Works
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
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Beethoven! His 21 essential masterpieces, ranked
Michael Tanner selects and explores Beethoven's top 21 must-hear masterpieces, choosing from the very best of the great composer's extensive output
These 15 US states have been stunningly evoked in music
From Alaskan glaciers to Florida plantations, Brian Wise explores how composers have depicted the American landscape
7 works to make you fall in love with the pipe organ
Organist and conductor Anna Lapwood shares the best works to introduce newcomers to the pipe organ
These are the 21 best violin concertos of all time
Here is our selection of the greatest pieces ever written for violin and orchestra. Do you agree?
Introducing the 5-minute piece of music guaranteed to bring you mindfulness
Here are a selection of pieces, from Hildegard von Bingen to Debussy, that will aid your serenity and mindfulness and put you in the perfect zone for meditation
Far too many wonderful carols have faded into obscurity
John Rutter, the king of Christmas, reveals his 7 favourite carols
British composer-conductor John Rutter shares the Christmas carols that mean the most to him
The pieces musicians love and HATE to play (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
Jingle Hell! The famous Christmas music guaranteed to ruin the holiday season
As the Christmas season approaches, the BBC Music Magazine team share the festive tunes that make our hearts sink
Best Christmas carols: the 37 greatest festive hymns 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?
Peer Gynt: a guide to Edvard Grieg's popular masterpiece
When asked to write music for Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt, Grieg thought he was facing an impossible challenge. But, as Terry Blain relates, the composer’s perseverance resulted in a masterpiece
of matchless character and colour
Greatest symphonies: the 21 best orchestral masterpieces, ranked
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
'The famous bit': 15 popular classical music moments… But can you identify them?
We take a look at the arias, movements, songs and dances whose fame has outshone the larger works in which they first appeared
7 neglected piano concertos that we all should know better
Pianist Clare Hammond selects unfairly overlooked piano concertos that deserve to be performed more often
Music has the power to save the planet. Here’s how
As he relives a memorable evening at the BBC Proms, Tom Service ponders how music might make us reconsider our relationship with the world around us
These are the 7 greatest British works for orchestra
Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles selects some of the best examples of British orchestral repertoire
Music to help us through difficult times
Multiple studies show that music can do wonders for our mental health. So which pieces do we turn to when times are tough?
The bizarre classical music work where one player sits in the other's lap
Step forward Ligeti, Stockhausen and, er, Mozart: here are classical music's strangest, craziest and weirdest compositions
Ranked: the 15 greatest piano music pieces of all time
From Bach’s sacred architecture to Debussy’s shimmering dreamscapes, these 15 masterpieces trace the piano’s evolution — a story of intellect, emotion, and invention that spans three centuries and every shade of the human soul
The most terrifying jump scares in classical music
Who needs visuals? The great composers are masters at getting us jumping out of our skins with just the terrifying force of music,
as Tom Service explains
Don't like classical music? This work will change your mind
Think you don’t like classical music? Think again. Fifteen instantly recognisable, wildly enjoyable pieces that prove classical can be thrilling, funny, romantic – and unforgettable