Works
7 epic Renaissance choral works that still pack a punch today
British tenor Ed Lyon chooses some first-rate examples of epic Renaissance choral works
From Nixon to Gandhi, political giants make the most gripping opera characters
Best of Mozart: 11 essential works - and the recordings you need
From glittering operas to sublime symphonies and intimate chamber pieces, here are 11 of Mozart’s greatest works—timeless masterpieces that reveal his genius in every form
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Sex, blood and blasphemy... opera’s most shocking moments
Some opera productions really do push the boundaries of good taste, reflects Ashutosh Khandekar as he relives some of the most outrageous of all
The Orchestra: A Young Person’s Guide – a bold new re-imagining of Britten's popular classic
Composer Charlotte Harding introduces her new work for the National Open Youth Orchestra – the world’s first disabled-led national youth ensemble
The 7 best pieces of music to get all 5 senses fizzing
Composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman selects works that present music as a multi-sensory experience
They're making an opera about Margaret Thatcher... and promise to reveal her human side
A new opera about Margaret Thatcher
reveals the human side of a formidable
prime minister, writes Charlotte Smith
Classical music is good at sex. Here are the 15 most erotic works
Just how erotic can music be? Jessica Duchen gets hot under the collar as she explores the most passionate pieces and sensual songs
Best of Vivaldi: seven perfect gateways into classical music's most elegant composer
We name seven of the greatest pieces by that melodious Baroque genius, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi
Haydn Symphonies: the ultimate guide
Over the course of nearly 40 years and more than 100 works, Haydn took the symphony into totally new territory. But how to go about exploring this huge and groundbreaking body of music? Let Nicholas Kenyon be your genial guide…
Why Haydn’s choral music is the perfect pick-me-up for today’s troubled times
These are the 21 greatest piano concertos of all time
We count down the 21 greatest piano concertos - the finest works ever written for piano with orchestra
We asked musicians to name their best and worst pieces to play. And one composer comes up A LOT
Which works do orchestral players love to play? And which do they dread? We head round the sections of some of Europe’s finest ensembles to find out
Five of the best musical settings of Shakespeare
In celebration of the release of his own 'Shakespeare Songs', composer-conductor Nimrod Borenstein lists his five favourite musical settings of The Bard
The delusion of the Urtext: why we shouldn't worship the classical music score like a relic
Composer and guitarist Stephen Goss argues that musical scores are there to be interpreted and adapted rather than followed slavishly
We ranked the 20 greatest operas of all time
From Monteverdi to Berg via Mozart and Puccini, we count down the 20 best operas of all time. Did we miss your favourite?
Darkest nursery rhymes: the eerie truths hidden in our favourite childhood songs
From Jack and Jill to Three Blind Mice, many of our best-loved nursery rhymes have some sinister meanings behind their cheerful lyrics. Read on for our guide to the darkest nursery rhymes of all time
Ranked: the 15 greatest poems of all time
From The Tyger to The Lady of Shalott, we lose ourselves in 15 of the entrancing and evocative poems in all literature
Here are 9 of the greatest symphonies by female composers
Until recently it was widely accepted that female composers avoided the symphonic form – but this assumption could not be further from the truth. Here are some of the greatest symphonies ever written by female composers
The best music for Brunch - 10 perfect pieces to accompany your eggs, toast and coffee
TV and radio presenter Georgia Mann shares her favourite classical works to accompany a lovely late-morning/early-afternoon Brunch
These 10 famous pieces of music are not by who you think
So, who wrote Albinoni's beautiful Adagio? And what about Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor? The answers are not that obvious, says Roderick Swanston, as not all music was written by who we think it was
These are the 12 greatest songs about America
From Bernstein's classic to the National Anthem, here's our round-up of the best songs about America
These are the 15 greatest works by Chopin, iconic Romantic composer
From the Minute Waltz to the Funeral March, we choose some of the very finest pieces by the great Polish composer and pianist
These 11 musical masterpieces were hated by their first audiences
Eleven classical masterpieces that were first unleashed upon an angry, unimpressed or simply confused world
