Slipped Disc

The appointment of Lisa Nandy to Culture, Media and Sport is something of a surprise give her lack of profile in any of these spheres. But those with long memories may recall she was Parliamentary […]

From the Lebrecht Album of the Week: Composers have learned not to mess with Beethoven. Fewer variations have been written on themes by Beethoven than on any other master’s work. Reformers, like Mahler, who sought […]

We have been notified of the death of Liana Isakadze, a generous and gofted Georgian violinist who carried the flame of her teacher David Oistrakh around the world. It was Oistrakh who brought her to […]

Musicians in Cologne’s Gurzenich orchestra have been told that the contract of their French chief conductor, François-Xavier Roth, will be ended this month, a year ahead of schedule. Roth, 52, has gone into purdah after […]

The Standard has a sweet story about Victoria Canal who, born with one arm, dreamed all her life of playing with Coldplay. Then she got the call from Chris Martin. She says: ‘He literally just […]

Michael Graubart, who came to England as an eight year-old refugee from Nazi Vienna, has died after a long life of service to music and education. After first studying physics and working as an engineer […]

Hamburg Ballet is putting on a 14-day tribute this Sunday to its American director John Neumeier who, at 85, is stepping down. Neumeier has contributed a new work to the festival. ‘Epilogue’ is danced to […]

The Würth Group has signed on to be the Salzburg Festival’s main sponsor from 2025. The group is a $22 billion business that makes industrial and domestic attachments and owns a chair of appliance supermarkets. […]

The theatre and opera director Benoît Jacquot was charged with rape by Paris prosecutors on Wednesday. Evidence against Jacquot, who directed Werther for Antponio Pappano at Covent Garden in 2003, was given by two actresses, […]

The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos has fired its Dutch artistic director Ivan van Kalmthout abruptly and without explanation. His contract was due to run another three years. In a statement last night, the theatre’s […]