We’re so familiar with the images of Beethoven in his mature years – the glower, the intense look, the solitary figure – but when we go back in time, we can see just how his contemporaries viewed him. The very

Peer pressure from dead people or following in the footsteps of greatness? Classical music is swathed in tradition and culturally conditioned thinking. The traditions of concert-going, for example, are well-known (don’t applaud between movements, listen in reverential silence), and show

Marin Alsop, perhaps one of the best-known women conductors, has broken through the glass ceiling decisively. She was the first woman to be appointed as music director of a major American orchestra in 2007, and has led the Baltimore Symphony

As a young cellist, one of the first things I learned was that a page of music waits, quietly. A musical score, says pianist Jeremy Denk, is “at once a book and a book waiting to be written.” The act

Australia is blessed with oodles of outstanding music groups that play across styles and genres. Many go hand-in-hand with the fresh and lively music that Australian composers create. These eight ensembles highlight what is best about Australia and its diverse

Fewer words strike equal amounts of fear and frustration into the heart of wind players than the word ‘reed’. This seemingly simple piece of cane we attach to our mouthpiece can be the make or break between a beautiful sound

The young Jordanian-Palestinian pianist Iyad Sughayer makes an excellent case for the piano music of Aram Khachaturian in this impressive debut album. His interest in this music developed at a young age – he played the Toccata when he was

My mother is a phenomenally smart woman – virtually everything she says is correct. Sadly, even after 31 years of listening to her sage advice (read: nagging), I still find myself occasionally having to admit that, yet again, I was