Norman Lebrecht

You will either feel very relaxed by the middle of the piece or you will throw things at the wall and say some very bad words

Norman Leberecht laments not being able to give the Oslo Philharmonic the five stars they deserve

New music was not officially muted in the Soviet Union. It just got left at home, says Norman Lebrecht

The 40 minutes of music on this album is alternately hypnotic and uplifting

This recording is an absolute must-hear, one of the summits of this difficult year

You may find that Con anima is one of the best ways of spending the next 15 minutes of your life

Mademoiselle was not much of a composer, too set on correct form to allow the flight of inspiration

Music directors who fail to provide any direction in times of crisis

Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem covers a gamut of moods, from pity to passion

I’m not giving up trying to persuade younger people to listen to new composers