In Florence around 1700, the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori made a breakthrough now credited with paving the way towards the modern piano: for plucked strings, he substituted a ...

Beethoven dedicated the Pathétique Sonata to Lichnowsky, who in return gave him a valuable quartet of Italian string instruments and shortly afterwards secured for him an annuity of 600 florins.

One of the most exciting young string quartets to emerge from Italy in recent years is coming to Cyprus for a one-night-only concert in Nicosia. The Shoe Factory in the old town will host the four ...