Klaus Döring's Classical Music/Klaus Döring's Klassische Musik

  by  Hermione Lai    January 19th, 2026 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   is often introduced as a miracle. He was a divine child, and a celestial genius, like a marble statue with a powdered wig. But the moment you actually listen to his music, the statue starts to grin. Mozart’s music doesn’t stand politely in the corner, but it nudges you in the ribs, rolls its eyes, and occasionally trips over its own feet on purpose. What makes Mozart remarkable is not just that he was brilliant, but that he is very funny. And not accidentally funny, or funny because you know a lot of music, but genuinely and immediately funny in the way human beings recognise across centuries. As we celebrate Mozart’s 270 th  birthday on 27 January 2026, it becomes clear that his humour still works because it is rooted in human behaviour. Things like vanity, impatience, swagger, awkwardness, and the joy of seeing someone slightly overdo things.    The Oldest Joke in the Book Many M...

by Georg Predota, Interlude The series of piano concertos   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   composed during his years in Vienna is undoubtedly his greatest achievement in instrumental music. The dozen piano concertos composed between February 1784 and December 1786 are works of the highest quality and originality. According to Maynard Solomon, “their artistry goes far beyond the concertos of his predecessors or his contemporaries in their scale, their thematic richness and their highly developed relationship between soloist and orchestra.” Joseph Lange: Mozart at the keyboard (unfinished), 1789 (Mozart-Museum, Mozarts Geburtshaus) Mozart essentially created a unique conception of the piano concerto as he was looking to solve the problem of how the thematic material is to be divided between the piano and the orchestra. In these later works, Mozart “strives to maintain an ideal balance between a symphony with occasional piano solos and a virtuoso piano fantasia with orchestral accompa...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   is known for his light, elegant, joyful music. His preternaturally cheerful mood makes the times when he did write dark music stand out all the more. Today, we’re looking at seven of Mozart’s saddest pieces of music, ranking them in a totally subjective list, from least sad to most sad. So join us as we listen to various symphonies, sonatas, and more, and learn a bit about the stories behind each piece. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1789 By 1788, a mature Mozart had begun keeping meticulously detailed records of his output. Based on his records, we know that he finished this symphony after a matter of weeks on 25 July 1788. Although the Fortieth has a reputation for being a tragic symphony, its origins weren’t particularly dramatic: indeed, it was probably written for a concert series at a casino. Various historians have claimed that Mozart never got to hear the work performed, but later scholarship has disproven this legend. How? Because he rewrote the woodw...

10 of the best opera overtures.  Picture: Getty / Alamy By Siena Linton & Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM   From the Marriage of Figaro to Carmen, here are ten of the most memorable musical beginnings to operas. The lights in the theatre dim and a hush falls over the buzzing excitement of the audience, as the orchestra strikes up the first note. A good opera overture sets the scene for the drama that’s about to unfurl, bringing the audience into the narrative world and suspending their reality for the next few hours. A  great  opera overture does not only that, but stands tall as a piece of music in its own right, performed in concert repertoire by orchestras around the world. Whether you’re just starting to dip your toe into the wonderful world of opera or have a lifetime membership at Glyndebourne, here are 10 of the absolute best opera overtures of all time. Verdi – The Force of Destiny With a main theme made famous by the “Reassuringly expensive” Ste...

... The Marriage of Figaro – and we’re very confused A techno mash-up of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro.  Picture: Ayda Classics By Sofia Rizzi, ClassicFM London Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro gets a retro make-over in this cover of ‘Non so più’. Classical music can be heart-breaking, awe-inspiring – and will sometimes leave you completely lost for words. We think the latter is an appropriate description for this new-age take on  Mozart ’s opera  The Marriage of Figaro . So, what’s happening here? Well, it’s a fresh – and frankly, slightly perplexing – take on ‘Non so più’, an aria sung by the character Cherubino in Mozart’s opera  The Marriage of Figaro .  One vocalist has replicated herself singing to create vocal layering in a techno-pop remix of the aria. She has added in an 80s-inspired backing band of drums, bass guitar, electric guitar and even a retro keytar (a keyboard guitar) to cr...