For our March issue, we take a deep dive into Wagner's extraordinary Ring cycle. Broadcaster and regular BBC Music Magazine contributor Terry Blain tells the story of the greatest achievement in the history of opera, from the composer’s first inspiration to the completion of four legendary stage works that rewrote the artform itself.

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Elsewhere, Paul Roberts examines Franz Liszt's infatuation with Lord Byron, and explains how this passion for the iconic Romantic found its way into the Hungarian composer's music. Moving forward a few decades, Roger Nichols zooms in on 1923, an extraordinarily fruitful year for music and the arts. A wealth of premieres in Paris that year took classical music off in exciting new directions, as Roger reveals.

Our editor Charlotte Smith tells us about a brand new violin concerto that celebrates the achievements of aviator Amelia Earhart. Composer Michael Daugherty and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers are on hand to tell us about this airborne new work.

Among our regular features, for this month's Musical Destination Tom Stewart explores the musical pleasures of Orkney, while Leah Broad introduces the life and music of Dorothy Howell, a composer well worth rediscovering, for Composer of the Month.

Last but not least, in Building a Library Amanda Holloway chooses the finest recording of Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2, a work inspired by a picture in a pub. Cheers!

Click here for the inlay of this month's cover CD.

Previous issues of BBC Music Magazine

February 2023

January 2023

Christmas 2022

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December 2022

Authors

Steve Wright
Steve WrightMulti-Platform Content Producer, BBC Music Magazine

Steve has been an avid listener of classical music since childhood, and now contributes a variety of features to BBC Music’s magazine and website. He started writing about music as Arts Editor of an Oxford University student newspaper and has continued ever since, serving as Arts Editor on various magazines.