Norman Lebrecht's CD of the Week - Scriabin: 2nd Symphony, Piano Concerto
/Scriabin, as he so often does, takes us to the brink only to skitter away on some frivolity. But there is much to enjoy here, so long as you don’t expect too much.
Read MoreBook Review: James Conant, Warrior Scientist
/US weapons-making scientist in two world wars and a path-making president of Harvard James Conant gets a generous biography, written by his granddaughter.
Read MoreBook Review: Pious Fashion
/A new book looks at the intricate world of Muslim women's clothing fashions.
Read MoreBook Review: Lightning Men
/Racially charged 1950 Atlanta is the setting for Thomas Mullen's brutal, terrific new crime thriller.
Read MoreBook Review: The Templars
/The Knights Templar have been captured on stage, page, and screen countless times; a new book separates history from legend.
Read MoreNorman Lebrecht's Album of the Week - Haydn: Cello Concertos
/The instant appeal of this recording is that it contains not just two well-known Haydn concertos but three extra pieces that complement and contextualize them. The second benefit is the performance.
Read MoreBook Review: Purpose & Desire
/A new book stares into the divide between living and non-living matter and finds the darndest things staring back.
Read MoreBook Review: Bunny Mellon
/Renowned socialite Bunny Mellon, who made headlines for an entire century, gets a big, generous new biography.
Read MoreInterview: Mark Helprin
/Novelist Mark Helprin talks about his new book, "Paris in the Present Tense"
Read MoreNorman Lebrecht's Album of the Week - Surviving: Jewish Women
/Four releases, arriving in timely fashion for the upcoming New Year, explore the shushed-up sounds of creative Jewish femininity.
Read MoreBook Review: iGen
/Are cell phones and 'smart' technology rotting the minds of today's young people? A controversial new book makes the case.
Read MoreBook Review: The Unfinished Palazzo
/A small portion of the life of one famous Venetian palace is told through the lives of three remarkable women who ruled it in the 20th century.
Read MoreBook Review: Out of China
/The roots of new Chinese nationalism extend back through well over a century of foreign meddling, as a comprehensive new history shows.
Read MoreNorman Lebrecht's Album of the Week - Unknown Composers
/None of the music on this gripping compilation will be familiar to anyone alive, but much of it is essential listening.
Read MoreBook Review: The Cold War
/A massive new study looks at the Cold War as a world war, touching - and often toppling - governments far from Washington or Moscow.
Read MoreBook Review: The Witch
/Paganism scholar Ronald Hutton's fascinating new book delves into the long history of the witch in human societies.
Read MoreBook Review: The Republic For Which It Stands
/America in the sordid wilderness years between the end of the Civil War and the dawn of the 20th century is the focus of the newest volume in the mighty Oxford History of the United States.
Read MoreNorman Lebrecht's Album of the Week - C.P.E. Bach: Late Keyboard Pieces
/A vintage piano helps Alexei Lyubimov redeem C.P.E. Bach's late keyboard music from mediocrity, adding pastel colours to the sound picture, along with a hint of unpredictability that can almost be Cageian.
Read MoreBook Review: The World of Tomorrow
/The fates of three very different Irish brothers in prewar Manhattan intertwine in Brendan Mathews' impressive debut novel.
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