Music Education
Ravel’s Boléro is one of classical music’s great paradoxes: almost nothing changes, yet it remains utterly compelling. Through repetition, orchestral colour and an inexorable crescendo, Ravel transforms simplicity into one of music’s most unforgettable experiences.
Music Education
From allegro and adagio to crescendo and piano, Italian is everywhere in classical music. But why did one language become the universal vocabulary for tempo, dynamics and expression across centuries of European musical history?
Features
Netflix’s 'Four Hands, Two Sonatas' brings the intensity of elite classical piano into the K-drama spotlight, using rivalry, friendship and the intimate art of four-hand playing to make a specialised musical world accessible to new audiences.
Know Your Composer
Mozart’s genius was not effortless magic but the meeting of rare talent, intense training, artistic curiosity, and relentless professional work. The truth behind the myth is more human, and ultimately more astonishing than legend suggests.
Music Technology
Explore the practical differences between in-ear monitors and stage wedges, from sound quality and hearing protection to cost, comfort and ensemble awareness, helping musicians choose the right monitoring system for confident live performance on stage.
Music Education
Opera was once an all-night spectacle of music, theatre and social life. From lavish Baroque productions to Wagner’s epic dramas, audiences accepted performances lasting five hours because opera offered far more than music alone.
News
A new documentary follows pianist Yuja Wang at a pivotal point in her career, exploring the virtuosity, pressure and private doubt behind one of classical music’s most fearless and recognisable artists on the international stage.
Rumours once claimed that violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini had sold his soul to the Devil. In reality, his astonishing technique, dramatic stage presence and carefully cultivated mystique created one of music history’s most enduring legends.
Drawing on over two decades across the US, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, Cindy Hwang reflects on cultural leadership, audience connection, and how thoughtful programming can shape the future of classical music worldwide.
Piano-born yet guitar-haunted, Granados’s 'Danzas españolas' find new life in a complete duo transcription by Eugenio Della Chiara and Pietro Locatto. They discuss tradition, tuning, colour, and the intimacy of playing as one.
On the first death anniversary of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, the members of Shakti reunite to honour his legacy. Through memories, music and a shared history of innovation, they recount the extraordinary journey that shaped Indo-jazz fusion.
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Jean Sibelius and Ferruccio Busoni came from very different musical worlds, yet forged a lasting friendship built on admiration, intellectual curiosity and a shared belief in artistic independence. Their relationship reveals a fascinating side of musical history.
From soaring sopranos and heroic tenors to rich baritones, powerful basses and the distinctive countertenor, discover how opera’s voice types work—and how composers use vocal colour to bring characters to life.
Beethoven supposedly cut the legs from his piano so he could feel its vibrations through the floor. The story is irresistible—but did it actually happen, or has history turned a practical detail into legend?
Dolly Parton was far more than a country music legend. Behind the rhinestones and larger-than-life persona was an extraordinary songwriter, cultural icon and philanthropist whose sincerity, generosity and understanding of people made her unforgettable.
A personal remembrance of violin pedagogue Henryk Kowalski, whose 1985 concert in Goa led to an unexpected hotel-room lesson and left a lasting impression on a young violinist seeking guidance and inspiration.
Fifty years on, ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” remains one of pop’s most recognisable songs. Beneath its glittering surface lies a masterclass in rhythm, melody, harmony, arrangement and production, revealing why this disco classic continues to captivate audiences.
From Beethoven’s Fifth to Pachelbel’s Canon, classical music is everywhere. These ten famous pieces have appeared in films, advertisements, weddings and television so often that you probably know the melodies without knowing their names.
Aaron Copland transformed American musical identity through spacious harmonies, open intervals, jazz-inflected rhythms and transparent orchestration. From 'Appalachian Spring' to 'Rodeo' and 'Fanfare for the Common Man', his music made simplicity remarkably powerful.
Kannada composer and music educator Sai Somesh joins ABRSM’s composer mentoring programme, bringing his experience in film, music production and education to an initiative seeking to diversify the repertoire available to young musicians worldwide.
Composer Stephen Michael Gryč discusses 'Virtuosity', his lifelong fascination with instruments, the performers who shape his concertos, and why melody remains central to his distinctive, tonal yet unmistakably contemporary musical language.
The Symphony Orchestra of India marks its 20th anniversary with an ambitious Autumn 2026 Season, featuring four symphonic concerts, two chamber recitals, international debuts and works by Beethoven, Mozart, Elgar, Wagner and Tchaikovsky.
The 33rd edition of Verbier Festival recently concluded in Switzerland. Simon Broughton was there for the last four days and sends this report.