Biography
Chapter and verse on the unknowable Bard
The striking thing about Sir Stanley’s Shakespeare is how unsexy he is
Napoleon sold short
On Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and the challenge of biopics
Spare us the wagging finger
Few things are more tedious than books moralising about the deficiencies of yesteryear
The lovelorn lady who broke the rules
A romantic forced by peculiar privilege into perpetual masquerade
Those golden years
Ultimately it’s the music that brings to each of us our personal Bowie
The people’s captain
What our politics can learn from Kevin Sinfield
Crooked timber
A fine survey of the life and work of Isiah Berlin
We are indebted to Otto Klemperer
On the extraordinary talent of a troubled composer
The making of a modern prophet
Taylor’s impressive second biography of Orwell is more than justified
Stravinsky’s reputation is in freefall
Norman Lebrecht re-examines the life and legacy of Stravinsky.
The iconoclast’s last defence
Artistic excuses for Just Stop Oil are confused and opportunistic
Journeys in Genderland
The stories of people caught up in the madness of gender ideology are beyond belief
It is good to challenge kids
That which makes us anxious can also make us strong
A captivating northern star
If Lise Davidsen sneezes, the opera world shuts down
The professional classes don’t understand manual work
They cannot understand distinctions between different kinds of labour
We need more have-yachts
The tragedy of the Bayesian highlights a wider issue about our lack of ambition
Not a dull phrase
Ethel Smyth: 2nd sonata &c (Delphian)
Is Cheltenham beyond parody?
A books bash these days has to offer Geri and Geoff Hurst and that bloke out of Radiohead
Progressive realism
Can Labour’s new foreign policy doctrine work in our troubled world?
Two-tier immigration?
Britain has its border priorities out of whack
Hush, nepo baby
Such colourful champions of free speech should be treasured rather than ridiculed
