Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2 No. 2

How can I describe – let alone define – this truly one-of-a-kind pianist? As an alien, perhaps. An alien who whisks us away at supersonic speed before slowing down to land on an infinite world where there is time for everything. It is the acceptance and cultivation of his otherness (or his alienness?) that has made this unconventional pianist one of the greatest and most loved (and criticised) musicians ever.

From Sappho of Mytilene to Kaija Saariaho and Clara Schumann, several women have managed to break through the macho codes of the milieu and become composers. While the classical music landscape has been largely dominated by men in recent centuries, the work of their female colleagues, whether pioneers or contemporaries, is just as fascinating. Here we put eleven undervalued figures of female composition in the spotlight.

Steve Reich belongs to that very small circle of composers who can claim to have changed the face of contemporary music over the last fifty years. Qobuz presents a selection of ten of the most important works from his catalogue.