BBC Music Magazine

‘Practice,’ so the saying goes, ‘makes perfect’. If only it was that simple. Yes, to master almost any skill, repetition is key, but the journey doesn’t end when the skill has been achieved. Then comes the task of maintenance, which requires patience

Writer and editor He’s a star countertenor, a brilliant breakdancer and, it turns out, one of those dream interviewees who is full of enthusiasm. Meeting Jakub Józef Orliński to hear about his latest passion – Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice – was a treat.

Editor Charlotte Smith Central movements of Bach’s Violin Concertos in A minor, E major and D minor Deputy editor Jeremy Pound Schubert’s Piano Trios Nos 1 & 2 Acting reviews editor Steve Wright Penguin Café Orchestra Acting content producer Freya Pa

This uncompromising two-movement song-set reflects on the terror and tragedy of the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama and the 2015 shooting at a church in Charleston. A bold dramatic song cycle written to commemorate the centenary of th

Ernest Lough sings with his outstanding fellow Temple Church chorister, Ronald Mallett, who later sadly died in a Japanese concentration camp. Ernest Lough as a baritone in Monk’s ‘Eventide’ setting of the Henry Francis Lyte hymn, still demonstrating

On Auxiliary Fire Service during the Blitz, Lough once had to put out the blaze at a record production factory. On eventually entering the building, he spotted a clump of discs which had been melted together. On top was his own Hear My Prayer. By a d

12-note technique Dallapiccola was the first important Italian composer to embrace Schoenberg’s (pictured left) 12-note method of composition, and it became fundamental to his way of thinking. Even the shapes of the 12-note rows he used could carry s

A deeply unsettling live performance from 1989 once again possesses a high degree of authenticity. Vitaly Tarashchenko’s melancholy Hermann rises to the major vocal challenges with authority, while Natalia Datsko’s Lisa is suffused with barely contai

Just how important is Lionel Tertis in the story of the viola? Tertis is the father of modern viola playing. There were pieces written for viola before him – but in the late-19th century, while the piano, cello and violin all had their great virtuoso

Franck: Symphony in D minor, Chausson: Symphony in B flat major Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Jean-Luc Tingaud Naxos 8.574536 71:08 mins The pairing of the Franck and Chausson symphonies is a favourite standby and understandably so: at around 70 mi

Bassoon Concertos Dag Jensen (bassoon); Kammerakademie Potsdam/Gregor Bühl CPO 555 576-2 63:29 mins The 19th-century Finnish composer Bernhard Henrik Crusell was himself a clarinettist, but he wrote the concerto recorded here for his son-in-law Frans

Concerti per una vita Le Consort/Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin) Harmonia Mundi HMM902373.74 148 mins (2 discs) Anyone who believes the old joke that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 400 times should listen to this. It follows on from the same pe

The Damnation of Faust Karen Cargill, John Irvin, Christopher Purves et al; LPO/Edward Gardner London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO-0128 127:58 mins Berlioz’s légende dramatique tells an episodic version of Goethe’s Faust with many gaps and some surpris

Felix Mendelssohn: Die erste Walpurgisnacht; Vom Himmel hoch; Fanny Mendelssohn: Hiob; Gartenlieder Julia Doyle (soprano), Jess Dandy (contralto) et al; Crouch End Festival Chorus; London Mozart Players/David Temple Chandos CHSA5318 (CD/SACD) 71:53 m

Atys Reinoud Van Mechelen et al; Choeur de Chambre de Namur; Les Talens Lyriques/Christophe Rousset Château de Versailles CVS126 172:48 mins (3 discs) Christophe Rousset’s latest Lully production is a bold experiment, in which he liberates the artist

This triptych of songs for female voice and piano grew out of an intriguing case of ‘pseudotranslation’ concerning Debussy’s friend Pierre Louÿs. The poet claimed to have translated the collection, published in 1894 as Les chansons de Bilitis, from t

Works by Tavener, Dowland, Ravel, Brian Elias, Caroline Shaw, Errollyn Wallen et al Ruby Hughes (soprano); Manchester Collective BIS BIS-2628 66:30 mins Imaginative, sensitive programming has been a constant feature of Ruby Hughes’s collaborations; a

Trio Sonatas Ensemble Diderot Audax ADX11203 56:23 mins Johann Gottlieb Goldberg is best known for the attachment of his name to Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Born in 1727, he was a child prodigy who may have studied with Bach’s eldest son Wilhelm Frie

Weinberg: Piano Trio; Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 Trio con Brio Copenhagen Orchid Classics ORC100282 74:03 mins Admirers of Weinberg’s 1945 Piano Trio are almost spoilt for choice when it comes to fine recordings of this powerful work. Many of the cur

Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte; Alkan: 25 Préludes, Op.31 No. 8 Igor Levit (piano) Sony Classical 19658878982 43:20 mins This recording, which exists only in digital form, was produced at very short notice in early December, with Igor Levit and his t

It’s intriguing how the absence of an instrument from an otherwise conventional jazz ensemble (see Jazz Choice) pushes the music in particular directions. The group convened by John Etheridge on Blue Spirits Live is one take on the organ trio, the ab

Works by Oscar Gorman-Tysoe, Erik Valdemar Sköld, Massimo de Lillo, Samuel Howley, Alex Petshaft Ada Witczyk (baroque violin) First Hand FHR160D 24:14 mins In 2020, as a response to Covid lockdowns, the Polish-British violinist Ada Witczyk co-founded

TV speaker, soundbar or surround sound system? All TVs will benefit from separate speakers. Soundbars are the most practical upgrade for cinefiles, while a more complex multi-speaker surround-sound system will offer the best in immersive theatre. Wha

The Schumann Trilogy: three albums, three concertos and three piano trios from friends and chamber music partners Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov. Playing their period set-ups, they reveal the lyrical beauty of the trios as

Schedules may be subject to alteration. For up-to-date listings see BBC Sounds and iPlayer 6.30-9am Breakfast 9am-12pm Essential Classics 12-1pm Composer of the Week Smetana 1-2pm Lunchtime Concert 2-4.30pm Afternoon Concert 4.30-5pm The Listening Se

The first correct solution of our crossword picked at random will win a copy of The Oxford Companion to Music. A runner-up will win Who Knew? Answers to Questions about Classical Music (see oup.co.uk). Send answers to: BBC Music Magazine, Crossword 3

Each week, we explore the world of classical music through lively panel discussions and interviews with leading artists, musicians, broadcasters and writers. Want to know what a conductor actually does? Or how to write an effective soundtrack? Then t