Pekka Kuusisto named chief conductor of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley named new principal conductor of National Symphony Orchestra Ireland
Itzhak Perlman: legendary virtuoso violinist and the sound behind Schindler's List
As we celebrate violinist Itzhak Perlman’s 80th birthday, the virtuoso speaks to Charlotte Smith about teaching, conducting, his famous sound – and keeping inspired over a career of more than 60 years
Five things to know before buying an acoustic guitar
Let us help find the best acoustic guitar for you
Comeback albums: rock's 11 most spectacular rebirths, ranked
From Bowie’s shock return to Cash’s rebirth, we rank the most dramatic comebacks in rock history — glory after silence
Happy Birthday, The Boss! All Bruce Springsteen's albums, ranked worst to best
From forgotten detours to timeless anthems, we rank Bruce Springsteen’s albums — the missteps, the masterpieces, and everything in between
Thomas Hardy's capture a lost musical landscape
Cheers! Ten brilliantly boisterous drinking songs
We discover which composers were partial to a drinking song or two...
These 11 albums have been pretty much disowned by their creators
Even the greatest artists sometimes stumble—or at least feel they did. These 11 albums have one thing in common: their makers later dismissed, ignored, or outright disowned them
Here's why you should buy British hi-fi in 2025
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
These 7 bands were iconic. But you'll struggle to hear their influence today
They defined eras and left timeless songs—yet these seven iconic bands were a musical full stop, their sound still strangely unclaimed today
These are the 21 most awesome cellists of all time
From Pablo Casals to Jacqueline du Pré, we celebrate some of the greatest cellists of the past 300 years
Shapeshifters: rock's 17 most radical reinventions, ranked
From Dylan’s electric shock to Bowie’s endless reinventions, these 15 acts didn’t just evolve — they transformed so radically they became almost unrecognisable
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Why Bach was the composer who changed music forever
Meet the king of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach
Schumann: the composer who walked a tightrope between genius and madness
Meet Robert Schumann, tortured genius of music's Romantic age - and creator of some of the 19th century's most exhilarating music
Ranked: the 20 greatest opera composers of all time
Here are the best opera composers of all time, from the 16th century to the modern day
Ravi Shankar: the visionary musician George Harrison called 'the Godfather of World Music'
Ravi Shankar's biographer Oliver Craske introduces us to the fascinating musical life of the great sitar virtuoso, composer, father of Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, teacher of Philip Glass and friend of Yehudi Menuhin
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Elegy for a vanished world: the timeless mystery of Elgar's Cello Concerto
Written in the shadow of war and decline, Elgar’s Cello Concerto is a haunting farewell to an England that had vanished forever
Outliers: 15 albums that sound like nothing else their bands ever made
Some albums defy expectations. From Beatles to Neil Young, these outliers reveal bands daring to experiment — and sometimes bewildering their fans
The strange tale of The Beach Boys' 'Smile': paranoia, breakdowns, and a haunting lost masterpiece
Brian Wilson’s doomed Smile was meant to outshine Pet Sounds. Instead, it collapsed into paranoia, fragments, and myth — becoming rock’s greatest unfinished masterpiece
Black Sabbath: all 19 of their albums ranked, from worst to best
From genre-defining classics to cult curiosities, we rank all 19 Black Sabbath albums — the highs, lows, and heavy milestones that shaped metal’s dark legacy
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.3 (Yunchan Lim)
The young pianist’s stupendous 2022 Van Cliburn final performance is a must-hear, says Paul Riley
Review: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 etc (RLPO/Hindoyan)
Sarah Urwin Jones enjoys the RLPO’s fine-tuned approach to the ‘Pathétique’
Review: Dance of the Night Sky (Black Oak Ensemble)
Kate Wakeling is left invigorated by Black Oak Ensemble’s delightful selection
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine