The Critics
The G&S divide
A large proportion of the English drive themselves mad with a baroque cocktail of fury, snobbery and self-hatred over Gilbert and Sullivan
Beware of Basil
These enlightened times now ensure Jenny also runs off with the male parts!
Russell Beale on song as Bach
How the paternal gorgon finally attracts our empathy, waging a last intellectual battle
Savour the silence
The first duty of a conductor is to imagine a world without noise
Raging irritants
Knowing Rage Against the Machine are political doesn’t overcome my determination to enjoy them anyway
Out of Africa
To get a handle on African cinema, watch Mandabi
Press Gang
Croatia’s war runs like a dark thread through the excellent series ‘The Paper’
Auntie Nazi League
It’s BBC actors and comedy stars who’ve made the corporation great over the years — not two-a-penny journalists
Original sin
Robert Thicknesse on the woes of modern, British opera
The pain gain
In today’s pop world trauma is an asset