Rebecca Franks
Recent articles by Rebecca Franks
Jakub Józef Orliński: the breakdancing countertenor and cover model who has graced the world's biggest opera stages
Star countertenor, breakdancer and model Jakub Józef Orliński enjoys a challenge – and he’s now applying his boundless commitment and energy to the role of artistic director on his new recording of Gluck’s Orfeo, as he tells Rebecca Franks
Sitar player Jasdeep Singh Degun on creating crossovers between Indian and Western classical music
Rebecca Franks meets RPS Award winner Jasdeep Singh Degun, who is shining a light on Indian Classical music
How many symphonies did Beethoven write?
An introduction to the 19th-century composer Beethoven's nine great orchestral symphonies
15 penniless composers
Which composers all too often felt the pinch? From Mozart to Sibelius, here are 15 musical greats who suffered financial woes
Best 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
Gaspard de la Nuit: a guide to Ravel’s haunting cycle and its best recordings
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
La Danse
Upheaval
Birdsong in classical music: how birds have influenced and inspired the great 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...
Candlelight Concerts: the new social media phenomenon making classical music accessible
In recent years, the Candlelight Concerts brand has become a phenomenon, helped in no small part by social media. Rebecca Franks finds out more.
Leiviskä: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 – Sinfonia Brevis; Suite for Orchestra No. 2; Symphony No. 2
Variation(s), Vol. 2: Works by Beethoven, Sweelinck, JS Bach, Cage, Feldman, Crumb
Bacewicz: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Chopin • Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas etc
Debussy: Études etc
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos 26 & 27 etc
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 5 & 6
Mozart: Piano Sonatas
Romance and Counterpoint
Romance and Counterpoint
Yosuke Kawasaki (violin), Angela Hewitt, Stewart Goodyear (piano); NAC Orchesta/Alexander Shelley (Analekta)
Fantasia (Igor Levit)
Igor Levit (piano) (Sony Classical)
Mozart Recital (Su Yeon Kim)
Su Yeon Kim (piano) (Steinway)
E Mayer: String Quartets, Vol. 1
Constanze Quartet (CPO)