Winter 2025 issue out now!
Monday, January 6, 2025
Capturing Callas: Director Pablo Larraín on turning Angelina Jolie into an operatic icon | Why a varied portfolio career can enhance creativity and enjoyment | How music initiatives are helping patients cope with dementia
Classical Music’s winter issue goes behind the scenes with director Pablo Larraín to find out how his love of opera influenced his depiction of the legendary Maria Callas in his latest film, Maria. We talk to the theatre designers creating new world for opera, and hear from the developers pushing composition software into the future, as well as exploring the extraordinary power of music in the world of dementia care.
We sit down with conductor Cristian Măcelaru after a busy 2024 including performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics and hear how the legacy of one Cambridge lecturer is being kept alive by his students through the work of the Peter Tranchell Society. While Andrew Mellor shares his thoughts on how the UK’s new Labour government could support the culture sector, our guest column comes from BBC Radio 3 boss Sam Jackson who reflects on two years at the helm.
Our venue spotlight for this issue shines on London’s Barbican Centre as it prepares for a period of renewal, and we focus on the creative potential of a portfolio career in our self-employed musicians guide. In our festival pages we look ahead to the inaugural London Soundtrack Festival, and our final thoughts for this issue come from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama principal Helena Gaunt, who celebrates 75 years of music education in Wales and looks forward to a new era for the college. Plus, our usual news, opinions and focuses on funding, competitions, recruitment and more.