Features
News, articles and features from the world of classical music
The Phil Collins classic that borrows a forgotten, centuries-old piano tune
Deputy editor Jeremy Pound chooses six of the best pop and rock songs with classical music at their heart
Here are the 20 greatest operas of all time – and the must-hear recordings that bring them to life
From Monteverdi to Berg via Mozart and Puccini, we count down the 20 best operas of all time. Did we miss your favourite?
G'day! 'Neighbours' celebrates 40 years... but who wrote its classic theme tune?
It’s probably one of the most familiar tunes on TV, but who wrote the iconic theme tune for ‘Neighbours’, the Australian daytime drama which celebrates 40 years on our screens?
The drunken disaster that Rachmaninov needed therapy to get over
The sorry tales of pieces that, for one reason or another, would go on to haunt their own composers
Music can increase your workout endurance by 15 per cent. Here are six more life-changing benefits
We know that music has a positive effect on the brain, but music’s impact on the body can also be helpful, improving heart health, stress levels and pain management
What's new?
The Planets: a world-by-world guide to Holst's cosmic work
We bring you the best recordings of each movement of Holst's The Planets
This is a lifesize doll of Alma Mahler - by her jilted lover. Here's the whole bizarre story
Thwarted as a composer, was Gustav Mahler's wife, Alma Mahler, really a ‘boundless narcissist’? Perhaps a troubled soul lurked beneath...
Irish folk songs: seven beautiful, evocative melodies from the Emerald Isle
Self-confessed folk obsessive Freya Parr shares her favourite 7 Irish folk songs
We quizzed musicians for their dream and nightmare pieces to perform. The results are fascinating
Which works do orchestral players love to play? And which do they dread? We head round the sections of some of Europe’s finest ensembles to find out
'The rebellion of a very ill man against a very sick society': why critics shunned the Shostakovich Second Cello Concerto
British critics were slow to appreciate the qualities of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich's Second Cello Concerto, as Erik Levi explains
Artists
Thomas Beecham: master of the waspish one-liner. But an often visionary conductor, too
He might be best remembered now for his frequently withering wit and the head start his family background gave him. But Thomas Beecham was also a conductor of rare insight and musicality
Emil Gilels: a guide to the famous Soviet pianist and his best recordings
Maria Razumovskaya digs through the archives to cast fresh light on the extraordinary life of the great Soviet pianist Emil Gilels
The singer who spat at her deadly rival: lurid tales from the 1920s' great opera divas
The Roaring Twenties saw the rise of sports, jazz and film stars, so how did opera’s leading singers stay in the limelight? By trying to beat these new celebrities at their own game, writes Alexandra Wilson
Composers
Best Romantic composers: the visionaries who flooded music with passion and drama
From Beethoven and Schubert via Mendelssohn and Mahler to Strauss and Rachmaninov, we pore over the greatest composers from the Romantic era, renowned for its grand musical passions and dramas
Leonard Bernstein: the showman and visionary who redefined American music-making
Conductor Grant Llewellyn shares a personal snapshot of what life, rehearsals and music were like with the legendary composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein
Elizabeth Poston: the British composer and WW2 secret agent who sent coded messages through music
Evidence that British composer Elizabeth Poston sent musical war codes via BBC radio broadcasts is tantalisingly scant. But was her alleged method of contacting the Allies widespread? Christopher Lambton examines the clues
Instruments
This is now the most expensive violin in history
For some 12 years, the position of world's most expensive violin was occupied by a famous Guarneri violin from 1741. Now that's all changed - and Stradivarius is back at the top
Weirdest instruments: 14 gloriously strange musical instruments
From the hydraulophone to the Wintergatan Marble Machine, we introduce ten of the most delightfully weird instruments out there
Oboe: the rich, soulful instrument that can give you playful, melancholy and anything in between
Our guide to the woodwind instrument, which has played everything from classical to jazz
Jazz
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
Best jazz pianists: 15 of the greatest piano players in the history of jazz
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 to classical: five surprising classical albums from jazz greats
Musical terms
Why's that tune stuck in your head? The science behind earworms
What are earworms? Are they common and how do I get rid of them? Read on to discover more about this annoying musical phenomenon...
Rubato: a guide to the musical term meaning 'robbed time'
'Robbed time'? Eh? Stephen Johnson gets to grips with another of classical music's technical terms
Gregorian chant: the foundation of Western sacred music - and a source of deep calm and spirituality
All you need to know about this early form of religious music, whose calm and spiritual qualities have spawned some hit recordings
Recordings
Death and the Maiden: Schubert's harrowing string quartet and most emotive recordings
Erik Levi picks out the finest recordings of Schubert's Death and the Maiden, a piece in which the Austrian composer plumbs the very depths of despair
Stravinsky Rite of Spring: the work that shattered classical music tradition
We explore Stravinsky's groundbreaking ballet The Rite of Spring and its seminal place in music history, before picking out some very best recordings
Winterreise: the tale of Schubert's brilliantly bleak song cycle - and four great recordings
Michael Tanner sets out on one of the bleakest and loneliest journeys in classical music, as he selects the finest recordings of Schubert's harrowing song-cycle, Winterreise
Science of Music
These six classical music gems will rewire your brain and unlock your hidden potential
Scientific research continues to support what musicians and music lovers have long known: that classical music can reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and even rewire the brain for greater efficiency
Classical Music's Secret Code: understanding these 4 concepts will make you a 'super listener'
Our guide to the four concepts that will help you to unlock classical music's secret code and become a great listener
Scientists have found that music eases pain best when it matches our natural rhythm
Researchers at Canada's McGill University have found that music provides the greatest pain relief when it aligns with a person’s natural rhythm
TV and Film music
Ranked: the 15 greatest Disney songs (a certain decade gave us almost half of them)
Sean Wilson chooses his best Disney songs of all time - do you agree with his choices?
And the Oscar goes to… The Brutalist
It was Hollywood’s big night and, musically speaking, it belonged to composer Daniel Blumberg…
How they voted: The Best Film Scores of All Time, as chosen by over 60 film and TV composers...
We asked over 60 of today's very best film and television composers to tell us which scores would be in their top five of all time, and they didn't disappoint.
Works
This is classical music's greatest riddle - and six possible solutions
We explore five possible solutions to the central mystery behind Elgar's masterful Enigma Variations. What is the mysterious 'dark saying'?
Classical music for beginners: ten great works to inspire a lifelong love of classical
New to classical music? Here’s ten works we are sure will get you hooked... Daniel Jaffé counts down ten great classical music pieces for beginners
'The greatest single step in the history of music': the masterpiece that tore up the classical rulebook
We analyse the genius and revolutionary inspiration behind Beethoven's extraordinary, epoch-making Third Symphony, the 'Eroica'