Music
Damned If They Do
Music is the perfect medium to deal with Goethe’s Faust because of its focus on the human condition
The Malady Lingers On
While Chopin’s bicentenary is marked far and wide, there’s little mention of Schumann’s
Chopin Overkill
Lack of co-ordination on events, concerts and re-releases has marred the composer’s bicentenary
The Harmony of Humanity
We can now begin to understand the reasons why music is an essential part of civilisation
Notes Online
Blogs, podcasts and digital concert halls are the way forward for classical music lovers
Troppo Grosso
Harmony and Discord: The Real Life of Johann Sebastian Bach by Julian Shuckburgh
The Messiah’s Latest Coming
Will Handel’s most famous oratorio work on the stage?
Music and Modernity
“The prophets of Marxist-inspired modernism are in retreat right across the board. They are perplexed at how the world has gone. Their view has not prevailed, even in modern music. Everything, including our understanding of recent history, is up for grabs.”
Close Your Eyes and Listen
No Music Day gives us an opportunity to stop and think
Musical Metternichs
At the Grafenegg outdoor music festival, funded by the Metternich family, on its third anniversary
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal