'Humpty Dumpty' lyrics and backstory (is it about Richard III?)
Humpty Dumpty is a nursery rhyme we can all recite with gusto but do you know its origins?
How to programme the perfect concert
Violinist Fenella Humphreys shares the joys and complications of choosing the perfect repertoire for an exciting, varied and satisfying concert
‘I thought in that moment, please can I just die’ – pianist Francesco Piemontesi on his best and worst concert performances
Top Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi remembers the best and worst performances of his career - including forgetting what he was playing!
Celebrate the future of music with the Festival Academy Budapest
FAB celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025 with honoured guests and young talent
These 11 bands each managed just one album. If only they'd done more
From The United States of America to Jeff Buckley, these 11 brilliant acts released only one album – and we’re still yearning for more
Yacht rock: the 15 greatest albums, ranked
Smooth grooves, shimmering production, soulful vocals, sun-drenched sophistication — the definitive 15 Yacht Rock albums sail effortlessly through California with cool and polished perfection
Cold, hunger, totalitarianism: why Westerners gave up everything to study music in the Soviet Union
In the late 1980s, British pianist James Kirby braved cold, hunger and totalitarian rule to study in Moscow. Here he shares his memories with Anthony Cheng
Here are 27 rock singers you just either love or hate
From angelic croons to primal snarls, these 25 rock voices polarize listeners, inspiring devotion, ridicule, and sometimes legendary love-or-hate debate
The work that got Beethoven labelled 'ripe for the madhouse'
Beethoven’s Seventh is pure rhythm and motion: a symphony of dance, drive, and ecstatic energy that feels eternally alive
Dvořák Cello Concerto: how a heartbroken composer’s lost love inspired his greatest work
A yearning for his homeland and the devastating loss of a beloved friend give the Czech’s work an almost unbearable pathos, explains Jo Talbot
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
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
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
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
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
We ranked the 31 greatest composers of all time (the top 3 were so tough)
We asked today's composers to choose the 31 greatest composers of all time. A tough task: here's how they rank...
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
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Creedence Clearwater Revival albums ranked (the top 3 were tough)
From gritty bayou riffs to fiery protest songs, we rank Creedence’s albums, celebrating swamp-rock mastery, timeless hooks, and raw American energy
Bruce Springsteen 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
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
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
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Rameau – Platée
Berta Joncus enjoys a 2024 Versailles take on Rameau’s rarely recorded Platée
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’
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine