Track 7 frank bridge (1879-1941) berceuse intermediate

In 1974, Mike Oldfield defied the critics and hit the top of the UK charts with Hergest Ridge, the ambitious follow-up to his unexpectedly successful debut Tubular Bells . To coincide with the release of the 50th-anniversary edition, the musician, his siblings and collaborators recount the story of an album created by an overwhelmed 21-year-old taking refuge near the Welsh borders.

Norman Lebrecht on Music HE WORKED SO ...

The piece I’d never part with

Robert Thicknesse on Opera TO ANY SENSIBLE ...

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

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