Inside the score

Prima della Scala: Inside Italy’s Most Iconic Season Opening

From its 1778 inauguration to today, La Scala has defined Italian opera. This year’s Prima featured Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth, uniting music, politics, and Milanese pride in a single unforgettable night.

By Andrew Mellor

Reading time estimated : 11min read

The Untold History of Handel’s Messiah

From Easter origins to the iconic “Hallelujah Chorus,” uncover the intriguing history of Handel’s Messiah and its rise as a festive favorite.

By Alix Haywood

Reading time estimated : 6min read

The Finnish School: Why Finland Produces the World’s Leading Conductors

Finland may be small in population, but it looms large on the global classical stage. From Helsinki to New York, Finnish conductors are shaping orchestras worldwide, thanks to a rich…

By Andrew Mellor

Reading time estimated : 14min read

From Hoffmann to Tchaikovsky: What Music Keeps, Transforms, Invents

The Nutcracker has become the most innocent of Christmas rituals: snowflakes, sweets, a world where even battles end in celebration. Yet this glittering ballet lays atop…

By Maria Matalaev

Reading time estimated : 11min read

Listen Closer: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

A portrait of an artist’s self-destructive obsession and a tale of unrequited love. As we celebrate Hector Berlioz’s anniversary this week, discover how his iconic Symphonie Fantastique pioneered large-scale programmatic…

By Nadya Miryanova

Reading time estimated : 6min read

The Premiere of Dvořák’s New World Symphony

Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony, “From the New World,” premiered to unprecedented excitement in New York, blending his Bohemian roots with a vision of American music that continues to resonate more than…

By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 4min read

Cracking The Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has long cemented itself as a Christmastime staple. The ballet’s fantastic candy set pieces, elaborate dances, and iconic tunes are a…

By Andrew McIntyre

Reading time estimated : 13min read

The Secret Lives of Christmas Carols

Our best-loved Christmas carols weren’t born in candlelit cathedrals but in fields, taverns, and bustling streets. This musical journey reveals the rebellious roots, poetic rewrites, and unexpected inspirations…

By Jack Pepper

Reading time estimated : 12min read

Dmitri Shostakovich: Music Under Siege

Bombarded by war and suffocated by politics, Shostakovich never stopped composing. In this portrait, Jack Pepper explores how a life lived under siege forged some of the most haunting, resilient…

By Jack Pepper

Reading time estimated : 11min read

Can Architecture Shape a Performance?

Today’s concert halls alter more than acoustics: they influence musicians’ mindset, audiences’ connection, and the evolving identity of classical performance.

By Andrew Mellor

Reading time estimated : 14min read