Behind the studied chaos, beethoven was trying to teach us about life

‘A, whom you want, signs to play at your concert. He sends B (whom you don’t mind) to the first rehearsal. B, without your knowledge or consent, sends C to the second rehearsal. Not being able to play

Why we need orchestras

Picture the scene: you’re about to get up on stage to give a presentation or performance. Something feels off – you look down, and realise your shirt is missing; in fact, you have no clothes on at all

Robert Thicknesse on Opera ● WE HAVE THE ...

Víkingur Ólafsson (piano) DG 94867411 76 mins The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has recently been playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations around the world, and that led him to consider recording next

‘We’re going to have a tonal centre and tap our feet, and that’s the way it is.’ Steve Reich is in full flow, talking to me from his home in New York. ‘The big break, the knife down the line, was betw