Violinist Joseph Joachim was one of the greatest violinists of the nineteenth century, and a dear friend of composer Johannes Brahms for decades. But in 1884, while he was going through a brutal divorce, Joachim was blindsided by what he

This quote is from an episode of Masterchef: The Professionals, a TV series to which I am addicted. It’s from a professional chef, a finalist in one season of the competition, and it struck a chord with me the moment

December is packed with some of the most famous (and infamous) anniversaries in classical music history. It’s the month when Beethoven’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were heard for the first time in a freezing Viennese hall – the month when

While Angelika Kirchschlager’s operatic achievements are widely celebrated, it is in the recital hall that her interpretive powers fully shine. In such private settings, she reveals a profound understanding of the intimate relationship between text, music, and the audience, and

The French cantata, emerging in the late 17th century and flourishing through the early 18th century, represents a distinctive musical form that blended Italianate influences with the expressive and refined aesthetic of French Baroque music. Originating around 1700, the French

Have you ever browsed a classical music program and wondered what all those cryptic numbers mean? BWV 988? K. 550? Sz. 106? Well, you’re not alone. Many music lovers don’t know what they mean! But these catalogue numbers are more

The opening song of Taylor Swift’s 2020 album Folklore contains the lyric “You know the greatest films of all time were never made.” Sometimes I wonder if the greatest classical music was never made. Every classical music lover is going

Sir Stephen Hough, born on 22 November 1961, is widely celebrated as a virtuoso pianist and composer, but he is equally distinguished as a thoughtful and prolific writer. His literary output spans theology, memoirs, fiction, and essays that reflect the