For many of us, we think of Spring as the start of the seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – saving the cold for the end. For Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946), who started thinking about the shape of

Among today’s pianists, Konstantin Lifschitz is closely associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Ever since his legendary 1994 recording of the Goldberg Variations, made when he was 17 and still a teenager, Lifschitz has been regarded as a

Manuel Blancafort (1897-1987) had the ideal exposure to the world via his parents’ hotel, located in the spa town of La Garriga, near Barcelona. Artists, intellectuals, and politicians all came to the resort. Another influence was unexpected. In addition to

Given how often composers travel for work, it’s not surprising that many of them have gotten into accidents. Some of these accidents could easily have killed the composers in question. Others led to disastrous health spirals that did end up

Alexandre Tharaud has established a reputation for making the neglected corners of French music feel more thrilling than the canon itself. In a musical world often driven by a familiar cycle of Beethoven sonatas, Rachmaninoff concertos, and Chopin sets, Tharaud

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 five composers and their mistresses: how

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), the great Finnish composer, is known around the world for his powerful, emotional, and deeply atmospheric music. One of the most interesting things about him is how strongly he was influenced by mythology, especially Finnish mythology. These

In 2022, Yunchan Lim stunned the classical music world when, at the age of eighteen, he became the youngest winner in the history of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then, the South Korean pianist has signed with the