Review: Walton: Cello Concerto etc (Jonathan Aasgard, cello)
John Wilson’s Sinfonia of London is virtuosic and eloquent in vital orchestral works, writes Jo Talbot
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
Semyon Bychkov named music director of Opéra national de Paris
The conductor will take up the post for an initial four-year term from 2028
Celebrate the future of music with the Festival Academy Budapest
FAB celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025 with honoured guests and young talent
This kitten hears a violin for the first time – and her response is priceless
Watch Esther Abrami playing the violin to her kitten - and the frankly adorable response from the musical feline
Boos, hisses and rotten vegetables: opera’s worst behaved audiences
From boos to vegetables, opera stars have had to put up with all sorts being aimed in their direction over the centuries, as Alexandra Wilson explores
'How a traumatic memory lapse changed the way I play the piano' – Leif Ove Andsnes
Far too many wonderful carols have faded into obscurity
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
Review: Les Divas d’Offenbach (Véronique Gens et al)
Amusing songs by Offenbach sparkle in these irresistible performances, writes Christopher Dingle
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
What can musicians do to help tackle climate change?
Delia Stevens from percussion and harmonica/melodeon duo Stevens & Pound writes about her relationship with music and the climate
When is the right time for musicians to retire?
Put bluntly, age and experience used to be venerated much more than they are now, writes Richard Morrison
Shock impact and religious zeal: how historically informed performance revolutionised classical music
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Composer Alex Ho and the Chinese diaspora in Britain
Composer Alex Ho is part of a growing community of musicians combining their British and Chinese heritage in fascinating ways, writes Richard Morgan
Meet Hildur Guðnadóttir – the star composer of Joker and Chernobyl
Cellist and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir has forged a career spanning classical, film and electronics – but she’s always been drawn to unsettling themes, as she tells Claire Jackson
Sex mad: music's 11 most bed-hopping composers, ranked
Jeremy Pound lifts the covers off those notorious notesmiths who found the thrill of playing away simply too hard to resist
Autism? Tourette's? Top psychiatrists assess Mozart's bizarre, brilliant mind
Using today’s psychoanalytic methods, what can we learn, asks Rebecca Franks, about the mind of Mozart, perhaps the greatest musical genius of all?
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Prog rock 1975: ranking the 17 greatest prog albums turning 50 this year
1975 was a landmark year for progressive rock, delivering groundbreaking albums that pushed musical boundaries and redefined the genre’s scope. Here are the 15 best
Ranked: the 21 greatest country rock albums of all time
When rock met country, magic happened — steel guitars, road songs, and restless hearts. These 21 albums defined that bittersweet crossroads
These 15 stone-cold classic albums were a nightmare to make
From Fleetwood Mac to Tears for Fears: 15 classic rock albums that cost blood, sweat and tears to put together
Genesis: all 15 albums ranked from worst to best (the top 5 were SO tough)
We rank every Genesis studio album, from their early prog masterpieces to the stadium filling pop-rock of the 1980s
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Shades of Mourning (Tamar Sagiv)
Roger Thomas is impressed by the elegant skill and emotional conviction of this accomplished debut
Review: Kalevi Aho – Moonlight Concerto, etc
Claire Jackson is mightily impressed by Sharon Bezaly’s mastery of the rare alto flute
Review: Strauss: 'Ein Heldenleben' (Philharmonia / Rouvali)
Sarah Urwin Jones is captivated by Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s take on Strauss
Rock music
Explore rock music
15 huge 1970s bands that no one talks about anymore
They ruled radio, sold millions, and filled arenas – yet history quietly moved on without them. Welcome to the world of the forgotten Seventies stars
Here are 13 iconic songs from otherwise pretty poor albums
Greatness in the ruins: 15 times when a single majestic song way outshone its failing album
1977 was SO much more than punk. We rank its 25 greatest albums
Beyond the punk explosion, 1977 was a kaleidoscopic year of disco fever, prog ambition, funk, soul and the birth of electropop
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
