Welcome to the March issue of BBC Music Magazine.
This month's cover star is the great American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. The singer is drawing on a wealth of experience – from church singing to bel canto – in a new project inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, as she explains to Clive Paget.
Next up, Jeremy Pound has a gentle chuckle at the composers, from Mozart and Richard Strauss to Bartók and Shostakovich, who have used their musical skills to poke fun at others.
- Here's a side to Mozart you probably didn't know
- 'Play it so that flies drop dead from boredom': Shostakovich in 12 quotes
Elsewhere, we look at one of classical music's greatest accompanists. Pianist Gerald Moore accompanied the likes of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kathleen Ferrier, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Ángeles and Pablo Casals. Also a top raconteur and broadcaster, Moore did much to elevate the role of the pianist in duo performance, says Andrew Green.
Onto a pressing topic for our age, next. Climate change is an issue that affects us all – but, asks Rebecca Franks, what can composers do to draw attention to this important topic? And, as composer Max Richter celebrates his 60th birthday, Claire Jackson dons her slippers and nightcap to reassess his epic-length Sleep.
For this month's Musical Destinations travel feature, we're off to Naples. Naples, Florida, that is, not Naples, Italy. An impressive arts centre proves there is more to this wealthy city than golf courses and mansions, finds Charlotte Smith.
Onto Composer of the Month, where it's Satie time. Though his quirky personality fascinates us, Erik Satie was above all a composer of remarkable craft and originality, explains Ciarán Crilly. And the work under the microscope for this month's Building a Library is Hector Berlioz's viola concerto in all but name, Harold en Italie. The Abruzzo hills are calling, as Terry Williams explores the best recordings of Berlioz’s great, Byron-inspired work for viola and orchestra.
- 'You're nothing but an arse': Erik Satie goes to jail, 1917
- Best viola players: 14 of the greatest violists of all time
On this month's cover CD
This month's cover CD features Rachmaninov's mighty Piano Concerto No. 3 and a selection of his much-loved preludes, performed by Boris Giltburg with accompaniment from the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo. Click here or on the image below to see the track details for this month's cover CD.
