Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
The 7 musical masterpieces that fundamentally changed how we think about ourselves
Alexander Shelley explores the pivotal works that reshaped our understanding of humanity
Millions of listeners love the music of Einaudi. They can’t all be wrong
Meandering and often melancholic, the music of Ludovico Einaudi is also extraordinarily popular. So, asks Tom Service, what is its great appeal?
‘The whistles and boos were terrifying… but the show must go on!’: baritone Nicola Alaimo
7 great composers... and the dark secret that haunted the Romantic era
Romantic composers were passionate, sensual and untrammelled in their desires. Sadly, this meant a surge in deaths a particularly unwelcome disease
Roy Harris Third Symphony: the most dazzling evocation of America’s wide-open spaces
Terry Williams is captivated by the American landscape as he enjoys the best recordings of this 1930s orchestral masterpiece
What's new?
7 movies about composers you must see (and one to avoid)
From Amadeus to Lisztomania, we rate the portrayals of classical music's greats on the big screen
Richard Rodney Bennett: from high-class jazz to Agatha Christie, one Britain's most talented composers
From youthful atonalism to Oscar-winning filmscores and suavely genial jazz, here was a composer who had it all, says Mervyn Cooke
Meet Gautier Capuçon: the intrepid French cellist who played at the top of Mont Blanc
A spirited adventurer, cellist Gautier Capuçon recently performed while suspended by wires high above the Alps, as Anthony Cheng reports
Dalia Stasevska: meet the Ukraine-born Finnish conductor leading the 2026 First Night of the Proms
An introduction to Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska, the current principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Yunchan Lim: the superstar pianist who, at just 18, reduced a famous conductor to tears
Artists
Composers
We ranked the 21 greatest German composers of all time (and he's right up there)
Germany has produced many of the greatest composers in history. We count them down (and reveal a gateway work for each)
The art of letting go – composing for another artist
Italian composer and pianist Olivia Belli shares insights on composing for other artists... and composing for herself
Six of the best: works by Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Fauré mastered the art of quiet emotion, creating music of luminous beauty, subtle harmonies and profound, understated humanity
Instruments
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....
Is this music's eeriest instrument?
We explain the workings of the unusual instrument, the Ondes Martenot, that takes centre stage in Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony
Rock's most iconic bass guitar vanished in 1969 - and turned up in an attic half a century later
Million-dollar violins stolen from cafes - and more: our guide to some of the most famous stolen musical instruments in history
Jazz
Jazz pianists ranked: these are jazz's 15 greatest magicians of the piano
Who are the best jazz pianists of all time? Here, in alphabetical order, are 15 of the greatest ivory tinkers in the history of jazz
From jazz piano in cocktail bars to starring in Wicked: Jeff Goldblum's musical memories
Best jazz saxophonists of all time, ranked - and the albums you need to add to your library now
Who is the best jazz saxophonist of all time? From Johnny Hodges to John Coltrane, we've had a go at ranking the top 15 - and we've recommended an essential album from each
Musical terms
Minimalism was much more than a return to basics... it was a revolution
Meet the dangerous musical sound known as the 'devil in music'
For centuries, the tritone - a musical interval spanning three whole tones - has added tension, drama and mystery to music by everyone from Bach to Bernstein
What is a symphony? | Inside the symphony: everything you need to know about one of music's quintessential building blocks
Haydn wrote more than 100. Brahms wrote four, all amazing. Mahler put the whole world into his. All you need to know about the symphony
Recordings
'All-conquering': inside Bach's mighty B minor Mass – and its greatest recording
The sheer variety and craftsmanship of JS Bach’s final choral masterpiece, Mass in B minor, enthral Paul Riley as he chooses the finest recordings
Nathan Henninger: orchestral music in an age of streaming and cinema
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
Science of Music
Scientists have been studying why male humpback whales sing together. And something special is going on
Over a million years, male humpback whales have developed a repertoire of songs whose purpose scientists are now keen to establish, says Tom Service
From sofa to studio: can you hear music the way the artist intended?
We explore what really matters when it comes to audio technology – and how it can create a truly authentic listening experience.
Is AI really all-consuming? Why musicians shouldn't be too gloomy... yet!
The rise of Artificial Intelligence may be spreading gloom over the music world but, reasons Tom Service, there is still hope for us humans yet!
Seasonal
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TV and Film music
We ranked the 18 greatest rock soundtrack moments of the 1990s
The perfect song can make a great movie scene unforgettable, as these classic tracks prove
World Cup TV theme tunes: the 7 most unforgettable melodies from World Cups past
The football was (mostly) unforgettable - and so was the soundtrack. We remember seven World Cup theme tunes that defined entire tournaments
7 mind-blowing musical depictions of nature in the movies
Conductor Laurence Equilbey picks the best musical depictions of nature on the big screen
Works
So much more than Sibelius… try these 7 Finnish masterpieces
Conductor Sakari Oramo selects compelling works by Sibelius and his Finnish successors
Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5: The Best Recordings
Amid the misery of World War II, the British composer’s work offered a sense of calm and even optimism to some, as Terry Blain relates
Ten great concertos for strange instruments
From contrabassoons to harmonicas, we take a look at some of the more unusual concertos to have found their way into the concert hall over the centuries
