2004 CONTENTS

Articles published during the year 2004 are listed below in chronological order of publication, with the most recent at the top of the list:

• Ask Alice - Advice on tuition from classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Scientific music


• Ensemble. Uniting Europe - A Europamusicale Foundation fundraiser concert given by Andreas Scholl, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. Valued archives - Stokowski and the classic Columbias, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... a powerful performance ...'


• Ensemble. Twinkling and sparkling - An organ and brass holiday celebration in Cleveland, USA, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Profile. An ideal lifestyle - Remembering Sir John and others. Bill Newman visits Lady Evelyn Barbirolli


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Do we understand 'normality'?


• Ask Alice - Bursting with good will at Christmas is classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• DVD Spotlight. Radiance of reconciliation - Puccini's 'La Bohème', appreciated by Robert Anderson. '... never a dull visual moment ...'


• CD Spotlight. Considerable pleasure - Emma Kirkby sings music by Cataldo Amodei, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... a CD of rare beauty ...'


• Remarkable diversity - Robert Hugill writes about the British Composer Awards


• Ensemble. Magisterial Beethoven - A recital by young Russian pianist Denis Burstein, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Festive mood - Carols for brass, appreciated by Kelly Ferjutz. '... simply superb.'


• Ask Alice - Balls for baubles, plus a Romeo and Juliet prelude. Into the sin bin with brass players and conductors, thrown by classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Confined to the house - 'Don Pasquale' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. Competent but ... - 'Bernstein: Music for Film and Theatre', reviewed by Rex Harley. 'The rationale behind this disc escapes me.'


• Ensemble. Mozart and lederhosen - A Bavarian Magic Flute, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Dazzling technique - Julia Fischer plays Sibelius, appreciated by Lawrence Budmen


• Ensemble. Molten silver - 'Tristan and Isolde' in Puerto Rico, appreciated by Maria Nockin


• CD Spotlight. Brightness and fidelity - Choral music by Cecilia McDowall, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... a composer who deserves to be heard as widely as possible.'


• Ask Alice - On cellos and flutes, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. American accents - Orchestral music by David Stock, reviewed by Carson Cooman. 'Strongly recommended.'


• Profile. The man with the golden flute - On the occasion of the flautist's 65th birthday, James Galway talks to David Lipp


• Ensemble. Sprightly playing - A varied programme from a new chamber orchestra makes a strong impression on Lawrence Budmen


• Profile. Cello and sushi - Meeting Danjulo Ishizaka for a bite, by Tess Crebbin


• Musical sounds and colours - A portrait of the Greek-born pianist Eugenia Papadimas, by Bill Newman


• Ensemble. Ding, dong! The Witch is Dead - Humperdinck's opera 'Hansel and Gretel' in Cleveland, enjoyed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ask Alice - Gender, musical instruments, open rehearsals, dancing and passionate sympathy from classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Magisterial command - Jerome Rose plays Schubert, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... surely among the finest readings on record ...'


• CD Spotlight. Revelatory success - June de Toth plays Bartók piano music, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a magisterial achievement.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Teaching


• Ensemble. Nobly moving - Glinka's 'A Life for the Tsar' in London, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Record box. An impressive display - John O'Donnell plays Bach on the Ahrend organ in Monash University, Australia, reviewed by Basil Ramsey


• Ensemble. A veritable wonder - Zemlinksky and Schreker at the Vienna Volksoper, appreciated by David Wilkins


• Ensemble. Dangerous celli at large - An evening with the cello mafia, by Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - Leon Fleisher, beauty and Christmas news, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Honed and practised - Jan Garbarek in Cardiff, enjoyed by Rex Harley


• CD Spotlight. A unique achievement - EMI's golden years of the gramophone, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... total fascination ...'


• Ensemble. Emotional depth - The Amernet String Quartet at the Florida International University Music Festival, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Novelist as composer - The life and times of Anthony Burgess, by Tess Crebbin


• DVD Spotlight. Hothouse passions - Karajan's 'Il Trovatore', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... wonderfully and indeed relentlessly captured ...'


• Ensemble. A worthy winner - The Donatella Flick Conducting Competition 2004, reviewed by David Wilkins


• Ask Alice - Reviews, scams and justice, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A musical treasure - Aaron Rosand plays Beethoven, appreciated by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Strongly crafted - Chamber music by Dan Locklair, reviewed by Carson P Cooman. '... an important American voice who deserves further recognition and performances.'


• Ensemble. Engaging and colourful - Bernard Roberts plays music by Stephen Dodgson, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Record box. A sure touch - Edward Higginbottom conducts New College Oxford Choir, appreciated by Basil Ramsey


• Fascinating suggestions - 'The Beethoven Violin Sonatas: History, Criticism, Performance' from the University of Illinois Press, reviewed by Robert Anderson


• Ensemble. An original statement - Claudio Bohorquez plays Dvorák, appreciated by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - Classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh and the Rolex school of spam


• Ensemble. The Pergamenschikow legacy - Scenes and music from the First International Boris Pergamenschikow Scholarship Award Ceremony, described by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. A great starting point - Land's End Chamber Ensemble's first CD, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... first-rate performances and excellent production.'


• Writing new opera - A composer's perspective, by Robert Hugill


• Profile. It's in your blood - Tess Crebbin talks to Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon


• Record box. Legato blues - David Johnstone plays assorted music for solo cello, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh and the yay-boo school of journalism


• Ensemble. Beacon of hope - Daniel Barenboim conducts the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• CD Spotlight. Compelling listening - Orchestral music by Leonardo Balada, reviewed by Carson P Cooman. '... this disc is a must have ...'


• The same or not the same? - That is the question. Alistair Hinton responds to Patric Standford's recent provocative essay


• Ensemble. Glistening quality - Christian Tetzlaff plays Brahms, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Triumph and smiles - Tess Crebbin was at the Echo Classics Awards in Munich


• Ask Alice - Classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh and a reader are both frazzled at half-term ...


• Record box. Buy or despair - The Rastrelli cello quartet, reviewed by Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. An ideal showcase - Guitar music by Villa-Lobos, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... charming and creditable.'


• CD Spotlight. Playful and capricious - Piano music by Debussy, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... skilful presentation ...'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Trade marks


• Ensemble. Wonderfully stylish - Offenbach in Paris, appreciated by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Thirty-two sonatas a day - Malcolm Miller attends Julian Jacobson's Beethoven marathon


• Ask Alice - On bargains and politics, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Winners and masters - The two Pergamenschikow Julians in concert, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. A sense of spaciousness - A contemporary Australian music showcase, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... a lovely disc ...'


• Ensemble. Musical magic - Round midnight at Festival Miami 2004, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• The basic essence - Tess Crebbin talks to Sven Helbig, Torsten Rasch and Gert Hof about the story behind the 2004 Echo Classical Award for best world première recording


• Record box. Ease and warmth - Music by Billy Cowie, reviewed by Ron Bierman


• Ask Alice - Instructions for dealing with a very tricky problem, prepared by classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Love of music - Tess Crebbin looks forward to music in Austria during the forthcoming 2004/2005 season


• CD Spotlight. Idiomatic rightness - An award-winning Grieg disc, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... an enchanting lightness of touch ...'


• Ensemble. Compelling performances - Elgar's Cello Concerto enlivens an ambitious Festival Miami concert, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Fundamental spirit - The Pergamenschikow-Gililov recordings 1990-1994, appreciated by Tess Crebbin. '... fresh and invigorating ...'


• Record box. Exhilarating performances - A historic organ recital by Virgil Fox, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Disorder in the ranks, dealt with the Alice McVeigh way


• CD Spotlight. Musical journey - The Pergamenschikow-Gililov recordings 1984-1994, reviewed by Tess Crebbin. '... peak performances ...'


• Ensemble. Deeply affecting - Strauss's 'Ariadne auf Naxos' in Cardiff, reviewed by Rex Harley


• Ensemble. A surefire hit - Bizet's 'Carmen' at Stowe Opera, appreciated by Roderic Dunnett


• Record box. Devotional pieces - David Barela plays Liszt, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Why a good violinist needs a good bow, but a good children's party shouldn't have a bouncy castle, by classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Authentic folk drama - Béla Pintér and Company's 'Peasant Opera', reviewed by Rex Harley


• Ensemble. A dazzling mix - Bohuslav Martinu's 'The Greek Passion' at London's Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• In the wings - Tess Crebbin investigates hot new talent in the singing world


• Ensemble. Visions and miracles - Scott Yoo conducts music by Shostakovich, Christopher Theofanidis and Schubert, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Opium of the elite - Roderic Dunnett previews this autumn's touring operas in the UK


• Ensemble. Suspending disbelief? - 'Turandot' at Welsh National Opera, reviewed by Rex Harley


• Ask Alice - On cellists, composers and veils, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. 'You are the Light of the World!' - The first performance of Nancy Galbraith's cantata 'God of Justice', reviewed by Carson Cooman


• CD Spotlight. Time and place - Noah Creshevsky's hyperrealism, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... deserves and rewards the attention it demands.'


• CD Spotlight. Soul-cleansing - Pergamenschikow plays the Bach solo cello suites, appreciated by Tess Crebbin. '... he goes beyond what is written ...'


• CD Spotlight. Less is more - Tigran Mansurian's 'Monodia', appreciated by Rex Harley. 'The performance is exemplary.'


• Record box. Expanding repertoire - A Daniel Rubinoff saxophone recital, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh contemplates 'le commencement de la end' supreme


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - School Orchestra


• CD Spotlight. Individuated lyricism - Marianna Rashkovetsky plays Chopin, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... luscious tone and interpretive ardency.'


• Record box. A beautiful luminosity - Mozart for organ and flute in Prague, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall.


• Ensemble. A musical joy - London's Regent Hall Piano Festival, reviewed by Manus Carey


• Ensemble. Coming home - The Pablo Casals Cello Competition, reported by Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - Boarding at specialist music schools, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Alarms included - Alice McVeigh's 'Ghost Music', reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Fifth gear - Frans Helmerson and Pavel Gililov play at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. Strange farrago - Elgar's 'Starlight Express', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... accomplished and imbued with the sort of affection the work desperately needs.'


• CD Spotlight. Imaginative programme - The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... an impressive standard ...'


• CD Spotlight. Always stimulating - Symphonic music by Villa-Lobos, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... skill and commitment ...'


• Ask Alice - More questions for Alice McVeigh, classical music's agony aunt


• Profile. Quality and clarity - Robert Hugill meets British pianist Ashley Wass


• DVD Spotlight. Eight monsters - The Verbier Festival Tenth Anniversary Piano Extravaganza, reviewed by Tess Crebbin. '... many still kick themselves for not having been there ...'


• Ensemble. Worthy of the master - An incomparable recital by Casals competition winner Claudio Bohorquez, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. German baroque - Sonatas by Johann Friedrich Fasch, appreciated by Malcolm Tattersall. '... an extremely talented and well-balanced ensemble ...'


• CD Spotlight. Eupeptic verve - Viennese music played by the Bruckner Orchester Linz, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... enchanting freedom and flexibility ...'


• CD Spotlight. Thistledown delicacy - Music for clarinet by Brahms, reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'These CD performances are wholly admirable ...'


• European tour - A preview, of sorts, of the Cleveland Orchestra's four-city, three festival visit, by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Admirably involving - Tau Wey at the 2004 Regent Hall Summer Festival


• Cello addiction - Tess Crebbin previews the Kronberg Academy's Second International Pablo Casals Cello Competition


• Ensemble. The big birdcage - Of pigeons and other strange birds at the 2004 Munich Opera Festival, by Sissy von Kotzebue


• Ensemble. Richly sumptuous - The Czech Moravian Virtuosi Orchestra sparkles in novelties from Europe, by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - Classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh returns to tell the story of her rescue by Hel and Slime


• While the music lasts - Kelly Ferjutz enjoys Alice McVeigh's musical novel


• CD Spotlight. Mr Bean and Elgar - A compilation of recordings from the 1970s, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a technical mastery that any world soloist might envy.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - All-round musical greatness


• Ensemble. Mesmerising - Further thoughts on Longborough's 'Ring' and Sir Donald McIntyre as Wotan, from Roderic Dunnett


• Ensemble. Beauty and tragedy - Dennis Russell Davies at the Oberstdorf Music Festival, reported by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. Hope and fear - Berg and Britten violin concertos, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a violinist of superb accomplishment ...'


• Symphonies and letters - Tess Crebbin reports on a new release by 'The Archangel', plus other BMG projects


• Ensemble. A real triumph - McIntyre sings Wotan at Longborough Festival Opera, reviewed by Roderic Dunnett


• CD Spotlight. Passion for Bach - Dominic Miller's 'Shapes', reviewed by Tess Crebbin. '... he is a genius.'


• Ensemble. Rich harvest - Summer opera in the UK, reviewed and previewed by Roderic Dunnett


• Ensemble. Time to mature - Pianist Stewart Goodyear plays an uneven program, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Barcelona diary - The London Concord Singers visit Catalunya, and Robert Hugill keeps a written record of the trip


• Ensemble. Summer piano in the Big Apple - The International Keyboard Institute and Festival, reviewed by John Bell Young


• A contrapuntal review - Gordon Rumson reads Kevin Bazzana's book about the life and art of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, and also makes a surprise contribution of his own


• Record box. Rich and resonant - Hilary Norris plays the organ of Ashridge Chapel, reviewed by Julia Ionides


• Pernicious passion - The Lieder of Hans Rott, by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Elected endings - 'Così fan tutte' at Lyric Opera Cleveland, appreciated by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Artistry and ambience - Exhilarating music making at Tanglewood, reported by Lawrence Budmen


• Profile. Diving into the music - An encounter with accompanist Wolfram Rieger, by Tess Crebbin


• DVD Spotlight. A musician without borders - Gilles Apap in India, by Jennifer Paull. '... free from convention ...'


• Ensemble. Beyond perfection - Mahler's Resurrection Symphony: Levine's farewell concert in Munich, by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Baroque on the Bosphorus - David Wilkins visits the thirty second Istanbul Music Festival


• Ensemble. An evening full of Hampsongs - by Sissy von Kotzebue


• Ask Alice - Jaundiced, but nearly in Crete .... is classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Mozart matinées - A Salzburg Festival preview, by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. Impassioned performance - Slåttebrekk plays Schumann, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... huge-hearted, compelling and structurally intelligible ...'


• Ensemble. A stunning masterpiece - Opera East on tour with Lennox Berkeley's 'A Dinner Engagement' and Holst's 'The Wandering Scholar' - Peter Dickinson reports


• Profile. Singing out - An encounter with celebrated Heldentenor Robert Dean Smith, by Tess Crebbin


• Record box. Movingly beautiful - Robert Dean Smith sings Wagner, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Changing the world - Lang Lang displays musical excellence at the Rheingau Music Festival, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Day of judgment - A little known work by Telemann, appreciated by Rex Harley


• Ensemble. Particular virtues - Richard Strauss's 'Ariadne auf Naxos' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ask Alice - Keep taking the tablets ... the latest advice from classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Hauntingly beautiful - Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the London Coliseum, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. A salad-days genius - The violin concerto by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a clean-cut precision throughout the work ...'


• Ensemble. Pas de posthorn - John Neumeier's choreography of Mahler's Third Symphony, reviewed by Sissy von Kotzebue


• Ensemble. Standing ovation? - Lyric Opera Cleveland's 'Mikado', reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Grand guignol - Tchaikovsky's 'The Enchantress' at Grange Park, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Misunderstood? - 'Peter Grimes' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ask Alice - More forays into politics and literature, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Effervescent clarinet - Lawrence Budmen listens to Richard Stoltzman in a crossover programme


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Sacrifice


• Triumphs and failures - The first week of the Munich Opera Festival 2004, reviewed by Tess Crebbin and Sissy Kotzebue


• Ensemble. A classic - 'Wonderful Town' at Grange Park Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• DVD Spotlight. Prophetic merit - Thomas Hampson sings Mahler's 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn', appreciated by Tess Crebbin. '... a stunning visual and auditory experience.'


• Ask Alice - Helpful hints about sharing instruments, plus some musical commentary on Wimbledon, from classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Profile. A broad career - In the first of a two-part series spotlighting countertenors, Tess Crebbin talks to Flavio Oliver


• CD Spotlight. Gloriously inspired - Choral works by Walton and Elgar, reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'Sargent's vitality matches Walton's ...'


• Ensemble. Dance, Bernstein! - Neumeier choreographs Leonard Bernstein (and everybody wears Armani), by Sissy von Kotzebue and Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - Sad news about classical music for Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. The transformative power of music - An eloquent Schumann Trio tops the Sarasota Festival, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Wind without mercy - Robert Hugill's 'Passion', reviewed by Keith Bramich. '... a very distinctive soundworld ...'


• Ensemble. Virtually perfect - Lyric Opera Cleveland's production of 'Little Women', reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Musically stunning - Richard Strauss's 'Arabella' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Roaring success - Malcolm Miller enjoys a children's concert by Dominic Harlan


• Ask Alice - On cellists, politicians, children's musicals and sewer rats, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Hold on to your bowlers! - Kelly Ferjutz previews Lyric Opera Cleveland's thirty-first season


• DVD Spotlight. Life matters - The first of a three part series about Mahler's Third Symphony, exploring Jason Starr's film documentary


• Ensemble. Poetic Chopin - Lawrence Budmen enjoyed the Seventh Miami International Piano Festival Discovery Series


• Profile. Honest work - Maria Nockin talks to American mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux about her life and career


• Ensemble. Eternal optimism - Kelly Ferjutz reviews the Anne Frank double bill at Cleveland Opera


• Ask Alice - In the wake of recent European elections, our ever-timely and impartial agony aunt of classical music encourages us to vote McVeigh


• Ensemble. Casting from strength - Chelsea Opera Group's 'Andrea Chénier', reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Early music in focus - Musica Florea and Zelenka's baroque opera 'Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis', by Tess Crebbin and Sissy von Kotzebue


• Anne Frank's birthday - Kelly Ferjutz previews a Cleveland Opera double bill which honours the event


• Ensemble. An opera of extremes - Stuttgart Opera's 'Simplicius Simplicissimus' by Karl Amadeus Hartmann, reviewed by Roderic Dunnett


• Ensemble. An exciting career ahead - Manus Carey listens to Chinese pianist Wu Qian


• Timeless and eternal - John Neumeier expresses his admiration for Leonard Bernstein with 'Bernstein Dances', reported by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Powerful Shostakovich - A valedictory performance by the Miami String Quartet, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Life and death - Tess Crebbin writes about 'Shadowtime', Brian Ferneyhough's first opera


• CD Spotlight. Flexibility and beauty - Ramón Vargas sings Rossini and Donizetti arias, recommended by Ron Bierman. '... his singing is wonderfully musical.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Blissful ignorance


• The next Domingo? - Tess Crebbin spotlights the young Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon


• CD Spotlight. Precocious talent - The music of Fred Jonny Berg, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... Berg will probably be an outrageous success!'


• Ensemble. A mixed bag - Bill Bruford's Earthworks and The Zawinul Syndicate at St David's Hall, Cardiff on Tuesday 4 May 2004, reviewed by Rex Harley


• Ask Alice - Problems this week with headmasters, oboists and emails, for classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Europamusicale Poland - Tess Crebbin talks to Penderecki and co


• A map to our soul - Tess Crebbin explores the art of Thomas Hampson


• Ensemble. An individual voice - Music by Julian Dawes, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Record box. Efficient and sensitive - A Philip Amalong piano recital, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ensemble. Muscular performance - Rex Harley is left breathless listening to violinist Chloë Hanslip


• Profile. Ben Heppner - A candid conversation with the Canadian tenor, by Tess Crebbin and Sissy von Kotzebue


• Ensemble. Pianistic excellence - John Lill and Prokofiev's Eighth Sonata at sixty, enjoyed by Malcolm Miller


• Ensemble. Breathtaking transparency - Lawrence Budmen listens to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra play Slavic music


• Ensemble. Laden with tension - Strauss's 'Elektra' in Cleveland on 20 May 2004, appreciated by Kelly Ferjutz


• Moments of happiness - Alfred Brendel wins the International Ernst von Siemens Music Award 2004, reported by Tess Crebbin


• CD Spotlight. Time travel - Charles Ives died fifty years ago today, and a CD released to mark the occasion is appreciated by David Wilkins. '... a recording destined for benchmark authority.'


• Ensemble. Emotional sound - Tess Crebbin and Sissy von Kotzebue review a Ben Heppner recital in Munich


• Maria of hope or despair? - David Wilkins was at the first fully-staged UK production of Piazzolla's 'Maria de Buenos Aires'


• Ensemble. High calibre - The Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Chamber Music Masterclass with the Gwyneth George Prize, reviewed by Manus Carey


• Ask Alice - On Botox, youth and adventures in good music, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Verdi discoveries - Tess Crebbin writes about an interesting CD by Riccardo Chailly


• Ensemble. Ravel chestnut - A dazzling arrangement of 'Bolero' for two pianos, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. On top form - The Italian Girl in Algiers, reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'Its enchantments are as fresh as ever ...'


• CD Spotlight. Enchanting simplicity - John Lill plays Schumann, and Robert Anderson listens. '... manifold subtleties of touch ...'


• Ask Alice - On viola jokes and the eating of dogs, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Gypsy fire - Lawrence Budmen is impressed by Ukrainian violinist Vadim Gluzman


• Special significance - Tess Crebbin reports on the start of the Europamusicale in Germany


• Krzysztof Penderecki - Europamusicale performer spotlight


• Flavio Oliver - Europamusicale performer spotlight


• Ensemble. Drawing you in - The Tord Gustavsen Trio's first ever UK performance, appreciated by Rex Harley


• Spotlight Malta - The new tenor sensation Joseph Calleja, by Tess Crebbin


• Venus and Adonis - Robert Hugill muses on the marriage of music and words in the seventeenth century


• Choral masterpiece - On the one hundredth anniversary of Dvorák's death, Tess Crebbin writes about one of the most personal settings ever of the Stabat Mater


• Singing Dvorák - Harald Stamm, one of Germany's foremost operatic basses, and a renowned Dvorák Stabat Mater soloist, talks to Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - On the plight of Cassie in Brisbane, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Shopping for opera ... - Tess Crebbin investigates the largest classical CD store in continental Europe


• CD Spotlight. New ears - The primeTime sublime Community Orchestra, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... this whole disc is about horrifying purists.'


• Ensemble. Czech spirit - Lawrence Budmen is impressed by Zdenek Macal and the New World Symphony


• Sundry talents, or the importance of laughter - Celebrating his ninetieth birthday today, Wilfrid Mellers talks to Keith Bramich


• Seeing music whole - Wilfrid Mellers at ninety - an appreciation by Peter Dickinson


• Scrutiny - To begin a weekend of articles celebrating Wilfrid Mellers' ninetieth birthday, Gordon Rumson investigates Mellers' early writings, 1936-1949


• Ask Alice - Muso mates versus non-muso mates, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Perfect blendings - Piano 40's eighth London concert, reviewed by Bill Newman


• Country music? - Greg Barns muses on an Elliott Carter recording by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra


• The tide is turning - Gordon Rumson looks forward to first performances of two Denis ApIvor string quartets


• Ensemble. Richness and warmth - The Netherlands Bach Society at Florida's Tropical Baroque Festival, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Treading new ground - Renowned American baritone Thomas Hampson shows a new side in Munich. Tess Crebbin investigates


• John Neumeier - Recent weeks have seen extensive features in the German media. Tess Crebbin introduces the American choreographer


• Ask Alice - Schoolwork and headlice - all in a day's work for classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A special night - Bill Newman wishes Colin Bradbury many happy returns on the occasion of the clarinettist's seventieth birthday


• CD Spotlight. Beethoven unbuttoned? - Volume two of the Metier 'Beethoven Explored' series, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... nice rhythmic sense and technical assurance.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Harmonious learning


• CD Spotlight. Refreshing repertoire - Portuguese wind music played by the Galliard Ensemble, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... brilliantly played.'


• Record box. Coming clean - John Potter's 'Care-charming sleep' finds Rex Harley unimpressed


• Ask Alice - 'Slice it how you like', claims Alice McVeigh, Bromley's premier researcher into cello sounds and classical music's world's first agony aunt, 'how kinky is that?


• Ensemble. Spoilt for choice - Swiss ambassadors, a Bulgarian pianist and a marketing project, with Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Vital inspiration - Music by Heinrich Schütz, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... expressively at one with the music.'


• CD Spotlight. Unusual combination - 'Dance of the Blessed Spirits' for saxophone and organ, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... a lovely technique ...'


• CD Spotlight. Lurking romanticism? - Discovering British light music, with Ron Bierman. 'Sutherland and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia are ideal interpreters.'


• Ensemble. An eclectic program - Lawrence Budmen is impressed by Canadian/Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian


• Ask Alice - Alice McVeigh, the agony aunt of classical music, basks in the glory of her successful Dvorák performance ...


• Ensemble. Mystic chanting - Elica Lupus-Popescu journeys to hear the lost pipers of Iasi


• Ensemble. Awesome technique - Lawrence Budmen listens to Romanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa


• Ensemble. Gripping theatre - Robert Hugill experiences Zurich Opera's 'Radamisto'


• Ensemble. Feather in the cap - Rex Harley reviews a choral concert which took place on Saturday 13 March 2004 in Bristol UK


• Ask Alice - Alice McVeigh, the agony aunt of classical music, is artistically ham-strung and irritated, this week ...


• Profile. Vladislav Kovalsky - Master musician and representative of the St Petersburg tradition, by Gordon Rumson


• CD Spotlight. Instant impact - Khachaturian's Violin Concerto, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... above praise.'


• Ensemble. Bravo Chameleon! - Scintillating sounds at the Third Annual Women Composers Concert, by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. The tonal idiom - Interesting music by composers of varying nationalities, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... fine, confident performances ...'


• Record box. Brittle colour - Heidi Lowy plays Ravel, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - A tale of cricket and children's books, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Premature conclusions? - Alistair Hinton replies to Robert Hugill on the subject of composers and sexuality


• CD Spotlight. Gentle subtlety - Music by Henri Lazarof, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... a composer deserving an attentive ear.'


• Ensemble. A triumphant close - Robert Hugill reviews the current Covent Garden London production of 'Samson and Delila'


• CD Spotlight. To be savoured - Aubrey Brain plays Bach, Brahms, Glazunov and Mozart, appreciated by David Thompson. '... music making of the highest calibre ...'


• Record box. Colour and interest - Music by Carolyn Yarnell, presented by Patric Standford


• Record box. Thoughtful patterns - Music played by Corey Jane Holt, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - A tale of one passport application, by classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Composers and sexuality - Robert Hugill asks what effect sexuality can have on the art of writing music


• CD Spotlight. Ascending slowly - Chamber music by Peter Maxwell Davies, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... played with accomplished precision ...'


• Transcending virtuosity - Alistair Hinton comments on points made in Gordon Rumson's recent Chopin review


• Visionary developments - Khazak police on the beat at the second Uralsk International Violin Competition. Howard Smith tells the story


• Ensemble. Simply overwhelming - Lawrence Budmen experiences 'Dialogues des carmélites' at Palm Beach Opera


• Ask Alice - Classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, gives up explanation (or should that be exclamation?) points for Lent


• Profile. True musical meaning - Finnish pianist Risto Lauriala talks to Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. A complex personality - The Romanesca trio's recording of Biber Violin Sonatas, recommended by Ron Bierman. '... the performances are outstanding.'


• The specious origins of originality - Alistair Hinton comments on Patric Standford's recent 'Provocative Thoughts'


• Ensemble. The thinnest tightrope - David Wilkins at the Hungarian première of Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw'


• CD Spotlight. Totally accessible - Morton Feldman's early and unknown piano works, recommended by Rex Harley. '... a performance of power and commitment ...'


• Ask Alice - Community service for conductors? Romantic music for bassoonists? All this and more with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• White, gold and marble - Robert Hugill takes a look around the newly-restored London Coliseum, home of English National Opera


• CD Spotlight. Powerful and playful - Fritz Reiner conducts Bartók, admired by Robert Anderson. '... agonised intensity of utmost eloquence.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Originality


• CD Spotlight. Stature and vision - Beethoven sonatas for cello and piano, appreciated by John Bell Young. '... an energetic undercurrent that sets fire to virtually every phrase.'


• Ensemble. Bracing Schoenberg - Lawrence Budmen listens to the Artemis Quartet


• Ask Alice - On the continued excellence of the cello and the continued bad behaviour of conductors, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Involving and magical - Robert Hugill experiences Thomas Adès's opera 'The Tempest'


• CD Spotlight. Marshalling the ophicleides - Charles Munch conducts Symphonie Fantastique, reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The Boston players revel among the cavorting witches with gleeful efficiency.'


• Ensemble. Lack of balance - Rex Harley experiences Il Vero Modo in Cardiff on 12 February 2004


• CD Spotlight. Unassuming virtuosity - András Schiff plays Bach's 'Goldberg Variations', enjoyed by Patric Standford. '... impressive and enviable effortlessness ...'


• CD Spotlight. Brave heart - Angela Lear's search for the essential Chopin, by Gordon Rumson. '... heroic single-mindedness.'


• Ask Alice - The balance of the sexes or ... conductors with their trousers down, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Editor's choice? - Schumann string quartets, reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'I could wish indeed that the music had puzzled them more.'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Obsession


• CD Spotlight. Fascinating music - Works by Luciano Berio and David Sherr, admired by Patric Standford. '... a great interpreter and technical artist.'


• Ensemble. Old world charm - Lawrence Budmen listens to the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin playing Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven


• Ask Alice - On string quartets, advertising, cellists and fame, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Personal connections - Robert Hugill discusses Vaughan Williams and the Bloomsbury Group


• CD Spotlight. Often intriguing - New music for orchestra, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... a hypnotically appealing experience.'


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Expanding language


• CD Spotlight. Wonderful sounds - Aida on Naxos Historical, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... playing that is supple but capable also of maximum excitement.'


• Record box. Reaching for the moon - Zeynep Ucbasaran plays Liszt, reviewed by David Thompson


• Ask Alice - A heartfelt 'cri-de-coeur' from classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Fiery Bartók - Lawrence Budmen listens to French pianist Hélène Grimaud with the Russian National Orchestra


• CD Spotlight. Scintillating performance - Tamami Honma plays music by John McCabe, appreciated by Patric Standford


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Russophiles


• CD Spotlight. Musical riches - A new recording of François Couperin's complete works for harpsichord, appreciated by Rex Harley. '... formidable technique and the deftest of touches.'


• Ensemble. Radiantly musical - Les Arts Florissants perform music by Charpentier, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ask Alice - Busking amongst the sheep and speed cameras, classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, live this week from Wales


• Listening with baroque ears - Robert Hugill investigates the world of collaborative opera


• CD Spotlight. Mane-shaking style - Martin Berkofsky plays Liszt, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... playing often as sensitive as one is likely to hear.'


• Ensemble. Italian passion - Lawrence Budmen attends a concert performance of Bellini's 'Norma'


• A hermit at heart - Carolyn Nott pays an eightieth birthday tribute to her husband, the composer Gerard Schurmann


• Ensemble. Spiritual journey - Martin Torp's oratorio 'Siehe, Ich mache Alles neu', appreciated by Robert Anderson


• CD Spotlight. Tight development - Benjamin Lees' Symphonies Nos 2, 3 and 5, recommended by Ron Bierman. 'The orchestra responds beautifully ...'


• Ask Alice - On diction and eye jobs, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh, live this week from Brighton pier


• CD Spotlight. Infectious performances - Joglaresa and Belinda Sykes perform medieval songs for Mary Magdelene, recommended by Robert Hugill. '... enormous freshness and immediacy.'


• CD Spotlight. Unique musical vision - Music by Georges Lentz, recommended by Carson Cooman. '... works of great originality and beauty.'


• Ensemble. Rivalling Richter and Gilels - The piano scene, and a young musical stylist in the making, by Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Eminently listenable - Vivaldi's concertos dedicated to Johann Georg Pisendel, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... an attractive and lively group.'


• Ensemble. Perfect realisations - Mei Yi Foo at Steinway Hall, reviewed by Bill Newman


• Ensemble. Salute to Vienna - Lawrence Budmen toasts the New Year in the company of the Strauss Symphony of America


• CD Spotlight. A superb craftsman - Music by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, investigated by John Bell Young. '... spirited, inventive and charming ...'


• Ensemble. Waves of intensity - Malcolm Miller attended the world première of a work for two marimbas at Carnegie Hall, with a presentation to Daniel Liebeskind


• Ensemble. A new group in the making - Bill Newman listens to the Rosamunde Trio


• CD Spotlight. Tintinnabulation - Music by Arvo Pärt, reviewed by Rex Harley. '... all the air and spaciousness one needs ...'


• Record box. Glittering figuration - Basil Ramsey listens to concertos by Czerny and Ries, played by Felicja Blumental


• Record box. Life's loves - Robert Hugill listens to music by William Copper


• Ask Alice - On first love and Art, with classical music's agony aunt, Alice McVeigh


• What sound? - Robert Hugill asks some questions about the music of William Byrd