I learned ensemble playing through the euphonium. At Xinghai Conservatory of Music, breath, intonation and rhythm were daily disciplines, but the larger lesson was how to place one sound inside many others. A euphonium line can support the bass, answer

The modern violin is around 500 years old, and over that time, an endless number of myths and misunderstandings have sprung up around it. The violin’s greatest player was in league with the devil. Violin strings are made from cat

In our previous episode on forgotten Romantic piano concertos, we discovered unexpected and wonderful music by Thalberg, Kalkbrenner, Pixis, Herz, and Hiller. These much-neglected nineteenth- and early twentieth-century piano concertos and concertante works have been brought to light in 87

On 3 October 2026, the American composer Steve Reich, best known as a pioneer of minimal music, turns 90! Birthday celebrations are well underway for a composer whose looping patterns and insistent pulses transformed much of the musical landscape of

Russian composer Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) started his piano studies at age nine and began composing at age 11. Mily Balakirev recognised his talent and contacted Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov on his behalf. He began studying with Rimsky-Korsakov in 1879, when he was

Located in western Bonn, Germany, the village of Endenich dates back to the 8th century. It was incorporated into the city of Bonn in 1904, and today it feels like a gentle continuation of the urban landscape. Driving into Endenich,

Cécile Chaminade was one of the most famous composers of the nineteenth century – and one of the most unjustly forgotten of the twentieth. The French pianist and composer published over 400 works in her lifetime, sold out Carnegie Hall,

Vladimir Horowitz, born on 1 October 1903, is generally considered one of the greatest pianists of all time. Known for his virtuoso technique, infinite degrees of colour, and high-voltage charisma, Horowitz mesmerised audiences with interpretations that produced sonorities that may