Simon Heighes
Journalist and Critic, BBC Music Magazine
Recent articles by Simon Heighes
Why isn't the vinyl trend crossing over to the classical music market?
Over the past few years, a resurgence of interest in vinyl recordings has taken popular music by storm. Cellist Leonard Elschenbroich tells Simon Heighes why classical musicians should also take an interest
The Reformation: how did Martin Luther revolutionise church music?
Martin Luther’s Reformation opened the doors to a more colourful church music landscape. Simon Heighes explores how composers adapted to their new licence to thrill
Thomaskirche in Leipzig and Bach: the church's musical history, importance and legacy explored
Today, we think of Leipzig as the home of the famous Gewandhaus Orchestra and the music publishers Breitkopf & Härtel, but above all as the place where JS Bach wrote his greatest music. Simon Heighes explores its oldest cultural and educational establishment, the triad of church, choir and school known as ‘Thomana’, which continues to flourish both at home and abroad.
How the King James Bible inspired and influenced composers and their music
Simon Heighes looks at how composers over he centuries have taken advantage of the musical opportunities offered in the King James Bible
Wax cylinders: what they are and how they revolutionised music in the late-19th and early-20th centuries
When sound reproduction was discovered, a record industry was quick to follow. Simon Heighes tells the story of how the wax cylinder started a worldwide musical revolution