In our previous episode on forgotten Romantic piano concertos, we discovered unexpected and wonderful music by Berwald, Rimsky-Korsakov, Chaminade, Moszkowski and Paderewski. These much-neglected nineteenth- and early twentieth-century piano concertos and concertante works have been brought to light in 87

What is the oldest violin in the world? The answer is almost certainly sitting in a museum in Cremona, Italy – and it has a story worthy of the title. Built around 1566 by Andrea Amati, the founding father of

Classical music has given us some of history’s most complicated fathers. Some were domineering, some were absent, some were both – and a few managed, despite everything, to be genuinely devoted. From Leopold Mozart, who shaped one of the greatest

When people talk about Baroque music, names like Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi usually dominate the conversation. However, in the early eighteenth century, Antonio Caldara was widely regarded as one of Europe’s greatest composers. Born in Venice in 1670, Caldara built

The earliest classical recordings offer modern listeners a priceless gift: a direct line to performers who lived during or shortly after the lifespans of the great composers. These eight early classical recordings, made between 1901 and 1907, capture castrati, legendary

The piano was invented at the turn of the eighteenth century by a craftsman from Padua, Italy, named Bartolomeo Cristofori. Decades later, German instrument builder Gottfried Silbermann picked up where Cristofori left off – refining the design, championing the instrument

History is full of talented women whose achievements have been overshadowed or forgotten. But few stories are as remarkable as that of Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony, and her granddaughter Princess Amalie – two women composers who flourished at the

For many artists, being an artist is not merely a profession. It is an essential part of their identity. A musician does not necessarily stop thinking of themselves as a musician when they leave the concert platform; a painter remains