Pianist Yunchan Lim shot to international piano superstardom in the summer of 2022, when, at the age of eighteen, he became the youngest pianist to ever win a gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition. Ever since, he has

Johann Sebastian Bach is known as a composer of precise intellectual rigour. But beneath the carefully calibrated precision of his music lies a deep current of messy sorrow. Again and again over the course of his career, Bach returned to

If you had exactly one hour to understand why composer Frédéric Chopin matters – not just why he’s beloved, but why he’s historically transformative, and considered one of the greatest composers of all time – this is the hour. These

The concerto occupies a unique place in classical music: it showcases an individual soloist, but also relies on the support of a large ensemble. Some concertos thrill on first hearing but their lustre fades fast, while others continue to reveal

Specific cities have inspired a huge amount of classical music over the years. Today, we’re looking at a selection of classical works explicitly connected to major cities, examining how each composer responded to each place. Some pieces reflect civic pride

We all know Bess’ song from Porgy and Bess: ‘Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy’. We decided to do a survey of what other composers thought about summer and were surprised at the very different moods and modes composers used

The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that

At just twenty-two years old, Yunchan Lim has already become one of the most talked-about pianists in the world. Since his historic victory at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, his performances have been viewed tens of millions of