Heinrich Heine: the cynical romantic

From Buxtehude, Bach and Handel, to contemporary composer Liza Lim, we take a tour of the myriad forms of composers’ handwriting and calligraphy – and how music makes itself on the page.

Simon Rattle called Robert Schumann’s strange, Orientalist oratorio “the greatest masterpiece you’ve never heard of”. We discover this enigmatic piece ahead of Insula orchestra’s production at La Seine Musicale.

Ahead of an appearance in Lugano in March, the busy French cellist talks about his relationships with Martha Argerich, his brother Renaud, and mentoring young musicians with the Fondation Gautier Capuçon.

The virtuoso pianist talks about Schumann’s Piano Concerto, and her fascination with the wider literary and musical world of the Schumanns.

A leading composer and conductor of opera in Germany, Manfred Gurlitt’s Jewish ancestry led to his music being banned. Emigrating to Japan, Gurlitt became a pioneer of opera and Western classical music in Japan, a legacy still felt today.

We profile one of the most advanced and best-sounding concert halls in the UK, and take a look further afield at arts and culture across Manchester.