Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Alexander Armstrong 9am - 12pm

    Alexander Armstrong

    Now Playing

    Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) Opus 26 Felix Mendelssohn

    Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) Opus 26 artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Twitter
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    News

    Pictures

    Paul Tortelier (1914 – 1990)

    This image appears in the gallery:
    Classical music legends - on Classic FM Drive with John Brunning

    Paul Tortelier

    18. Paul Tortelier (1914 – 1990)

    Tortelier's extensive recording catalogue of major cello works proves him to be one of the best cellists of the 20th Century, but it seems he was also an inventor. He pioneered the bent cello spike, so the instrument could lay more horizontally than vertically against the player's body.

    1. Image 1: Herbert von Karajan
    2. Image 2: Sviatoslav Richter
    3. Image 3: Yehudi Menuhin - Violin Sonatas
    4. Image 4: Van Cliburn
    5. Image 5: Jacqueline du Pre
    6. Image 6: Claudio Arrau
    7. Image 7: Glen Gould playing piano
    8. Image 8: Maria Callas
    9. Image 9: Nicolai Gedda tenor Swedish
    10. Image 10: Mstislav Rostropovich 42 images

    See the full gallery: Classical music legends - on Classic FM Drive with John Brunning

    Latest on Classic FM

    A smaller, but still immense, 5,000 strong choir in Japan sing Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’

    Listen to this 10,000-strong Japanese megachoir sing Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’

    Beethoven

    The traditional ‘piping in of the haggis’

    The haggis gets its own entrance music on Burns Night – here’s what it sounds like

    Discover Music

    9-year-old violinist Sora Lavorgna plays Richter's 'Summer 1' in finals of 'Prodiges'

    9-year-old violin prodigy plays Max Richter’s thrilling take on Vivaldi ‘Summer’ in talent show finale

    Discover Music

    Kelvin Harrison Jr. stars as Joseph Boulogne in 'Chevalier' (2023)

    ‘Chevalier’ film: plot, release date, cast and all details about the Joseph Boulogne biopic

    Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2022

    Classic FM Live 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall: get your tickets to enjoy opera’s greatest hits!

    Events

    Martha Argerich Performs With The Youth Orchestra de Bahia in 2018

    Pianist Martha Argerich cancels performances due to heart-related health condition

    Martha Argerich

    John Williams makes history as oldest person to be nominated for an Academy Award

    John Williams makes history as oldest person to be nominated for an Academy Award

    Steven Spielberg confirms plans to make a documentary on film composer John Williams.

    Steven Spielberg confirms a documentary on film music legend John Williams is coming

    Discover Music

    Cellist HAUSER plays ‘Phantom of the Opera’ on Lloyd Webber musical’s 35th anniversary

    Cellist HAUSER plays ‘Phantom of the Opera’ on Lloyd Webber musical’s 35th anniversary

    Lloyd Webber

    Xiaole the piano playing robot

    Watch the piano-playing robot developed by leading AI lab that can also read human emotions

    Videos

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

    10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Women composers gallery

    21 of the greatest women composers in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best pianists of all time

    The 25 best pianists of all time

    Discover Music

    Some of history's greatest composers were part of the LGBTQ+ community.

    15 LGBTQ+ composers in classical music history that you probably already know

    Discover Music

    Latest news

    See more Latest news

    This week’s on-air highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery.

    This week’s Classic FM radio highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery

    King Charles’ Coronation Concert will take place the day after his coronation

    King Charles III’s coronation and concert: what music could feature over the Royal weekend?

    RIOPY

    Meet RIOPY: the unbreakable French pianist who escaped a childhood cult

    Discover Music

    Isata Kanneh-Mason and Classic FM’s Tim Lihoreau play piano duet at St Pancras station

    Isata Kanneh-Mason and Classic FM’s Tim Lihoreau play charming duet at St Pancras station piano

    Violinist Boglarka Gyorgy plays with a washing machine

    Violinist plays a surprisingly charming duet… with her bleeping washing machine

    Discover Music

    Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár

    ‘I didn’t base the character of Lydia Tár on anyone’ – Cate Blanchett in conversation with Classic FM

    From Tár to Amadeus – the greatest films about classical music

    15 most memorable films about classical music

    Discover Music

    Ruan Crighton was a professional ballerina from England.

    Family mourns British ballet dancer killed in Nepal’s deadliest plane crash in decades

    Page turn fail

    Pianist’s page-turn nightmare as Chopin score goes flying across stage

    Videos

    Originally allocated nothing, the English National Opera is now due to receive over £11 million of Arts Council England funding

    English National Opera to receive 91 percent of original Arts Council funding – but for only one year

    ENO

    Latest videos

    See more Latest videos

    Tiny model train plays huge 2,840-note classical music medley with breathtaking accuracy

    Tiny model train plays huge 2,840-note classical music medley with breathtaking accuracy

    10 days ago

    Discover Music

    Hurdy-gurdy player cranks out a dark medieval melody

    Hurdy-gurdy player cranks out a dark medieval melody to give you goosebumps

    13 days ago

    Videos

    Jeff Beck at the Crossroads Guitar Festival

    When late rock legend Jeff Beck turned Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma’ into a roaring electric guitar solo

    14 days ago

    Puccini

    David Bowie Life on Mars

    David Bowie’s isolated vocals from ‘Life On Mars’ reveals the true power of his tenor range

    16 days ago

    Discover Music

    France’s Cathy Féchoz and Fabrice Becker (circle) performing at the finals of the Ballet Ski demonstration at the 1992 Winter Olympics

    Unearthed footage shows virtuosic ‘Ski Ballet’ performed at the 1992 Winter Olympics

    22 days ago

    Discover Music

    Luciano and Fernando Pavarotti

    When Luciano Pavarotti sang with his 88-year-old father in an emotional duet

    23 days ago

    Luciano Pavarotti

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Twitter
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager