Rebecca Franks
Recent articles by Rebecca Franks
Autism? Tourette's? Top psychiatrists assess Mozart's bizarre, brilliant mind
Using today’s psychoanalytic methods, what can we learn, asks Rebecca Franks, about the mind of Mozart, perhaps the greatest musical genius of all?
This five-minute classical work will help you achieve mindfulness
Here are a selection of pieces, from Hildegard von Bingen to Debussy, that will aid your serenity and mindfulness and put you in the perfect zone for meditation
Henriëtte Bosmans: the Dutch-Jewish composer who bravely confronted the Nazis in person
Amid the terrors of Nazi oppression, the Dutch-Jewish composer showed admirable fearlessness and passion, says Rebecca Franks
Music can help in the battle against multiple sclerosis. Here's the science
Music’s ability to reduce stress, stimulate nerves and ‘rewire’ the brain can help to manage the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, writes Rebecca Franks
Is there a link between mental illness and creativity? Top psychologists have their say
The cliché of the ‘mad genius’ has long perpetuated the idea that creativity and mental illness are linked. But, asks Rebecca Franks, how true is that notion?
Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem: a prayer for peace as the Nazi shadow loomed
Rebecca Franks explores a composer’s choral plea for peace, written
as the dark cloud of fascism moved ominously over a nervous Europe
Review: Complete Works for Solo Piano (Bavouzet)
In her review, Rebecca Franks enjoys Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s characterful new take on the complete solo piano works of Ravel
Shostakovich's seven greatest symphonies, ranked
Rebecca Franks shares her personal ranking of her top seven symphonies by the great Soviet composer, Shostakovich
'Almost like making love': nine incredible, inspirational Debussy works
His impact on the post-Romantic music landscape cannot be overstated. Here, nine performers choose their favourite works by the French master of atmosphere, Claude Debussy
Birds in classical music: how the joys of birdsong have inspired our greatest composers
From the warble of a nightingale to the chatter of a chaffinch, here are some of the best examples of birdsong in classical music
How the pains of love have found their way into these heart-wrenching pieces of classical music
From 12th-century troubadours to glitzy modern-day tenors, love is a timeless theme explored in western classical music. But sometimes it's not always pretty...
Bonbons, candied fruits and royal jelly... 5 notoriously sweet-toothed composers
Would you go for a delicate Marjolaine or a hearty game pie? Bakewell tart or savoury fougasse? We find out which composers had a taste for sugary treats…
Honestly, it's never too late. These seven composers hit a brilliant creative peak in middle or old age
Who were the composers who produced their masterpieces in later life? Rebecca Franks finds out
Review: Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2 etc (Yoav Levanon)
The young Israeli-French pianist Yoav Levanon goes all in with this sparkling and dramatic display of Liszt, says Rebecca Franks in her review
Review: An Atlas of Deep Time (John Luther Adams)
In her review, Rebecca Franks is awed by John Luther Adams’s immersive new work with Earth’s timeline at its heart
Gaspard de la nuit: inside Ravel’s famously haunting piano cycle
Rebecca Franks explores the twilight world of Ravel’s haunting and nightmarish cycle, Gaspard de la nuit, and finds the best recording of this virtuosic work
C Schumann • R Schumann: Works for Oboe and Piano
Rebecca Franks finds much to enjoy in this eloquent programme of sublime Schumann for oboe and piano from Nicholas Daniel and Julius Drake
Penniless composers: 15 musical giants who wrestled with poverty
Which composers all too often felt the pinch? From Mozart to Sibelius, here are 15 musical greats who suffered financial woes
Beach: Piano Works (Une prodige empêchée)
Rebecca Franks enjoys the poetry and virtuosity on show in this sparkling portrait of composer Amy Beach, in this review
Ranked: the monumental, deeply spiritual symphonies of Anton Bruckner
Rebecca Franks shares her personal ranking of all nine masterpieces by the great Austrian composer, Bruckner
Classical music inspired by night - from peaceful moonlit evenings to witching hour nightmares
Composers over the centuries have been inspired by the after hours... Rebecca Franks takes us on a musical journey from dusk till dawn
Philip Glass Piano Etudes - a pleasurable way to improve your piano technique
Rebecca Franks studies closely as she listens to the finest recordings of 20 pieces that offer much more than their dry didactic title suggests
All nine Vaughan Williams symphonies, ranked
Rebecca Franks shares her personal ranking of all nine masterpieces by the great British composer
The visionary French composer who risked the guillotine, went on a secret mission and was kidnapped
Hélène de Montgeroult risked the guillotine during the French Revolution – but there’s far more to this talented composer than her remarkable survival, as pianist Clare Hammond tells Rebecca Franks