The sound of centuries past

The trumpet is one of the oldest musical instruments, evolving over many centuries from a rudimentary signalling device to the versatile instrument we know today. This journey has been shaped by the p

Echoes of Exile Works by Bartók, Ben-Haim, Enescu, Ysaÿe and Zimmermann Sueye Park (violin) BIS BIS-2332 63:06 mins Turbulence from the Second World War impacts most of the composers on this album. Th

When I first heard the classical music of North India, my musical world shifted on its axis. I was in the cinema, watching Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, which had just opened in the UK and was takin

Liza Lim A Sutured World*; Mary**; The Compass^ *Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), **^Carin Levine (flute), **^William Barton (digeridoo); Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/*Edward Gardner; **Franck Ollu;^ C

Edge of the Storm Works by Bacewicz, Britten and Weinberg Telegraph Quartet Azica Records ACD-71381 74:08 mins The turbulent, destabilising and demoralising impact of the Second World War hovers uneas

Moored on a quiet stretch of canal in west London, an unassuming widebeam canal boat boasts an extraordinary centrepiece: a Steinway piano. The Piano Boat – officially named Rachmaninov – is possibly