Dmitri Shostakovich
Over-simplified and underpowered
Shostakovich symphonies 2, 3, 12, 13 (DG)
Play it both ways, Dmitry
This new biography has set my feet pounding, for once in admiration rather than indignation
The sadness of Sceptical Man
Emotion need not entail irrationality, and fence-sitting need not involve wisdom
Full steam ahead!
How British canal boats steamed towards the future
Chasing votes on foreign soil
Viktor Orbán has created a pipeline of support for his Fidesz political project by granting full citizenship to thousands of ethnic Hungarians in Romania
A Good Read should be better
Some weeks there are comedians and groovy journalists — others it’s groovy journalists and comedians
Must we keep failing universities alive?
History is full of institutions which could not justify their own existence
The Irish should reject the new hate speech bill
It threatens free speech while offering dubious benefits for society
A festival for women — and men?
You cannot address the underrepresentation of women by including men
Religious freedom is back on the agenda
The International Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill, currently before parliament, is an important step for securing Britain’s role in promoting religious liberty
The war on noticing in modern Britain
How DEI initiatives and the worldview behind them dull people’s natural perceptiveness
Love in a remotely-controlled climate
If we outsource our decisions to
machines, we will be less capable
of navigating our own feelings
A masterpiece in miniature
Taneyev, Schumann: Piano quintets (Signum)
