His series on the 50 greatest symphoniesis unsurpassed; his guide to contemporary music is unequaled; his book on conductors, Music as Alchemy, is the best of its genre. Tom Service is among the finest music writers we have (for more samples, check out his blog at The Guardian). But first, let me distract you with the latest Service: a post sampling the funniest classical-music parodieson video.
All 10 are hilarious, but here's one to start with:
http://youtu.be/5YqgiOj54Ko?list=RD1n7BCUVJkhU
And here's one he missed: a sportscast of the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth by the man from Ames, Iowa, Peter Schickele.
http://youtu.be/U-atdj5WU6E
