House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a 20th-Century Jewish Family by Hadley Freeman reviewed
By Norman Lebrecht
Forward: 100 Years of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra by Richard Bratby reviewed
By Norman Lebrecht
‘Hi, it’s Jonas.’ When the great tenor rings from Vienna, I ask if there are any topics he wants me to avoid, such are his minders’ anxieties. ‘Ask anything,’ laughs Jonas. ‘I’m not shy.’ He is heading in from the airport to see a physio — ‘these concerts, you have to stand there all the […]
By Norman Lebrecht
I once knew a great conductor who claimed that he never boarded a plane to a new orchestra without a tube of lube in his pocket. Just in case he got lucky (which he often did). Conductors are migratory birds who fly where their agents point them, hopping from one hotel bed to the next. […]
By Norman Lebrecht
