The 48 best UK classical music festivals and summer operas taking place in 2026!
After months of darkness, the summer festival season is finally here! We present the very best UK classical music festivals to look out for in 2026
We asked musicians to name their best and worst pieces to play. And one composer comes up A LOT
Which works do orchestral players love to play? And which do they dread? We head round the sections of some of Europe’s finest ensembles to find out
Making America: the BBC Symphony Orchestra celebrates 250 years of music in the USA
BBC Symphony Orchestra director Bill Chandler introduces the orchestra's mini-series celebrating 250 years of music in America
Good vibrations: the impact of music on the road to recovery
Inside the creative journey of an artist and musician after a cancer diagnosis
BBC Proms 2026: a season-long celebration of American music and much more
All you need to know about the 2026 instalment of the world's biggest classical music festival
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026: winners announced!
The wait is over... Here are the winners of the 21st annual BBC Music Magazine Awards, as voted by you!
Review: Poulenc: Sonatas (Pascal Rogé et al)
Poulenc’s light and shade is vividly brought into focus by performers including Pascal Rogé, notes Jo Talbot
BBC Proms 2026 listings: your day-by-day guide to the world's biggest classical music festival
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 BBC Proms, featuring a jam-packed selection of classical music's best-loved performers and composers
Review: Schumann: Fantasie, etc (Nikolai Lugansky)
Nikolai Lugansky brings an orchestral richness to Robert Schumann, writes Jessica Duchen
Review: Cello works by Franck, Boulanger, Debussy et al
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
Piano ‘accompanists’ rarely get the recognition they so richly deserve
Agatha Christie: crime novelist and wannabe opera singer
Did legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie once harbour ambitions to become an opera singer? Andrew Green follows the clues…
Daniel Barenboim reveals the composer who's been his lifelong fascination
Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim talks about his deep relationship with Beethoven's music
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Sophia Maria Westenholz: trailblazing 18th century pianist, singer, composer - and mother to eight children
Pianist Wu Qian tells the story of an extraordinary musician and composer who defied attitudes of the day to rise to the top of her profession
Grace Williams: the Welsh composer with steel in her soul
For long neglected outside her own nation, the Welsh composer is starting to enjoy her time in the sun again, explains Geraint Lewis
Steve Reich: the pioneering minimalist composer who brought tonality back to music
As he approaches 90, the US composer Steve Reich tells Tom Service about his pride in playing an important part in bringing tonality and pulse back to music
'Great'? These five composers are simply overrated
We invite five of our writers to reveal those whose feted talents leave them seriously underwhelmed
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Outliers: these 21 albums sound like nothing else their bands ever made
Some albums defy expectations. From Beatles to Neil Young, these outliers reveal bands daring to experiment... and sometimes bewildering their fans
Essential Christmas albums: 10 timeless recordings to get you in the Christmas spirit
What is the perfect music to get oneself into the festive spirit? We ask ten of our writers to name the albums they couldn’t imagine Yuletide without
These are the 31 greatest classical albums to start 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
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
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Rock music
Explore rock music
This is The Beatles' most overlooked album. It's also the one that changed everything
Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, The White Album, Revolver, Sgt Pepper… these are the 'canon' Beatles albums. But their most ignored LP was actually the one that saw them change the most
We ranked rock's 25 greatest frontwomen of all time
From punk rebels to pop goddesses, these 25 frontwomen redefined charisma, power, and presence
Ghosts, cults and curses: the 15 weirdest moments in 1970s rock
From the occult to the Oval Office, discover the lawless decade where rock stars became demigods and reality simply dissolved
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
The '80s are back! The best portable cassette and CD players on the market today
Our Audio expert Chris Haslam gives his personal recommendation for buying a modern portable cassette or CD player
CDs are back! And these modern all-in-one CD players are the best way to listen to them
CDs are back! And these modern all-in-one CD players are the best way to listen to them, writes Chris Haslam
