A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Emanuel Ax has been described as “a quiet, self-effacing character and a genuinely poetic musician, the antithesis of the glitz that characterises some of his more populist colleagues.” A multiple

One of the greatest concert and opera conductors of the 20th century, George Szell was a child prodigy. Educated in Vienna, Szell made his conducting debut at the age of 16 with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and he was appointed

Sandrine Piau initially made her name by working with William Christie in the field of Baroque music. Today, she commands a formidably wide-ranging repertoire, embracing operatic roles from Mozart to Poulenc and from Debussy to Britten. She also takes pleasure

One of the most popular artists of our time, Cecilia Bartoli has sold more than ten million audio and video recordings worldwide. She created the Cecilia Bartoli Music Foundation in 2018, aiming to bring classical music to a wider audience

His playing has been characterised by a depth of expression, sense of individuality, and technical mastery. But what is more, cellist Kian Soltani convinces with a charismatic stage presence and his ability to create an immediate emotional connection with his

French pianist Michel Dalberto stormed onto the international stage by winning the 1st Mozart Competition in Salzburg and the Clara Haskil Prize in Vevey, Switzerland. A leading interpreter of the music of Schubert, Liszt, Schumann, and all the great French

Dazzling audiences with technical prowess and emotional depth, German soprano Diana Damrau has achieved international fame in opera and also in concert and lieder performances. Sporting impeccable diction, extended lyricism, and vivid theatricality, Damrau effortlessly commands the coloratura repertoire, and

The premiere performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem took place on 30 May 1962 at the consecration ceremony for the New Coventry Cathedral. The original fourteenth-century structure had been destroyed in a World War II bombing raid, and the work