In a world of instant musical gratification, where tunes from any genre or artist are available at the click of a mouse, can classical music remain relevant to the digital generation?

Philip Sheppard has just recorded every known national anthem for use at the Olympic Games. The man deserves a medal, says Adam Sweeting.

Did you know the Congo national anthem asks: “And if we have to die/ Does it really matter?” Here are more facts about national anthems.

VIENNA — If you wanted a fun night at the opera, you’d probably pick a Rossini comedy, or maybe “Così fan tutte.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Talking to Du Yun, one gets the sense of many careers proceeding simultaneously. Orchestral music, opera, pop, performance works – all are facets of the musical life of the Shanghai-born, New York-based composer.

NEW YORK (AP) — “James Levine: 40 Years at The Metropolitan Opera” (Amadeus Press), by the Metropolitan Opera: There are few surprises or fresh insights but plenty of nostalgia in this softcover coffee-table book that celebrates James Levine’s extraordinary career at the Metropolitan Opera.

Hours spent practising the piano as a child could pay off in more ways than one, scientists have found.

I STARTED playing the violin when I was four. I became pretty good just from listening to my older brother play, and my parents realised I had talent. With regular tuition from very good teachers, I was playing in concerts by the time I was seven, as a soloist in an orchestra at nine. I got my first management at 10 and was signed to Deutsche Grammophon at 11 – their youngest ever artist.

THE question of whether opera should be performed in the language that most of the audience speaks, or in the language in which it was originally written, is an extremely contentious one.

These days, when symphony orchestras make national news, the topic is usually not a happy one. Yet one group has received a very different kind of coverage: the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (YTSO). Culminating in a performance at Australia’s Sydney Opera House on March 20, 2011, this experiment has generated unprecedented buzz and excitement.