Olivier Messiaen’s most famous work had sombre beginnings: it was written and first performed in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Many classical audiences cringe at the thought of 12-tone music, yet it’s one of the most influential system of the 20th century. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Once a town known primarily for bedsheets, Manchester is now vying with the world capitals as a centre for creativity, as Julian Day discovers. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Wagner is almost as famous for being an anti-semite as for writing operas. We discover there may have been a more complex cause behind his prejudice.

The plot thickens! Finally, we get our first taste of music from the diva’s mysterious new CD. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Is the listener bias towards English music, as demonstrated in the results of the recent Classic 100 20th Century, a symptom of a wider problem? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is a metaphysical journey from the depths of human suffering to the heights of celestial ecstasy – with everything in between. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

What makes the world’s most expensive instruments so special? Why are they synonymous with beautiful sound? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Dudamel's energetic Eroica, Angela Hewitt's poetic Schumann, the Grigoryan bros and more.

Synergy’s battered Baroque syndrome: will Bach’s mighty Chaconne shock on marimba? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Could circus skills help pave a spectacular new path for opera in the 21st century?

Choreographer Boris Eifman has mined a life rich in tragedy to create his ballet Tchaikovsky, which he brings to Australia next week Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in