Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
Mahler style guide: ten musical fingerprints scattered across his symphonies
As distinctive as they are groundbreaking, Mahler’s symphonies are characterised by themes that have their own story to tell, as Stephen Johnson explains
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique: the pathetic tale of a composer desperately seeking a girlfriend
Why are lovestruck composers quite so pathetic? How Berlioz's infatuation with actress Harriet Smithson led him to compose his monumental Symphonie fantastique – only to be distracted by another woman
Ouch! Five terrible treatments of the piano
Little known Beethoven works: 11 overlooked gems from the revolutionary composer
Think you know Beethoven? Think again with our tour of 11 little known Beethoven gems, from Wellington's Victory to the Andante favori
Lesser known piano concertos: 11 great works for soloist and orchestra you might not know
Today's top performers recommend piano concertos that have been undeservedly overlooked
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Gregorian chant: the foundation of Western sacred music - and a source of deep calm and spirituality
All you need to know about this early form of religious music, whose calm and spiritual qualities have spawned some hit recordings
Voice types: do you know your spinto soprano from your bass baritone?
We untangle the complex world of operatic voice types, exploring their ranges and naming some of the greatest singers to have ever lived
Who is Alexandre Kantorow? The exciting young pianist described as 'Liszt reincarnated'
The exciting young French pianist shares with Jessica Duchen the enormous thrills of performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics and winning the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition
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The Godfather music: why was Nino Rota's score disqualified from the 1972 Oscars?
Despite being initially nominated, Nino Rota's score for 'The Godfather' was replaced by John Addison's soundtrack for 'Sleuth'.
Artists
Dennis Brain: the British virtuoso who brought the sound of the French horn to millions
Dennis Brain inspired a generation of musicians and music fans alike. Andrew Green traces the meteoric rise and tragic end of the French horn virtuoso
Wendy Carlos: trans pioneer and creator of Stanley Kubrick's creepiest soundtracks
In 1968, Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach became an instant best-seller. As the experimental composer turns 85, Nick Shave looks back at her life and career
Michael Tilson Thomas: why a terminal cancer diagnosis won't stop me from conducting
As conductor Michael Tilson Thomas marks his 80th birthday, he speaks to Michael White about continuing to make wonderful music while living with cancer
Composers
Alexander Scriabin: mystic, avant-gardist, devil worshipper
Surrounded by controversy throughout his life, the composer Alexander Scriabin did little to discourage people from seeing him as a kind of Messiah, as pianist and Scriabin devotee Yevgeny Sudbin explains
Honestly, it's never too late. These seven composers hit a brilliant creative peak in middle or old age
Who were the composers who produced their masterpieces in later life? Rebecca Franks finds out
Best Polish composers: eleven great musical figures, from Chopin to Penderecki
John Allison explores how Poland’s turbulent history has left an exceptional musical heritage
Instruments
Bassoon: all you need to know about the orchestra's biggest wind instrument
Like its cousin the oboe, the bassoon has a double reed which gives it a particularly distinctive sound
Medieval instruments: 11 atmospheric musical instruments from the Middle Ages
Our guide to some of the most important instruments of the medieval period
Christmas ukulele songs: nine festive classics you can easily master on the uke
Our roundup of the easiest Christmas songs to play on the ukulele
Jazz
Best jazz pianists: 15 of the greatest piano players in the history of jazz
Who are the best jazz pianists of all time? Here, in alphabetical order, are 15 of the greatest ivory tinkers in the history of jazz
The 25 best jazz saxophonists of all time, ranked - and the albums you need to add to your library now
Who is the best jazz saxophonist of all time? From John Coltrane to John Dankworth, we've had a go at ranking the top 25 - and we've recommended an essential album from each
From jazz to classical: five surprising classical albums from jazz greats
Musical terms
The tritone: the 'devil in music' that has injected mystery and unease into countless great works
For centuries, the tritone - a musical interval spanning three whole tones - has added tension, drama and mystery to music by everyone from Bach to Bernstein
Music modes: the building blocks of mood and atmosphere in music
Modes are a series of seven musical scales, each with their own unique qualities and sound
Musical keys: what they are and how they are used in classical music
Composers have, over the ages, chosen keys to ‘flavour’ their music in a particular way. So which are the most characterful, and who has used them to their greatest effect? Ivan Hewett delves into his scores to find out
Recordings
Mahler Symphony 5: a guide to this journey from darkness to triumph, and its best recordings
We name the greatest recordings of Mahler's legendary Fifth Symphony
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
Science of Music
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
Music can help tackle multiple sclerosis - here are the scientific benefits
Music’s ability to reduce stress, stimulate nerves and ‘rewire’ the brain can help to manage the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, writes Rebecca Franks
Music for studying: 15 great works for mental focus and concentration
What is the best music to aid a little learning? These are the best pieces of music for studying and keeping you on task and concentrating when the going gets tough and you're feeling easily distracted
TV and Film music
Best Hans Zimmer scores: ranking the music of a cinematic composing icon
Hans Zimmer might be the biggest name in Hollywood film music, but what are the absolute best film scores by Hans Zimmer? Here’s our top ten. Discuss...
Amahl and the Night Visitors: an iconic US Christmas TV tradition
Cracking music, Gromit! One of the screen's most iconic themes is back with a vengeance...
They’re one of the screen’s most enduring duos and on Christmas Day Wallace & Gromit are back on our screens to face one of their most famous foes once again. We speak to composers Lorne Balfe and Julian Nott about the music for Vengeance Most Fowl…
Works
Relaxing piano music: 12 beautiful works to bring you inner calm and tranquillity
Need to de-stress? Here's a selection of piano music's most relaxing pieces
Punch-ups, walkouts and headbangers: seven riotous musical premieres
Just over a century on from the fiery premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Sam Mason-Jones explores six other works that have caused something of a stir
Beethoven late quartets: five profound, valedictory masterpieces
Though deaf and in declining health, the ageing Beethoven remained inventive to the end, as his astonishing late quartets prove