Throughout the classical and romantic eras, music was often characterised by a pronounced use of rubato and the freedom, when appropriate, to add embellishments not included in the score. In fact, until the early 20th century, any idea of maintaining a steady tempo for longer periods of time would be seen as unmusical. This freedom is beautifully reflected in the lyricism of one of Schubert’s great masterpieces, the Piano Sonata in B-flat major, a grand work that was to be…

In South Korea's East Coast region, there are still some communities that hire hereditary shamans to perform lengthy health-restoring rituals. These events are remarkable for their Buddhist-infused polytheistic folk belief, colourful paper flowers, lengthy mythic songs, elegant dance, and exuberant percussion-based music played on janggo drum, gongs and cymbals. When in full flow, the ritualists' music is perhaps the most rhythmically complex, improvisatory and virtuosic music in the whole of East Asia. This concert features the three most celebrated hereditary…