Our Classical Century

The premiere of Holst's masterpiece at the end of WW1

The composers who fought in the maelstrom of World War One

How could Stravinsky make art meaningful again after the war?

A dream of a piece that has proved one of the century's most popular classical works.

Capturing the sprit of a nation in music

A BBC broadcast of Mozart's famous opera marked the start of a new way of listening.

The piece that was billed as an "entertainment" rather than a concert.

On 19 May 1924, the Royal Albert Hall in London saw the birth of a theatrical phenomenon.

The romantic, lush sound of summer 1925

An opera inspired by a tale of a man driven to madness and murder by bullying.

Critics branded it a "riot". That was the point.

A dark fairytale whose premiere ended with the most famous curtain in operatic history.

The very first radio broadcast of the Proms

The biting political satire from 1920s Berlin that would pass into legend.

Audiences were outraged by Boléro. But strangely, its composer agreed with them.

A truly modern orchestra for Britain. But where to put it?

A new recording location for a new era

The talented composer who was consistently sidelined because of her gender and race.

The "rich man's dream" that ultimately became a British institution.

The year that two stars of the musical firmament were born

The work of a remarkable young composer - and a homage to his teacher.

The piece written in just six hours to mark the death of a king.

A self-composed Requiem that was beset by troubles from the very beginning.

Prokofiev's much-loved musical fairy story