Music can teach us the secrets to a better life. Here’s how
It’s official: playing an instrument is good for your mind and body. But, asks Ariane Todes, what other life skills can musicians teach us?
50 years of 'A Night at the Opera': how Queen rewrote rock's rulebook
Exploding with invention, defiance, and flamboyant charm, Queen’s A Night at the Opera remains a dazzling milestone—where glam met grandeur and rock became theatre
Alma Mahler: narcissist, adulterer... and one of music's most colourful characters
Thwarted as a composer, was Gustav Mahler's wife, Alma Mahler, really a ‘boundless narcissist’? Perhaps a troubled soul lurked beneath...
Five things to know before buying an acoustic guitar
Let us help find the best acoustic guitar for you
Why heavy metal bands sound so much better with symphony orchestras
Aren’t classical orchestras and heavy metal bands worlds apart? Collaborations between the two reveal unexpected similarities, writes Joe Matera
Mozart was facing charges of indecency. This was his solution
Mozart's marriage, hastily arranged, stops a visit from the Vienna police, writes Terry Blain
Ten of the best farewell albums
From The Beatles’ bittersweet farewell to Nirvana’s raw swan song, these remarkable final albums prove some artists save their boldest work for last
Best Mahler symphony: ranking the nine completed symphonies from music's epic emotional storyteller
We've ranked all nine Mahler masterpieces from our least favourite to the absolute best
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
Separated at death: the macabre afterlife of a famous composer
The remarkable tale of the composer whose head was removed from his body after death - and reunited with it almost 150 years later
Meet the most fascinating figures from classical music
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
The great composers
Explore the lives and works of classical music's finest composers
John Cage: the composer whose most famous work didn't make a sound
Nick Shave explores the nuts and bolts of an avant gardist whose creative genius goes well
beyond his famous 4'33" of not-quite-silence
Here's a side to Mozart you probably didn't know
Undoubtedly Mozart joined the Freemasons to assist his career, but the young composer was also inspired by their egalitarian values
'Play it so that flies drop dead from boredom': Dmitri Shostakovich in 12 quotes
Shostakovich was a thoughtful, sometimes acerbic commentator on music and society. Others, such as Pierre Boulez, had their own views on him. Here are 11 memorable Shostakovich quotes
Brilliant, burdened, overlooked: the women who made classical music happen
If composers’ wives could be the ultimate muse, some were coerced into giving up their own careers to support their husbands
Greatest Recordings
Our recommendations of essential additions to your listening library
Rush albums ranked: all 19 studio LPs, from worst to best
From hard rock roots to progressive masterpieces, Rush’s studio albums chart a thrilling journey of evolution and brilliance. We've ranked 'em all
The 1980s were bold, brash... and unforgettable. Here's the greatest album of every '80s year
From synth-pop to stadium rock, post-punk to art pop, here are the defining albums that shaped each unforgettable year of the 1980s
Greatest spiritual jazz albums: 15 transcendent masterpieces, ranked
Journey beyond genre with these transcendent, soul-stirring albums that define the cosmic, meditative heart of spiritual jazz.
Ranked: the 15 albums that made 1973 Peak Prog Rock
From Mellotrons to mind-expanding epics, these 15 albums show why 1973 was prog rock’s boldest, brightest, most adventurous year
Albums of the week
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
Review: Purcell – Complete Suites and Other Music for Keyboard
In her review, Kate Bolton-Porciatti believes pianist Cristian Sandrin has set the bar with his thrilling modern take on Purcell keyboard gems
Review: Moonlight Variations (Pablo Ferrández)
Cellist Pablo Ferrández serves up an appetising menu of works, perfectly played and curated, says Jo Talbot in her review
Review: For Dieter... (Benjamin Appl)
Benjamin Appl’s heartfelt and imaginative album homage to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is cherishable, says Natasha Loges in her review
Audio equipment reviews and advice
A selection of the best reviewed albums from the latest issue of BBC Music Magazine
How to choose the best turntable for your budget in 2025 – from under £200 to £135,000
The best desktop speakers 2025: turn your home office into a listening paradise
Here are the best luxury headphones on the market right now
Our audio expert Chris Haslam tests options for luxurious listening in private