He supposedly felt physically ill when playing Brahms, and he considered the Beethoven sonatas boring because of their plastic imperfection. But what delighted him beyond all measure was to play Mozart on an old, out-of-tune Erard grand piano. Samson Pascal

On 16 May 1868, the New Town Theatre in Prague saw the premiere of Bedřich Smetana’s opera Dalibor. The premiere sounded on the day of the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the National Theatre with the composer conducting.

Born in San Diego on 15 May 1970, Anne Akiko Meyers is undoubtedly one of the world’s most esteemed violinists. Possessing flawless technique and artistry, critics and audiences marvel at her “wonderous palette of tones that range from edgy and

All beginnings are difficult, but you have to start somewhere. This might well have been the motto for Guntram, the first opera by Richard Strauss. Or, as the composer himself declared, “all of Guntram is a prelude.” Working on the

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, on 9 May 1955, Anne Sofie von Otter is one of the finest singers of her generation. Internationally recognised as a concert and recital singer of exceptional gifts, von Otter has built an incomparable catalogue of

The Staatsoper in Berlin saw one of the most elaborate and spectacular productions of 20th-century opera on 5 May 1930. Christophe Colomb to a libretto by Paul Claudel and with music by Darius Milhaud features more than 30 characters in

Pianist Yeol Eum Son, born on 2 May 1986 in Wonju, South Korea, has been lauded for her breathtaking technical control and her profound empathy for the emotional temper of the works within her strikingly wide repertoire. A prize-winner at

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) had scored resounding triumphs with his two grand operas Robert le Diable and Les Huguenots. As a follow-up, he once again teamed up with the librettist Eugène Scribe for another project titled L’Africaine (The African Woman). The