What's new

Bristol Beacon announces new season

Bristol Beacon announces its new season following five-year closure

Waltzing Matilda - name, lyrics, time signature

‘Waltzing Matilda’: the stories behind the Australian song’s name, lyrics, and time signature

John Rutter receives Ivors Fellowship

Choral composer John Rutter receives Ivors Academy Fellowship

Christmas carol lyrics meanings

Christmas carol lyrics: what do the words from our favourite carols actually mean?

BBC Music Magazine Free Download of the Week

Free download: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 5 / K175, I. Allegro (on organ)

Best Halloween songs

Halloween songs: 10 of the best

Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music

who was Claudio Abbado
Artists

Who was Claudio Abbado, the world-renowned Italian conductor?

Conductor Bernard Haitink dies aged 92
Artists

Who was Bernard Haitink, the revered Dutch conductor?

Malcolm Sargent
Artists

Sir Malcolm Sargent: A revered hero or an arrogant bully?

Who was Vera Lynn
Artists

Vera Lynn: who was the popular wartime singer known as the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’?

Sheku Kanneh-Mason will be playing at the Last Night of the Prpms
BBC Proms

Last Night of the Proms: Everything you need to know about this year’s last night

Who was Edith Piaf
Artists

Édith Piaf: who was the much-loved 20th-century French singer?

Read more

Audio equipment reviews and advice

Best bathroom speakers
Audio equipment

Best bathroom speakers: how to enjoy music in the bathroom

Spatial audio
Audio equipment

Spatial audio: what it is, how it works and the best spatial audio products

Best headphone amplifiers
Audio equipment

The best headphone amplifiers for classical music lovers

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Greatest recordings

Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Ligeti violin concerto
Recordings

A guide to Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and its best recordings

Borodin's Symphony No. 2
Recordings

A guide to Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 and its best recordings

Kodály's Háry János
Recordings

A guide to Kodály’s Háry János and its best recordings

Manuel de Falla's ballet El Amor Brujo
Recordings

A guide to Manuel de Falla’s ballet El Amor Brujo and its best recordings

More great recordings
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Music to my Ears Podcast

Top musicians share their musical passions with the BBC Music Magazine team
PodcastArtist_Playlist_Sheldrake

Music to my Ears Podcast: Cosmo Sheldrake

PodcastArtist_Playlist_Orliński

Music to my Ears Podcast: Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński

PodcastArtist_Playlist_Jablonki

Music to my Ears Podcast: Pianist Peter Jablonski

PodcastArtist_Playlist_Rankin

Music to my Ears Podcast: Boxer and bassoonist Hannah Rankin

More podcasts

Albums of the week

A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
DCD34235_Suckling

Martin Suckling: The Tuning

5.0 out of 5 star rating
CDA68375_bach

JS Bach • Buxtehude • Schütz: Cantatas etc

5.0 out of 5 star rating
LWC1222_Welde

Barber • Bruch • Vaughan Williams: Violin Concertos

4.0 out of 5 star rating
More reviews

The great composers

Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Eugène Ysaÿe in Russia 1883

Meet Eugène Ysaÿe, the king of the violin

Charles Villiers Stanford

Charles Villiers Stanford: has history judged the composer unfairly?

Who was Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi: so much more than The Four Seasons

Johann Christian Bach

Johann Christian Bach: The ‘London Bach’, Mozart’s mentor and a pioneer of the Classical style

More composers