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

Britpop has a bad reputation for stolid, white-boy basicness now, but it’s not a reputation Parklife deserves

Sarah Ditum says that the focus on Timberlake as a bad agent conveniently forgets the machine behind him

Robert Thicknesse reveals how in searching for meaning, opera adaptations are becoming more obscure

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

The George Formby Society attempts a ukulele world record, online

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

Country music has a frontline place in the culture wars, says Sarah Ditum

People are terrified of modernity’s great gift: the sudden freedom to make appalling noise, says Robert Thicknesse

Steve Morris recalls the iconic Oxford Street basement club which has housed London’s evolving music scene since the Second World War