BBC Music Magazine

BBC Music Magazine is a must for anyone with a passion for classical music. Classical music connoisseurs and new enthusiast alike will enjoy the fascinating features and reviews of over 120 new works in every issue.

Please Note: Our digital edition does not include the cover mount items or supplements you would normally find with printed copies

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BBC Music Magazine

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Trump takes over at Washington’s Kennedy Center • President’s appointment as chairman creates waves at principal US arts complex

Carnegie Hall witnesses a top pianist’s fatal final concerto

Also in April 1951…

The BBC Music Magazine team’s current favourites…

Concert Heaven Concert Hell • Top artists recall their best and worst performances

My Hero • Violinist Bjarte Eike salutes the profound impact his mother Dr Christine Eike has had on his worldview

Lights, camera… composers! • Hollywood has taken an unexpected interest in classical music of late, says Tom Service – so here are some suggestions for their next blockbusting successes

FAREWELL TO…

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN • Violinist James Ehnes selects pieces to play for sceptics who don’t believe they’ll like classical music

Richard Morrison • Engaging with classical music takes work – and it’s not elitist to say so

The Accidental Pianist • After two decades of gracing stages around the globe, piano superstar Yuja Wang reflects on a glittering career. Yet, as she tells Clive Paget, becoming one of the world’s most recognised and celebrated artists was never a forgone conclusion

Pianistic perfection • Yuja Wang’s heroes

From Mao to millions • China’s piano rebirth

RPS Music Awards 2025 • Rebecca Franks meets Paraorchestra artistic director and founder Charles Hazlewood, who speaks about inspiring disabled musicians around the country

And the winners are… • This year’s Royal Philharmonic Society Awards recipients

The art of sound • Over 40 years, the producer Andrew Keener has enhanced hundreds of recordings with his skills. Anthony Cheng uncovers the secrets of his craft

A young upstart? • Keener’s first sessions

In the beginning… • What are the most memorable openings in classical music? We explore 15 of the best known, some of which have entirely outshone the works that follow

Starters for ten • Can you name which pieces of music these highly distinctive opening bars come from?

A new dawn • Aurora Orchestra has been pushing boundaries for 20 years, not least through its daring memorised performances, writes Rebecca Franks

New kids on the block • Five other recent ensembles

The art of memory • When performing by heart, how do musicians remember all those notes? Four top artists explain their recommended techniques

Keeping the score • Stephen Hough, Pianist

Call of the wild • In his new concerto, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland teams up with field recordist Martyn Stewart to showcase the hoots, tweets, howls and growls of the animal kingdom, as he tells Claire Jackson

When animals sing • Can nature be musical?

Out of focus • We rarely admit it, but our minds often wander in classical concerts. Why are we so easily distracted, asks Ariane Todes, and how can we learn to engage?

It’s good to be bored… • Bertrand Russell on the key to happiness

3 ISSUES FOR £6

Barcelona Spain • Jeremy Pound heads up, down and all around as he investigates the vibrant classical music scene in this uniquely colourful Catalonian city

Duke Ellington • Mervyn Cooke explores a groundbreaking...