Norman Lebrecht

Italian-born and London-bred Antonio Pappano lets the gentle rhythms of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s music say it all

Paul Hindemith’s music is extremely well-made, intelligent, civilised, and moderately witty — so why has it all but vanished?

Hahn’s finely honed skills as a violinist are seldom in demand on this one-star album

The baritone Matthias Goerne sings with a voice like brushed velvet and diction clearer than iced vodka in this five-star album

Norman Lebrecht says an affair with Coco Chanel did Stravinsky’s PR, and hers, no harm at all

The climaxes are sensational, some of the strongest music Penderecki ever created; we may never see its like again

Stanchinsky occupies a tonal territory midway between Rachmaninov and Scriabin; an amalgam of suppurating misery and crackpot visionary

Gulda’s Symphony in G has 35 minutes of invention, which is more than can be said for most late-twentieth century symphonies

Music has lost its unpredictability, its thrilling fear while sport’s passion shines, says Norman Lebrecht

Alexander Tchaikovsky’s Quarantine Symphony triggers a subtle, wordless response to the things we are experiencing