Barry Dransfield obituary
Other lives: Accomplished fiddle player whose folk recordings of the early 1970s are still much sought after
La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’Isola di Alcina review – 17th-century rarity is fun when it forgets to be earnest
Francesca Caccini’s 1625 work – the earliest surviving opera by a woman – is wildly imaginative, even without the original horse ballet
Pergolesi: L’Olimpiade album review – pacy conducting and a fine cast animate baroque rarity
Recorded from a live performance in an 18th-century theatre in Jesi – Pergolesi’s hometown – this is a brain-addling tale of love triangles and long-lost twins set in the ancient Olympics
Hits don’t lie! Shakira’s 20 best songs, from World Cup anthems to megastar duets – ranked!
As the Colombian pop supremo prepares to perform at Sunday’s final, we rate her greatest work, including gossipy takedowns and lycanthropic lyrics
Nia Archives: Emotional Junglist review – breakbeats and heartbreak combined by a brilliant British one-off
On the Bradford-born producer’s self-assured second album, drum’n’bass rhythms power up angsty odes with shades of Arctic Monkeys, Kate Nash and myriad genres
‘A sublime, breezy confection’: writers on their 2026 songs of the summer
The annual rundown of Guardian writers picking their most played tracks of the season goes from club-ready pop to sunny tech house
R Kelly formally appeals to Donald Trump to commute his 31-year prison sentence
The R&B singer was found guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking and producing child abuse images, with his lawyer lobbying the US president for more than a year
Hit Machine review – slick music biz drama strikes too many false notes
Josh Radnor is a music executive whose life is upended by his wayward brother, in a play about masculinity, creativity, appropriation and trauma
Unheard David Bowie songs from 1965 to be released – including ones with Jimmy Page on guitar
Compilation entitled David Bowie: The Shel Talmy Recordings will be released in September, collating material from when he recorded as Davy Jones
Shakira review – she-wolf roars again in playful victory lap from Colombian superstar
Ahead of her World Cup final performance, the singer’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour whips through exuberant hits
Karim Sulayman/Sean Shibe review – tenor and guitarist beguile in wide-ranging and joyful recital
From a lament to the Lebanese capital to Sephardic love songs, melancholy Monteverdi to Purcell and Britten, the pair’s ‘Broken Branches’ programme felt spontaneous and engaging
From a forest to an all-star trio and the fires of hell – my pick of new music coming to the Proms this year
The world’s biggest classical music festival begins on Friday. Over eight weeks of sonic excursions and orchestral revelations there’s a huge range of premieres and contemporary music: here’s the concerts I won’t be missing
‘More real than anything you’ll see scrolling’: the radical resurgence of UK fanzines, 50 years after punk
Five decades since punk bible Sniffin’ Glue, DIY magazines are in rude, rich health. Their creators talk fandom, community-building and resisting the algorithm
James Taylor review – 70s legend’s golden baritone shines best when stripped bare
The AI-style backing videos are terrible and his accomplished band can be overly slick at times, but Taylor’s civility and grace cuts through it all
US rapper Boosie seeks $300,000 refund after failed Trump pardon bid
Rapper reportedly paid $600,000 to push for president’s pardon but firm says no partial refund promised