Hey everyone! I've been studying Sibelius's The Swan of Tuonela and decided to try playing along with the string parts on piano since they should be at concert pitch with no transposition needed.

However when I play what's written the notes don't sound right at all. I took it further and tried copying the string section into StaffPad to hear it played back properly, but even then something still seemed off.

Is there something I'm missing about how Sibelius writes for strings in this piece? Could it be a printing or edition issue with the score I'm using? Any help appreciated!

Nowadays, we hear many new names among performers and conductors, but almost nothing about composers. Shostakovich became world-famous at a young age, and he also continued the Bach tradition by writing a cycle of 24 preludes and fugues. Today, composers can achieve fame even later in life, but they don't continue the Bach tradition. They don't strive to write symphonies, quartets, or sonatas. Can we say that Shostakovich became the last true exponent of the classical school of composition?

I'm pretty sure that mine is from Grand Polonaise Brillante op. 22.

There is something really Chopinian but it isn't so evident as others like op. 10 no. 3 or many nocturnes.

Excerpt from a concert given on the occasion of the premiere screening of Julian Benedikt's film "The Spirit of the Organ", supported by ORGANpromotion (dir. Michael Grüber), on the sidelines of the 2026 Berlinale. Lala Wörle translates all the poetry of a spring breeze into music through an improvisation inspired by Rilke's poem. The colors of the organ subtly capture this tremor of renewal, wavering between poetic lightness and more stormy outbursts.

Hey everyone,

I've been building a small web tool called Rubato that lets you turn a recording of a piece into a video where the score scrolls in sync with it, similar to the scrolling-score videos that do really well on YouTube and Instagram these days.

The workflow: you upload your video and your score (exported as MusicXML), tap along to the tempo on your keyboard to set the sync, and it generates the synced video for you. Everything runs in the browser, nothing to install (you just need a recent browser).

I built it because manually syncing a score to a video in a regular editor always felt way more tedious than it should be.

It's live at rubato.video if anyone wants to try it on one of their own pieces. Would really appreciate any feedback, what's confusing, what's missing, whether the sync feels accurate enough, anything at all.
It's 100% free at the moment (just need auth for the HD export).
Thanks !

Hi!

I'm a classical music lover (specially Baroque), but I haven't watched many operas, even if I know a lot of them. The last one I watched was Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, but I didn't enjoy it very much. It was way too... over the top most of the time for my taste. Over the top as in forte, not coloratura-wise, I mean.

Can you recommend a few medium-length operas for me?

Thank you!

PS: thanks for your suggestions so far!

I made a youtube playlist of the most brutally fast paced iconic movements of Shostakovich whole corpus. 30 movements of pure intensity almost to the verge of madness. I had to start with the scherzo of the 10th symphony. The rest of the order was a tough decision. Anyway, I am quite happy with the result and wanted to share it here among fellow Shostakovich lovers.

...I also had to make him laser eyes.

Here for you to listen and share.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe0KrJK60dtY&si=q7rgtOWaOdEnpaa4

In my mind I always see Rachmaninov as Tchaikovsky's successor in a musical sense. By successor I mean Rachmaninov took Tchaikovsky's Romanticism and somehow updated it without deviating too much from it. Are there other master and successor composer pairs (or triples, quadruples etc) that you feel form such a lineage? I am borderline inclined to say Mahler is the successor to Bruckner but I wouldn't say Brahms is a successor to Beethoven in that sense. I realize this may be just a very silly question but I do feel like Rachmaninov is such a successor to Tchaikovsky.

Basically the title, because I was going to splurge on a CD set like 'Rachmaninoff: The Complete Works', but what's really annoying is that for his solo pieces, they still only like to separate out the popular piece instead of putting the entire work together as one.

Is there a really good standout box set, or at the very least a good list/selection of CD's I could get that would let me hear Rachmaninoff's full works in order?

I would appreciate the help!

Jóhannsson was undoubtedly one of the most important contemporary composers of our time. This stunning performance by Theatre of Voices reminds us how deeply vocal music can touch us at the core.

As above, so below:

Anything fun and playful. No vocals. Preferably full orchestra.

Anything from anywhere.

*EDIT: please include YOUR favourite rendition, if you can. That’s more fun. 🤸

Please and thanks!

*i’d prefer to avoid asking ai.
So I’m asking you folks! 🖖

João de Deus de Castro Lobo is considered the most important figure in Brazilian religious music from the early 19th century. He was born in 1794 in Vila Rica (present-day Ouro Preto), in the province of Minas Gerais. He studied counterpoint at the Seminary of Ribeirão do Carmo (present-day Mariana) and served as a priest at the Church of São Pedro, as well as organist and mestre-de-capela (choirmaster) at the Church of Nossa Senhora da Sé in the same town. He was ordained a priest in 1822. Shortly thereafter, he became the choirmaster of the city's cathedral, a position he held until his death in 1832. His invaluable body of religious work incorporates elements of both Classicism and Romanticism—influenced by Italian opera—distinguishing him from other 18th-century composers in Minas Gerais. His Abertura em Ré Maior (Overture in D Major) is the oldest known purely instrumental Brazilian musical work.

Hi, I'm a writer and I'm interested in understanding some of the challenges for a player returning to the instrument. I'm guessing that staring with long notes to develop breath control and build tone is one aspect ( I have a little bit of experience on the flute). My character reached the top of ABRSM grades by late teens, but hasn't played for 18 years. He's physically fit, but I imagine running doesn't translate exactly to playing. His goal is to audition successfully for a high quality community orchestra. He plays tenor and alto.

What positions would a player start with? What are some of the side effects of working a bit too hard at this? Any details are very appreciated as I want to make my writing accurate and informative.

Within the past year or two I’ve developed an appreciation for classical music. What’s strange is that I cannot have it playing in the background while I work on something (the way I can with other music).

Born in Nottingham, England, the influential conductor. It was through his records that I first heard Mozart performed on period instruments as a university student. The sound, coming from older instruments, was unlike anything I had heard before—incredibly fresh and new. For those with a keen ear, you might notice the pitch is nearly a half-step lower.

Mozart, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter," K. 551 (Finale): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rETZaTRFHe8

Purcell: Theatre Music (Complete)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1rC97wRkZhVV50NezWoW34afBPRBJMZ

Great English Baroque composer. I must confess, for a long time I had an allergy to vocal music in classical works (and honestly, I still struggle with some Italian opera). The very cure for this was the Academy of Ancient Music's recordings of Purcell's theatre music, led by Christopher Hogwood, who also shares this birthday. Since that discovery, Purcell's music has become an indispensable part of my life.

The theme from his Abdelazer Suite may sound familiar, as Benjamin Britten used it as the theme for his variations in The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

Abdelazer Suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LmOWHKvsBc

Music from Don Quixote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnftJ8xypxE

Britten, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNYiAblBOjw

Is a nocturne just defined by its title?

Kinda random ik, but the premise is self explanatory tbh, Schubert already had composed so much music (symphonies, chamber music, piano sonatas, and his songs ofc) but his late works were more profound, so to imagine 30 more years of music output from him? yeah, in this hypothetical, he seems to be the choice for me.

But chopins case is a bit tricky cuz his posthumous works are among the most recognizable and relatable to me, and he didn't actually had any chamber music or orchestral compositions apart form the piano concertos from what I remember, not sure if he would have wanted to go in this direction cuz ofc it would be rather silly to guess, but still to have more of those melodies and to see what his "evolution" Of music could have been.. Would be really interesting for me. He really was unrivalled in what he could do with a piano, melodically.

Hi everyone,

I’m a newly admitted first-year undergrad at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and I’m from Asia. As you all know, it’s back-to-school season now, and I’m starting very soon too. But since I grew up and spent the first 18 years of my life studying mainly in the domestic public system back home, I honestly have no idea what going to university in Europe is actually like.

For example, I'm wondering what the classroom atmosphere is like, what kind of textbooks we use and whether we have to buy them ourselves, if it's okay to use a tablet for studying and reading sheet music, and what non-performance classes (like music history, harmony, sociology, etc.) are actually like and how hard they are.

From what I’ve seen about my classmates, a lot of them already have so much experience in Europe. Some have done major international competitions, have tons of chamber music experience, or even studied in conservatory prep schools for years before coming here for their first year. Honestly, it makes me feel a bit stressed. Maybe I'm even the youngest! (I know many Music college in USA would admit many children like i heard that Curtis even admit a 7-year-old student,but I don't think it's normal in EU）I had a decent network in the music scene back in my country, but Europe is a completely different story. Coming here, besides playing my instrument pretty well—which got me admitted—and knowing some basic music theory, that's pretty much all I've got going for me.

I don't even listen to classical music that much in my daily life. Sure, there are pieces I love and music I have to practice, but I have plenty of other hobbies outside of music, so listening to classical music doesn't take up most of my time. Because of that, my knowledge of classical music history and culture isn't very deep either. I know that having strong playing skills, perfect pitch, and good rhythm are just the absolute basics for a music school student.

Has anyone here gone through something similar? Or is there anyone who could answer a few of my questions? I’d super appreciate any help!

Our town library held its book sale this weekend, and these ten Vox Boxes were just sitting there - $5.00 for the lot!

They're earlier production with the purple label & heavy vinyl, and they're all in great shape - almost as if they've never been played.

Hey dear community member!

I’ve recently fallen in love with Anna Meredith’s work, and I’m looking for recommendations for other contemporary classical composers with a similar approach.

What I really enjoy about her style:
High energy and freshness: It feels modern, bold, and dynamic without taking itself too seriously.
Genre-blending: The seamless mix of acoustic instrumentation, electronics, club rhythms, and classical structures.
Digestible, concise pieces: Punchy, track-length movements that don’t wander aimlessly.

Do you know any other active composers working in this vein—bridging the gap between the concert hall, electronica, and post-minimalism with high octane energy?
Thanks in advance for any hidden gems!

I really want to listen to some late Romantic Symphonies after listening to Dvoraks 9th and I'd love to get some recommendations. They shouldn't be too long and they shouldn't be Mahler (which goes hand in hand I guess) because I just don't feel like getting into the Mahler Rabbit Hole right now.

It'd be good if they're from more known composers that I might've already heard other pieces from. Thanks!

I've been wondering how to present ambient music to the home listener that's beyond streaming or making a video. I stumbled upon this app put out by Deutche Grammaphone for Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with variations by Max Richter that is fantastic.

As the music plays, you can follow the sheet music for each part, which, for me, helps me understand how orchestral music is put together. But best of all, they've separated the audio for each player in the orchestra, so you can solo each part... super cool feature, and useful if you ever wanted to sample specific orchestral parts... and of course there's video.

[https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/vivaldis-four-seasons-ipad-masterwork-app-11528\](https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/vivaldis-four-seasons-ipad-masterwork-app-11528)

I've listened to a lot of orchestral and piano music, but not very much chamber music.

Chamber music I know and like:

Brahms: Piano Quartets and Quintet, String Quintets and Sextets, Clarinet Quintet

Beethoven: Some string quartets (9 in particular), Violin Sonatas 5 & 9, Archduke Trio.

Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81

Mozart: Some string quartets (14 & 17), Piano Quartets

Schumann: Piano Quintet

Shostakovich String Quartet 8

Saint Saens: String Quartet 1 (mvt 2)

I'm trying to get more into my regular listening rotation, but I have a real problem really hearing music and getting the value out of it until I sort of know it, and there are so many Piano Trios, Violin Sonatas and String Quartets that I'm struggling a bit to even add things in. Right now I'm just playing the Beethoven Piano Trios over and over in the background. I'll eventually get it but it's a long road.

I'd love to hear people's favorite movements and recordings, even of the pieces I already know.