Thefullscore

Largely overlooked in the previous two honours lists, the classical music world has started to enjoy something of a return to form with the publication of the New Year Honours List 2026. Among those a

Kahchun Wong remembers vividly the moment it happened. ‘With an orchestra, you know it when it clicks, when there is a chemistry,’ he recalls. ‘I went to the first rehearsal without any expectation. I

In the Kent cottage where he has lived since 1964, Malcolm Binns reclines in an armchair, reminiscing. A mischievous gleam lights up his expression as the stories tumble out, from his lessons with Dam

Kammerorchester Basel/Giovanni Antonini Alpha ALPHA1092 76:29 mins The most familiar of the symphonies here, if only because it has a nickname, is No. 55, whose ‘Schoolmaster’ title arises out of the

As part of my research for meeting Seong-Jin Cho, I learned that Korean names tend to have specific meanings. But I also found several variants (in translation, naturally) of his own moniker. One of m

Andrey Gugnin (piano) Hyperion CDA684712 83 mins This album of Russian ballet transcriptions sparkles like a glass bauble hanging amidst the fairy lights. Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky wrote so colourful