There's always blood on the carpet when I play Beethoven at the piano. I hate playing the piano! And it's so hard to fight for Beethoven's soul! But that's what I have to do! Charles Hazlewood beethovenbloodcarpet Change image and share on social
I admire Tom Ades: he's a brilliant conductor, and he gets just the right hard, brilliant sound from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for Russian music. Charles Hazlewood adeadmirebirmingham Change image and share on social
Purcell is a composer who had a formative influence on British music - even The Who now cite him as an influence. There's an intense, dirty harmony, but there's a Louis XIV kind of elan and style, too. He had the melancholy DNA of our national folk heritage. Charles Hazlewood britishcitecomposer share on social
There is a terrible conservatism, like a cancer, right in the heartlands of music-making, a tremendous resistance to change, an absolute horror of the idea that more people might connect with music. That infuriates me more than I can say. Charles Hazlewood absolutecancerchange share on social
Music is a lens through which to see who we are. Every phrase of every piece of music is trying to tell a story. Charles Hazlewood lensmusicphrase Change image and share on social
Classical music has become rarefied, like a maiden aunt that nobody wants to talk to. Charles Hazlewood auntclassicalmaiden Change image and share on social
I'm a bit of a Luddite, really: I don't use email much, as I started drowning in it. So I said 'screw this' and dumped my laptop, though I've begun to re-engage with it. Charles Hazlewood beginbitedrown Change image and share on social
I most definitely would not buy the 'Daily Mail,' which pours a kind of livid torpor into the eyelids of the average Brit - I skimmed through a copy recently and couldn't believe the rubbish in it. Charles Hazlewood averagebritbuy Change image and share on social
I'd like to explode a few myths about what we call classical music. It's not high art for the titillation of a chosen few. Charles Hazlewood artcallchoose Change image and share on social
The rest of my family are obsessed by 'The X Factor:' I'm intrigued by it, although its musical values are far away from mine, like a cup of tea with 400 lumps of sugar in it. There's something very strange about Simon Cowell's lips, isn't there? Charles Hazlewood cowellcupfactor share on social
