Behind the music
List of News Articles
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Musical hoaxes
27 October 2025
Dishonesty among classical composers? Surely not!![]()
Figaro beyond Mozart (and Rossini)
20 October 2025
Where does Jonathan Dove's 'Figures in the Garden' fit in with the Figaro story?![]()
Not quite a symphony: the sinfonietta, divertimento and serenade
13 October 2025
Our series on the symphony takes a slight detour to look at those works which don't quite make the grade.![A marimba seen sideways on from a low angle, with Colin Currie just visible behind it]()
An introduction to keyboard percussion instruments
6 October 2025
Can you tell the difference between a vibraphone and a xylophone?![]()
Mozart and the development of the piano concerto
29 September 2025
How one composer almost single-handedly raised the piano concerto to unprecedented heights![]()
Haydn, Father of the Symphony
22 September 2025
In the latest in our series looking at the symphony, what makes Haydn so significant in its development?![]()
When composers don't write a full Mass
15 September 2025
Some sections of the Mass are more popular than others ...![]()
Symphonies and their nicknames
8 September 2025
Beethoven's Fifth has a nickname? Well, it does according to some people ...![]()
The percussion concerto
1 September 2025
Our examination of the concerto now turns to percussion. Expect the unexpected!![]()
The clarinet concerto
16 June 2025
It's the clarinet's turn to step centre-stage for a look at their concerto repertoire. It's possible Mozart is mentioned!![]()
Opera seria: a beginner's guide
9 June 2025
Ahead of the SCO's performances of two key opera seria in this year's Edinburgh International Festival, we look at the history of the genre.![Three men, dressed formally: one Victorian, with a short grey beard, one young and clean-shaven, in sepia, the last (in a painting) with a long grey beard and glasses]()
The lure of the exotic: northern Africa in classical music
2 June 2025
How does the west's fascination with the wider Arab world come across in music? We look at a few examples ...











