Few contemporary pianists divide opinion quite as sharply as Khatia Buniatishvili. To her admirers, she is a magnetic, instinctive musician whose playing can ignite a hall with its emotional immediacy and fearless colour. To her detractors, she is the product

Every December, churches and concert halls the world over present programs of classical music associated with Christmas. Today, we’re wondering: what is the most Christmas-y piece ever written by each of the great composers? In this list, we look at

As December assumes its full hegemony and all the familiar thoughts of Christmas come swirling in, a highlight of my days has been an activity that feels like a kind of daily Christmas present to myself: learning the cello. I

If one thinks of Christmas music, it often is from the 1940s-50s movie soundtracks which have now become festive classics, or through the many pop standards that have made the cut, and delight — or not — our ears each

Why do some of the world’s greatest composers stop writing music long before their deaths? In the popular imagination, composers write until their dying breath. Everyone who has seen the movie Amadeus remembers the scene where Mozart is on his

It seems to me that stand sharing is dead! Perhaps it started with the covid epidemic, but the advent and proliferation of iPad tablets is certainly contributing to going solo on a stand. My chamber music colleagues are using them

Ludwig van Beethoven is famous for composing deeply emotional music. After all, the nickname of one of his most famous melodies is “Ode to Joy.” But which of his works are sad? And which of those are the saddest? Today,

No country does winter like Russia, and no composer evokes Russia like Tchaikovsky. Today we’re looking at Tchaikovsky’s most wintry works. What makes a piece of classical music “wintry”, you might ask? Here’s a starting point: References in the title