The first duty of a conductor is to imagine a world without noise

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

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

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

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

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

London’s orchestral rat-race will have fewer runners when musical life returns, says Norman Lebrecht

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

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

Wagner’s sexual ambiguity spoke to Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley and Thomas Mann, says Norman Lebrecht