Culture
BBC Music Magazine
Thomas Søndergård Conductor
Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård is music director of the Minnesota Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He was a percussionist in the Royal Danish Orchestra, starting his conducting career with the premiere of Poul Ruders's opera Kafka's Trial, which opened the new Royal Danish Opera building. Music director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 2012-18, Søndergård leads his second annual Nordic Soundscapes Festival in Minneapolis in January 2026.
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
A bold statement in the face of censorship
Erik Levi praises Hyeyoon Park's compelling pairing of two composers suppressed and stifled by political forces
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Virtuosic, expressive and immersive pianism
Jessica Duchen is captured by Francesco Piemontesi's compelling interpretations of Brahms's piano works
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
The modern, affordable all-in-one CD player
UK CD sales peaked in 2001, when we bought 225.9 million discs worth £2.2 billion. Convenient, affordable and genuinely excellent in quality, the compact disc was, and remains, a format valued by listeners who want simplicity and reliability. These days, sales top out at 10.5 million, but there is renewed interest.
4 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Johann Sebastian Bach Coffee Cantata
Paul Riley enjoys rich aromas aplenty as he filters through the tastiest recordings of Bach's comic take on an 18th-century caffeine obsession
6 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Unboxed
This month's round-up celebrates Jodie Devos and dives deep into Schoenberg and Shostakovich
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Delightful settings of English texts
Christopher Cook enjoys the debut album from well-matched musical partners
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Thank you, Mr Holland...
As the Mr Holland's Opus Foundation approaches its 30th birthday, Michael Beek explores the charity's impact and the composer behind it
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Morton Feldman
Ivan Hewett marks 100 years of an American modernist whose complex, sometimes lengthy scores ultimately reward those willing to listen
6 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Keys to enlightenment
Once seen as an elite symbol of the West, the piano is today accessible to Indian people of all backgrounds, says Karishmeh Felfeli-Crawford
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Clarevoices
At 700, Clare is one of Cambridge's oldest colleges, but its choir is youthful and full of life, finds Andrew Stewart
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Single-handed Superstar
Following his stunning debut at last year's BBC Proms, one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy tells Claire Jackson all about repertoire, technique and challenging narrow-minded attitudes
9 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Subverting all genres
Tortoise's first new album since 2016 is an improbable yet utterly compelling success
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Operatic awakening
Charles Mackerras's mastery of Janáček is palpable in this centenary celebration
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Strike up the band
Britain's illustrious brass band tradition delivers first-rate opportunities within local communities
6 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
15 pieces about US states
From Alaskan glaciers to Florida plantations, Brian Wise explores how composers have depicted the American landscape
6 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Bold masterpieces brought to life
Steph Power is wowed by Richter de Vroe's orchestral experimentalism
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
An epic tale of worldly temptation
George Hall is impressed by the first complete recording of this forgotten work
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
The Great Journey
As he approaches his 80th birthday, composer Colin Matthews speaks to Michael White about his 50-year contribution to British musical life
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
America's contribution to the history of music is second to none
There's a big new word looming on the horizon. Trouble is, nobody can agree what it is. Some say it's semiquincentennial, others bisesquicentennial. There's also a fierce lobby holding out for sestercentennial. Very confusing for those of us who gave up Latin at 16.
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Bach's earliest cantatas in recordings of vivid clarity
Sébastien Daucé turns to Bach in accounts of fervour and tenderness
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Rhapsody in Bluey
There are endless debates about how best to introduce our youngest audiences to the wonders of classical music. And short of the simplest and most effective answer of all – putting music education at the heart of every child’s school experience, the solution that every government in this century has failed to grasp evidence that classical music is a birthright of our youngest generations can seem thin on the ground.
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
A seamless dialogue in piano works for two
Leif Ove Andsnes and Bertrand Chamayou play Schubert with exquisite sensitivity, says Misha Donat
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Hamamatsu Japan
The lakeside city is home to Yamaha and Kawai piano makers, a leading competition... and prized local eels
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Stunning Debussy from a world-leading ensemble
Michael Jameson is entranced by the Belcea Quartet's brilliant pairing of French and Polish composers
1 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pick a theme... and name your seven favourite examples
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Stravinsky, Strauss and The Starman
For David Bowie, who died ten years ago this month, classical music was one many important influences
7 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Pianist Paderewski steps up as prime minister of Poland
‘I felt that I should like to kiss the hands that had awakened a new world of music for me.' The year was 1888, the occasion was the Paris debut of a 27-year-old pianist named Ignacy Jan Paderewski. And the lady expressing her enthusiasm was far from being the only member of the audience whose head was turned by the young Polish artist's playing. ‘Maestro! It was sublime!’, a French duchesse emoted. ‘Now that I have heard you, you can die!’
3 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Lost Bach revealed after 320 years
Two organ works receive modern premiere in Leipzig
2 min |
January 2026
BBC Music Magazine
Hiss and make-up
From boos to vegetables, opera stars have had to put up with all sorts being aimed in their direction over the centuries
8 min |