Classical Companion

A huge field of options on record leaves Peter Quantrill searching for those versions which embrace the violence and volatility of the composer’s ‘farewell symphony’

The summit of solo-violin writing before Bach, this 17th century cycle of devotional sonatas attracts highly individual responses on record, finds Peter Quantrill

Peter Quantrill celebrates the work of a conductor whose crusade on behalf of ‘pure tone’ divided opinion but also changed the way we listen to music

Peter Quantrill pays tribute to the memory of a musician celebrated for his insight, and equally underrated for his emotional connection to the classics

There’s much more to Boulez than the abrasive provocateur, says Peter Quantrill, as he picks out highlights from a life’s work driven by an ambition to fuse poetry and music

A life story that would make a movie and a catalogue of over 300 works... this forgotten musical heroine of Belle Epoque Paris is explored on record by Peter Quantrill