I would like to welcome readers of the first in the existing new series of classical music books from Phoenix Gramophone - and specifically to this first edition, which explores the music of Brahms.

At the heart of our coverage of classical music - be it interviews with artists, or reviews of their recordings - is, of course, the very music that is performed. The works of the greatest composers are the foundation of our art form, and even though many of the most significant masterpieces that we hear regularly on recording or in the concert hall may have been written many years, even centuries, ago, they speak afresh to our age, in new ways to today's world.

The articles presented to you are taken from Gramophone, and represent the best of what we do: whether that be the most insightful interviews with today's leading artists about the music they're playing, or expert explorations of the composer's life and legacy by leading specialists in their field. We hope you enjoy reading them and feel inspired to listen to the music we have written about. To help with that, what follows are all the recordings that are currently available to stream of the works discussed, covering most of the book's chapters, performed by the artists you'll meet in our pages. We hope you find exploring this extraordinary music-making every bit as inspiring as we have.

Martin Cullingford
Editor, Gramophone

This special Phoenix Gramophone guide to the music of Brahms is available in China: find details here (this link takes you to an external site).

Chapter 1 - Brahms's Orchestral Music

Chapter 2 - Brahms's Symphony No 2

Chapter 3 - Sir John Eliot Gardiner on the music of Brahms

Chapter 4 - Riccardo Chailly on Brahms's Symphonies

Chapter 5 - Brahms's Piano Concerto No 1

Chapter 6 - Nelson Freire performs the Brahms Piano Concertos

Chapter 8 - Bernard Haitink and Marin Alsop on Brahms's symphonies

Chapter 9 - Barry Douglas plays Brahms's Piano Sonata No 1

Chapter 10 - Jonathan Plowright on Brahm's Ballades

Chapter 11 - Brahms's Chamber Music

Chapter 15 - Brahms's Vocal Music

Chapter 17 - Sir Roger Norrington on Brahms