Which Is The Greatest Booker?

“Lotteries and literature go ill together, but on balance, the Booker probably does more good than harm. Who knows which novel the latest panel will choose or what the voting public will make of its shortlist. If it’s any guide, when The Observer polled more than 100 writers on ‘the best book of the past 25 years’, the clear winner was Disgrace.”

Singing The Praises Of Music No One Else Likes

Why is it that music critics are always so hopelessly devoted to music that the vast majority of the public has no use for? “In an ideal world, music critics would be a simple conduit between great music and the wider public. ‘Here you go,’ we should say, ‘you’ll love this’ – and you would love it. The truth is a little different.”

The Evolving American Musical

“Musicals that choose not to sing of moons and Junes will be familiar to anyone paying attention to the evolution of American theater. In the last few decades, as its stock in the cultural marketplace has steadily slid, the musical has been liberated, in a way, to go places where the masses may not be ready to follow.”

Reassessing The Cliburn Effect

Van Cliburn’s win at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in April 1958 was one of those moments that managed to change both the music world, and the larger culture. “This anniversary is an apt time to consider the fallout of this event on Mr. Cliburn’s career, the field of classical music and the world of cultural diplomacy.”

Reinventing Vivaldi (Again)

A new generation of performers and scholars are redefining the way Vivaldi’s music is heard. “Revelations from specialists range from an obvious tough, craggy, eventful treatment of the music to subtle tweaking of baroque performance techniques… Most of the received wisdom on Vivaldi is in ever-increasing flux.”