Artists
These 7 bands were iconic. But you'll struggle to hear their influence today
They defined eras and left timeless songs—yet these seven iconic bands were a musical full stop, their sound still strangely unclaimed today
These are the 21 most awesome cellists of all time
From Pablo Casals to Jacqueline du Pré, we celebrate some of the greatest cellists of the past 300 years
Shapeshifters: rock's 17 most radical reinventions, ranked
From Dylan’s electric shock to Bowie’s endless reinventions, these 15 acts didn’t just evolve — they transformed so radically they became almost unrecognisable
BBC Symphony Orchestra: all you need to know about the BBC Proms' busiest orchestra
Discover the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC’s principal broadcasting orchestra at the heart of British cultural life since 1930
These 7 great bands lost a key member – and never recovered
When a band loses its irreplaceable member, the music never sounds the same. These 7 great groups tried to carry on—but never truly recovered
Vladimir Horowitz: the legendary pianist who retired four times and had electroshock therapy for depression
Vladimir Horowitz was one of the greatest pianists the world had ever seen. his success, however, came at a heavy price. Nick Forton charts a glittering career blighted by depression and long periods away from the concert stage
From Ziggy to Camille: rock's 15 wildest alter egos
From psychedelic parodies to gender-bending voices and cartoon bands, rock’s greatest alter egos let artists escape, experiment, and reinvent themselves—sometimes eclipsing their “real” identities entirely
The Beatles are the greatest band of all time. Here's why
As we mark 65 years of The Beatles, Bob Chilcott, composer, former King’s Singer and Fab Four fanatic, explores the band’s many musical influences
Canadian musicians: Canada's greatest performers of all time, ranked
From folk legends to pop icons, Canada has produced extraordinary talent. Here’s our ranking of the 15 greatest Canadian musicians, celebrating innovation, influence, and timeless artistry.
How the hell...? Rock's 15 unlikeliest success stories, ranked
Some bands shouldn’t have existed: chaotic line-ups, clueless musicians, or impossible personalities. Yet these 15 acts defied the odds — and changed music forever
These 11 bands honestly sounded like no one else
From Captain Beefheart’s surreal blues to Can’s hypnotic Krautrock, these 11 bands redefined music, creating sounds that were utterly unique
The night the 1960s died: the Rolling Stones' notorious Altamont debacle
The dream of peace and music ended among rancour, blood, and broken ideals at a hastily arranged rock festival in the burnt-orange dusk of 1969’s final days
Ranked: the 11 greatest rock movies of all time
Rock and cinema collided in unforgettable ways. From Beatlemania to Pink Floyd in Pompeii, these 11 films defined how rock looks and feels
Wendy Carlos: the trans pioneer who created Stanley Kubrick’s creepiest soundscapes
Discover the bold, brilliant world of Wendy Carlos—electronic music pioneer, innovator, and trailblazing figure in sound and identity.
The very rude thing that conductor Thomas Beecham once said
Great conductors have sometimes betrayed sexist attitudes when talking about their female colleagues
The saddest 'what ifs' in rock: 7 bands that missed their moment
Seven brilliant bands with unforgettable songs, tangled fates, and heartbreaking near-misses — this is the story of rock’s greatest almost-weres and the stars that never rose
Best pianist: 21 awesome magicians of the keyboard, ranked
Who was the best pianist of all time? We asked 100 leading pianists to name the performers who have brought the most magic to the keyboard
Bachs to Von Trapps: music's 10 greatest dynasties
Jeremy Pound ponders nurture, nature and ancestral trees as he admires the collective talents of history’s most musical families
The greatest blues singers: 15 giants of the genre, ranked
Paul McGuinness explores the best blues singers of all time, who helped shape and influence the genre
Dennis Brain: Britain’s horn hero who captivated the world
Dennis Brain inspired a generation of musicians and music fans alike. Andrew Green traces the meteoric rise and tragic end of the French horn virtuoso
Herbert von Karajan: the high priest of classical music... with a Nazi past
If a conductor has a tainted personal history, should we still listen to their music? When that conductor is arguably the greatest of all, the dilemma becomes even more problematic...
Fifteen astonishing musicians we lost far too soon
From Robert Johnson to Nick Drake: 15 brilliant musicians gone too soon—tragic losses that shaped music history and left us wondering what could have been
Roger Norrington: quiet radical and pioneer of historically informed performance
As a leading pioneer of the period performance movement, Roger Norrington transformed how we hear composers from Bach to Mahler. As he retired in 2022, he shared his memories with Julian Haylock
Secrets of the castrati: the eye-watering surgery that created opera's greatest stars
Italian opera castrati enjoyed cult status in the 17th and 18th centuries but, explains Jeremy Pound, the path to stardom was a notoriously dangerous one
