Inside the score
Leitmotif Explained: From Wagner’s Ring to John Williams’ Star Wars
A leitmotif is a recurring musical idea that represents a character, place, object, or concept—and evolves as the story changes. From Berlioz’s idée fixe and Wagner’s Ring cycle to the film scores of Max Steiner, John…
Reading time estimated : 20min read
Inside the score
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Leitmotif Explained: From Wagner’s Ring to John Williams’ Star Wars
A leitmotif is a recurring musical idea that represents a character, place, object, or concept—and evolves as the story changes. From Berlioz’s idée fixe and Wagner’s Ring cycle to the film scores of Max Steiner, John…
Reading time estimated : 20min read
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique
Dive into Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique: a love obsession spirals into hallucination, execution, and witches’ sabbath. This guide follows the idée fixe from first sight to final parody, revealing how Berlioz’s…
Reading time estimated : 26min read
What Are You Laughing At? Humor in Classical Music
Classical music possesses the power to move us to heights of joy or the depths of despair. But its power to amuse often goes overlooked.
Reading time estimated : 9min read
Composers Recomposed: From Bach to Richter
Recomposition has long shaped classical music, from Baroque masters to Max Richter, blending respect for the past with inventive reinterpretations that breathe new life into familiar works.
Reading time estimated : 13min read
Listen Closer: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
On the first day of spring, we return to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, one of classical music’s most joyful tributes to nature. The small creatures that inhabit “Spring”—some more realistically depicted…
Reading time estimated : 5min read
Fanny Mendelssohn: A Genius in the Shadows
Overshadowed by her brother Felix, Fanny Mendelssohn was nonetheless one of the 19th century’s most gifted composers. In this portrait, Jack Pepper explores her remarkable life, music, and the rediscovery…
Reading time estimated : 12min read
From Oscars to Opera: 4 Opera Recommendations Inspired by 2025’s Best Picture Nominees
As the Oscars approach, this year’s Best Picture nominees explore timeless themes—family, tragedy, music, and resistance. Discover four operas that echo the drama and emotion of these acclaimed films.
Reading time estimated : 12min read
Listen Closer: Verdi’s La Traviata
Premiered on March 6, 1853 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, La Traviata features some of opera’s most iconic works, including drinking song ‘Libiamo ne’ lieti calici’ and the…
Reading time estimated : 5min read
Great Conductor–Orchestra Relationships: What Makes Them Work?
Behind every iconic orchestra sound lies a partnership that worked — or sometimes didn’t. Looking at landmark collaborations past and present reveals how leadership, identity and context combine to create…
Reading time estimated : 11min read
News
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Emanuel Ax’s new podcast, the opera techniques helping long Covid patients, how audio descriptions make opera more accessible and more
April 13: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 4min read
Should contemporary opera challenge us?, a sudden leadership change at the Salzburg Festival, the financial receipts of the Boston Symphony,…
April 6: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 4min read
A Florence Price arrangement sparks debate, Lise Davidsen on motherhood, classical music in Bluey, and more
March 30: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 5min read
Hélène Grimaud: Conservatory Rebel to Piano Royalty
“It’s not about comfort.” Hélène Grimaud has built a career on risk, intensity, and emotional truth—qualities that shape her unmistakable voice, from Brahms to Gershwin.
Reading time estimated : 6min read
How the Chalamet controversy ended up boosting ticket sales, how to score the Academy Awards, and more
March 16: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 5min read
Timothée Chalamet angers opera fans around the world, Boston ends Andris Nelson’s tenure, and more
March 9: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 4min read
Gustavo Dudamel changes coasts, Yuja Wang stands up to a bully, Plácido Domingo defends his work and more
March 2: This week in classical music
Reading time estimated : 4min read
Inside the score
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique
Dive into Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique: a love obsession spirals into hallucination, execution, and witches’ sabbath. This guide follows the idée fixe from first sight to final parody, revealing how Berlioz’s colors forged a new orchestral language.
Reading time estimated : 26min read
Interviews
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Anastasia Kobekina on Elgar’s Cello Concerto: “It’s the Whole Journey”
Anastasia Kobekina shares what shapes her artistry: Elgar Cello Concerto’s vast emotional palette, stories overheard offstage, and the moment she finally breathes out.
Reading time estimated : 2min read
Thibaut Garcia, Guitar at Heart
A “guitar geek” turned international soloist, Thibaut Garcia chases flow on stage and new sounds off it—period instruments, extra strings, and fresh programs—under Bruno Monsaingeon’s attentive lens.
Reading time estimated : 8min read
Hélène Grimaud: Gershwin, Synesthesia, and Letting Go
“You give everything—and the rest is out of your hands.” In Zurich, Hélène Grimaud reflects on surrender, synesthesia, and Gershwin’s “feral energy” as a force of transformation.
Reading time estimated : 6min read
Books, Baton, and Lutosławski: Tarmo Peltokoski’s Secrets Behind the Music
In Toulouse, alongside Mao Fujita, Tarmo Peltokoski reflects on musical obsession, interpretive challenges, and the subtle craft of creating sound, balance, and meaning beyond the written score.
Reading time estimated : 3min read
Mao Fujita: “Life Is Not a Sprint”
On the occasion of his concert with Tarmo Peltokoski and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, pianist Mao Fujita reflects on collaboration, luck, and guidance from mentors, highlighting his…
Reading time estimated : 3min read
First Times with Anna Clyne: Hearing Your Music for the First Time
What does it feel like for a composer to hear their music performed for the first time? Anna Clyne offers a refreshing perspective. She welcomes the unknown, seeing each performance…
Reading time estimated : 11min read
Jakub Hrůša: “Music Making Is Rooted in Freedom”
In this conversation with James Jolly, Jakub Hrůša explores the subtle dynamics between conductor and orchestra, revealing how trust, shared identity, and long-term collaboration shape performances at the highest level.
Reading time estimated : 9min read
Champagne, Carmen and a Straw: Barbara Hannigan and Marie-Nicole Lemieux in Conversation
From Carmen to Lulu, from feminicide to champagne, Barbara Hannigan and Marie-Nicole Lemieux reflect on life-changing roles, radical generosity in music, and the small rituals that keep their…
Reading time estimated : 3min read
medici.tv picks
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Champagne, Irony, and Illusion: Inside Kosky’s Die Fledermaus
Barrie Kosky reinvents Die Fledermaus in a vibrant, ironic staging where humor and spectacle meet a subtle undercurrent of melancholy, revealing new emotional depth beneath Strauss’s…
Reading time estimated : 2min read
Top Piano Social Media Accounts You Need to Follow in 2026
Our social media team spends their days tracking trends in the classical music world. Here’s their curated list of the top accounts to follow if you live and…
Reading time estimated : 3min read
Hollywood in Vienna: A Tribute to Randy Newman
In anticipation of the Oscars this Sunday, take a look at this fantastic movie music program that just joined our catalogue, in which the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra…
Reading time estimated : 2min read
Gabriela Montero’s Latin-infused piano magic: improv genius meets cultural pride
Through breathtaking improvisations and her vibrant Piano Concerto, the Venezuelan pianist-composer dazzles with a powerfully personal display of Latin-American pride and staggering virtuosity.
Reading time estimated : 5min read
So you think you can dance?
Grace makes it look effortless — but some ballets are survival tests in disguise. Dual roles, mechanical illusions, and four suitors at once: welcome to the most demanding challenges in…
Reading time estimated : 5min read
Four masterpieces that made me love opera
Four iconic operas, four decisive encounters. From first recordings to unforgettable staged performances, these masterpieces were medici.tv editor Dario’s personal gateways into the world of opera.
Reading time estimated : 6min read
“Out of reach”: an amateur pianist’s dream pieces
Editorial Manager Colin brings us “Out of Reach,” a collection of virtuosic and poetic piano works he has dreamed of mastering — from the fire and romance of Chopin and Ravel, through the…
Reading time estimated : 12min read
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