Inside the score

What stories make the best operas?

As we broadcast three operas from the Salzburg Festival on medici.tv, it’s the perfect occasion to explore the kinds of tales that have inspired composers for centuries—from ancient myths and historical intrigues to classic literature and contemporary fiction.

By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 9min read

Listen Closer: Stravinsky’s The Firebird

Step into the magical world of The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky’s electrifying ballet that launched his international career and reshaped the sound of modern orchestration. From Russian folk melodies to dissonant…

By Kim Hunter

Reading time estimated : 5min read

It takes a mountain: The hidden machinery behind the Verbier Festival

Verbier Festival transforms a remote mountain village into a world-class stage each summer, drawing thousands for a musical experience like no other—while behind the scenes, a concert hall rises from…

By Charlotte Gardner

Reading time estimated : 11min read

From Paris to DC: Two Very Different Ways to Fund Music

Public subsidies in France, private philanthropy in the U.S.—two radically different ways to support music. But beyond the contrasts, a shared dilemma emerges: how can we protect culture from politics…

By Ermeline Testard

Reading time estimated : 9min read

Herbert von Karajan: Architect of sound and vision

Long before digital streaming and immersive concert films, Karajan saw the potential of technology to reshape the musical experience. More than just a conductor, he was a visionary who sculpted…

By Charlotte Gardner

Reading time estimated : 11min read

Decoding the classical voice: A guide to vocal classifications

From Queen of the Night to Carmen and Calaf, each voice type has a story. Explore the system behind classical voice classifications and learn how range, timbre, and style define…

By Kim Hunter

Reading time estimated : 11min read

How to stage a controversy: Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin

Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin score is astonishingly evocative and shamelessly theatrical. But it’s not just the music that made a lot of noise at the 1919 premiere…

By Leah Broad

Reading time estimated : 6min read

Notes from History: The premiere of Berg’s incomplete Lulu

Berg’s Lulu is perhaps one of the most important works of the 20th century. The “exterminating angel” of Schoenberg’s protégé inhabits a morally decaying world, and one that was utterly repellent to…

By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 5min read

Listen Closer: Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2

Before becoming a piano icon, Chopin composed his Piano Concerto No. 2—a work that reveals his emerging style. A perfect listening key to understand how Chopin balanced dazzling technique, lyrical…

By Alix Haywood

Reading time estimated : 4min read

How can you turn as gruesome a tale as Hansel and Gretel into an opera?

How did Hansel and Gretel go from chilling folk tale to holiday classic and beloved opera? This enduring story owes as much to 19th-century German folklore as it does to…

By Paul Kilbey

Reading time estimated : 9min read