Ever since the nineteenth century, the Mariinsky Theatre - a jewel in the crown of Russian Imperial theatres - has been an important cultural symbol of Russian statehood. The Theatre's performances are highly innovative and striven toward a synthesis…

After being razed by a fire, Naples’ traditional royal opera house, the Teatro di San Carlo, was rebuilt in record time under the direction of architect Antonio Niccolini, reopening on 12 January 1817. The building exemplifies Italian opera house…

When the Ferris wheel lifts visitors over the rooftops of the French trading town, a vaulted half cylinder catches the eye amidst the sea of buildings — the Lyon Opera House. This is the work of architect Jean Nouvel, who placed a steel and glass…

Many people regard this building - designed by Gottfried Semper, the famous architect of the nineteenth century - as Germany’s most beautiful opera house. It was Semper’s second opera building in Dresden - the Grosse Königliche Theater (Grand Royal…

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…

A documentary film series about the great tenors in the first half of the 20th century who served the ideal of beautiful singing. These great tenors are introduced and analysed musically and historically from critics, family and colleagues. An…

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…

Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, commonly known as the Unfinished, was started in 1822 but left with only two movements complete even though Schubert would live for another six years. Since Schubert's death at the age of 31, the Unfinished…

In their new series EuroArts presents audio-visual concert guides to masterpieces of classical music. The guides allow listeners to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque to the present day in an entirely new way by offering a combination…

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…