In his 450th birthday year, we take a comprehensive look at what the great English playwright has given to the world of classical music, and the composers he has inspirded.

ALSO IN THE MAGAZINE

Carry On Karajan

Was Herbert von Karajan the greatest conductor of the 20th century? James Jolly examines the legacy of a Maestro.

Jandamarra

How does Paul Stanhope intend to turn the life of Jandamarra, the man behind the last organised Indigenous uprising, into music?

Art Imitating Art

A look at the music, but also at the forgotten paintings that inspired Mussorgsky’s classic pianistic promenade, Pictures At An Exhibition.

Composer of the Month: Alban Berg

Once a devoted disciple of Schoenberg, Berg went on to tread his own path, eventually proving a formidable challenge to his former teacher, as Malcolm Hayes explains.

Musical Journey: Barcelona

Mercury and Caballé serenaded it, but Kim Traill discovered a modernista paradise bigger than your average pop ballad.

Reviews

Classical CD, DVD, book and live concert reviews, including Richard Bonynge helps soprano Elena Zanthoudakis take us to bel canto heaven; Davd Zinman completes his Mahler cycle with some vocal help from Susan Graham; Faust,...