January 2023 – BBC Music Magazine

By Steve Wright

Published: Tuesday, 27 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Our January cover stars are pianist Mitsuko Uchida and tenor Mark Padmore. The peerless duo speak to Richard Morrison about joining forces in Schubert’s Schwanengesang for their new recital album.

Elsewhere in the magazine, violist Timothy Ridout speaks to our editor Charlotte Smith about tackling the Elgar Cello Concerto, transcribed for viola. And Cate Blanchett and director Todd Field tell us all about Tár, in which Cate portrays a power-hungry conductor.

Rachel Rowntree investigates disability in the music industry; Michael Church whisks us off to Strasbourg, a city torn between French and German identities, blessed with its own vibrant orchestra; and, in Composer of the Month, Jessica Duchen chronicles Schumann’s turbulent descent into despair and its effect on his music.

Finally, this month’s Building a Library is Verdi’s Rigoletto. George Hall selects the finest recordings of the Italian composer’s mid-19th-century masterpiece.