In the December 2021 issue of 413649, join us in celebrating the radical ballets of Stravinsky, who took the form in a dramatic new direction with works such as Petrushka and The Rite of Spring – which also appear on this month’s cover CD. We look forward to live music in the year ahead with our new season guide and our critics name the pieces of music that inexplicably make them cry.
Also this month, double bassist Leon Bosch pays homage to one of his instrument’s leading virtuosos, Giovanni Bottesini, whose centenary we mark this year. Andrew Green examines the curious double life of the cricket writer and classical music critic Neville Cardus.
For this month’s BBC Music Magazine Interview, Richard Bratby meets Domingo Hindoyan, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s new chief conductor, as he prepares to take the reins. We name the best recordings of Puccini’s now-controversial opera Madam Butterfly, and Nino Rota is our Composer of the Month. Freya Parr heads to the vibrant musical city of Manchester and Mastermind presenter Clive Myrie shares the music that’s made him who he is today.