A surprising number of great composers owe their reputations to a particular performer who first championed their music. These partnerships – whether rooted in romance, platonic friendship, sheer admiration, or some mix of all three – helped to shape the

Polish composer Paul Caro (1859–1914) came from a background in the metals industry: his grandfather had started an iron and wool trading company, his father was the founder of the Hermina ironworks, he and his two brothers worked in the

On 21 March 1925, Monte Carlo staged the first performance of L’enfant et les sortilèges (The Child and the Spells), by Maurice Ravel. The première of Ravel’s second and final opera was a resounding success, and the composer praised an

It is almost impossible to talk about one without the other, as the sibling pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are, according to the New York Times, “the best piano duo in front of an audience today.” (New York Times) They

Before Ludwig van Beethoven became one of the greatest composers in history, he was a child prodigy pianist from Bonn, Germany. Born into a musical family, his father helped train him as a musician…but also subjected him to horrific abuse.

If you look at playlists these days, you’ll find that lists of the “10 Best This” and the “10 Best That” have taken over. And did I mention that the “10 Happiest” and the “10 Saddest” are everywhere. Don’t get

Few composers in history have left behind a legacy as massive and scandal-ridden as Richard Wagner. Today, he is remembered for revolutionising opera with works like Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and the Ring Cycle. But offstage, Wagner’s life was a

For nearly three decades, the Venice Baroque Orchestra has stood as one of the leading ambassadors of historically informed performance. Founded in 1997 by Andrea Marcon, the orchestra’s artistic DNA remains inseparable from his vision. A scholar, harpsichordist, and conductor deeply immersed