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Updated video with new recordings and visuals:
• Calm Classical | 2 Hours Of Relaxing Class...
Beautiful calming classics from Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Grieg, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Satie, Schumann. These pieces have been exclusively recorded for this channel, some you may have heard in other videos and some are brand new in this release. So sit back and relax as the classic DVD style screensaver bounces around to your favorite classical pieces.
Exterior of Fingal’s Cave
Described as one of the natural wonders of Scotland, Fingal’s Cave is located on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides. Formed from hexagonally jointed basalt columns it became known as “Fingal’s Cave” after the hero of an epic poem by the Scottish historian James Macpherson. It was part of his highly influential Ossian cycle of poems supposedly based on old Scottish Gaelic verse.
Fingal’s Cave
And when the novelist Sir Walter Scott visited the cave, he wrote, “it is one of the most extraordinary places I ever held. It exceeded in my mind, every description I had heard of it…. as high as the roof of a cathedral, and running deep into the rock, eternally swept by a deep and swelling sea”. Other famous visitors to the cave included the author Jules Verne, poets Wordsworth, Keats and Tennyson, the painter J.M.W. Turner and Queen Victoria. And then there was Felix Mendelssohn, who visited the cave in 1829 during his tour of Scotland.
Mendelssohn’s sketch of Scottish Landscape
In July and August 1829, Mendelssohn and his poet friend Karl Klingemann visited Edinburgh and Abbotsford. He began to draft the opening of his Symphony No. 3—eventually to be subtitled “Scottish”—and he wrote to his sister Fanny. “In order to have you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affect me, the following came to my mind.” And that postcard contained the opening phrase of what would eventually become his Hebrides Overture. It is been suggested that the echoes Mendelssohn experienced in the cave inspired this particular theme, although there is no definitive proof that Mendelssohn ever got close enough. The first complete draft of the work was completed on 16 December 1830 and entitled “The Lonely Island.” Not entirely satisfied with the work, Mendelssohn embarked on a series of revisions. The final version, now titled “Hebrides Overture,” was completed on 20 June 1832, and it premiered on 10 January 1833 in Berlin with the composer conducting. Richard Wagner subsequently called the work “one of the most beautiful pieces we possess.”
Born in the 2000s, these eight performers have already proven their mettle, winning major international competitions, signing with top global labels, and appearing with leading orchestras across Europe, Asia, and America.
Their early careers are providing a real-time glimpse into the future of the art and answering the age-old question: Is classical music in good hands?
The evidence suggests the answer is yes.
Today, we’re looking at eight of the most exciting young classical talents of the century – so far.
German-Italian musician Nicolò Foron is best-known for his conducting, but he is also a pianist and composer.
In 2021, at the age of 21, he won the Jeunesses Musicales Conducting Competition in Bucharest.
The following year, he was named a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Festival.
Two years after that, he won the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, a prestigious event previously won by young star conductors Fabien Gabel and Elim Chan.
Nicolò Foron
As part of his Flick Competition win, he was named the Assistant Conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2025, he conducted both the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. More prestigious debuts are on the horizon.
Critics have taken note of Foron’s unusual but effective stage presence. During the Donatella Flick competition, reviewer Lawrence Dunn wrote for Bachtrack: https://bachtrack.com/feature-pressure-intoxication-donatella-flick-lso-conducting-competition-march-2023
“Foron doesn’t look like the typical conductor. He is more a mixture of a mathematics graduate student and a bank manager’s son. But he has a clear charisma of his own… He is going places.”
María Dueñas was born in 2002 in Granada, Spain. Although there are no musicians in her family, she went with them to concerts from an early age and began playing the violin at the age of seven.
She studied in Dresden before enrolling at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and at the University of Graz.
In 2021, she won the first prize and audience prize in the Senior Division at the Menuhin Competition.
The following year, she was signed to the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label. Since signing, she has recorded an impressively wide range of repertoire.
María Dueñas
Her recordings include the Beethoven violin concerto with multiple cadenzas from a variety of composers, virtuosic caprices by Paganini and other Romantic Era violin greats, and a concerto by contemporary composer Gabriela Ortiz.
In addition to her violin career, she is also a talented pianist and composer.
Yoav Levanon was born in Israel. His mother was a professional violinist and had an upright piano at home that Levanon began to play when he was three.
As a child, he made his orchestral debut with the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and in 2018, he performed Rachmaninoff’s second concerto with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the summer of 2019, when he was just fifteen, Levanon appeared at the prestigious Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He was the youngest pianist to ever appear there and was nicknamed “the little prince of the piano” by Le Temps.
Yoav Levanon
In 2021, he signed a record deal with Warner Classics. He has since released albums with repertoire by Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Schumann.
We talked to Yoav Levanon in late 2024 about his background, what Liszt’s music means to him, and what it’s really like recording with an orchestra.
Korean pianist Yunchan Lim began piano lessons at the age of seven, entering the Music Academy of Seoul Arts Center the following year.
He attended the Yewon School and the Korea National University of Arts, studying under pianist Minsoo Sohn. Later, he followed Minsoo Sohn to the New England Conservatory of Music, where, as of 2025, he still takes lessons.
He won or placed at a number of competitions during his teens, including the Second Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 2018 when he was just fourteen.
Yunchan Lim
However, his big break came in the summer of 2022, when he won the gold medal at the Van Cliburn Competition. He was just eighteen and became the youngest person to ever achieve this feat.
His performance of Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto from the final stage of the Cliburn went viral, earning millions upon millions of views.
He has since become one of the leading soloists in the classical music world. His style merges a modern machine-like virtuosity with a deep love of the instrument and an obsessive fascination with early twentieth-century performance traditions.
Jaemin Han, a frequent chamber music collaborator of Yunchan Lim’s, was born in South Korea to a family of musicians.
He began playing cello at the age of five and made his orchestral debut at the age of eight.
He won his first major competition in 2015 when he won first prize at the Osaka International Music Competition.
Jaemin Han
In 2021, he became the youngest person to ever win the Grand Prix of the George Enescu International Competition.
He has also won prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and I SANGYUN Competition.
Although he’s still in his teens, he has played with major orchestras all around the world, including the Seoul Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris, and under the batons of major conductors, including Jaap van Zweden and Myung-Whun Chung.
His tone is muscular and his musicality strikingly mature, while his assured stage presence and clear comfort with performing draw his audiences in.
Chloe Chua is the daughter of a music educator, who started her on piano at two and a half and violin at four.
From the age of four until seventeen, she studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. As of 2025, she studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Chloe Chua
In 2018, the year she turned eleven, she won first prize in the Junior division of the Menuhin Competition.
Her performances from the competition went viral on YouTube, boosted by a reaction video by well-known YouTube videomakers TwoSet Violin. (She has since appeared on their channel multiple times.)
Between 2022 and 2024, she appeared as the Artist-In-Residence at the Singapore Symphony.
She has recorded music by Vivaldi, Locatelli, Paganini, and Mozart.
Her playing is noted for its old-soul maturity, refinement, and sheer beauty of sound.
Amaryn Olmeda was born in Melbourne, Australia, before moving to California. As a child, she enrolled at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where, at the age of thirteen, she joined an apprentice program co-sponsored by the Conservatory and Opus 3 Artists.
That same year, she won first prize at the 2021 Sphinx Competition.
In 2022, when she was fourteen, she debuted at Carnegie Hall, performing on the Sphinx Virtuosi tour.
Over the next few years, she appeared with a number of major orchestras.
As of 2025, she is studying at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Amaryn Olmeda
In the words of Classical Voice North America, “Olmeda is clearly on her way to a stellar career. Combining a charismatic stage presence and audience appeal with pinpoint intonation, intense lyricism, and fluid technique…she is here to stay.”
Tianyao Lyu was born in October 2008 in China.
She studied with Hya Chang at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and as of 2025, is studying with Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń at the Poznań Academy of Music in Poland.
In 2024, she won first prize at the International Ettlingen Competition in Germany.
But her biggest success to date came in October 2025, when she competed against pianists nearly twice her age at the Chopin International Competition, arguably the most prestigious piano competition in the world.
She became beloved by viewers internationally for her fearless poise and the skill and purity of her playing.
Tianyao Lyu
After three weeks of intense competition, Tianyao Lyu emerged with a 4th Prize, as well as a Best Concerto Performance prize. The results were delivered on her seventeenth birthday.
Even though she didn’t win, a sizable contingent of fans believes she was the true breakout star of the event. And because of her youth, she has the chance to come back multiple times in the future to try to nab first prize, should she ever wish to try.
These remarkable musicians underscore how classical music’s future is both vibrant and international.
Each of them – whether they’re winning major competitions, signing major recording contracts, or captivating millions online in their viral videos – has already established a distinctive artistic identity, and they’re only getting started.
Following their careers is going to be a major thrill and honour for every classical music lover.
Taken together, all eight of these musicians prove that the future of classical music is in capable, inspiring, and unnervingly talented hands.
by Interlude Contributors January 6th, 2026
From the personal struggles of legendary figures to the electrifying rise of new stars, these are the stories that resonated most deeply with you. We invite you to dive back into these favorites or discover for the first time what made them the most loved reads of 2025.
Are you ready? Here is the countdown of our most popular articles from the past year.
Full article: https://interlude.hk/mitsuko-uchida-born-on-december-20-1948-the-art-of-listening/
Mitsuko Uchida © Geoffroy Schied
Kicking off our list is a profound look into the mind of a piano legend. This article celebrated Mitsuko Uchida‘s unique artistic philosophy. It’s the act of listening that defines her interpretations and makes her performances of Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven so deeply resonant:
“In a sense, Mitsuko Uchida embodies an alternative model of musical greatness. Not the conqueror of the keyboard, not the charismatic hero, but the attentive listener. Her artistry suggests that music-making, at its highest level, is an ethical practice.”
Full article: https://interlude.hk/the-tastes-and-smells-of-the-holiday-season/
The Spanish Dance – Chocolate, 2013 (New York City Ballet)
From the crisp, bright fanfares that evoke the scent of pine to the warm, rich orchestrations that feel like a sip of hot chocolate, this delightful holiday feature paired the festive tastes and aromas of the season with their perfect musical counterparts. It’s a wonderfully imaginative article that enhances the appreciation of both food and music, making the holiday season feel richer and more vibrant.
Full article: https://interlude.hk/15-pieces-of-classical-music-about-animals/
Image created by FLUX-dev
From the grand to the whimsical, the animal kingdom has always been a rich source of inspiration for composers. This article went far beyond Saint-Saëns’s famous Carnival of the Animals to uncover a whole menagerie of musical creatures:
“Composers have written about their own pets, such as Chopin, who wrote a waltz inspired by his dog chasing its tail, or Scarlatti, whose cat walking over the keyboard gave him a theme for a fugue. Other composers have been inspired by the sounds of nature, from the songs of birds to the buzzing of insects. Let’s look at some of the best classical music about animals.”
Full article: https://interlude.hk/dmitri-shostakovichs-three-fascinating-wives/
Shostakovich and his wife Nina
The life of Dmitri Shostakovich was a tightrope walk between artistic genius and political terror. This gripping article illuminated his world through the eyes of the three women he married: Nina Varzar, Margarita Kainova, and Irina Antonovna Spunskaya. The stories of these relationships provide valuable insight into Shostakovich’s psychology, work, and music.
Full article: https://interlude.hk/get-to-know-yunchan-lim-with-these-ten-video-clips/
Yunchan Lim
The classical world was set ablaze by the arrival of Yunchan Lim, the young pianist who stunned the world with his historic win at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. This article curated the essential video moments that capture his phenomenal talent and endearing personality:
“Together, these clips sketch a portrait of Yunchan Lim as not just another competition winner, but as someone who has the capacity to be one of the greatest pianists of his generation.”
If you’re just discovering him, these videos are the perfect introduction to why the world is paying attention!”
Full article: https://interlude.hk/mozarts-piano-masterpieces-10-most-popular-piano-sonatas/
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Here’s a guide to Mozart’s most beloved piano sonatas, an essential resource for pianists, students, or simply admirers of Mozart’s genius.
“The piano sonatas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are some of the most recognizable and well-known pieces of classical music… Mozart composed his piano sonatas between 1775 and 1789, during the height of his creative powers. While he only wrote 18 of them, they are all masterpieces in their own right. Here are 10 of his most popular piano sonatas, which are a great introduction to his solo piano music.”
Full article: https://interlude.hk/three-pianists-who-survived-the-nazi-concentration-camps/
Lena Stein-Schneider, Alice Herz-Sommer and Marian Filar
This article paid tribute to Alice Herz-Sommer, Lena Stein-Schneider, and Marian Filar, who endured the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust, using music as a shield, a solace, and a reason to live.
“Even without a piano I always had music in my heart, which is why I never thought of suicide, no matter how bad things got. Plus, I wouldn’t have wanted to give those SS bastards the satisfaction of thinking they had triumphed over me.”
Full article: https://interlude.hk/seven-of-leonard-bernsteins-lovers/
David Oppenheim and Leonard Bernstein
While Bernstein was publicly a family man, married to Felicia Montealegre, he also navigated a life of secret relationships with men. This article respectfully examines seven of these significant relationships, shedding light on the personal conflicts and emotional turmoil Bernstein faced in an era when such a life had to be hidden.
Full article: https://interlude.hk/untangling-hearts-klaus-makela-and-yuja-wang/
Yuja Wang and Klaus Mäkelä
When two of classical music’s most dynamic young superstars form a personal and professional partnership, the world pays attention. This article tapped directly into the zeitgeist, exploring the electrifying collaboration between conductor Klaus Mäkelä and pianist Yuja Wang.
Full article: https://interlude.hk/yuja-wang-electrifying-artistry/
Yuja Wang
And at number one, it’s no surprise that our most-read article of 2025 is a deep dive into the artist who has captured the imagination of the entire world: Yuja Wang. This definitive profile celebrated everything that makes her a true phenomenon—her staggering virtuosity, her fearless stage presence, and her revolutionary spirit. Sample some of her most iconic recordings here again!
And there you have it—the ten articles that sparked the most conversation and captured your attention in 2025. We wish you a wonderful 2026, filled with breathtaking performances and beautiful discoveries.
What stories do you want to read this year? Are there composers, musicians, or musical topics you’re eager for us to explore? Let us know in the comments below.
