A series of recitals by the master pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy at a new peak in his career. Both his audiences and the critics have been aware in recent years of new dimensions in Ashkenazy's playing. This may stem in part from his broadening…

Vladimir Ashkenazy has had a particular affection for the music of Rachmaninoff throughout his professional life, and his performances have long had the ring both of authenticity and of deep commitment. This is not surprising in a Russian-born and…

“Trifonov has everything and more. What he does with his hands is both technically and musically unbelievable. And then there is his touch — so gifted with tenderness and at the same time he has the demonic element. I have never heard anything like…

Portrait of the famous French producer Pierre Braunberger who started his career in Hollywood. Among his “discoveries” are directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. Containing excerpts of 15 of his films this programme tells the amazing…

In this recording pianist András Schiff, violinist Yuuko Shiokawa and cellist Miklos Perenyi come together to perform Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1. The renowned musicians shine through their outstanding interplay and musicality and are sure to delight…

Widely accepted as a leading authority on Baroque music, Ton Koopman conducts J.S. Bach's Magnificat BWV 243. Performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir joined by soloists Deborah Yorck (soprano), Bogna Bartosz (alto), Jörg Dürmüller…

René Pape is a star who represents like no other a new generation of opera singers: casual and up-to-date in appearance, hungry for new challenges and open to ambitious experiments. In the musical film My Heart Is Burning René Pape sings and plays…

Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi were the two most celebrated artists of the second half of the last century. Made into hostile enemies by their admirers, the two became untouchable goddesses of the opera. To their fans, Callas was known as “the…

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has the character of an appeal. From the very start, the four-note “fate” motif casts a spell on listeners. The German Beethoven expert Wulf Konold illustrates the ingenious variations of this motif on piano…