In looking at costuming for Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, we found some interesting 19th-century interpretations of Figaro himself. In a production at the Théâtre Royal Italien in 1844, the artist and designer Alexandre Lacauchie put the serenading barber in

Every music lover knows that Mozart was one of the most extraordinary prodigies in the history of music: he began composing when he was only five years old! But have you ever sat down and listened to these early works?

In my last article, I introduced six Children’s operas written in the 1900s. Children’s operas are often made for children or young people, but they also appeal to adult audiences. In this article, I share eight more children’s operas that

Artistic types are famous for their big personalities and the beef and rivalries that result. Over the centuries, classical composers have had more than their fair share of tiffs. Today we’re looking at the stories and personalities behind five of

We’re used to the two basic rhythms: duple and triple. Duple or two is because we have two feet – left-right, one-two, and off we march. Triple is for dancing, like a waltz. The fun comes when they get combined

She was among the greatest pianists of the nineteenth century…and yet if music lovers know her name at all, it’s because she made a terrifying cameo in Berlioz’s memoirs. Today we’re looking at the life of great pianist Camille Marie

American composer John Adams (b. 1947) made his name in minimalism. He brought the contemporary into contemporary opera by using recent historical events (Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, Doctor Atomic) for his subject matter. His work in smaller

Cellist Jacqueline du Pré was a musical meteor. She was born in Oxford, England, in 1945, asked for a cello at the age of four, and made her Wigmore Hall debut at the age of sixteen. When she was twenty,