These 11 rock bands were poised for greatness – then lost their way
Some bands burned brightly before faltering. These 11 rock acts once promised greatness... yet somehow lost direction
The 12 best uses of classical music in film
What are the best ever uses of classical music masterpieces in film? From heartbreaking love stories to apocalyptic visions, we select our top 12
Ranked: the 11 best cello concertos of all time
Here is our selection of the greatest pieces ever written for cello and orchestra. Do you agree?
Five things to know before buying an acoustic guitar
Let us help find the best acoustic guitar for you
'She pulled her by the hair, slapping and biting' – why two famous opera divas came to blows on stage
Ranked: the 9 most unstoppable album runs in rock history
From Bowie’s chameleonic streak to Zeppelin’s heavy-rock mastery, these are the rock album runs that define consistency and genius
The 7 best symphonies by Joseph Haydn
Haydn wrote 104 symphonies. Oboist and conductor François Leleux selects the seven you must hear
These are the worst songs by 15 rock legends
Even legends stumble: from Bowie to Dylan, these 15 rock icons have tracks they’d rather erase from memory forever
Ranked: the 11 most heartbreaking pieces in all of classical music
Classical music is one of the richest art forms for conveying emotion. And sadness and melancholy is right in its wheelhouse. Here is some of the most overwhelmingly sorrowful music in the classical repertoire
Bowie at breaking point: Berlin, Eno, and the birth of 'Low'
Haunted by addiction and exile, Bowie found rebirth in Berlin. All hail Low: an unsettling masterpiece born from breaking point
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
These 7 bands were iconic. But you'll struggle to hear their influence today
They defined eras and left timeless songs—yet these seven iconic bands were a musical full stop, their sound still strangely unclaimed today
These are the 21 most awesome cellists of all time
From Pablo Casals to Jacqueline du Pré, we celebrate some of the greatest cellists of the past 300 years
Shapeshifters: rock's 17 most radical reinventions, ranked
From Dylan’s electric shock to Bowie’s endless reinventions, these 15 acts didn’t just evolve — they transformed so radically they became almost unrecognisable
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
Schumann: the composer who walked a tightrope between genius and madness
Meet Robert Schumann, tortured genius of music's Romantic age - and creator of some of the 19th century's most exhilarating music
Ranked: the 20 greatest opera composers of all time
Here are the best opera composers of all time, from the 16th century to the modern day
Ravi Shankar: the visionary musician George Harrison called 'the Godfather of World Music'
Ravi Shankar's biographer Oliver Craske introduces us to the fascinating musical life of the great sitar virtuoso, composer, father of Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, teacher of Philip Glass and friend of Yehudi Menuhin
American composers: the US's 20 greatest composers, ranked
From jazz-fuelled symphonies to Hollywood blockbusters, America’s composers reshaped music with fearless invention. Here are 20 trailblazing voices who made the world stop, listen, and marvel
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Elegy for a vanished world: the timeless mystery of Elgar's Cello Concerto
Written in the shadow of war and decline, Elgar’s Cello Concerto is a haunting farewell to an England that had vanished forever
Outliers: 15 albums that 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
The strange tale of The Beach Boys' 'Smile': paranoia, breakdowns, and a haunting lost masterpiece
Brian Wilson’s doomed Smile was meant to outshine Pet Sounds. Instead, it collapsed into paranoia, fragments, and myth — becoming rock’s greatest unfinished masterpiece
Black Sabbath: all 19 of their albums ranked, from worst to best
From genre-defining classics to cult curiosities, we rank all 19 Black Sabbath albums — the highs, lows, and heavy milestones that shaped metal’s dark legacy
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Dance of the Night Sky (Black Oak Ensemble)
Kate Wakeling is left invigorated by Black Oak Ensemble’s delightful selection
Review: A Prayer for Deliverance (Tenebrae / Nigel Short)
Ashutosh Khandekar enjoys the choir’s characteristic warmth and versatility under director Nigel Short
Review: Purcell – Complete Suites and Other Music for Keyboard
In her review, Kate Bolton-Porciatti believes pianist Cristian Sandrin has set the bar with his thrilling modern take on Purcell keyboard gems
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine