Florence Foster Jenkins: how the 'world's worst singer' sold out the Carnegie Hall
In 2016 Meryl Streep brought the very dubious talents of history’s most wayward soprano to the cinema. But who, asks Nick Forton, was the real Florence Foster Jenkins?
Cheers! Here are music's most boisterous drinking songs
We discover which composers were partial to a drinking song or two...
Here's what happens when you play Debussy's 'Clair de lune' to a baby
This baby's reaction to his father playing Debussy and Chopin on the piano will give you a warm glow for the rest of the day
'He rode his motorbike naked into the village': 15 very badly behaved composers
From Mozart to Peter Warlock, here are 15 composers who stepped out of line - socially, sexually, or just with too much motorbike-based nudity
This singer found herself with no partner. What happened next was truly heartwarming
When Lisette Oropesa cued up an encore that required a tenor onstage, there seemed to be a problem. Enter one Liu Jianwei...
Shostakovich's seven greatest symphonies, ranked
Rebecca Franks shares her personal ranking of her top seven symphonies by the great Soviet composer, Shostakovich
These 12 serene classical pieces will calm your mind and improve your mental health
These are the best pieces of classical music to calm your soul and boost your mental health, as chosen by violinist and conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy
This composer's head and body were kept apart for 150 years. Here's the whole bizarre story
The remarkable tale of the composer whose head was removed from his body after death - and reunited with it almost 150 years later
These are the world’s greatest orchestras - and their most dazzling recordings
Our guide, continent by continent, to the world's best orchestral ensembles - and a great recording that shows each at their stunning best
Lord of the Rings composer honoured at the first ever London Soundtrack Festival
Oscar-winning Canadian composer Howard Shore was awarded ‘The Gunning Inspiration Award’ at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the first ever London Soundtrack Festival…
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
Thomas Beecham: master of the waspish one-liner. But an often visionary conductor, too
He might be best remembered now for his frequently withering wit and the head start his family background gave him. But Thomas Beecham was also a conductor of rare insight and musicality
Emil Gilels: a guide to the famous Soviet pianist and his best recordings
Maria Razumovskaya digs through the archives to cast fresh light on the extraordinary life of the great Soviet pianist Emil Gilels
The singer who spat at her deadly rival: lurid tales from the 1920s' great opera divas
The Roaring Twenties saw the rise of sports, jazz and film stars, so how did opera’s leading singers stay in the limelight? By trying to beat these new celebrities at their own game, writes Alexandra Wilson
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
On This Day, 1916: this composer made a heroic attempt to save his drowning wife
How an invitation to play at the White House in front of President Wilson led Enrique Granados to board the ill-fated passenger ship, SS Sussex
Bach: the composer who changed music forever
Meet the king of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach
This is a lifesize doll of Alma Mahler - by her jilted lover. Here's the whole bizarre story
Thwarted as a composer, was Gustav Mahler's wife, Alma Mahler, really a ‘boundless narcissist’? Perhaps a troubled soul lurked beneath...
Best Romantic composers: the visionaries who flooded music with passion and drama
From Beethoven and Schubert via Mendelssohn and Mahler to Strauss and Rachmaninov, we pore over the greatest composers from the Romantic era, renowned for its grand musical passions and dramas
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
The Planets: a world-by-world guide to Holst's cosmic work
We bring you the best recordings of each movement of Holst's The Planets
Death and the Maiden: Schubert's harrowing string quartet and most emotive recordings
Erik Levi picks out the finest recordings of Schubert's Death and the Maiden, a piece in which the Austrian composer plumbs the very depths of despair
Stravinsky Rite of Spring: the work that shattered classical music tradition
We explore Stravinsky's groundbreaking ballet The Rite of Spring and its seminal place in music history, before picking out some very best recordings
Winterreise: the tale of Schubert's brilliantly bleak song cycle - and four great recordings
Michael Tanner sets out on one of the bleakest and loneliest journeys in classical music, as he selects the finest recordings of Schubert's harrowing song-cycle, Winterreise
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Field's Complete Nocturnes (Alice Sara Ott)
In his review, Michael Church enjoys this glowing reappraisal of John Field’s Nocturnes by Alice Sara Ott
Review: Górecki String Quartets (Silesian String Quartet)
The Silesian Quartet deliver an outstanding survey of Górecki’s string quartets, says John Allison in his review
Review: Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On (The King's Singers)
The King’s Singers mark the end of an era in this impeccable final set with bass Jonathan Howard, says Ashutosh Khandekar in his review
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Listening room inspiration: how you can create the ultimate music sanctuary at home
Easy chair, hi-fi, vinyl displays: here's how to furnish your own listening paradise
90s nostalgia or just great sound? Why CD players are making a comeback
Listen in luxury 2025: the best high-end headphones on the market
Our audio expert Chris Haslam tests options for luxurious listening in private