Norman Lebrecht

Norman Lebrecht is a British commentator on music and cultural affairs, a novelist, and the author of the classical music blog Slipped Disc. He was a columnist for The Daily Telegraph from 1994 to 2002, and assistant editor of the London Evening Standard from 2002 to 2009. He tweets at @NLebrecht

Zemlinsky’s music is arresting and his ideas fertile and diverse, but he often goes unnoticed

This fabulous interpretation of the Beethoven concerto is one of the records of the year

The performances recorded here by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra speak directly to some of our present confusions

This album by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and their departing conductor Vasily Petrenko is demonstrably irresistible

Vasks writes long, slow, contemplative works with a strong feeling for lakes, forests and landscape

Norman Lebrecht on how Marion von Weber was both interesting and important to Mahler’s emergence

There is a wealth of diverse talent out there — all we have to do is listen

The appointment of a chief conductor little affects the general performance of an orchestra

‘There is beauty and darkness and fear, to be sure, but I hear no agenda beyond a search for musical expression’

The Frankfurt-based Aris Quartet play Beethoven with sweeping flair and something close to insouciance