Inside the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine

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Our July 2026 issue is out now

Inside BBC Music Magazine's July issue:

• It is billed as the world’s biggest celebration of classical music, and each year the BBC Proms manages to earn that esteemed title and then some! The 86 concerts of the 2026 season (which we've listed in full this issue) showcase big-ticket items from every BBC orchestra alongside such visiting masters as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in their Proms debut.
• Plus, there’s a wealth of star names, from Marin Alsop, Joyce DiDonato and Martha Argerich to Yuja Wang, Yunchan Lim and Leonidas Kavakos – and dazzling new music from the likes of Betsy Jolas, Thea Musgrave, Wynton Marsalis and Jessie Montgomery.

Elsewhere in this issue...

• Into this heady mix strides the LA Philharmonic in two high-profile August dates, led by their outgoing music director Gustavo Dudamel. After 17 years at the helm of the West Coast’s premier ensemble, the exuberant Venezuelan maestro is preparing to take on its East Coast equivalent, the New York Philharmonic, following in the footsteps of Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez.
• Andrew Green visits the Royal Albert Hall Archive and discovers an abundance of items from the iconic venue’s venerable history.
• Before Wagner set up shop, Princess Wilhelmine turned the small German town into a major artistic hub, as Michael White relates.
• This month's Musical Destination is Perth, Australia. It may be many miles from the fashionable East Coast, but Western Australia’s capital city is teeming with culture, writes Andrew Green.
• And for Building a Library, we take a look at American composer Roy Harris's ruggedly atmospheric Third Symphony. Terry Williams is captivated by the wide-open American landscape as he enjoys the best recordings of this 1930s orchestral masterpiece.

On this month's cover CD

This month's cover CD features a selection of beautiful performances of much-loved orchestral Lieder (songs) from BBC Proms past. These include four Schubert songs in arrangements by Franz Liszt (including 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118 and 'Erlkönig', D328; and three songs by Alma Mahler-Werfel. Performers include soprano Elizabeth Watts, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, pianist Louis Lortie and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor John Storgårds.

Click here or on the image below to see the track details for this month's cover CD.

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Your essential monthly guide to the wonderful world of classical music

Each issue of BBC Music Magazine delves into the many joys of classical music, from the great composers and works of the past to the thrilling performers on stage today. Simply click on the link above or on the image below to see our current offers.