Rule breakers: 13 maverick musicians who tore up the rulebook
From Satie to Sun Ra, we salute 13 musicians who defiantly did things their own way - and left music incalculably the richer for it
Review: John Jenkins works (Fretwork)
Ingrid Pearson is captivated by this stunning showcase of John Jenkins works for viol consort and organ
Screen actors playing musicians: the best and worst examples
Actors ‘playing’ instruments on screen can be the stuff of nightmares. But, asks Michael Beek, to what lengths have they gone to make it look convincing?
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 are the 7 greatest British works for orchestra
Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles selects some of the best examples of British orchestral repertoire
Review: Edge of the Storm (Telegraph Quartet)
Erik Levi is gripped by the Telegraph Quartet’s album uniting three 20th-century masterpieces from Bacewicz, Britten and Weinberg
Winners of the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards announced
Music to help us through difficult times
Multiple studies show that music can do wonders for our mental health. So which pieces do we turn to when times are tough?
Review: Mozart Piano Concertos, etc (Evren Ozel et al)
This concerto album is full of sparkle and charm, says Michael Jameson
Fear, control, violence: the darkness behind Phil Spector's legendary 'Wall of Sound'
His dazzling ‘Wall of Sound’ recording technique brought widescreen drama to pop music. But Phil Spector’s personal life was music’s darkest, most violent psychodrama
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
Shock impact and religious zeal: how historically informed performance revolutionised classical music
From the Middle Ages to Miles Davis, these are the 10 best trumpeters of all time
Leading trumpeter Matilda Lloyd traces the history of her instrument through ten influential players, from the Tudor era to the present day
15 bands whose lyrics we just don't understand (and we love it that way)
Some of rock’s most beloved bands sing in riddles, nonsense, or invented languages — and we love them all the more for it
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
This composer's personal life was an enigma. His music is a thing of wonder
We explore the life and work of Maurice Ravel, master craftsman of French music
Who was Ivor Novello? The Welsh songwriter and operetta composer who inspired The Ivors
Haydn: classical music's greatest humourist
Joseph Haydn: the classical era's great humourist... and more
Sex, scandal, symphonies: the dark history of great composers and syphilis
Romantic composers were passionate, sensual and untrammelled in their desires. Sadly, this meant a surge in deaths from syphilis
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Prog rock 1975: ranking the 17 greatest prog albums turning 50 this year
1975 was a landmark year for progressive rock, delivering groundbreaking albums that pushed musical boundaries and redefined the genre’s scope. Here are the 15 best
Ranked: the 21 greatest country rock albums of all time
When rock met country, magic happened — steel guitars, road songs, and restless hearts. These 21 albums defined that bittersweet crossroads
These 15 stone-cold classic albums were a nightmare to make
From Fleetwood Mac to Tears for Fears: 15 classic rock albums that cost blood, sweat and tears to put together
Genesis: all 15 albums ranked from worst to best (the top 5 were SO tough)
We rank every Genesis studio album, from their early prog masterpieces to the stadium filling pop-rock of the 1980s
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Nei giardini d’amore (arias by Handel, Monteverdi et al)
Hugh Cutting and Carlo Vistoli are ideally matched in these Baroque works, says Kate Bolton-Porciatti
Review: Bassoon Concertos (Martin Kuuskmann)
Martin Kuuskmann brings technical brilliance and sonorous, expressive warmth to three modern Estonian bassoon concertos
Review: Ravel, Stravinsky (Pavel Kolesnikov, Samson Tsoy)
David Nice is astonished by a wonderful piano duo’s interpretation of Stravinsky and Ravel ballets
Rock music
Explore rock music
Ranked: the 21 greatest blues songs of all time
From Blind Willie Johnson to Howlin' Wolf and beyond, Paul McGuinness explores the best blues songs of all time
These 15 rock legends each have a modern band that sounds just like them
From Zeppelin to Queen, these modern bands channel rock legends’ sounds, proving classic rock’s spirit still thrives today
Under the radar: 11 seminal rock albums that were ignored on release
Some of rock’s most revolutionary albums were ignored at release, only to reshape music decades later – proof that true influence often takes time to reveal itself
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
