Classical music + Blogposts
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Boulez in the jungle: avant-garde music's indigenous soulDistracted from his composing and iconoclasm by the necessity of earning some money, a young Pierre Boulez found work with a Parisian theatre company. Three trips he made with them to South America changed him and his music forever
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Fantastic Beasts holds UK box office spellbound, as Office Christmas Party gets a round inThe Harry Potter spinoff looks on course for 2016’s top spot after a fourth week at No 1, while Office Christmas Party outdances Bad Santa 2 in the cruel Yule movie stakes
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So much talent given to just one man: Richard Rodney BennettMark Anthony-Turnage pays tribute to his friend, composer, pianist and jazz musician Richard Rodney Bennett, whose music is the focus of this weekend’s BBCSO Total Immersion festival
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A musical tour of Europe’s great cities: ViennaEurope’s musical heart nurtured Beethoven, Schubert and the Strausses, but its second school changed music forever, and today, innovation sits alongside traditionalism
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Paul Lewis: how we're transforming 'the Leeds' to nurture tomorrow's pianistsThe Leeds piano competition is being given a radical, creative reboot. Paul Lewis, one of its new directors – alongside Adam Gatehouse – explains the plan
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Neville Marriner 1924-2016: 'He was one of us'Robert Smissen, principal viola of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, looks back in appreciation at three decades of work and friendship with the late conductor
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John Foxx's ambient playlist – with John Cage, Popol Vuh, Elgar and moreThe singer and artist selects music from the tranquil end of the spectrum – from Erik Satie to Thomas Tallis via Virginia Astley and Aphex Twin
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Tidemarks, turtles and touring: Kathleen Ferrier in her own wordsA new play tells the story of Kathleen Ferrier, using the singers’ own letters and diaries. Lucy Stevens explains how she brought a down-to-earth icon to the stage
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I help bring music to patients in intensive careAfter my own experience in ICU, I became convinced of the therapeutic benefits of live music to those who are critically ill
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A musical tour of Europe’s great cities: HelsinkiIn the fourth in our series, we look at the Finnish capital and its music
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Claire van Kampen: my favourite Shakespeare-inspired compositionsWithout the riches of Shakespeare, the musical world would be a poorer place. The composer, playwright and director picks her 10 favourite pieces
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Symphonies in space: orchestras embrace virtual realityOn Saturday, the Hubble Cantata saw audience members explore the Orion Nebula – the latest in a series of experiments between VR technology and classical music
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A musical tour of Europe’s great cities: VeniceIn the third of a new series, Stephen Moss looks at music inspired by the city of two faces, one opulent and one decaying: next it’s Helsinki – leave your ideas below
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Why are the reputations of US composers so pianissimo?With American orchestras reluctant to celebrate the music of its great symphonists, fellow composer and Aspen festival’s CEO Alan Fletcher is determined to put them back in the spotlight
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Exclusive: watch Benedict Mason's extraordinary MeldThe UK composer’s work premiered to acclaim and gasps of astonishment at the Proms in 2014. His ‘sound theatre’ piece, filmed by fixed cameras and headsets worn by musicians, is available to watch exclusively here, available until Monday 4 July.
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Patricia Kopatchinskaja in praise of minimalism – less is much, much moreMinimalist music is far from a modern invention. The violinist picks her favourite works that prove that you can get something out of nothing
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Why an experimental composer is writing an opera about the newsJacob TV has created a multimedia opera that splices the voices of Trump, Putin and more with music, building into a kaleidoscopic portrait of American media
Arnold Schoenberg: Do not approach with caution