Only rarely do musicians win fame as great interpreters of everything they touch. However, the Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau was one such virtuoso. Like his great predecessors Liszt and Busoni, Arrau was renowned for reaching to the stylistic core of…

Ten years ago Russia’s Wonder Children documented the struggles and triumphs of four extraordinary piano prodigies. Now, in Competitors, the cameras return to discover how their lives and careers have developed, and whether time has brought the…

What made Claudio Abbado stand out was his unpretentious, noble character, his democratic understanding of music making and his ability to celebrate the live moment on stage. Claudio Abbado empathized with his musicians. In order to be able to…

“I cannot begin even to describe what I have learnt with these musicians. Maybe they have learnt a little something from me, but that is nothing compared to what I have learnt from them, and the generations that came before.” (Zubin Mehta about the…

“It is a very special art of conducting. One must try to embrace the musicians.” (Bernard Haitink) On 6 September 2019, Bernard Haitink bowed before his audience for the last time: after 65 years on the podium, the 90-year-old exceptional conductor…

Those lucky enough to have seen Mariss Jansons in concert could immediately perceive his unconditional dedication to music: The light in his eyes, his sweeping yet precise gestures, his tense, half-open mouth and his raised eyebrows. He conducted…

They are one-of-a-kind and they are known all over the world: the 12 Cellisten der Berliner Philharmoniker (the Twelve Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic). Their concerts offer the audience the chance to experience the ensemble’s instrumental…

Wagner’s Meistersinger is a festive opera in its own right, but at the unforgettable performances of the work at the Vienna State Opera in January 2008 the festive spirit literally leapt out into the audience as well. Vienna’s dailies exploded with…

Turn back in time to the era of black-and-white movies where stars like Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn let us dream from Divas & Diamonds with their unforgettable voices and expressiveness. 1. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend (3:26)…

“Once again Loy has created the happiest of marriages between a role and it's interpreter, and Edita Gruberova faces up to the manifold demands of this difficult part with uncompromising assurance, relying on her phenomenal technique, her radiant top…