Classical pianist, educator, and musicologist. Julian writes about music history, pedagogy, and the lives of great composers with a love for nuance and a passion for lifelong learning.
Know Your Composer
From the Baroque salons of Venice to 21st‑century concert halls, this article uncovers the overlooked achievements of women composers—Strozzi, Hensel, Saariaho and more—showing how their creativity has quietly but profoundly shaped the classical canon.
Know Your Composer
Chopin’s Nocturnes revolutionised the piano repertoire, blending haunting melodies with daring harmonies. From the intimate Op. 9 pair to the grand Op. 48 in C minor, these miniatures illuminate Romantic expression in miniature form, nuance and virtuosity.
Know Your Composer
Handel’s Messiah almost never saw the light of day. Its 1742 Dublin premiere was a risky bet that turned into a musical triumph, rescuing Handel’s career and transforming the choral repertoire forever.
Features
In Squid Game, classical music becomes a chilling soundtrack to violence and control. From Haydn to Strauss, explore how the show redefines beauty and power through its ironic and psychologically charged musical choices.
Features
From Beethoven’s 'Egmont' to Britten’s 'Peter Grimes', composers have long drawn on poets, novelists and dramatists to shape melody, form and emotion—proving that literature’s narrative power can be transmuted into the language of sound.
Know Your Composer
Igor Stravinsky transformed twentieth-century music through rhythmic innovation and stylistic reinvention. From 'The Rite of Spring' to neoclassicism and serialism, his evolving voice continues to influence composers and captivate audiences today.
Music Education
Explore the evolution of the classical concerto, from Baroque beginnings to the refined works of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, tracing how form, style and soloistic expression transformed Western classical music.
Know Your Composer
Clara and Robert Schumann’s union transcended romance to become a rare, creative partnership. As composer, pianist and critic, Robert found in Clara not just his muse but an equal whose artistry and intellect shaped Romantic music forever.
Know Your Composer
Discover the extraordinary journey of Franz Liszt—from his childhood prodigy years in Hungary to his revolutionary virtuosity, landmark compositions and role as teacher, impresario and advocate for new music—tracing the enduring impact he left on the musical world.
Know Your Composer
Explore how Mozart revolutionised 18th-century opera across buffa, seria and Singspiel. From the witty ensembles of 'The Marriage of Figaro' to the supernatural drama of 'The Magic Flute', his operas endure as milestones of genius.
Music Education
From ancient Mesopotamian lutes to Torres’s fan-braced masterpieces and Segovia’s concert-hall triumphs, discover how the classical guitar evolved in form, technique and repertoire to become one of the world’s most beloved instruments.
Music Education
The "Curse of the Ninth" haunts classical music folklore, with great composers seemingly doomed after completing nine symphonies. But is it fate, superstition, or simply the natural arc of creative life?