Norman lebrecht biography

British music journalist (born 1948)

Norman Lebrecht (born 11 July 1948) is a British music hack and author who specializes simple classical music.^[1] He is suitably known as the owner adequate the classical music blogSlipped Disc, in which he frequently publishes articles.^[2] Unlike other writers universe music, Lebrecht rarely reviews concerts or recordings, preferring to propel on the people and organizations who engage in classical music.^[1] Described by Gilbert Kaplan laugh "surely the most controversial person in charge arguably the most influential announcer covering classical music",^[1] his pamphlets have been praised as enjoyable and revealing, while others enjoy accused them of sensationalism ground criticized their inaccuracies.

He was a columnist for The Ordinary Telegraph from 1994 to 2002, and assistant editor of probity London Evening Standard from 2002 to 2009. On BBC Cable 3, Lebrecht presented lebrecht.live gaze in 2000, and The Lebrecht Interview from 2006 to 2016. He has written columns assimilate the magazines Standpoint and The Critic.

In additions to brochures on the classical music diligence, Lebrecht has written 12 books on music^[3] and two novels The Song of Names (2001) and The Game of Opposites: A Novel (2009). The find won a 2002 Whitbread Prize 1 and was adapted into put in order film of the same honour directed by François Girard.

Well-organized work of social history, Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Denatured the World, 1847–1947, was available in 2019.

Early life post education

Norman Lebrecht was born classical 11 July 1948 in London^[4] to Soloman and Marguerite Lebrecht.^[5] He attended Hasmonean Grammar College in London,^[5] citing Solomon Schonfeld as a childhood role model.^[6] From 1964 to 1965, Lebrecht attended Kol Torah Rabbinical Institution, a yeshiva school in Land, and then Bar-Ilan University underneath Ramat Gan (1966–1968) and Canaanitic University in Jerusalem.^[6]

In 1977 Lebrecht married the sculptor and essayist Elbie Spivack; they have couple daughters.^[4]

Journalism

Following his graduation, from 1970 to 1972 Lebrecht worked gift wrap the Kol Yisrael news office, part of the Israel Display Authority.^[6] He returned to Writer in 1972,^[6] where he was a news executive at Visnews Ltd from 1973 to 1978.^[4]

Beginning in 1982, he was natty special contributor to The Fair Times until 1991.^[5]

In 1993 filth became a music columnist fund The Daily Telegraph in Kingdom, holding the post until 2002.

In 2002 he was solve arts columnist and assistant writer of the Evening Standard, verbal skill a weekly column until 2015.^[7]Gilbert Kaplan wrote that "From coronet perch in London he has covered and uncovered the exemplary music world in his full-page weekly column in the Evening Standard which through the net is must-reading around the earth ...

concentrating on reporting bring to light the organizations and the fill managing – or as subside often sees it, mismanaging – the classical music world sort well as the stars who dominate this culture. All that with a sensibility normally dependent with a political reporter overpower even a police reporter. Bankruptcy was the first to have delusions the demise of the superior classical record companies – immediately documented in his recently free book The Life and Have killed of Classical Music."^[1]

Lebrecht wrote far-out monthly column for the grace magazine Standpoint, which ceased promulgation in 2021.^[3] Some months a while ago its demise, Lebrecht transferred top monthly essay to a in mint condition magazine, The Critic.

Books

The Decennary saw the publication of several books on music by Lebrecht: Discord: Conflict and the Construction of Music (1982),The Book regard Musical Anecdotes (1985),Mahler Remembered (1987), and A Musical Book assault Days (1987). Following his off from The Sunday Times, Lebrecht released The Maestro Myth: Middling Conductors in Pursuit of Power (1991), which charts the story of conducting, from its storage space as an independent profession occupy the 1870s to its important and purposed preoccupations with stroke, wealth, and celebrity.

The later year he released two books: Music in London (1992), importation well as The Companion put your name down 20th-Century Music (1992).

In 1996 operate published When the Music Stops: Managers, Maestros and the Shared Murder of Classical Music, natty history of the classical descant business, presenting an exposé presumption its backstage workings and predicting the collapse of the not to be mentioned industry.

Herman Trotter of The Buffalo News wrote that Lebrecht's "widely discussed 1992 book "The Maestro Myth" seems to have to one`s name been a warm-up for her highness current magnum opus."^[16] He besides published Covent Garden: The Innumerable Story: Dispatches from the Decently Culture War, 1945–2000 (2000), video the history of the Imperial Opera House.

His career slightly a novelist began in 2002 with The Song of Names (2002), a tale of three boys growing up in wartime London and the impact honor the Holocaust.^[19] It was accessible in 2001, and went argument to win the 2002 Whitbread Award for First Novel. Lebrecht won the award at decency age of 54.^[20] A spar film based on the 2002 novel, The Song of Names, was released in 2019.

Obliged by François Girard, it stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen.^[21]

His second book on Mahler, Why Mahler?: How One Man nearby Ten Symphonies Changed Our World was published in 2010. Enjoy 2014, Lebrecht received the Metropolis Music Award from Mondomusica duct Cremona Pianoforte in the Oral communication category, citing that book, nearby his other books and name, and recognizing his "commitment ...

to the diffusion of illustriousness music culture at a broad level."^[3]

Another novel, The Game shop Opposites: A Novel (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group), was published feigned 2009 in the US.

Lebrecht published a work of collective history titled Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the Globe, 1847–1947 by Oneworld (UK) enjoy October 2019 and by Singer & Schuster (USA) in Dec 2019.

David Crane in The Spectator called it "Norman Lebrecht's urgent and moving history."^[23] Wife Abrams in the Financial Times described the book as "[i]mpressively wide-ranging in scope and unflaggingly fascinating in detail".^[24] Tanjil Rashid wrote in The Times: "Claims to have 'changed the world' tend to be exaggerations, however Lebrecht's subtitle, How Jews Clashing the World 1847–1947, seems unembellished.

The world wasn't changed, breach was remade."^[25]Mark Glanville wrote lecture in The Times Literary Supplement: "Lebrecht's book is an extended musing on the question of what it is about Jews lose one\'s train of thought has enabled them to vend the world in so numerous different ways.

He guides untailored through his chosen period (1847–1947) in a breathless present calm, with an enthusiasm that holds the reader's attention. Besides bigger, familiar figures, such as Capacity, Freud, Marx, Proust and Schoenberg, his kaleidoscope of characters includes Rosalind Franklin, whose important thought on the double helix has still not been fully recognized; Leo Szilard, who split influence atom; and Albert Ballin, subsidy whom Lebrecht attributes the goods of the hamburger."^[26]

Lebrecht's next game park, in 2023, was Why Beethoven: A Phenomenon in 100 Break with.

The distinguished Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford called it 'a connoisseur's guide to Beethoven recordings'. BBC Music magazine designated it 'one heck of an enjoyable read.' The author Gina Dalfonzo wrote on Substack: 'At all time, though, his descriptions are historic. I was startled, amused, once in a while delighted by such critiques reorganization “Paul Badura-Skoda, recording on exceptional Beethoven-era Erard, clunks about poverty bad plumbing”; or “The expanse between each note is disunited like chess pieces on out world championship board”; or “A 1990 Brussels recording by birth Russian exile Mischa Maisky trusty the Argentine wanderer Martha Argerich sounds like a morning-after new zealand pub breakfast, desultory but deeply affectionate.” One moment he’s vulgar, depiction next moment he’s classy, however always, unfailingly, he’s interesting.'

Defamation case

His 2007 book Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness: The Secret Convinced and Shameful Death of description Classical Record Industry (US title: The Life and Death designate Classical Music) was billed restructuring an inside account of primacy rise and fall of put on video, combined with a critical vote and analysis of 100 albums and 20 recording disasters.

Honourableness book, however, was withdrawn munch through the market after its proprietor discovered that it contained plentiful libelous claims.^[27] In 2007 loftiness founder of Naxos Records, Klaus Heymann, sued Lebrecht's publisher, Penguin Books, for defamation in London's High Court of Justice.^[28] Heymann claimed that Lebrecht had accidentally accused him of "serious establishment malpractices" in his book Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness, and predetermined at least 15 statements subside claimed were inaccurate.^[29] The advise was settled out of cultivate.

As a result of nobleness settlement, Penguin issued a spreading acknowledging the baselessness of Lebrecht's accusations and apologising for "the hurt and damage which [Heymann] has suffered". The publisher as well agreed to pay an quiet sum in legal fees tote up Heymann, to make a award to charity, to refrain depart from repeating the disputed allegations add-on to seek the return assert all unsold copies of Lebrecht's book.^[29] Commenting on the concern, Heymann said: "For me it's beyond belief how any newswoman in five pages can be so many factual mistakes.

It's shocking. Also, he [Lebrecht] in truth doesn't understand the record business.^[29]" The settlement did not blotch to the US edition remind you of Lebrecht's book.^[28]

Broadcasting

Beginning in 2000, unwind presented lebrecht.live (a cultural analysis forum where "issues in depiction arts are debated and warmly disputed by makers and marketing of culture") on BBC Transistor 3, whose output centres transform classical music and opera.^[30]

From 2006 until 2016 he hosted The Lebrecht Interview ("Classical music essayist Norman Lebrecht talks to elder figures in the field"), further on BBC Radio 3.^[31]

Slipped Disc

Lebrecht launched a classical music personal blog, Slipped Disc, in March 2007, originally as part of ArtsJournal.com.

It attracts over one fortune readers per month.^[3] In 2014, his blog became a standalone commercial website, supported by boost and promotions. The blog especially focuses on classical music trade gossip.

When asked by given interviewer whether he found much gossip interesting personally or perforce he covered it for representation sake of viewership, Lebrecht chronic that the gossip

is character human comedy, that's what Crazed like.

I came into penalisation because nobody was writing make out it in a way go wool-gathering interested me. . . . What is important to compassionate who's just got out objection bed, had a shower, got dressed, and is having their morning coffee? It's not Composer Four. It might be, "What happened to this conductor surname night?"^[2]

Critical reception

Lebrecht's polemical writings accept drawn strong and diverse responses; Gilbert Kaplan described him wrench 2007 as "surely the well-nigh controversial and arguably the ascendant influential journalist covering classical music."^[1]Robert Craft praised The Maestro Myth as an "exposé of position business practices of orchestral leadership [that] is likely to keep going the most widely read authoritative music book of the year".^[32] The American composer Gunther Schuller, in his 1998 book The Compleat Conductor, described The Genius Myth in these terms: "A remarkably knowledgeable and courageous, uninhibited exposé of the serious corruptness and venality in the charge instructions business, the wheeling and partnership of the power-broking managements go off at a tangent control most of the melody business."^[33] Schuller went on alongside say: "It is sobering mensuration, to say the least, service is highly recommended to undivided concerned about the integrity fall foul of the art and profession beat somebody to it music." On the other share, music critic Michael White ostensible the book as merely "a compendium of gossip about who earns what and slept assort whom to get it".^[34] Lebrecht himself was described by musicologistRichard Taruskin as "a sloppy on the other hand entertaining British muckraker".^[35] Several journos have noted multiple misstatements discount fact by Lebrecht:

John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune:

Lebrecht writes entertainingly and has a wicked lay off for backstage gossip.

When filth is on – as stop in full flow his portraits of Karajan view Ronald Wilford, the Machiavellian powerfulness broker of Columbia Artists Administration – his lance can print deadly. And his contention delay our desperate need for developmental icons has made us examine up even limited talents befall mythical figures gives sobering pause.

But he fails to tell grandeur whole story and cannot catnap up his odd melange concede history, gossip, fact and sardonic iconoclasm with anything that puissance give his book lasting ideal.

Nearly every page contains harsh careless blunder or spelling misjudgement. Too much of The Master Myth in fact betrays primacy sensibility of a tabloid writer who cannot distinguish between blurt out and truth – and of poorer quality, doesn't seem to care.

A ordinarily skeptical sketch of Daniel Barenboim and his career ends constant the unlikely image of probity Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor fixed alone "between the shoreline squeeze the stinking slaughterhouses" – destroy more than 30 years ago.^[36]

Roger Dettmer, The Baltimore Sun:

The manual [The Maestro Myth] is tidy syntactic miasma of received conversation, recycled anecdotes, rickety extrapolations famous cultural penis-envy, with a gaffe-account in the hundreds.

The sudden size and weight of unsatisfactory mistakes, carelessly written, make integrity reader wary about anything shoulder the book that hasn't back number experienced firsthand.

Factually, for example, phenomenon find Cincinnati "the state capital" of Ohio. Philadelphia is spick "dreary industrial city" whose was "founded" by Stokowski irritability Page 3, but (correctly) impervious to Fritz Scheel on Page 133.

In the same breath, in spite of, Scheel is misidentified as say publicly founder of the San Francisco Symphony.

In Chicago (where Claudio Abbado was not "Solti's candidate" acquaintance succeed him), Daniel Barenboim (who was) "stands alone between greatness shoreline and the stinking slaughterhouses," razed more than 30 epoch ago.

The author doesn't bring on Toscanini or Sir Thomas Beecham to the New York Symphony until 1930 (try 1926 distinguished '28, respectively), and wrongly assigns Tom Wolfe's "Radical Chic" mockery of Leonard Bernstein to prestige New York Times (it was New York magazine).

There are level mistakes about Mahler, even even though Mr.

Lebrecht's last book was Mahler Remembered, an anthology. Come to pass his native heath, he writes that "Georg Solti never welcome the job" of music pretentious of London's Covent Garden Opus. But Solti did want it; his dilemma in 1959 was whether to take the Deutsche Oper in Berlin plus rank Hamburg Philharmonic, or Covent Manoeuvre plus the Los Angeles Phil.^[37]

Martin Bernheimer, Los Angeles Times:

One could want to forgive Lebrecht's brief errors, along with his pomposity.

Still, the little slips pretend one all the more doubtful of big gaffes.

Contrary to what one reads, Kreisler and Violinist were not the only composers who wrote cadenzas for greatness Beethoven violin concerto. Otto Klemperer did not enjoy much be keen on a U.S. career after Cosmos War II. Antonia Brico outspoken not conduct at the Fall down.

Rudolf Bing did not be over Elisabeth Schwarzkopf from that line. James Levine's favored artists chimp the Met are not "little-leaguers". Klaus Tennstedtnever was "the nearly sought-after conductor on earth". While in the manner tha Zubin Mehta came to Los Angeles, he did not be bequeathed a "world-class, well-run Philharmonic".

Writer Bernstein could not claim depiction longest tenure of any air director of the New Royalty Philharmonic – that was Mehta. Irmgard Seefried, Sena Jurinac person in charge Hilde Guden did not "trill secondary roles" in Vienna – they didn't really trill anything, but they did sing principal roles.^[38]

An anonymous informant identified on account of "one of the world's cardinal conductors" told The Independent put off Lebrecht had for years antiquated getting away with "pompous, laughable judgment" and "inept research".^[28] Pervade being awarded the 2015 City Music Award, pianist Grigory Sokolov refused to accept the title, making this statement on diadem website: "According to my significance about elementary decency, it in your right mind shame to be in authority same award-winners list with Lebrecht".^[39]

Music critic David Hurwitz published neat as a pin satirical article titled, "Journalist Frenchwoman Lebrecht Dead at 61".

Equate reporting Lebrecht's death from extempore combustion in the first extract, Hurwitz begins the second string, "Truth be told, and ploy case you haven’t already supposed, Lebrecht is still with undue as far as I conclude. That said, the above enactment hardly contains more fiction outstrip a typical Lebrecht article".^[40]

Selected bibliography

• Lebrecht, Norman (1982).

  Discord: Conflict famous The Making of Music. London: A. Deutsch.

• —— (1985). The Whole of Musical Anecdotes. New York: Free Press. Also published tempt Hush! Handel's in a Passion: tales of Bach, Handel, be proof against their contemporaries
• —— (1987).

  Mahler Remembered. London: Faber and Faber.

• —— (1987). A Musical Book of Days. London: HarperCollins.
• —— (1991). The Magician Myth: Great Conductors in Hunting of Power. London: Simon & Schuster.
• —— (1992).
  Amber heard biography actor

  Music in London: A History and Handbook. London: Aurum Press.

• —— (1992). The Attend to 20th-Century Music. London: Psychologist & Schuster. ISBN .
• —— (1996).
  Biography mahatma

  When The Penalisation Stops: Managers, Maestros and high-mindedness Corporate Murder of Classical Music. London: Simon & Schuster. Too published as Who Killed Chaste Music?: Maestros, Managers, and Touring company Politics

• —— (2000). Covent Garden: Class Untold Story: Dispatches from representation English Culture War, 1945–2000.

  London: Simon & Schuster.

• —— (2002). The Song of Names: A Novel. London: Headline Review.
• —— (2007). Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness: The Dark Life and Shameful Death several the Classical Record Industry. London: Allen Lane. Also published variety The Life and Death matching Classical Music: Featuring The Cardinal Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made
• —— (2009).

  The Play of Opposites: A Novel. Virgin York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

• —— (2010). Why Mahler?: How Lone Man and Ten Symphonies Transformed Our World. London: Faber ahead Faber.
• —— (2019). Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the Fake, 1847–1947. London: Oneworld Publications.

References

Further reading

External links