In the 1930s, Peter Burra was a rising star in British letters. But his death at the age of twenty-seven in an airplane crash brought those hopes to a sudden, violent end. Though Burra’s life was cut tragically short, his

When it comes to classical music generally and violin concertos specifically, some pieces take their time to grab your attention. Others, however, seize you instantly. Today, we’re looking at examples of the latter: works that offer something especially fresh or

One of the wonderful parts of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker is the divertissements set in the Kingdom of Sweets. First, we have the Spanish Dance, setting us up for that wonderful drink from South America, Chocolate. Even the

If you love immersing yourself in a single composer’s complete works, you’re in the right place. We’ve gathered ten Spotify playlists featuring the complete works of ten iconic classical music composers: from Mozart and Beethoven to Mahler and Debussy. Whether

If you’ve ever listened to sad classical music, chances are you’ve listened to something from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Celebrated (and sometimes mocked) for his extremely emotional output, Tchaikovsky composed some of the most heartbreaking classical music ever written. In this

The dedication page of a musical score is always fascinating. It’s always fun to ask why a particular composer chose to honour a particular man…or, in rarer cases, woman. Today, we’re looking at the best violin music dedicated to women,

For many listeners, the Second Viennese School conjures fear rather than affection—a fog of theory, numbers and atonality. The truth is far richer. These composers charted one of the most fascinating journeys in musical history, from the emotional heat of