Climate change is the defining crisis of the 21st century. It has reshaped how we understand the world around us and our place within it. While the sciences describe the mechanisms of warming and the economics examine mitigation strategies, the

Love him or hate him, few people have done more to bring classical music to global audiences than André Rieu. The Dutch violinist/conductor regularly presents massive orchestral concerts that are full-fledged spectacles. He tours massive venues around the world playing

Composed in 1968 by Astor Piazzolla to a libretto by Horacio Ferrer, María de Buenos Aires occupies a singular place in twentieth-century music theatre. Neither opera nor musical, it fuses tango nuevo with surrealist poetry to create a ritual of

Classical music is dying. Thus goes the lament of many headlines addressing the classical music industry. The younger generation sees no appeal in the concert hall. Classical music is an art form dwelling in the past whose patrons are slowly

Grammy Award-winning conductor Paavo Järvi, born on 30 December 1962 in Tallinn, Estonia, makes orchestral music feel urgently alive. There is a distinctive clarity to his performances, yet they never sound academic or over-controlled. Järvi has a rare gift for

The 12 months of the calendar year are a fascinating inspiration for composers. Every month is different, and the developing characters of the changing seasons provide a springboard for so many musical ideas. American composer Judith Lang Zaimont (b. 1945)

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) took the Ballade from being a favourite kind of German poem to something much more eloquent. In the pens of Goethe and Schiller, it was a narrative poem, and the most familiar we know in music includes

January has, historically speaking, been the month of a number of important beginnings in classical music history. This is the month we celebrate the birthdays of giants like Mozart and Schubert, as well as the premieres of The Flying Dutchman,