Behind the music
List of News Articles

Musical folk tales
10 February 2025
It's the 19th century and musical retellings of Greek myths are out. Enter the European folk tale ...
The oboe concerto
13 January 2025
The oboe: refined, yes, but cheeky or melancholic? Join us as we look at the concertos exploring this instrument's wide-ranging moods.
The trumpet concerto
23 December 2024
Our series on the concerto finally turns its attention to the brass family, and there are many more for trumpet than you might expect.
The waltz goes international
25 November 2024
We look at what happened when composers outside Austria turned their hands to the waltz ...
The story behind Silent Night and other carols
18 November 2024
The history of Christmas carols is long and surprisingly varied - we look at a few of them.
Why is there so little classical Christmas music?
28 October 2024
Where are all the Christmas classics from the great composers?
Not just Eurovision: an introduction to Swedish music
7 October 2024
Wherein we challenge you to think past 'Waterloo' and 'Mamma mia' ...
The viola concerto
23 September 2024
Our examination of the concerto continues with the viola, whose potential as a solo instrument was long unrecognised.
Pulcinella and the dangers of (mis)attribution
16 September 2024
Stravinsky's ballet Pulcinella is based on music by Pergolesi. Or is it?
The first Black composers
9 September 2024
To celebrate Black History Month, we look at the early history of Black composers, from Joseph Boulogne to Samuel Taylor-Coleridge.
Mozart and the Weber sisters
2 September 2024
We look at Mozart's close relationship with the children of the Weber family.
The cello concerto
26 August 2024
In a new series for 2024/25, who better than the SCO players to guide us through the best concertos for their instrument?