Music
The splendour of the English carol
Michael Henderson on the splendour of carols
Albums of the year? Some years we can answer it, some years we can't
Albums of the year? What a good question. Some years we can answer it, some years we can’t. The essence…
Music to listen to when you've broken up with a precious friend
Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata is thrilling and brain-twisting. Its nickname derives from the fact that it was published as a sonata…
A century before Miley Cyrus, it was male performers — like Nijinsky — who bared all
While the airwaves resonate with celebrations of Britten’s birth, I cannot help thinking that what was happening in Paris at…
Peter Phillips: I saw the other side of John Taverner
When I first met John Tavener in 1977, he was still largely known for his dramatic cantata The Whale, which…
Morrissey can't even moan properly — here's a frontman who can
There is much to be said for Schadenfreude. (If it was edible, it would be a meal in a very…
'I was an arrogant 18-year-old': Daniel Harding on growing up
Michael Henderson talks to the youthful conductor Daniel Harding, who realises that the older he gets the more he has to learn
How to conduct a Tallis motet in a cardboard cathedral
To undertake a concert tour of New Zealand’s cathedrals at the moment is to be constantly reminded of the destructive…
Damian Thompson: I may be in danger of becoming an opera queen
It’s taken 40 years, but I’ve finally developed a taste for the one type of classical music that I couldn’t…
Talk Talk bears repetition
First impressions always count, and they are almost always wrong. This is particularly pertinent if you review albums for a…
Does London really need another concert hall?
Does London need another concert hall? Or, to put it more precisely, does London need another chamber music hall? The…
Music at Mass is theological warfare by other means
How many battles have been fought over sacred music throughout history? The noise you make when you worship is a…
Pop: You'd love Love and Money, too - if only you'd heard of them
How and when do you become ‘a fan’, exactly? You can usually spot pop stars who are losing touch with…
Musicians are roasting at the Proms; freezing at the Bachathon
Gossip that an orchestral player fainted while performing in the Albert Hall during the recent heatwave points to a strange…
Happy 80th birthday, Dame Janet Baker
Michael Kennedy salutes the mezzo-soprano Janet Baker,who celebrates her 80th birthday next week
Hell is other people’s taste in music
‘I don’t really like most of the music you play,’ said the tall blonde woman with whom I share my…
70th anniversary of Composer of the Week
Mention of the 70th anniversary of Composer of the Week brings to mind a distinguished list of long-running programmes on…
Why has nobody heard of the miraculous Czech composer Zelenka?
When I was in my late twenties I discovered the joy of drinking alone. Well, perhaps ‘joy’ is putting it…
The last taboo in pop: fat old men
Don’t worry, I’m not going to go on about Glastonbury. I wasn’t there, I never have been and, unless forced…
Fête de la Musique: Couldn’t we just get over ourselves, risk a bit of foreign and join
One of the many cultural initiatives to have come out of France in the past 50 years — and therefore…
The Stones at Glastonbury: the greatest show EVER
Yes, I’m sorry, the Stones at Glastonbury really were that good and if you weren’t there I’m afraid you seriously…
‘It was like 26-dimensional chess’: Roger Wright on managing the Proms
Kate Chisholm talks to the director of the BBC Proms about the challenges of coming up with 75 nightly programmes
