Seven years ago, the Portuguese poet of the piano Maria Joao Pires shocked the classical world by announcing her retirement. It seemed somehow unreasonable as she was playing better than ever and her occasional four-hand […]
The much-loved conductor, who died in December 2019, has been honoured by his home state of Latvia with a postage stamp in his memory. Mariss was music director of the Oslo Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Concertgebouw […]
A pair of hit-spinners* on Classic FM are the standout names in the King’s bleak New Year’s List. Others honoured include the organist Michael Harris, Master of the Music at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, […]