Literally the hardest, hardest, hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn to do. Being in a gladiator arena or hanging from a ...

1. Hearing music from the womb Maxim Vengerov was born into a musical family on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, Siberia. His mother sang and conducted, and his father played oboe in an orchestra. Maxim ...

Matthew Bourne’s dazzling ballet The Car Man returns to London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre this summer, for a strictly limited ...

Two-time Oscar winner, Sir Anthony Hopkins, is releasing his second ever album of classical music, at the age of 88.

6. Encountering Vaughan Williams In 1925, at the suggestion of Adrian Boult, Finzi took a course in counterpoint and then moved to London, where he was introduced to Holst, Bliss and Vaughan Williams, ...

Oboe Concerto in D minor Opus 9 No.2 (2) Tomaso Albinoni Download 'Oboe Concerto in D minor Opus 9 No.2 (2)' on iTunes ...

Jane Jones revisits some pure entertainment from Handel. I have been wondering lately how much of Handel’s popular and accomplished pieces now suffer from a casual familiarity which blunts our ...

Handel's jubilant Music for the Royal Fireworks is music fit for a king - George II, in fact, who attended the first performance on the River Thames in 1749. Handel composed his Music for the Royal ...

“I’m a composer in search of oblivion; I’m always slightly ashamed to admit I compose.” So said one of the most brilliant Russian scientists of his generation, for whom composing was only a hobby.

4. Saint-Saëns had a brilliant mind The composer’s formidable intellect was not limited to music. He had a profound interest in - and knowledge of - geology, botany, butterflies, and maths. He enjoyed ...

Saturdays 3pm-6pm. Join Alan for three hours of perfect classical music, plus his legendary Titchmarsh Teaser question after 4pm, with more brilliant music to come after 5pm. And don’t forget Alan’s ...

3. John Williams' awards The film composer has won five Oscars, four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and 25 Grammys. With 52 Oscar nominations, he is second only to Walt Disney as most nominated person ...