Claudio monteverdi il combattimento di tancredi e clorinda

When we think of all things Italian, in general terms, what do we think of? And how does that translate into music? As a musician, one might think of the heightened emotions of the Romantic era – spec

Lola Salem on an organisation showing the tone-deaf, identity politics-obsessed Arts Council that a modest grant wisely placed goes a long way

Robert Thicknesse on Opera TO ANY SENSIBLE ...

Ask if national schools of piano really do exist, and one might be tempted to reply that there are only as many schools as there are pianists. Yet, the idea of a distinctive musical heritage, preserve

The mayor of Fort Worth officially renamed it Piano City for the three-week duration of the Van Cliburn competition in June. A slick piece of marketing, you might think. When I arrived for the week-lo

A poet who prospered despite Rome’s bloody civil wars