Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947) is widely known for his French mélodies, beautiful art songs that capture emotion with elegance and subtlety. Yet Hahn’s piano music, though less famous, is equally revealing of his artistry. Across solo pieces, cycles, waltzes, and sonatinas, Hahn

On 27 January, we celebrate the birthday of Édouard Lalo, a French composer who may not enjoy the instant name recognition of Saint-Saëns or Fauré, but whose music leaves a lasting impression once you encounter it. Lalo had a gift

When Jacqueline du Pré (1945-1987) stepped into a recording studio in August 1965 to record Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, the world first fully sensed the emotional

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832) may not always get the recognition of Mozart or Beethoven, but to pianists, his stature is beyond dispute. Often called the “Father of the Pianoforte,” Clementi transformed the early keyboard sonata from a simple dance or exercise

For Plácido Domingo, Otello became one of the defining pillars of his extraordinary career. From nervous beginnings in Hamburg to triumphs on the world’s grandest opera stages, and that even includes the silver screen, Domingo and Verdi’s towering Moor of

When Yvonne Loriod (1924-2010) was born on 20 January 1924 in Houilles, near Paris, few could have predicted that this prodigious young pianist would come to define the sound of Olivier Messiaen’s piano music. A visionary interpreter, a technical giant at the keyboard,

On a cold January day in 1751, 17 January to be exact, Venice lost in Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni one of its most intriguing musical sons. Far from being a dull footnote in Baroque history, Albinoni’s life and legacy paint a

When Léo Delibes died in Paris on 16 January 1891, the musical world lost a composer who had quietly but decisively altered the course of ballet music. His passing came at a moment of transition, as classical ballet was moving away