Review: Little Wanderer (works by Britten, Imogen Holst et al)
Christopher Cook enjoys the debut album from well-matched musical partners
Ranked: the 12 greatest uses of classical music in the movies
What are the best ever uses of classical music masterpieces in film? From heartbreaking love stories to apocalyptic visions, we select our top 12
'I'm no English pastoralist' – meet British composer Colin Matthews
As he approaches his 80th birthday, composer Colin Matthews speaks to Michael White about his 50-year contribution to British musical life
Celebrate the future of music with the Festival Academy Budapest
FAB celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2025 with honoured guests and young talent
Surprisingly, this is the most expensive piano in the world. Here's the story
This is the most expensive piano ever sold at auction. It's less about the piano itself than its unique place in cultural history....
Darkest nursery rhymes: the eerie truths hidden in our favourite childhood songs
From Jack and Jill to Three Blind Mice, many of our best-loved nursery rhymes have some sinister meanings behind their cheerful lyrics. Read on for our guide to the darkest nursery rhymes of all time
Ranked: the 15 greatest poems of all time
From The Tyger to The Lady of Shalott, we lose ourselves in 15 of the entrancing and evocative poems in all literature
Here are 9 of the greatest symphonies by female composers
Until recently it was widely accepted that female composers avoided the symphonic form – but this assumption could not be further from the truth. Here are some of the greatest symphonies ever written by female composers
Meet Thomas Søndergård: Danish conductor and percussionist
Thomas Søndergård talks about his early years as a percussionist before becoming a full-time conductor – including as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The best music for Brunch - 10 perfect pieces to accompany your eggs, toast and coffee
TV and radio presenter Georgia Mann shares her favourite classical works to accompany a lovely late-morning/early-afternoon Brunch
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
Meet Nicholas McCarthy - the world’s only professional one-handed concert pianist
Following his stunning debut at last year’s BBC Proms, one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy tells Claire Jackson all about repertoire, technique and challenging narrow-minded attitudes
David Bowie’s surprising passion for classical music
For Starman David Bowie, classical music was one of many important influences, says Andrew Green
We asked today's top conductors to name the best conductor of all time. Here's what they said
We asked 100 of today's leading conductors to vote for the best conductor of all time. And the answer is...
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Buried alive under an avalanche: music's 11 most bizarre and tragic deaths
Some of the most well-known composers met their ends in highly unusual ways...
Ospedale della Pietà: the orphanage where Vivaldi turned abandoned girls into world-beating musicians
Harriet Constable, author of The Instrumentalist, explores Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà, the girls’ orphanage where Vivaldi taught and composed
Composer Alex Ho and the Chinese diaspora in Britain
Composer Alex Ho is part of a growing community of musicians combining their British and Chinese heritage in fascinating ways, writes Richard Morgan
Meet Hildur Guðnadóttir – the star composer of Joker and Chernobyl
Cellist and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir has forged a career spanning classical, film and electronics – but she’s always been drawn to unsettling themes, as she tells Claire Jackson
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
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
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, etc (Francesco Piemontesi)
Jessica Duchen is captured by Francesco Piemontesi’s compelling interpretations of Brahms’s piano works
Review: Bach Cantatas (Ensemble Correspondances/Sébastien Daucé)
Sébastien Daucé turns to Bach in accounts of fervour and tenderness, writes Nicholas Anderson
Review: Schreker • Korngold • Krenek
This superb album brings together three Austrian composers who would go on to fall foul of the Nazi regime
Rock music
Explore rock music
Hard luck stories: rock's 12 unluckiest bands, ranked
Whether thwarted by crooked managers, catastrophic timing or financial naivety, these rock bands never nailed the greatness they deserved
These 21 pivotal albums rescued rock's greatest bands from oblivion
From last-chance gambles to against-all-odds comebacks, these 12 albums pulled their creators back from the brink of rock’n’roll oblivion
These 15 rock songs haven't aged well
From 'casual' domestic threats to blatant stereotypes, these classic rock anthems prove that some legendary lyrics definitely haven't aged gracefully
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
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
Your guide to the best audio gifts this Christmas 2025
