Verdi: the composer who battled grave personal tragedies to become a national icon
Composer Giuseppe Verdi battled family tragedies and censorship to become a leading light in the world of Italian opera
The Mozart Effect: does listening to Mozart really make you smarter?
Does Mozart actually make babies smarter? We're here to bust myths and sort the rumours from the reality
Tempo: a guide to one of music's most essential elements
Do you know your Adagio from your Allegro? Here’s a quick explanation of the musical term 'tempo' and a whistle-stop tour of the various tempi, with some famous examples for each
Never marry a classical musician... here's 10 reasons why
Free concert tickets and a home filled with the joys of music might seem tempting now, but you could live to regret it...!
Mel Bonis: the French composer who forged her own path through social norms and personal struggles
French composer Mel Bonis overcame social prejudice and personal struggles to create a vast and expressive body of work
A document of despair… How Beethoven's anguished Heiligenstadt Testament revealed his advancing deafness
Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament reveals the composer's pain over his encroaching deafness
Pianist Ryan Wang wins BBC Young Musician 2024
The 17-year-old Canadian triumphed with Rachmaninov in the Final of the much-loved biennial search for the UK’s most promising classical music performers
Best movie scores of all time: our top 20 memorable film scores
Grab the popcorn, dim the lights and settle in for a run through our ranking of the greatest film scores of all time...
Witches, ghosts and pumpkins: the best Halloween songs for children
Our round up of best Halloween songs for young children
Greatest conductors of all time: 30 of the finest baton-wielders in classical music history
Who are the maestros who inspire the maestros themselves? We invited 100 of today's leading conductors to cast their vote for the greatest conductors ever
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
'A beautiful beating heart, even when it was filthy': author Lemony Snicket on his musical inspirations
The author of A Series of Unfortunate Events shares the music that has shaped his life and career
Curtis Institute of Music: the American music school that creates the world's top performers
As the Curtis Institute marks its centenary, Charlotte Smith visits the elite Philadelphian music school to discover the secrets of its success
Joseph Emidy: Britain's first black composer, who travelled from kidnap and slavery to violin superstardom
Gayle Wood tells the remarkable story of the African-born violinist and composer Joseph Emidy, whose musical talent led to kidnap, life at sea and, finally, acclaim
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Salieri: history has him down as music's sorest loser. He deserves better
A certain portrayal in a seminal classical music film has portrayed Salieri as Mozart's deadly rival - and possibly his killer. Is there any truth in this?
Synaesthesia: eight composers who saw sound as colour
From Scriabin to Sibelius, here are eight composers who claimed to see music as colour
Are audiences still biased against works by female composers?
A decade ago, concert venues began to promote more works by women; but, asks Jessica Duchen,
has that trend inspired change in the long term?
Ralph Vaughan Williams: folk music, the English countryside, and moments of transcendent beauty
Terry Blain explores the life, times and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams - the grand old man of British music
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
These are the 50 greatest recordings of all time. How many are in your collection?
Our round-up of the best must-have performances of classical music. Update your collection with the great symphonies, choral works, operas, chamber and instrumental works
Vivaldi Four Seasons: five of the greatest recordings of all time (and, just for fun, three wild cards)
These four revolutionary violin concertos remain Vivaldi's most-loved works. Lucy Chaudhuri rounds up the best recordings of The Four Seasons to date, and adds in three wild cards for good measure
Appalachian Spring: Aaron Copland's masterful evocation of America's wide open spaces
The 1940s ballet Appalachian Spring has become one of Copland’s most popular works. And its true American spirit has inspired many great recordings, finds Anthony Burton
Ludovico Einaudi, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Max Richter: 18 definitive ambient classical albums you should hear
The best post-classical albums and modern masterpieces to inspire and move you
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Brett Dean: Rooms of Elsinore
There’s a bit of everything in this superb Hamlet-inspired selection box, says Christopher Dingle in his review
Anna Clyne: Shorthand
This evocative retrospective is an all-star survey of the Anna Clyne’s string works and features a host of memorable moments, says Jo Talbot in her review
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Tonhalle/Järvi)
Michael Jameson is blown away by this towering performance of Bruckner’s Ninth from Paavo Järvi’s peerless Tonhalle orchestra, captured in a glorious recording
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Best TV speakers: revolutionise your TV sound with these state-of-the-art speaker systems
Whether you're after a wireless option, a soundbar or something more design-led, we've brought together some of the best TV speakers for all audiophiles available to buy now
Would you spend a million pounds on a hi-fi? What if it sounds like nothing you've ever experienced?
Our audio expert Chris Haslam spends a few enjoyable hours in the company of some of the most eye-wateringly capable (and expensive) hi-fi technology out there
The best bluetooth speakers to take on your travels
Which are the best speakers to take on holiday with you? Here's our handy guide to battery life, connectivity, waterproof ratings and a whole lot more...