2003 CONTENTS

Articles published during the year 2003 are listed below in chronological order of publication, with the most recent at the top of the list:

• CD Spotlight. Contrasting pieces - Music by John Hawkins, explored by Patric Standford. 'The performers are of the best ...'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Fading celebrity


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Uprooting


• Handel's singers - Robert Hugill investigates the fascinating world of opera in eighteenth century London


• Record box. Orchestral improvisations - Todd Goodman's Symphony No 1, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Record box. Rhythmic invention - The string quartets of David Arditti, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Record box. Impact of sound - Music by Joe Wiedemann, reviewed by Patric Standford


• CD Spotlight. Tricky work - A recording of Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... a stunning choral sound ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Torn to shreds


• CD Spotlight. Exquisite quality - Music played by the Kandinsky Trio, recommended by Patric Standford. '... one of the most attractive chamber music recordings ...'


• CD Spotlight. Life and strife - Fritz Reiner's Tchaikovsky, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... Reiner's no-nonsense approach avoids any hint of emotional excess.'


• CD Spotlight. Emotional immediacy - Music by Andrea Gabrieli, recommended by Robert Hugill. '... His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts play stunningly ...'


• CD Spotlight. Creative legacy - Luiza Borac plays Enescu, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... a worthy ambassador for a genius ...'


• Ensemble. Visions of sublimity - Lawrence Budmen listens to Yefim Bronfman and the American String Quartet


• Ask Alice - On anonymous Christmas cards, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Mystical chorus - David Arditti at a different performance of 'L'Enfance du Christ'


• CD Spotlight. Appropriate ardency - Juliane Banse and András Schiff perform songs by Debussy and Mozart, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... a smart and authoritative singer ...'


• Ensemble. Warmth and spontaneity - David Thompson reviews a performance of 'L'Enfance du Christ' by Berlioz


• A dazzling recital - Misha Dacic plays Rachmaninoff with soul, admired by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Fresh air - The Naxos Book of Carols, appreciated by Keith Bramich. 'A delightful and magnificent stocking-filler!'


• Profile. Surging up again? - Gordon Rumson investigates the sacred choral music of Caleb Simper, (no longer) sung throughout the civilized world


• Ask Alice - Recent changes in UK legislation impinge on the world of classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Stylistically convincing - Malcolm Miller listens to Trio Lignum


• CD Spotlight. Conjuring tricks - The first in a new series of Vivaldi bassoon concertos, admired by Robert Anderson. 'The virtuosity of Tamás Benkócs is a constant wonder ...'


• Ensemble. A special treat - Maria Nockin enthuses over Ewa Podles' recent recital for San Diego Opera


• A revelation - Some personal reflections on the Lennox Berkeley Centenary, from Peter Dickinson


• Ensemble. New edition - Robert Hugill congratulates the Chelsea Opera Group on its performance of 'The Pearl Fishers'


• Ask Alice - More questions and answers with Alice McVeigh, during which our Agony Aunt's cover is finally blown ...


• Ensemble. Snowfall in winter - Keith Bramich at a performance by Tamami Honma and friends


• Ensemble. Bold individuality - Malcolm Miller enjoys a performance by an outstanding young Hungarian duo at the Wallace Collection


• With Callas in Mind - Personal reflections on visits to New York, by Grahame Ainge


• Ensemble. Handelian metal - A concert performance of 'Serse', reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. A collector's item - Stephen Isserlis and Stephen Hough play Rachmaninov and Franck, admired by John Bell Young. '... the rapport between Mr Isserlis and Mr Hough is on the order of the clairvoyant.'


• The Monteverdi allure - On the 360th anniversary of the death of Claudio Monteverdi, Rajgopal Nidamboor pays tribute to the first great composer of opera


• Ask Alice - Choristers and Christmas gifts, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• 'Messiah' as never before - Howard Smith describes Lygia O'Riordan's quest to bring Handel's masterpiece to Eastern Russia


• CD Spotlight. Overall control - Hsia-Jung Chang plays Chopin, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... dazzling technique ...'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Communication


• CD Spotlight. River spirits - The opera 'Florencia en el Amazonas' as recorded by Albany, appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... shimmering iridescent music ...'


• Whirlwind of activity - Gordon Rumson recommends Charles Barber's book 'Lost in the Stars: The Forgotten Musical Life of Alexander Siloti'


• Ask Alice - Conductors' handshakes and solo bows, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Jazz Yatra - The Indian Jazz Festival, reviewed by Colin D'Cruz


• CD Spotlight. Intense style - Gold and Lees piano concertos, reviewed by Ron Bierman. '... a thoroughly convincing performance.'


• Ensemble. Magyar magic - Malcolm Miller was at the launch of the ninth series of Music at the Wallace Collection


• Ensemble. Congress of passions - The Finchley Choral Society Centenary Concert, reviewed by Keith Bramich


• CD Spotlight. A delightful airing - The keyboard music of Matthew Locke, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... crisp and lively ...'


• Profile. Sounds amazing - Bill Newman talks to Jeremy Backhouse, director of the Vasari Singers


• Ask Alice - Problems of the back and the leg, dealt swift blows by classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Enchanting music - Festival Miami celebrates Ned Rorem's eightieth birthday, and Lawrence Budmen was impressed


• CD Spotlight. Exultant freedom - Giora Feidman plays music by Piazzolla and Ora Bat Chaim, reviewed by David Wilkins. '... consistently astonishing ...'


• In the presence of greatness - David Thompson is impressed by Angela Hewitt's playing of Bach, Couperin and Ravel at London's South Bank International Piano Series


• CD Spotlight. Subjective nationalism - Music by Alberto Ginastera, explored by Rex Harley. '... stunningly played and gloriously recorded.'


• Ensemble. Mutual enthusiasm - Rex Harley meets Phoenix Rising


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, deals with problems of food and light ...


• Ensemble. All in the mix - Keith Bramich takes in the GRM Experience at Amsterdam's Frascati Theater


• CD Spotlight. Quite lovely - Samuel Barber's 'Vanessa', appreciated by David Wilkins. 'Andrea Matthews is a very powerful Erika ...'


• CD Spotlight. Contrasting styles - Peter Sculthorpe's music for cello, explored by Ron Bierman. '... beautifully-played cello.'


• CD Spotlight. Stirring optimism - A new release from the Nietzsche Music Project, examined by John Bell Young. '... intelligible and convincing.'


• Ensemble. Impressions of Italy - Lawrence Budmen is impressed by Alasdair Neale and the New World Symphony


• Ask Alice - On machines and men, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• How essential is the difference? - Composer and curator of the Sorabji Archive Alistair Hinton replies to Patric Standford's recent 'Provocative Thoughts'


• CD Spotlight. Musical impression - Beethoven and the Habsburgs, explored by Robert Anderson. '... infectious zest ...'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - the essential difference


• Both angel and devil - One hundred years on, John Bell Young provides a critical appraisal of legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz


• Record box. Tour-de-force - Patric Standford listens to recent music for solo flutes, played by Nancy Ruffer


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, apologises to her Welsh readers


• Total commitment - Lawrence Budmen appreciates the playing of Richard Goode


• CD Spotlight. Narrative style - Magret Wolf's opera 'Kirisk', assessed by Patric Standford. 'The recording ... under the careful direction of the Israeli conductor Lior Shambadal, is excellent ...'


• CD Spotlight. Autumnal glow - Semyon Bychkov conducts Richard Strauss, reviewed by David Thompson. 'This is a fine achievement by all concerned.'


• CD Spotlight. Passionate enthusiasm - The orchestral music of Meyer Kupferman, discovered by Patric Standford. '... a sustained quality that is Kupferman's own, widely spread and generous, emotionally extrovert ...'


• Record box. Minimal approach - Patric Standford listens to the music of Elodie Lauten


• Ask Alice - A brush with the law for classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Discussion partners - Contemporary American piano concertos, reviewed by Ron Bierman. '... a masterful performance.'


• CD Spotlight. Orchestral panoply - Respighi's Pines and Fountains, appreciated by Robert Anderson. 'Fritz Reiner has the right qualities for this music.'


• A passionate campaign - Tamami Honma's Wigmore Hall solo recital début impresses Keith Bramich


• CD Spotlight. Mightily dramatic - Georg Katzer's 'Medea in Korinth', appreciated by Patric Standford. '... vivid and clear spontaneity ...'


• Record box. Choral textures - An anniversary CD by an English cathedral choir, welcomed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - On changing teachers, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• A rare opportunity - Bennett Lerner plays works by composers deserving more recognition, and Lawrence Budmen is impressed


• CD Spotlight. Opportunity to shine - Concertos for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's centennial, appreciated by Ron Bierman. '... filled with romantic gestures and crowd-pleasing virtuosity.'


• Iberian discovery - Malcolm Miller enjoys a Nancy Lee Harper recital of unfamiliar music


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Agreeable respect


• Ensemble. Coming of age - Keith Bramich at the twenty-first Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts


• CD Spotlight. Confident artistry - Music by Gerard Schurmann, welcomed by Patric Standford. '... clear, direct, economical and excellently focussed ...'


• Ask Alice - Freedom, A Serf's Charter, by classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. On the lake - Toronto's summer musical fare, including music by Wagner, Weill and Alex Eddington, sampled by Malcolm Miller


• CD Spotlight. Wonderful exuberance - A new release of music by Nancy Galbraith, recommended by Carson Cooman. '... music to be played and heard again and again.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Educating genius


• Ensemble. New directions - Keith Bramich at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival of Music 2003


• CD Spotlight. Mastery of orchestration - The music of Antal Doráti, recommended by Ron Bierman. 'Sharon Bezaly's tone is gorgeous ...'


• Record box. Firm conviction - Basil Ramsey listens to the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara


• Fair game? - Is a little insanity good for the creative process? D C Ruiz of New Music.net talks to Paul Minotto about the primeTime Sublime Community Orchestra


• Ensemble. A pioneering enterprise - David Thompson encounters the Two Barons of Rocca Azzurra


• CD Spotlight. Robust charm - Boccherini symphonies reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... maximum virtuosity and elan.'


• Ensemble. Arias in the Area - Malcolm Miller enjoys opera in concert, sung by Ruti Halvani and Anya Szreter


• Caught unawares - Howard Smith listens to Serbian pianist Sonja Radojkovic in New Zealand


• CD Spotlight - Music for two pianos and orchestra, enjoyed by Ron Bierman. '... all the technique these sometimes difficult pieces require ...'


• Ensemble. Something special - Between the Bridge and the Bee-loud Glade, Rex Harley discovers the Aust Festival of Mediaeval Music


• John Russell FRCM (1916-1990) - A personal memoir of a friend and teacher, with reference to his friendship with Gerald Finzi, by Adrian Williams


• Record box. Effortless background - Patric Standford listens to 'Classical Spirit'


• CD Spotlight. Single voice - Music for unaccompanied oboe, reviewed by Jennifer Paull. '... a masterful performance.'


• Ensemble. Meeting the challenge - Keith Bramich listens to early Beethoven from the Miller Piano Quartet


• CD Spotlight. Teddybears' picnic - Chamber music by Rimsky-Korsakov, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... idiomatic writing that is a constant delight.'


• Record box. Light and shadow - The organ music of Paul Fisher, investigated by Basil Ramsey


• CD Spotlight. To be a composer - Benjamin Lees' Symphony No 4, appreciated by Ron Bierman. '... Buswell's playing is consistently rich and beautiful.'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - The unwritten obligation - a musical question with no clear answer


• Record box. Minimalist music - Basil Ramsey listens to the music of Warren Burt


• Ask Alice - On shouting in prom concerts, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Social circle - Music by Hummel and Schubert, investigated by Robert Anderson. '... virtuoso display.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - transmission failure syndrome


• Classical objectivity? - Peter Dale reads 'The Music of Lennox Berkeley' by Peter Dickinson


• Record box. Russian transcriptions - Basil Ramsey listens to music from the Jewish Folk Music Society


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, returns from Greece to answer your questions


• Ensemble. Vocal power - Tenor Andrew Richards scores in American music, by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Sweet ecstasy - Music by John Tavener, reviewed by Ron Bierman. 'Recommended for those who like Tavener or Anonymous 4.'


• Ensemble. Pure serendipity - Music on the Croatian islands of Vis and Bisevo, explored by Keith Bramich


• Record box. Variety of mood - Music for cello, with Basil Ramsey


• Ask DGriffs - Helpful (and other) advice doled out to the agonised by DGriffs, while Alice is away in Greece ...


• Ensemble. Chamber orchestra charms - Rare Hungarian music, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Generous lyricism - Russian cello sonatas, investigated by Robert Anderson. '... alert and accomplished.'


• Profile. After Antal Doráti - Bill Newman visits pianist Ilse von Alpenheim at her home in Switzerland


• Ensemble. Hot music from Latin America - Malcolm Miller at a highlight of the Regent Hall Summer Festival


• Ask DGriffs - While Alice is away in Crete, DGriffs takes on all comers ...


• Ensemble. Creative reinterpretation - The 'Missa Solemnis' in facsimile and performance. Malcolm Miller attended a conference and concert at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign


• CD Spotlight. Quiet frustrations - Topologies play music by Alwynne Pritchard, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... excellent playing ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - A gruelling test


• Ask DGriffs - Aunts and uncles. While Alice is away ...


• Ensemble. An after-sun experience - Keith Bramich enjoys two concerts at the 2003 Dubrovnik Summer Festival


• Ensemble. Musical banquet - Malcolm Miller at Grange Park Opera's sixth season


• Ensemble. An imposing start - David Thompson was at the First Night of the BBC Proms in London on 18 July 2003


• CD Spotlight. The firmament on high - Music by Thomas Tomkins, enjoyed by Robert Anderson. '... an unqualified delight ...'


• Record box. Technical mastery - Basil Ramsey listens to Dohnányi piano music


• Ask Alice - More questions and answers with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Site seeing - Catching up on some classical music websites, with Keith Bramich


• CD Spotlight. Sheer beauty - Choral music by Bernhard Lewkovitch, enjoyed by Patric Standford. '... superb advocates for a composer who well deserves far more of our attention.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - maturity and skill


• CD Spotlight. Fire and brimstone? - Fabio Grasso plays Rubinstein, and Gordon Rumson raises some serious issues. '... great elan and vibrancy.'


• Record box. Wild folk - Gilles Apap's new Bach and Mozart CD, reviewed by Keith Bramich


• Ask Alice - DGriffs is not amused by classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Modest claims - Music by Phillip Schroeder, reviewed by Rex Harley


• CD Spotlight. Varied and stimulating - A new recital from Flute Force, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... a major performer and inspiration for composers ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - There are days - Musical passion


• Originality and urbanity - Ilona von Dohnányi's 'Ernst von Dohnányi - A Song of Life', reviewed by Robert Anderson


• Record box. Romantic cello - Slow and passionate melodies played by John Reed, and reviewed by Basil Ramsey


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, on poetry


• CD Spotlight. Mephistopheles in attendence - The playing of Marina Milic-Apostolovic, enjoyed by Robert Anderson


• CD Spotlight. Exuberant performances - Howells Canticles from the Collegiate Singers, reviewed by Rex Harley. 'The balance of the choir is near perfect ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Threats


• CD Spotlight. Tender longing - Daniil Shtoda sings Russian songs, reviewed by David Wilkins. '... wonderfully expressive ...'


• Record box. Graceful charm - The Talich Quartet plays Mozart, reviewed by Ron Bierman


• Ask Alice - The agony aunt and the butterfly, by Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Adventurer and virtuoso - Rosemary Tuck plays the Celtic Fantasies of Vincent Wallace, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... splendid performance ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - A foothold - those early years


• Editor's inbox - more readers' letters


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt Alice McVeigh visits Legoland (?!)


• Ensemble. High spirits - Lawrence Budmen visits the Sarasota Music Festival


• CD Spotlight. Fresh lyricism - Dvorák quartets on Praga Digitals, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '...beautifully captured by the Kocian team.'


• CD Spotlight. An indelible impression - Ewa Podles sings Russian songs and arias, appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... incredibly well done ...'


• Record box. Sense of occasion - The Dvorák Day Concert, enjoyed by Keith Bramich


• Ask Alice - On spiders and singing ... from classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Musical delights - A new recording of Handel's 'Rinaldo' reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a performance of vitality and appropriate style ...'


• Profile. To be a composer - Ron Bierman met and talked to Benjamin Lees


• Ensemble. Visions of the sublime - Roderic Dunnett on Covent Garden's 'Magic Flute'


• Ask Alice - More answers from classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. ... and a dash of chutzpah - Rex Harley listens to the Welsh Baroque Orchestra's 'Concerto Mania'


• Music - a short story by Elizabeth Dobbs


• Ensemble. Spotlight in Miami - Gifted artists at the International Piano Festival, by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, is back (!!!!!!!)


• CD Spotlight. Hypnotic surfaces - David Lang's 'Child', reviewed by Ron Bierman. '... interesting melodic turns and mild Latin feel ...'


• Ensemble. Musical evangelism - Piers Adams' group Red Priest amazes Keith Bramich


• Ensemble - Meeting of minds - Stephen Kovacevich and friends play excellent Mozart and Brahms, enjoyed by Malcolm Miller


• Ask DGriffs - A flood of correspondence for M&V's newly appointed 'agony uncle'


• Operatic connections - Roderic Dunnett talks to Tom Hawkes, the director of Castleward Opera's 'La Rondine'


• Lithuanian Diary - In Spring 2003, British composer and pianist John McCabe made his first-ever trip to Lithuania, for concerts and a recording with the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius. Here is a diary of his visit to this delightful country.


• Ensemble. Oratorio to opera - Rex Harley raises some questions about the staged version of Handel's 'Jephtha'


• CD Spotlight. Tewkesbury variations - A choir and an organ in Gloucestershire UK, appreciated by Roderic Dunnett. 'Two first-class new recordings ...'


• Ask Alice - Men problems this week for classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Pointing the way - A chamber-music quality 'Nutcracker', with Ron Bierman. '... closer to what Tchaikovsky had in mind.'


• Emotions and music - Some thoughts from composer Alistair Hinton


• Inspiring confidence - David Thompson is motivated by Barbara Nissman's book 'Bartók and the Piano'


• Record box. Andean piano - Keith Bramich listens to the piano music of Uña Ramos


• Ask Alice - Another eye-opening selection from classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Choral centenary - Malcolm Miller enjoys two seldom-performed works by Berthold Goldschmidt


• CD Spotlight. Bitter tears - Kathleen Ferrier sings 'Das Lied von der Erde' on Naxos Historical, and David Wilkins is impressed. '... mastery of word-painting ...'


• Special gifts - Rex Harley describes a magical concert experienced during a chance visit to the Leamington Festival


• Mad about Glinka - Russian conductor Valery Gergiev arrives in London later this month to conduct a rare concert performance of 'A Life for the Tsar'. Musicologist Gerard McBurney talks to Roderic Dunnett about its importance


• Record box. Mission impossible - Keith Bramich listens to contemporary chamber music by Mark Warhol


• Ask Alice - Practical advice from classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Fertile imagination - Arrangement with a vengeance from Red Priest, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... never a dull moment and entertainment value paramount.'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - In step - remembering one who was


• CD Spotlight. Return journey - A Richard Strauss melodrama, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a fine performance from an actor of wide experience ...'


• Record box. Rich textures - Chamber music by John McCabe, appreciated by Keith Bramich


• Ask Alice - Trouble with emails this week for classical music agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - in the ear of the listener


• Monk and Mahler - Lawrence Budmen reviews Tilson Thomas performances in Miami


• Celestial music - Gordon Rumson explores sacred and secular in the writing of Wilfrid Mellers


• Record box. Glittering light - The music of Irish composer Raymond Deane, by Keith Bramich


• Ask Alice - Our classical music 'agony aunt', Alice McVeigh, tackles more questions


• CD Spotlight. Open doors - Orchestral favourites of Japan, reviewed by Keith Bramich. '... the traditional songs of fishermen, miners and pack-horse drivers ...'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Surfacing - Music up and down


• Profile. Luciano Chailly - The career of one of Italy's most striking musical personalities, reviewed by Roderic Dunnett, who met and interviewed him


• Record box. Energy and power - The Bach Collegium Japan performance of the St John Passion, experienced by Keith Bramich


• Ask Alice - more questions to Alice McVeigh, the 'agony aunt' of classical music


• CD Spotlight. Thrilling virtuosity - Organ music by Vierne and Alain, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... James Lancelot shows throughout how effectively he can command the grand Romantic gesture.'


• Performing practices - Pianist Danny Driver talks to Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Bamboula! - The music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, investigated by John Bell Young. '... unimpeachable authority and breathtaking virtuosity ...'


• Record box. Intensity - Debussy songs, appreciated by Basil Ramsey


• Ask Alice - more of your questions answered by our classical music agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. A delight - Linden and Egarr play Bach Gamba sonatas, and Ron Bierman is impressed. '... a wonderful original instruments recording ...'


• East and West - Malcolm Miller applauds Natasa Sarcevic's performance of music by Paul Ben-Haim


• CD Spotlight. Musical hierarchy - The Sinfonietta by Ernesto Halffter, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... an impressive job ...'


• Record box. Always active - Composer at work, by Basil Ramsey


• Ensemble. Medieval Hebrew - Malcolm Miller attends the première of 'The Death of Moses' by Julian Dawes


• CD Spotlight. Slave labour - The political statements of Hans Werner Henze, investigated by Robert Anderson. '... sensuous richness ...'


• Ask Alice - in the first of a new series, Alice McVeigh, cellist, author and 'agony aunt' of classical music, answers your questions


• CD Spotlight. Holstian time-warp - Martinu from the quartet bearing his name, by Roderic Dunnett. '... played with appealing clarity.'


• Record box. Refined music - Ron Bierman listens to the music of Reynaldo Hahn


• Editor's inbox - stand up and be counted


• CD Spotlight. Rare indeed - The C minor Mass by Johann Simon Mayr, appreciated by Roderic Dunnett. '... spirited, alert and uplifting.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - familiarity


• CD Spotlight. Carefree brilliance - The keyboard music of Orlando Gibbons, enjoyed by Robert Anderson. '... technique and panache ...'


• Record box. On the water - Music by Anthony Iannaccone, heard by Basil Ramsey


• Ensemble. Matched to perfection - Rex Harley closes his eyes and enjoys the Gould Piano Trio


• CD Spotlight. A spectacular work - Post modernist music enjoyed by Rex Harley. '... Nicolella's tremendous virtuosity ...'


• Kvapil in concert - Malcolm Miller attends a fascinating masterclass and recital


• Ensemble. Strengths and weaknesses - Rex Harley listens to 'Jenufa' at Welsh National Opera


• Record box. Sonorous richness - Ron Bierman explores Skrowaczewski's world


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Sounds ever upward


• CD Spotlight. A commanding spirit - Chamber music from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... beautifully recorded and artistically stimulating.'


• But the daring! - Gordon Rumson reports on a Paul Badura Skoda recital in Calgary


• CD Spotlight. A kinder approach - Music by Biber, played by The Parley of Instruments, and recommended by Ron Bierman


• Record box. Distant love - Songs of Jaufre Rudel and Martin Codax, reviewed by Rex Harley


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Sing for peace


• CD Spotlight. Delian subtlety - The inspired Sir Thomas Beecham, admired by Robert Anderson. '... no better than expected ...'


• Japanese Fantasy - Malcolm Miller admires the virtuosity of Hiromi Okada and the Sonata by Akio Yashiro


• Ensemble. An ambitious concert - Rex Harley listens to Tchaikovsky, Lutoslawski and Szymanowski in Wales


• Record box. Slick and fun - The London trumpet sound impresses Keith Bramich


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Goals. Looking to experiences when 'we know'


• CD Spotlight. This is music - Listening to Japanese composer Akio Yashiro, by Keith Bramich. '... good performances and a clear recording.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - moods and music


• Simple gifts? - David Thompson is impressed by 'Copland Connotations - Studies and Interviews'


• Record box. Deeply affecting - Remembering the Holocaust, by Keith Bramich


• Utopian ideals - Gordon Rumson reads Paul W Heimel's 'Oleana - The Ole Bull Colony'


• CD Spotlight. Speaking extravagantly - The string quartets of David Stock, appreciated by Ron Bierman


• No apologies - Peter Dale is impressed by Trevor Hold's new survey of 'The Second Golden Age of English Song'


• Ensemble. Dramatic writing - Rex Harley attends a memorable performance of the Victoria Requiem


• Record box. Impetuous abandon - Ron Bierman is amazed by the playing of Marc-André Hamelin


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - To order. Considering the commissioning of composers


• CD Spotlight. Onward tread - Charles Wood's anthems, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... vibrant in tone and firm as a rock ...'


• Four is hardly a crowd - Bill Newman enjoys an evening's entertainment by Piano 40 at London's Purcell Room, Wednesday 5 February 2003


• Profile. A great schooling - Bill Newman talks to Igor Oistrakh as the 50th anniversary of the violinist's UK début approaches


• Record box. Occasionally beautiful - The sacred choral music of Robert Evett, explored by Ron Bierman


• Ensemble. Comic touches - Roderic Dunnett visits the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, for 'La Cenerentola'


• CD Spotlight. Ideas in abundance - Johann Ludwig Krebs on Priory, appreciated by Robert Anderson. '... a performance at once robust and sensitive.'


• Violin Master - Gordon Rumson reports on a rare Carnegie Hall appearance of Mark Lubotsky


• Ensemble. Illuminations of the Beyond - Rex Harley listens to 'Hot White Light' - new music for percussion in Vancouver


• Record box. Consistently musical - Ron Bierman recommends Jeffrey Khaner's flute CD on Avie


• A unique voice - Aspects of the music of Keith Barnard, by Gordon Rumson


• CD Spotlight. A palpable reality - Gillian Weir plays Messiaen, and Robert Anderson is thrilled. '... exciting fidelity ...'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - no composers, thank you!


• Will I let this in? - Some thoughts on the music of Havergal Brian, from Aaron Rabushka


• Record box. A different fellow - Clementi in musical flight, by Basil Ramsey


• Nuggets of advice - Alice McVeigh's 'All Risks Musical', read by Keith Bramich


• CD Spotlight. A brave pianist - Music by Charles Ives played by Philip Mead, reviewed by Peter Dickinson. '... Mead's technique is consistently impressive.'


• Ensemble. Compelling musicianship - A recital by Ildikó Iván and Tamás Vásáry, reported by Malcolm Miller


• Scholarship and originality - David Bury explains the merits of Robert Anderson's new book 'Elgar and Chivalry'


• Record box. Propulsion - Schubert piano music played by Zeynep Ucbasaran, reviewed by Basil Ramsey


• Ensemble. A frustrating experience - David Wilkins listens to the London Philharmonic Youth Choir in Eastbourne


• CD Spotlight. Energetically progressive - Kitty Brazelton's chamber music, given a keen ear by Patric Standford. '... some attractive surface work ...'


• Editor's inbox - a selection of our readers' letters


• Reality or invention? - Peter Dale reads from a Liverpool University symposium on the musical work


• Record box. Psychological borderlands - Keith Bramich encounters the music of Phill Niblock, Philip Corner and Richard Lainhart


• Inner sounds - Philip Glass played in Calgary, and Gordon Rumson was in the audience


• CD Spotlight. Subtlety of touch - Luiza Borac plays Schumann and Robert Anderson listens


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Natural selection. The musical journey


• CD Spotlight. Uncomfortable bedfellows - Shostakovich symphonies Nos 1 and 12, compared by David Thompson. 'Praise to all departments ...'


• Record box. Two-coloured music - Basil Ramsey hears a composer playing his piano music


• Ensemble. A memorable occasion - Martino Tirimo at London's Wigmore Hall, prefaced by other thoughts from Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Colourful ideas - The music of David Gaines, explored by Patric Standford. '... bright and clear ...'