Kurt Azesberger (tenor) was on fine form as the Fool, though perhaps humour is not Schoenberg's strong point. As the doomed Waldemar, Jon Frederic West (tenor) was solid, except at the extremes of his range, but not quite captivating. Some members of the audience plainly enjoyed soprano Julia Varady's Tove more than I did. There were a few lovely moments, but a lot more of it sounded effortful.By contrast, Ann Murray (mezzo) made the Wood-dove's monologue deeply touching, and ultimately chilling Every word counted, every phrase was sensitively shaped. Then Part 1 came to its astonishing conclusion: a minor chord slammed down by brass, fading to coarse woodwind, then soft strings, drums and deep bass brass tolling beneath.Whatever the passing grumbles, this Gurrelieder was full of such thrills. If you want to know what a C major sixth chord sounds like played by 25 wind, 25 brass, percussion, four harps, chorus and a platform full of strings, tune in to the Radio 3 broadcast tomorrow at 7.30pm.Stephen Johnson. Piers Merchant, the Tory MP for Beckenham, who has been the subject of two investigations by tabloid newspapers into his relationship with an18-year-old woman, variously described as his researcher and bar hostess, announced he was going to resign from Parliament.

After the woman, Anna Cox, came out of Mr Merchant's home to confront photographers, she became distressed and was taken to a local hospital. Speculation has started over whether the relatively safe Tory seat will go to one of the "stars" waiting to return to the Commons, such as Michael Portillo Page 4. Scotland Yard is investigating a complaint of theft from tycoon Tiny Rowland's security deposit box at Harrods, allegedly ordered by his arch business rival, Mohamed Al Fayed. Kim Sengupta and Colin Brown chart an astonishing day, when disgraced former MP Neil Hamilton fought back with sensational allegations of intrigue and burglary. It is a feud which ran for 20 years and just when it seemed the hatchet had been finally buried, revelations in committee room 15 of the House of Commons dramatically brought it back to life. The incendiary war between Tiny Rowland and Mohamed Al Fayed began with the battle for the ownership of the House of Fraser and continued bitterly over the years. Yesterday Neil Hamilton sought to throw a lighted match into it.His statement came as Lord Jakobovits, the former chief rabbi, launched a blister ing attack on the new-look Conservative party just days after Michael Portillo told the party it had to present a more tolerant face, criticised the party leadership for abandoning its morality."I'm saddened that a party that stood like a rock for certain values, family values .. should now surrender those .. for political gains," he said. "The Conservative Party used to insist on maintaining family values.

It now wants to abandon this for a few votes."In evidence to the Commons privileges committee over claims that he had accepted cash for Commons questions from MrFayed, Mr Hamilton accused the Harrods boss of ordering a break-in of Mr Rowland's security box at the store.Under oath Mr Hamilton claimed that Mr Fayed had asked John McNamara and Bob Loftus, two of his security staff, to open the box owned by Mr Rowland after spotting him at the store. He allegedly said to Mr Loftus: "Why didn't you tell me about this when we had trouble with the DTI ... that he had this box here?"As the astonished MPs listened to Mr Hamilton, a mile away at Chester Square Mr Rowland was revealing that items had been stolen from the box which he had kept at the store since before the Second World War. He called in the police two months ago and Scotland Yard confirmed that its Organised Crimes Squad was carrying out an investigation into alleged theft.

One of those allegedly involved in the theft, John McNamara, is a former detective chief superintendent with Scotland Yard fraud squad.Mr Rowland would only say: "The matter is in the hands of the police. I have gone with senior officers from Scotland Yard to retrieve what was left in my box." He declined to say whether documents relating to the House of Fraser bids, and a damning Department of Trade and Industry report into Mr Fayed's affairs had been taken But his wife, Josie, said: "It is very upsetting. Anyone could see the box had been tampered with."Last night Harrods' spokesman Michael Cole denied that the boxes had anything to do with the Harrods Bank, and also strenuously denied that they had been broken into. He said the allegations had been by a disgruntled ex-employee, Bob Loftus, who had demanded money from Mr Fayed.Mr Hamilton told the committee that a locksmith called Roy Hamilton - "no relation" - had been called in by Harrods to open Mr Rowland's box, which was then taken to Mr Fayed's office.