Few contemporary pianists divide opinion quite as sharply as Khatia Buniatishvili. To her admirers, she is a magnetic, instinctive musician whose playing can ignite a hall with its emotional immediacy and fearless colour. To her detractors, she is the product
December, 2025
Every December, churches and concert halls the world over present programs of classical music associated with Christmas. Today, we’re wondering: what is the most Christmas-y piece ever written by each of the great composers? In this list, we look at
As December assumes its full hegemony and all the familiar thoughts of Christmas come swirling in, a highlight of my days has been an activity that feels like a kind of daily Christmas present to myself: learning the cello. I
On Fridays, the publisher Mitrofan Petrovich Belaieff had his musical gatherings, bringing together the cream of the St Petersburg composers. The earlier group, who came together around Mily Balakirev, known as the Mighty Handful, or just The Five (Balakirev, Alexander
Most people may think, as they enter their ninth decade on this earth, that it is time to take a richly-deserved rest – but Sir John Rutter is not most people. Sir John (a recent knighthood last year for his
If one thinks of Christmas music, it often is from the 1940s-50s movie soundtracks which have now become festive classics, or through the many pop standards that have made the cut, and delight — or not — our ears each
In terms of piano music, Chopin, Liszt, and Schumann dominate Romanticism with grand narratives. These marvellous composers have long shaped both concert life and listening habits. Yet, there is an entire chorus of quieter figures that worked in the margins.