In this recording acclaimed pianist András Schiff performs the first part of the fifteen piece cycle “On an Overgrown Path”, written by Czech composer Leós Janácek. Inspired by his Moravian homeland, the music is filled with folk melodies and is…

The Sonata 1905 is probably the most important work for piano by Czech composer Leós Janácek. In this work he expresses his deprecation for the violent death of a young worker who was killed in demonstrations short before. In this recording Hungarian…

Hungarian pianist András Schiff plays Schubert’s four Impromptus D.925. Once more he convinces with technical sovereignty and great musicality.

This film features the first collaboration between Daniel Hope and Daniel Harding, although they have known and cherished each other for a long time. The film reveals pictures of the two sympathetic and charismatic musicians working as a team in such…

The Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok is one of the most frequently performed works of the twentieth century. The French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez explains how he interpreted this composition with the Berlin Philharmonic. He also…

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…

In the eyes of his contemporaries, Johannes Brahms’s violin concerto was so different from everything that had come before that, after the premiere, a critic stated that it wasn’t a concerto, but a “symphony with violin obligato”. In an interview…

Debussy’s “La Mer” is a masterpiece of suggestion and subtlety in its rich depiction of the ocean. Several authors have claimed that “La Mer” sounds like nothing before it. As a specialist in French Impressionism, the British pianist and writer Paul…

The Surprise Symphony is the best known of the over 100 symphonies by Haydn. Its second movement is the most popular and gave the symphony its name: legend has it that the sudden beat of the timpani was meant to rouse members of the audience who had…