Works
You don't know these 10 Mozart works - but you really should
So you think you know your Wolfgang? Misha Donat uncovers 10 works you might not have heard before...
Stravinsky Rite of Spring: the work that shattered classical music tradition
We explore Stravinsky's groundbreaking ballet The Rite of Spring and its seminal place in music history, before picking out some very best recordings
We celebrate musical theatre lyricists, so why don't we credit great opera librettists?
Romantic classical music: 15 perfect soundtracks for your romantic evening
Planning a Valentine's dinner with your loved one? Here are our favourite pieces of romantic classical music that will set the mood
Knights, swans, dwarves and valkyries: the 10 most famous Wagner operas. How many do you know?
Over a life of exile and debt, scandalous affairs and high-level adulation, Wagner wrote operas that not only remain unmatched for drama, controversy and spectacle but also utterly transformed the art form itself...
Wrong composer! The 'Baroque' masterpiece that's actually from the 1950s... and more infamous misattributions
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
Heavy metal and classical music: 11 seminal metal tracks with classical deep in their DNA
Despite first appearances, there's much to connect heavy metal and classical music, writes singer/songwriter and guitarist Joe Matera
Greatest symphonies of all time: 20 immortal orchestral masterpieces
Which is the best-ever symphony? 151 of the world's leading conductors voted for what they thought to be the greatest symphonies ever written
Tosca: the story behind Puccini's dramatic tale of sex, violence, politics and lies
Early audiences were perplexed by Tosca, Puccini's thrilling opera about lust, jealousy and corruption - but it's now an operatic staple
Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin: the masterpiece inspired by delusional, lovesick trauma
Amanda Holloway is all ears as she listens to the best recordings of this set of songs detailing the doleful cycle of love, hope, rejection and despair
Best Mahler symphony: ranking the nine completed symphonies of Gustav Mahler
We've ranked all nine Mahler masterpieces from our least favourite to the absolute best
Best love songs: 11 timeless melodies that capture the joys and pains of romance
Our round up of the most popular, most enduring and famous love songs ever...
Má vlast: the patriotic Czech masterpiece that the Nazis tried to ban
Woods, fields and a rolling river: here is the story of Má vlast, Smetana's rousing and atmospheric hymn to the Czech nation
Elgar 'Nimrod': all you need to know about this emotional masterpiece from the Enigma Variations
All you need to know about Elgar's 'Nimrod' and why it was played at the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Hatred in classical music: six works dripping with bitterness, pain and outrage
How hatred inspired some of our most famous composers and their music
Hardest songs: 16 of the most taxing melodies from opera, musicals and more
What are the hardest songs to sing? We take a look at some of the most technically demanding songs and arias from classical music, opera and musical theatre
Debussy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune: 'the awakening of modern music'
We tell the story of Debussy's sensuous work, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, which heralded a radical new chapter in orchestral writing
How the pains of love have found their way into these heart-wrenching pieces of classical music
From 12th-century troubadours to glitzy modern-day tenors, love is a timeless theme explored in western classical music. But sometimes it's not always pretty...
Beethoven Symphony No. 7: the joyous work that Wagner called the 'apotheosis of the dance'
We investigate Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and how the composer declares the 'glory of light' through darkness
'Worthless': the cast-iron classical masterpiece once written off as unplayable
What happens when a composer writes a work that is simply too difficult for its intended performers? Jeremy Pound takes a look at ten such examples
Wellington's Victory: how Beethoven humiliated the 'tyrant' Napoleon in music
Although the great composer once idolised Napoleon Bonaparte, his affections turned and in 1813 he celebrated Wellington's Victory in music
Carmina Burana: who wrote it, what it's about and what are the lyrics
A guide to Carmina Burana, Carl Orff's cantata based on a series of earthy German Medieval songs, and best known for the rousing 'O Fortuna' of Old Spice advert fame
Best hymns of all time: when rousing lyrics and magnificent music meet in perfect harmony
We name 11 of the best hymns of all time - perfect marriages of rousing lyrics and memorable melodies
Best of Vivaldi: seven great gateways into the brilliant Baroque composer
We name seven of the greatest pieces by that melodious Baroque genius, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi