as Jessica Duchen explains
Frédéric Chopin: he was the quintessential Romantic artist. But he was also a tricky character to be around
He was a master of lyricism and drama, and his ethereal melodies still enchant us today. His life was not an easy one, however. Meet the ultimate Romantic, Frédéric Chopin
Franz Liszt: public showman and creative visionary who had them swooning in the aisles
The composer Franz Liszt was a brilliant but enigmatic piano virtuoso, writes Jessica Duchen
Pictures at an Exhibition: a guide to Mussorgsky's original piano masterpiece and its best recordings
Jessica Duchen chooses three of the best recordings of Musorgsky's evocative masterpiece - in its original piano version
Brahms: String Quintets
'I was told I should be in the kitchen, making children'. Why are there still so few female conductors?
The number of female conductors on the world’s orchestral podiums might be rising, but there is
still some distance to cover, writes Jessica Duchen
Isaac Albéniz: Spanish nationalism with a French twist
Though best known for depicting the colours of his homeland, the Spaniard was in fact a truly cosmopolitan figure, says Jessica Duchen
Isata Kanneh-Mason: all you need to know about the gifted British pianist returning to the Proms this summer
Meet Isata Kanneh-Mason, the gifted pianist and member of an astoundingly musical family of performers.
Fanny Mendelssohn • Felix Mendelssohn: choral works
Brahms • R Schumann: cello works
Beach: Piano Music
Brahms • Francisco Coll • Korngold: Piano Trios
Carnival of the Animals: a guide to Saint-Saëns's masterpiece and its best recordings
We explore Saint-Saëns's musical menagerie, Carnival of the Animals, explain its 14 humorous movements and name its best recordings