VIDEO PODCAST: John Dante Prevedini leads a discussion about Youth Involvement in Classical Music - this specially extended illustrated feature includes contributions from Christopher Morley, Gerald Fenech, Halida Dinova, Patricia Spencer and Roderic Dunnett.
Profile. Frank Cooper - Investigating a musical archeologist extraordinare
Spotlight. A Superb Compendium - Gerald Fenech listens to Emőke Baráth, Philipe Estèphe and Le Concert Spirituel conducted by Hervé Niquet. '... the best of French late romantic sacred music in vibrant and heartwarming performances.'
Spotlight. Gripping and Engaging - Geoff Pearce enjoys music by Edvard Grieg. 'It is especially rewarding to hear the unfamiliar works that make up much of this disc.'
Spotlight. Highly Individual - Geoff Pearce listens to chamber music by two generations of female composers. '... marvellous unfamiliar music ...'
Ensemble. Do You like Chung? - Myung-whun Chung conducts Brahms symphonies, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Absolute Brahms - Nineteenth century chamber music in Rome, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Chopin Forever - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Gloria Campaner
CD Spotlight. Nobler in the Mind? - Giuseppe Pennisi finds Joseph Summer's 'Hamlet' a musical hodgepodge. '... almost in late Romantic style.'
Ensemble. Absolute Ravel - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to music by Maurice Ravel played by Neapolitan pianist Roberto Cominati
CD Spotlight. After the End of the Reign of Terror - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to 'La fille de Madame Angot' by Charles Lecocq. '... not only a musicological revival but also nearly two hours of very enjoyable listening.'
CD Spotlight. Orientalism in Paris - 'La Princesse Jaune', reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... an excellent vehicle for discovering a little known facet of Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns.'
CD Spotlight. Rachmaninov's 'Choral Symphony' - Stephen Francis Vasta is impressed by Dmitrij Kitajenko's recordings of Rachmaninov and Taneyev. '... a colourful, engaged reading ...'
CD Spotlight. A Lovely Gesture - Stephen Francis Vasta listens to Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons' last concert. 'The home listener, even without visual evidence, can sense that all was not well.'
CD Spotlight. An Unforgettable Recital - Ona Jarmalavičiūtė listens to Evgeny Kissin's Chopin recital from the 1985 December Nights Music Festival. 'From the very beginning of his career at the top of his game, Evgeny Kissin presents a performance that is, simply put, wild.'
CD Spotlight. Enchanting and Powerful - Patrick Maxwell listens to Bruckner motets. '... performed superbly ...'
Ensemble. Nicely Varied - Peter Siepmann plays Johann Sebastian Bach, Maurice Duruflé and César Franck on the Compton organ at Derby Cathedral, heard by Mike Wheeler
CD Spotlight. A Polynesian Idyll - The first recording of Reynaldo Hahn's opera 'L'île du rêve', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... singers, orchestra and chorus are top notch.'
Ensemble. Respecting the Spirit of The Merry Widow - Giuseppe Pennisi relates how 'Die lustige Witwe' is enthralling Rome
Ensemble. Pappano's 'Ninth' - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Beethoven from Rome's Parco della Musica
Beethoven 250 - In this year of celebration, Giuseppe Pennisi muses on Ludwig van Beethoven's modernity
CD Spotlight. Something of a Marvel - Lucas Ball listens to J S Bach, Caroline Shaw and Robert Schumann, played by Amy Yang. '... Yang's delivery can be wild and exciting and even irritable but also depressing, lonely and longing.'
Exceptional Provenance - Anett Fodor tells the story of Beethoven, Liszt and the Little Broadwood
Ensemble. A More Intimate Approach - Mike Wheeler listens to Suppé, Dvořák and Holst at Derby Concert Orchestra's seventieth anniversary concert
CD Spotlight. A Precious Recording - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Offenbach's 'Maître Péronilla'. '... this is a book and two CDs to enjoy and to make an elegant gift.'
Ensemble. Compositional Fury - More Beethoven string quartets in Rome, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Traditional and Modern - Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin' returns to Rome, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
CD Spotlight. Exquisite Pacing - Gerald Fenech listens to Mendelssohn's String Symphonies. 'Michi Gaigg and his Baroque Orchestra deliver performances full of charm and beauty ...'
Classical music news. Obituary - Jaap Schröder (1925-2020)
120 Years Ago - A snapshot of the musical world at the turn of the twentieth century, by George Colerick
CD Spotlight. The French Romantic Experience - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to a CD box set from Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice. '... almost a mini course in French Romantic music, and well worth a try.'
Profile. Creative High Points - George Colerick tells the story of Beethoven's influence on Romantic and nineteenth century music
CD Spotlight. Gounod's First Faust of 1859 - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Christophe Rousset's new recording from Bru Zane. 'Everything is lighter, softer, more sensual.'
Light and Shade - George Colerick writes about idealised beauty alongside the grotesque in the 1951 film 'The Tales of Hoffmann'
Profile. An Early Maturity - George Colerick spotlights 1823, a critical year in the career of Franz Schubert
Ensemble. Magisterial Performance - Nina Stemme returns to Australia to sing Wagner, heard by David Mitchell
The Ballets Russes - George Colerick tells the story of the early twentieth century ballet company
Ensemble. An Autumn Trilogy - 'Norma', 'Aida' and 'Carmen' in Ravenna, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. A Winning Team - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to a pre-tour concert by Martha Argerich and Antonio Pappano, with the Symphony Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Ensemble. He'll Be Back - Fabien Gabel conducts the Hallé Orchestra, impressing Mike Wheeler
Profile. Tragic Expression - George Colerick discusses Georges Bizet, as the most vital French opera composer since Berlioz
Profile. A Silver Age - George Colerick writes about Franz Lehár, probably the greatest twentieth century composer of operettas
Profile. A Controversial Figure? - George Colerick investigates the younger Franz Liszt
Profile. Spectacular Productions - George Colerick explores the rise and decline of French composer Charles Gounod
Profile. An Innate Songster - On George Gershwin's birthday, George Colerick takes a critical look at the composer of 'Rhapsody in Blue'
Glorifying Finnish History - On the birthday of Jean Sibelius, George Colerick discusses the Finnish composer and his music in the light of the politics of the time
Ensemble. Blaringly Unusual - Maria Nockin listens to Pittance Chamber Music's opening concert
CD Spotlight. Uplifting and Inspired - Dvořák's 'Saint Ludmila' impresses Gerald Fenech. 'A piece for the ages, passionately performed and recorded.'
French Romanticism - George Colerick discusses orchestral music by Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Delibes, Lalo, d'Indy, Debussy, Ravel, Honegger, Poulenc, Milhaud and others
Dvořák and Brahms - George Colerick explores the folk music and other connections between Antonín Dvořák and his friend Johannes Brahms
A Call to Action - George Colerick discusses early Romanticism, with particular reference to Schubert, the piano, Schumann and the development of the symphony orchestra
Big-boned Works - Mike Wheeler listens to Hong Kong-born pianist Rachel Cheung playing Franck, Schumann and Liszt
Youthful Hilarity - George Colerick discusses comedy in Giuseppe Verdi's early opera 'Un Giorno di Regno'
Ensemble. The Lady without the Lake - Rossini at La Scala, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Patriot and Terrorist? - New aspects of Rossini brought to light at the 2011 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, discussed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Orchestral Nuances - Thanks to a sparkling 'Barber of Seville', Giuseppe Pennisi rediscovers the beauty of Rossini's orchestration
CD Spotlight. Utterly Absorbing - A sampler from Cedille Records, enjoyed by Howard Smith. '... top quality standards.'
CD Spotlight. Fascinating Rarities - Taneyev string trios, heard by Julian Jacobson. '... a performance of real commitment and assurance ...'
Thought and Understanding - Wanda Jeziorska finds food for thought in Mishka Momen's latest recital
Ask Alice - Community service for conductors? Romantic music for bassoonists? All this and more with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh