The power of poetry inspires a musical revolution: from the opera stage to the music rooms of the aristocracy, composers from Monteverdi to Vivaldi find new ways to bring emotion alive in music. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi’s first opera…

Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu creates a strange yet beautiful world, of yearning, of submerged complexity, of perfectly weighted timbres, of magical spans, of clouded, sensuous sound. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1977, Tōru Takemitsu wrote A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden, blending…

Music from England’s Golden Age: sublime sacred music soaring above intrigues of church and state, and intimate lute songs full of love and longing. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1597, John Dowland published his First Booke of Songes or Ayres, which included the…

Taking advantage of the new expressive possibilities opened up by improvements in the design of the clarinet, Mozart created a concerto of exquisite beauty — one of the last works he would ever write. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1791, in the last…

At the dawn of the Romantic era, Schumann’s rich musical imagination takes flight in enchanting works for solo piano. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1838, when Clara Wieck accepted Schumann’s proposal of marriage (notwithstanding her father’s vehement disapproval of their relationship), Schumann poured…

‘I have grown accustomed to composing in our garden…Today or tomorrow I am going to dream there A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ From the pen of the 17-year-old Mendelssohn sprang to life Shakespeare’s magical world of fairies, misguided lovers, rustic actors and a royal wedding. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on…

‘The flute of the faun brought new breath to the art of music’ — Pierre Boulez Debussy’s masterpiece provoked a revolution in music, but one brought about by subtlety and intimacy, dwelling on the sheer beauty of musical timbre. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? …

Music of profound sorrow and exceptional beauty: Elgar’s Cello Concerto is a phoenix rising from the ashes of a world at war, an elegaic lament for an England lost forever. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1919, in the depths of the English countryside…

The passion of Flamenco blends with the elegance of courtly dances in the most popular guitar concerto of all time: Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Listen On Apple Music, on iTunes, on CD, and on Spotify: When? In 1939 Paris, Joaquin Rodrigo composes his Concierto de Aranjuez, as the spectre of European-wide…