Pyotr Tchaikovsky never had children. He was a gay man, and his only marriage fell apart within weeks. His wife would go on to have children with other men that legally he could have claimed as his own, but he

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) is often celebrated for his orchestral masterpieces like the Italian Symphony or the incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, Mendelssohn was not only a prodigious composer but also one of the finest pianists of his

Víkingur Ólafsson has become one of the most identifiable classical pianists of his generation. His artistic personality is restrained, studious, rather austere, and extremely Icelandic. Today, we’re looking at his seven most-viewed performances on YouTube, which feature repertoire from Bach

The rise of air travel over the past century has proven transformative for touring artists, completely rewriting what an international career as a singer, pianist, violinist, or conductor looks like. But that same technology has also led to some of

Daniel Müller-Schott, born on 2 November 1976 in Munich, Germany, leapt to global attention by winning first prize at the 1992 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. Mentored by Anne-Sophie Mutter and performing with elite orchestras, Müller-Schott blends technical brilliance

“All these years, I’ve been trying to convince people that music is not there to please them; it’s there to disturb them.” Pierre Boulez, composer and conductor A powerful quote, capturing Pierre Boulez’s radical philosophy towards art and sound. He

Since its invention in the eighteenth century, the piano has stood as both an expressive outlet and a tool of innovation, and its versatility has allowed countless composers to explore new emotional depths, technical possibilities and stylistic revolutions. Among the

In September 1892, Antonín Dvořák arrived in America with his wife and two of his children, ready to start a new life in the New World. His American sojourn only lasted for three years, but those three years produced some