Why a conductor? The outcomes of the complicated relationships conductors have with orchestras and ensembles, with record companies and the public; and with composers living and dead, are in themselves interesting… but for th...

The name comes from the night of the week when for some of us, the frustrations of insomnia hit the hardest… and because my preferred antidote is getting lost in some music. Of course this series is for everyone… but it is pe...

I was listening to the conductor Joshua Weilerstein’s podcast ‘Sticky Notes’ the other day. It was an episode on Ludwig van Beethoven’s 8th string quartet. He was playing the second section and he described the music as havin...

The relationship between classical music and William Shakespeare’s writing is one of the longest and most productive partnerships in the history of either art form. Composers have been drawn to Shakespeare's plays for four ce...

Haydn’s music is in no way neglected or forgotten but I wonder if, because he lived a long life, during which he achieved significant success and seemed free of personality disorders, he is a little taken for granted. The cre...

I did an episode of music by women composers back in November based around a CD Box release by the record label ‘Brilliant Classics’ and called it ‘Brilliant Women’. No prizes for imagination but it was clear and accurate. So...