The Czech composer based his libretto on the play "Le Voyage de Thésée" by his friend and trusted source of inspiration, Georges Neveux. Martinu is said to have written the opera for Maria Callas. In this production, the role is sung by the…

Little Red Riding Hood begins, like all fairy tales, with: "Once upon a time..." For children of all ages the composer Georges Aperghis imagined a tale in music and movement: he chose the very first version written by Charles Perrault almost 300…

"Il Ballo delle Ingrate" is based on the Idea that the "Ingrate" (women who have been hard-hearted in love) should return to earth from hell to warn the ladies in the audience against a similar fate. The warning is not expressed in the form of…

In 1994, 54-year old José Van Dam undertook to play the role of Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca for the first time, a part that he had refused repeatedly in the past. In April 1995 in Liège, the singer met again with stage director Nicolas Joel for the…

Austrian piano virtuoso Friedrich Gulda plays works by Chopin, including the NINE PRELUDES OP.28, NOCTURNE OP.62, NO. 1, BARCAROLE OP.60 and BERCEUSE OP.57, in a live recording from the Munich Philharmonie.

In 1808 the composer and violinist Louis Spohr was invited to a rehearsal in Beethoven's house of the D Major Piano Trio, Opus 70, No.1 known as The Ghost, and wrote of the occasion: "It was not an enjoyable experience. First of all the piano was…

Two Bach Partitas filmed live at a BBC Radio Lunch Time Concert in St John’s, Smith Square, London.

Two Bach Partitas filmed live at a BBC Radio Lunch Time Concert in St John’s, Smith Square, London.

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…