VAN Magazine • An independent, online classical music magazine

All 600-ish Hymns in the New English Hymnal, Ranked

Anglican hymns from the depths of hell to the heights of heaven

by Maddie Lay October 15, 2026October 15, 2026

Review

Concerts Good, Recordings Bad

Is “The Yellow Tie,” starring John Malkovich as Sergiu Celibidache, a biopic or a hagiography?

by Hugh Morris October 8, 2026October 8, 2026

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Breaking

Exclusive: Study Estimates Cost of Berlin Philharmonie Closure: €1.15 Billion

The feasibility study, obtained exclusively by VAN, paints a daunting picture of the project

by Hartmut Welscher June 18, 2026June 18, 2026

Breaking

The most persistent critic of the chaos at the Boston Symphony Orchestra is an anonymous, AI-generated “investigative journalism” site. It’s not just readers who should pay attention to Cadenza’s embrace of automation.

by Hugh Morris and Jeffrey Arlo Brown October 1, 2026

Report

Boosts and Bruises

Fellowships for musicians of color have long been touted as a strategy to diversify American orchestras. Are they working for Black musicians?

by Hannah Edgar September 24, 2026September 24, 2026

Essay

In Art’s Company

How music and literature helped Maria Kalesnikava survive five years of Belarusian prison

by Maria Kalesnikava October 8, 2026

Report

Surface Vibrations

How Steinway’s soundboards got stuck in an American battle over logging regulation

by Jordan Silversmith October 1, 2026

Playlist

Off-Site Eden

A playlist for Roland Barthes’s “A Lover’s Discourse”

by Adrienne Davich June 27, 2024August 8, 2024

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Video of the week

Heroin chic—a modern opera

The spirits of Ibsen’s “Ghosts” haunt Solveig Sørbø’s opera “Heroin chic.” Based on a novel by Maria Kjos Konn, it translates the book’s sense of frenetically passing time into music. Sørbø allows the musical material to reflect the all-encompassing rhythms of addiction. The opera was a success in its semi-concertante version in Oslo and Romania; a preview is available here. The studio recording of the opera will be released on October 16. A special early release will be held at the Listening Bar Neiro in Berlin on October 8. The rights for a film version of the opera have already been purchased.

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Snapshot of the Week

Sunwook Kim with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

For the first time, pianist Sunwook Kim, who impresses with his sensitivity, brilliance and stylistic confidence, will lead the democratically organised Chamber Orchestra of Europe as a soloist directly from the piano. Following their first successful collaboration in 2022, they will now go on tour together again and present all of Beethoven’s piano concertos in twelve concerts, five concerts each in Europe and South Korea as well as two concerts in the UK, complemented by works by contemporary composers such as Anna Clyne and Helen Grime.

The two concerts in the UK mark the orchestra’s return to the UK stage after almost eight years (they last performed at the Proms in 2017). The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is one of the finest ensembles of its kind. It was founded in 1981 and has its administrative headquarter in London.

The tour closing concert in London takes place on Saturday, 12 April 2025 at the Barbican Centre, London, with Beethoven piano concertos No. 3 and 4 paired with Anna Clyne’s Beethoven-inspired work Stride and Beethoven’s Rondino for winds.

The tour is made possible through the generous support of Hyundai Motor. (Photo © Lukas Zwiessele)

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Video of the Week

Participate to Early Music Day!

On 21 March 2025, music lovers around the globe will unite to celebrate Early Music Day, a vibrant tribute to over a thousand years of musical heritage. This annual event is organised by REMA – the European Early Music Network.

The ambassador of Early Music Day 2025 is Franziska Fleischanderl. A pioneer in the revival of the baroque salterio, she has redefined the instrument’s place in historical performance. Her innovative work, which combines musicology, artistic research and historical interpretation, has earned her international acclaim.

Participate to Early Music Day!