Many classical musicians play the great composers’ works without knowing which musicians inspired them. Which is a shame, because so many great composers were directly inspired or influenced by great performing musicians! Some influential musicians even inspired multiple great works

The great composers are not particularly famous for their faithfulness. Many had extramarital affairs. The stories of those relationships provide intriguing glimpses into their complicated personal lives. Today, we’re looking at the relationships between four composers and their mistresses: how

Maria Callas stands at the heart of twentieth-century operatic interpretation as a magnetic, divisive and transformative force. To speak of Renata Tebaldi, Joan Sutherland, or Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is, inevitably, to speak of them in relation to her, for each represents

There are three well-known French composers who have changed the direction of music forever. With their works, they have broken traditions, connected cultures and brought innovation to how music is perceived, composed and experienced. We are, of course, talking about

For six decades, pianist Rudolf Buchbinder has occupied a unique position among Beethoven interpreters. He is neither a flamboyant visionary who reshapes the score in his own image nor the archivist who entombs it in historical reverence. Instead, he has

Most people think of classical music as being very serious. But in reality, classical music is often bizarre, sarcastic, or just plain weird. Today, we’re looking at eight compositions with particularly weird titles, from Mozart’s cheeky “Leck mir den Arsch”

Alma Rosé, a top-class artist – violinist, conductor, ensemble leader and actress, is most remembered today for her amazing courage. She was the conductor and founder of the celebrated women’s orchestra Wiener Walzermädeln–but she is primarily remembered as the conductor of

Although Iveta Apkalna is one of Europe’s most celebrated organists, she has never held a traditional church post. Instead, her titular position at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, a concert hall rather than a house of worship, reflects a path that