There’s something thrilling about the opening of a great piano concerto. The big instrument gets rolled onstage; the soloist and conductor stride out to applause; the pianist sits and raises their arms and nods to the conductor to begin. Today,

Charles Ives (1874–1954) used his chamber music as experimental studies, trying out his ideas with a small ensemble. In his Piano Trio, written between 1904 and 1911 and revised in 1914, he brought out musical ideas that dated from his

The history of classical music is full of the stories of composers who have had energetic love lives. Many ended up having children out of wedlock, and many others have been suspected of having children outside of wedlock. Today we’re

After Tchaikovsky, Alexander Glazunov, born on 10 August 1865, was Russia’s greatest symphonist, who handed down this legacy to Dmitry Shostakovich. Being such a wonderful orchestral composer, it’s easy to overlook his achievements as a skilled and expert composer of

To be a good conductor, you must first play a musical instrument. We professionals who’ve played in professional orchestras appreciate the conductors who have emerged from the ranks. They learn from the inside what we need from them, to name

On 9 August 1975, the world lost one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic and profound musical voices, Dmitry Dmitriyevich Shostakovich. Fifty years later, as we commemorate the anniversary of his death, his legacy endures as a testament to the

It’s August 8, and your living room is a furry warzone of pure feline energy. Your tabby is perched on the couch like a smug emperor, the internet is on fire with cat content, and your X is flooded with

In 1841 in Paris, Richard Wagner awkwardly introduced himself to Franz Liszt. The two men were close in age: Wagner was twenty-eight and Liszt was thirty. However, their career trajectories could not have been more different. Liszt had been a