2005 CONTENTS

Articles published during the year 2005 are listed below in chronological order of publication, with the most recent at the top of the list:

• Ask Alice - As the year comes to a close, classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh looks for a new job


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Concentration


• Ensemble. The ideal match - Celebrating the tenth series of live music at London's Wallace Collection, by Bill Newman


• Record box. Ignited memories - British light music, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ensemble. Delightful music-making - A concert by the Sitwell Singers, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Buoyant and crisp - 'Messiah' in Derby Cathedral, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Well?


• Ensemble. Ingenuity and madness? - Malcolm Miller investigates Robert Voisey's '60x60' project


• Ask Alice - A little Christmas agony, with aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Beethoven winners - Malcolm Miller reports on two European competitions


• Ensemble. Style and concept - Two young pianists of outstanding promise, by Bill Newman


• Ensemble. Dynamic playing - Roberto Abbado strikes fire with the New World Symphony, and Lawrence Budmen was there


• CD Spotlight. Spirited ease - Songs of Jewish life, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... calm and delight to perfection ...'


• CD Spotlight. Expressive warmth - Christmas and other music by Lutoslawski, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ask Alice - Why Joe Bloggs rules, with secret tennis player Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Bravura virtuosity - Lawrence Budmen was at the Miami International Piano Festival


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Musical expansion


• Ensemble. Alert rhythmic sense - The Tempest Saxophone Quartet in concert, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Telling contributions - Carols from Derby Cathedral, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Much to enjoy - Colin Davies conducts Elgar's 'Dream of Gerontius', and Robert Hugill was in the audience


• Ensemble. Luminous display - Jung Lin returns to Lincoln Center, reviewed by Anna Franco


• CD Spotlight. A class act - Finnish music for strings, reviewed by Greg Barns. 'Finland's prodigious musical talent is once again on display ...'


• Ensemble. Debussy to savour - Malcolm Miller admires Valerie Tryon in recital


• Ask Alice - On horrible examiners, identifying recordings and locating singers, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• DVD Spotlight. Mysterious nirvana - Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... the climaxes are prepared with meticulous cunning.'


• Ensemble. Great panache - Derby Concert Orchestra plays Maxwell Davies, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Hushed intensity - Elgar, Brahms and Strauss in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. A gripping evening - 'Billy Budd' at English National Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. A theatrical experience - Spirituals and gospel music sung by Chanticleer, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... enjoyable ...'


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Michael Woods about his new work 'Pieces of Light'


• Ask Alice - On jealousy and other craziness, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Grandeur and intimacy - A performance of Handel's 'Solomon', reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Once a year


• Giants? - Alistair Hinton replies to Patric Standford's latest Provocative Thoughts


• Ensemble. One hell of a concert - Hot - An infernal cabaret, the latest collaborative project by Peter Wiegold's 'notes inégales' and performance poet Murray Lachlan. Malcolm Miller was there


• Record box. Noël - Christmas carols and chants played by Anonymous 4, enjoyed by Basil Ramsey


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Giants


• CD Spotlight. Sprightly tempos - Rameau ballet suites, reviewed by Ron Bierman. '... intelligent performances.'


• CD Spotlight. Colourful spirit - Christmas music from the Mediterranean, enjoyed by Patric Standford. '... an intriguing expansion to musical horizons ...'


• Ask Alice - On orchestras, cellists and the late John Martin, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• An uncanny emerging artist - by Anya Lomakova


• Ensemble. Utterly gripping - A recital by Fiona McNaught and Daniel Tong, appreciated by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Striking sonorities - Twentieth-century British music, sung by Derby Choral Union, and reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Tobias Picker about his new opera 'An American Tragedy'


• CD Spotlight. Beyond Piazzolla - Tangos and dances played by Fionnuala Hunt, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... relaxing and eminently listenable ...'


• Record box. A spirited approach - Performances by the Corelli Consort and soloists, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Forget classical music this week, as cellist, food expert and agony aunt Alice McVeigh deals with fancy goldfish, cannibalism and poisoning


• DVD Spotlight. Idiomatic performance - Monteverdi's 'L'incoronazione di Poppaea', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... highly gifted soloists ...'


• New, adventurous and progressive - A profile of the Society for Chromatic Art, by Amanda von Goetz


• Ensemble. Moments of magic - 'A Midsummer Marriage' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Changing moods - The Derwent Singers and Sinfonia Chorale, appreciated by Mike Wheeler


• Ask Alice - On Beethoven bowings, hero worship and the pressures of academic study, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• The Piano - A short story by Kelly Ferjutz


• Editor's Inbox - Another selection of readers' letters, including a review of the Berlin version of Nicholas Maw's opera 'Sophie's Choice'


• Ensemble. Pervasive influence - A return visit to London by the Verdehr Trio, reviewed by Peter Dickinson


• Ensemble. Maturity and insight - Julian Bliss and Sinfonia Viva in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• The good kind of music - American composer Sean Hickey in conversation with Ted Kendall


• Ensemble. Heavenly exultation - An unforgettable première of Monteverdi's Vespers, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - On cello strings and pumpkin pie filling, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Characteristically eclectic - Music by Leonardo Balada, reviewed by Carson Cooman. '... a choral composer of flair and creativity.'


• Ensemble. A creditable performance - Richard Strauss's 'Salome' at English National Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Spirit of friendship - Malcolm Miller admires Schubert and Mendelssohn at the London début of the newly formed piano trio 'Opus 3'


• Cathy Berberian: Legacy - On the 40th anniversary of 'The Miniskirt Affair', Jennifer Paull sets the mood of the 1960s into which Cathy Berberian's imaginative style of recital programming shook the conventional rafters of 'classical music' through sheer daring - her legacy to music-making


• Ensemble. High expectations - A concert by The Quince Quartet, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ask Alice - The removal of Hwan Lee Scheitzer Jones Joubert, plus a review of the book 'Some Kind of Genius', with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Charmingly unselfconscious - 'Some Kind of Genius: The extraordinary journey of Musical Savant Tony DeBlois', reviewed by Alice McVeigh


• Class actions? - Alistair Hinton replies to Patric Standford's latest on 'Class acts'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Class Acts


• DVD Spotlight. Wonderfully varied - Monteverdi's 'Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... moving drama and notable accomplishment.'


• Ensemble. Punchy dynamism - Sinfonia ViVA at Derby's Guildhall, enjoyed by Mike Wheeler


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Peter Lieberson about the forthcoming performances of 'Neruda Songs'


• CD Spotlight. Aesthetic and didactic - Music by Respighi and Mussorgsky, reviewed by George Balcombe. 'Tadaaki Otaka conjures the composer's unique sound ...'


• Record box. Rarely-heard Vivaldi - Concertos played by Ensemble Guidantus, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall


• Ask Alice - On looking after goldfish and growing up, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A terrific evening - 'Dialogues des Carmélites' at English National Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• DVD Spotlight. Eerie and impressive - 'Hamlet' by Ambroise Thomas, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... much sensitivity.'


• A broad spectrum - Roderic Dunnett was at the Rotherham Arts Festival


• CD Spotlight. Intimate pleasures - Duo LiveOak's 'Piva', enjoyed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... an attractive selection of rarely-heard songs.'


• CD Spotlight. A compelling introduction - Moya Henderson's opera 'Lindy', appreciated by Carson Cooman. '... beautifully lyrical, distinctly Australian music ...'


• Ask Alice - Hooked on Molière, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh, plus a mini-review of 'Windsong' by Kelly Ferjutz


• Record box. Power and pathos - Temirkanov conducts Mahler, reviewed by Alice McVeigh


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - The ultimate level


• CD Spotlight. Unruffled lifestyle - Music by Roumi Petrova, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... splendid performances from start to finish.'


• Ensemble. Magic piccolo? - English Touring Opera visits Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Incandescent conviction - Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven in Littleover, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Instrumental dexterity - Transfigured Night for the New World Symphony, by Lawrence Budmen


• DVD Spotlight. Original groupings - Verdi's 'Don Carlo', reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The chief glory ... is Zeffirelli's staging.'


• Ensemble. A fine sound - A concert by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ask Alice - Paganini on the mandolin, piano pupils and Bush's latest deal, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Artistic vision - Russian artists bring soul to Shostokovich, by Lawrence Budmen


• Ensemble. Frenetic pace - Nielsen's 'Maskarade', reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. The freedom of jazz - 'All Rise', by Wynton Marsalis, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Ensemble. A thrilling launch - 'Doctor Atomic' by John Adams, reviewed by Carson Cooman


• A major pianist emerges - Nicolai Lomov - an appreciation, by John Bell Young


• Plain song, fantastic dances - The Music & Vision classical music newsletter. Issue 61, October 2005


• Ensemble. Too many words? - Peter Shaffer's play 'Amadeus', reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ask Alice - On encores, mandolin arrangements and agony aunting, with Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Playful rapport - A recital by Harriet Adie and Jessica Burroughs, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Old and new - The first public appearance of a new chamber choir, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Passion and yearning - Sujeeva Hapugalle gives a piano recital at London's Leighton House, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Value


• CD Spotlight. Mesmerizing stuff - Alexander Balanescu pays homage to Romanian folk singer Maria Tanase, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... exquisitely accomplished.'


• Ask Alice - A little bit of teenage hero worship, from Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Record box. Accomplished playing - Kumiko Ida's British piano album, appreciated by Patric Standford


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Michael Gandolfi about the forthcoming première of his new chamber work 'Plain Song, Fantastic Dances'


• Ensemble. Vivid energy - Gerald Barry's new opera 'Petra von Kant', reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Symphonic structure - The Hallé Orchestra plays Vaughan Williams in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• CD Spotlight. Dramatically aggressive - Orchestral music by Robert Kurka, enjoyed by Ron Bierman. 'Strongly recommended.'


• Record box. Emotional shape - Music by Bartók, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ask Alice - On the Ashes, yellow submarines and Jerusalem, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A musical treasure - Polina Osetinskaya displays fiery command in Beethoven and Liszt, appreciated by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Infectiously joyful - Choral music from the South American folk tradition, appreciated by Malcolm Tattersall. '... one of those rare discs which nearly everyone will like.'


• Ensemble. Enjoyment all round - Greek guitarist Eleftheria Kotzia in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. Operatic delights - Canadian Opera Company's Altamira Summer Arts Concerts, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Provocations - Alistair Hinton and Chad Wozniak discuss Patric Standford's recent 'Provocative Thoughts'


• Ask Alice - When choosing between happy hearts and your violin ... by Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Drama in the music - Robert Hugill muses on the staging of Handel's oratorios


• DVD Spotlight. A Parisian disco? - Rameau's 'Les Indes galantes', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... Les Arts Florissants would triumph in any location.'


• Useful insights - Daniel Felsenfeld's book 'Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber. Their lives and their music', reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Ensemble. An exuberant performance - Mike Wheeler reviews the last of Derby Cathedral's summer organ recitals, given by Tom Corfield


• Ensemble. Great music making - Cheers for a riveting Canadian dance company at Jacob's Pillow and more music from Tanglewood, reported by Lawrence Budmen


• Record box. A generous recital - Vadim Gluzman plays Schnittke, Pärt, Vasks and Kancheli, recommended by Howard Smith


• Ask Alice - On free plugs, guides on making music, good shows ... with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• To everything there is a season - A short story by Jenna Orkin of wtceo.org


• Ensemble. Superb performances - Alsop triumphs at Tanglewood, by Lawrence Budmen


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Key Question


• Ensemble. Exquisite finesse - A song recital by Andrew Kennedy and Simon Lepper impresses Roderic Dunnett


• CD Spotlight. Breathtaking brevity - Music by Sweelinck and his pupils, reviewed by George Balcombe. '... a brilliant performance ...'


• Ensemble. Sensationally STILL - Alexa Still and the NGC Wellington Sinfonia, reviewed by Howard Smith


• Ask Alice - Sorting out the musical inbox on return from holiday, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Roulades of passion - Oleh Krysa and Tatiana Tchekina at London's Wigmore Hall, reviewed by Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Cool fusion - Chamber music by David Baker, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. 'Baker's slow movements are all gorgeous ...'


• Ensemble. Enjoyably feisty - Derby Cathedral organ recitals by Ian Hare, Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, Peter Gould and Jonathan Gregory, David Briggs, Simon Bell and David Johnson, reviewed by Mike Wheeler


• Stolen property - The daughter of a Christchurch actress fights church duplicity in Moscow, by Howard Smith


• Record box. Compelling energy - Music by Tüür, Sibelius and Rachmaninov, reviewed by Howard Smith


• Ask Alice - Advice to a soprano on not kicking the goldfish, from Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Cathy Berberian - Never knowingly misunderstood - Jennifer Paull questions the focus of the lens of musical history


• DVD Spotlight. History and myth - Wagner's 'Götterdämmerung', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a crowning glory from Bertrand de Billy and his superb team ...'


• Ensemble. Heart-rending beauty - Concertos by Elgar and Kopytman, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Ask Alice - Whilst Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice is on holiday, Kelly Ferjutz steps in with a special feature about women conductors ...


• Profile. Emotional contours - Ian Wilson, featured composer at the 2005 Presteigne Festival, talks to Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. Great clarity - Music by Jason Eckardt, reviewed by Carson Cooman. '... brilliantly performed ...'


• Record box. Wilby's reconstruction - Daniel Hope plays Mozart, reviewed by Howard Smith


• Ensemble. Liszt on Wagner's Steinway - Malcolm Miller applauds a young artist in the Festspiel-Soirée Series at the Wahnfried in Bayreuth


• DVD Spotlight. Stunning lighting - Highlighs from Barenboim's 'Ring', concluding a series of reviews by Robert Hugill. 'The balance ... favours Evans more, which is a good thing.'


• CD Spotlight. A tremendous conclusion - 'Twilight of the Gods' from Bayreuth, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... well worth waiting for.'


• Ensemble. Delicate confidence - Kelly Ferjutz was at the Cleveland International Piano Competition


• CD Spotlight. Sheer beauty - Barenboim's 'Siegfried', in the continuing set of reviews by Robert Hugill. '... a highly listenable, dramatic experience.'


• CD Spotlight. Moments of crisis? - 'Die Walküre' from Bayreuth, the second review in a series by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. Truly believable - Barenboim conducts Wagner's 'Das Rheingold' from Bayreuth, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... a beautiful, well-shaped, flowing performance.'


• Ask Alice - Whilst Alice is on holiday for two weeks, Kelly Ferjutz is Classical Music Agony Aunt


• Ensemble. Contrasting pianists - by Bill Newman


• DVD Spotlight. A powerful work - Rued Langgaard's opera 'Antikrist', investigated by Robert Anderson. '... interpreted with total commitment ...'


• Ensemble. Sanity to insanity - Lyric Opera Cleveland's 'The Fall of the House of Usher', reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - The Clarens Connection, by Jennifer Paull


• CD Spotlight. A versatile performer - Daphna Cohen-Licht's recital disc 'Emotional Turbulence', reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... Cohen-Licht gives full reign to the drama ...'


• Double Reed Disorder - 'With most reverent and obsequious apologies to all them that are heavy-laden with bassoon and shall find not rest, herein', by Jennifer Paull


• Ask Alice - On 'Così', Nigel Kennedy and recovering the Ashes, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Playing the listener


• Ensemble. Infused with magic - Rex Harley is entranced by 'Hansel and Gretel' at Longborough Festival Opera


• Ensemble. Joyous indeed - Die Fledermaus and The White Horse Inn at Ohio Light Opera, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Lasting friendships - Roderic Dunnett looks back to a glorious weekend celebrating Gerald Finzi and English Song in Ludlow with the Finzi Friends, and hopes for another next year


• Record box. Push the boat out - Music for trumpets, and music for baroque lute, reviewed by Alice McVeigh


• Ask Alice - More on music books, including Misha Stefanuk's 'Jazz Piano for the Young Beginner', with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A papal music tour - Tess Crebbin tours Bavaria with the local tourist office, and witnesses a performance of Tosca


• CD Spotlight. Often ravishing - Music by Debussy, Prokofiev, Britten and Ravel, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... admirably encompassed ...'


• Ensemble. Return to innocence - She Loves Me!, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• CD Spotlight. Tonal beauty - The first recording of Vivaldi's 'Bajazet', appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... absolutely stunning.'


• Record box. Exceptional skill - Music by Richard Strauss, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Record box. Crystal clear heights - Andreas Scholl sings folksongs, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - On the frustrated and the talented, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh, plus a review of Blair Tindall's book 'Mozart in the Jungle'


• Ensemble. Magnificent playing - Mûza Rubackyté in recital, and on disc, appreciated by Bill Newman


• Ensemble. A tropical farewell - Malcolm Tattersall sends a final report from the Australian Festival of Chamber Music


• Record box. A recital to value - Lute solos and songs by Robert Johnson from Shakespeare's England, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ensemble. A veritable dynamo - A conversation with Paavo Järvi, and a review of his Miami concert in April, by Lawrence Budmen


• Ensemble. Standing ovations - Rolando Villazón performs in Munich, appreciated by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Sea and sky - More from the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall


• Editor's Inbox - More readers' letters, including condolences offered to those affected by Thursday's bombings in London


• Ensemble. Tragic scenes - Handel's 'Flavio' in London, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ask Alice - On pupils failing exams, opera singers and gut strings, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Darkness to light - Malcolm Tattersall is at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music


• DVD Spotlight. Dramatic skill - Wagner's 'Siegfried', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... when it is sung as beautifully as here, one is humbly grateful.'


• Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - The Terminology of Respect, by Jennifer Paull


• Cathy Berberian - A musical Columbus - On what would have been Cathy Berberian's 80th birthday, Jennifer Paull explores the life of the artist who died way too soon


• CD Spotlight. Appealing listening - Chamber music by Richard Wilson, recommended by Carson Cooman. '... uniformly excellent to hear ...'


• Record box. Impressive performances - A 20th century recital by the Westminster Choir, recommended by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - On singing in Cardiff, Isserlis playing Saint-Saëns and square Samson, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Singing. Includes reply essays from Malcolm Tattersall and Alistair Hinton


• Record box. Names and prayers - Music by Victoria Jordanova, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ensemble. Deftly performed - Lyric Opera Cleveland's Barber of Seville, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• CD Spotlight. Original sounds - Music by Kellogg and Crumb, recommended by Ron Bierman. '... an intriguing release with outstanding performances.'


• Record box. Story and experience - Music by James Kimo Williams, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - On mini-disc players, Mozart in the jungle and ads for tenors, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Stylish and memorable - 'Maria Stuarda' at Grange Park Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. Heartfelt melodies - Music by Tyzen Hsiao, reviewed by Ron Bierman. 'Performances sound committed ...'


• Ensemble. A memorable evening - Maurice Hasson's 70th birthday recital with Gabriela Montero was a notable 2005 Wigmore Hall event for Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. An impressive achievement - 'Mirrors of Fire' by Tim Kain, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. 'Kain's playing is marvellous.'


• Record box. Lusty sound - An orchestral spectacular from the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh, in search of a tenor


• Ensemble. A musical homecoming - New World Symphony alumni return to Miami Beach for a special concert, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. A prodigious composer - Orchestral music by Meyer Kupferman, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... an extrovert, highly charged composer with a vivid sonic imagination and a sure skill in orchestration.'


• CD Spotlight. Radiant, supernatural beauty - In a special multimedia presentation, Gordon Rumson talks about Alistair Hinton's String Quintet


• Ensemble. Truly magnificent - Handel's 'Jephtha' at the London Coliseum, reviewed by Robert Hugill.


• DVD Spotlight. Utmost art - Die Walküre, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... live performances that rightly earn due applause act by act ...'


• Record box. Profoundly effective - Leif Segerstam conducts Sibelius, recommended by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Encounters with Big Hand Span and The Cunning Man, for Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Alban Berg's 'younger brother' - Henri Dutilleux receives the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, by Tess Crebbin


• DVD Spotlight. Inexplicable passion - Astor Piazzolla in portrait, appreciated by David Wilkins. '... defying category but never defying mastery.'


• Ensemble. The extra layer? - Robert Hugill was at Covent Garden's 'Il Turco in Italia'


• Ensemble. Oozing with talent - Birmingham Opera Company's 'Ulysses comes home', reviewed by Roderic Dunnett


• Record box. Improvisatory style - Music by Douglas Bruce Johnson, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - On stars and superstars, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - Reaching Upwards: 1888, by Jennifer Paull


• CD Spotlight. Remarkable ingenuity - Lukas Ligeti's 'Mystery System', reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... the playing, by the Amadinda Percussion Group, is dazzling.'


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Music and vision


• A singular event - Sergei Podobedov plays Bach/Busoni, Liadov, Boris Goltz and Chopin, reviewed by David Braid


• Many happy returns - Tess Crebbin pays tribute to German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, eighty today


• Ask Alice - On lovestruck violists and beasts in Sydenham, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Record box. Attractive ideas - The music of Joseph M Levin, reviewed by Patric Standford


• CD Spotlight. Great cheer - Music for Alfonso the Wise, and by Victoria, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... clear and expressive ...'


• Remembrance of things passed and failed - Jenna Orkin of wtceo.org remembers her days teaching at Juilliard


• CD Spotlight. Immense variety - Chamber music by American composers, recommended by Patric Standford. 'This is a most worthy undertaking ...'


• Ensemble. Different approaches - Comparing two piano trios on the same day, with Bill Newman


• Ask Alice - More on 'Muso mates versus non-muso mates', with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. The lady and her entourage - Bill Newman at a concert by the London Chamber Music Group


• DVD Spotlight. Skill and sensitivity - Wagner's 'Parsifal' from Baden-Baden, enjoyed by Robert Anderson. 'The singing is generally superb, with the Gurnemanz of Matti Salminen quite outstanding.'


• Ensemble. Much to applaud - Malcolm Miller reports on an impressive array of talent at the BPSE Beethoven Chamber Music Competition 2005


• Ensemble. Triple Kirckmans - Bill Newman attends three events given by young musicians


• Canine choreography - An Austrian music professor goes to the dogs, by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Commanding performances - Valerie Tryon at the Chopin Society on VE Day Anniversary, appreciated by Malcolm Miller


• Ask Alice - A review of Margaret Bartley's biography of Russian-American cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, by Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Journey to a legend: Israel dance première - Malcolm Miller admires the world première of Rami Be'er's 'Upon reaching the sun' at the Tel-Aviv Performing Arts Centre


• CD Spotlight. Great sensitivity - Music for wind instruments by Karel Husa, recommended by Patric Standford. '... delightful discoveries, highly recommended.'


• Ensemble. Handel's first night thoughts - Robert Hugill was at the Cambridge Handel Opera Group's 'Tamerlano'


• Ensemble. Lasting impression - Kelly Ferjutz listens to the second of two special concerts in which Pierre Boulez conducts the Cleveland Orchestra


• Ensemble. Imaginative and ambitious - Rex Harley discovers the Crickhowell Festival


• Ensemble. Handel's Spanish soul - Malcolm Miller attends an inspiring concert at the London Handel Festival 2005


• Ask Alice - A celebration of the madness of UK election hype, from Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Their Majesties' Music - Pippa Hare listens to the Choir of the 21st Century


• DVD Spotlight. A dazzling 'tour de force' - Handel's 'Giulio Cesare', enjoyed by Robert Anderson. 'Graham Pushee sings with utmost bravura, fire and clarity ...'


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Augusta Read Thomas about the forthcoming première of her new orchestral work 'Credences of Summer'


• Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - The Wind of Change: 1788, by Jennifer Paull


• Ensemble. Ravishing Firebird! - Kelly Ferjutz reports on Boulez in Cleveland on 29 April 2005


• One year on - Lars Vogt talks to Tess Crebbin about his late friend and partner, the cellist Boris Pergamenschikow


• Ask Alice - On car CD players, difficult students and telling conductors to 'break a leg', with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Audience


• CD Spotlight. Sonatas and sonatinas - Guitar music played by Nathan Kolosko, recommended by Malcolm Tattersall. 'Kolosko's playing is clean, fluent and assured ...'


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Julia Scott Carey about the forthcoming première of her new Piano Concerto


• CD Spotlight. Infectious delight - Stokowski conducts Vivaldi and Handel, reviewed by Patric Standford. 'His approach was clearly monumental.'


• Record box. A rare treat - Jean Guillou plays the complete organ works of César Franck, reviewed by Tess Crebbin


• Ask Alice - On learning brass scales, and Starker's Brahms revisited, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. An ebullient personality - Five orchestral works by Elliott Schwartz, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... fertile imagination and bright spirit.'


• CD Spotlight. Incontrovertible logic - Gillian Weir plays Bach at St Thomas's, Leipzig, appreciated by Robert Anderson. '... skilfully explored ...'


• Going the extra mile with an Egyptian deity - CeBIT, the world's largest computer fair, from a classical music viewpoint, by Tess Crebbin


• Record box. Delightful pieces - 'Tales of a Summer Past' by Nick Davis, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• Ask Alice - On Wieniawski at the Pope's funeral, anonymous letters and breaking a leg, with Classical Music Agony Aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Schnabel and Richter - Piano music by Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... as varied as the works themselves.'


• Profile. South American Belle - A portrait of pianist Clara Rodriguez, by Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Varied and intriguing - Contemporary music première recordings for oboe, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ensemble. Devastating power - Astor Piazzolla's 'Maria de Buenos Aires' in Copenhagen, recommended by David Wilkins


• Record box. Effective film music - Music by Mark Emney, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - Alice McVeigh reviews 'The World of Music According to Starker'


• CD Spotlight. Richly romantic - Orchestral music by Frank Bridge, praised by Patric Standford. '... a fine recording of music that has an outstanding place in English musical heritage.'


• Am I too loud? - Robert Hugill muses on Wagnerian sopranos and changing performance tradition


• Ensemble. Exciting performance - Jobim Sinfônico pays tribute to Brazil's musical genius, by Lawrence Budmen


• Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - Adding to Adages about Adagios, by Jennifer Paull


• Ask Alice - Playing 'Fiddler on the Roof' at wedding receptions, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Waiting for a gift


• DVD Spotlight. Sinister power - 'Das Rheingold', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... a joyous experience ...'


• Editor's Inbox - More readers' letters


• CD Spotlight. A welcome introduction - Music by John Adams, reviewed by Robert Hugill. 'Alsop has a clear feel for this music ...'


• Ensemble. Vibrant production - Gounod's 'Faust' at Palm Beach Opera, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - On the banning and sacking of conductors, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Yearning for the Bell - Riley Lee plays the shakuhachi, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. 'Highly recommended.'


• Reminiscent retrospectives - Fritzin' the Looking-Glass - On the second anniversary of Fritz Spiegl's death, Jennifer Paull looks into his witty reflection and recalls musical frustrations and fun with Fritz


• Destined for the top - Roderic Dunnett talks to Sarah Saunders of Phoenix Rising


• Ensemble. Grace under pressure - Music by Henri Dutilleux, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Vital performance - 'Die Walküre', appreciated by Robert Hugill


• Ensemble. Winds of change - Malcolm Miller applauds a new work by Richard Dubugnon premièred by the Haffner Wind Ensemble and Min-Jung Kym


• Ask Alice - On practicing and counting, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• DVD Spotlight. Gripping performance - 'The Turn of the Screw', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... splendidly captured musically and visually ...'


• Ensemble. Sex and art - Leonard Bernstein's 'On The Town' at the London Coliseum, reviewed by David Wilkins


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Nancy Galbraith about the forthcoming première of her new Requiem


• Irreplaceable to music - Tess Crebbin describes the memorial service in Munich for conductor Marcello Viotti


• CD Spotlight. Emotional drama - Tristan und Isolde, appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... you feel you are sitting in the tenth row center ...'


• Ensemble. Bloch revival - A concert by the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Ask Alice - On kissing, washing and Tartini rosin, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Wonderful music - Chabrier's 'Le Roi malgré lui' at Lyons Opera, reviewed by Robert Hugill


• CD Spotlight. Integrity and musicianship - Haskell Small plays Bach and Small, appreciated by Roderic Dunnett


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to David Stock as the première of Stock's Fifth String Quartet approaches


• Unforgettable Ifor - Jennifer Paull pays tribute to Ifor James (1931-2004)


• 'Sky poets paint the sheltered curve to find' - a triptych of articles by Jennifer Paull


• Ensemble. A perfect marriage of music and theology - Pippa Hare was at the Tudeley Festival's performance of Bach's B minor Mass


• Ask Alice - Renée Fleming's book 'The Inner Voice - The Making of a Singer', reviewed by Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. A thrilling performance - Rosie and Nick Evelegh were at Canterbury Choral Society's 'The Apostles'


• CD Spotlight. A voice to cherish - Dawn Upshaw sings Messiaen, Debussy, Golijov and Fauré, recommended by David Wilkins. '... a great disc!'


• Armenian music in America - by Gordon Rumson


• Three Questions before the First Night - Carson Cooman talks to Charles Wuorinen before the première of Wuorinen's Fourth Piano Concerto


• Ensemble. A fitting celebration - The BBC National Orchestra of Wales plays Ravel, Hoddinott and Vaughan Williams, reviewed by Rex Harley


• The last class - Memories of Nadia Boulanger, from Jenna Orkin of wtceo.org


• Ask Alice - Inner voices, composers and cellists, and Mud and Noodles re-united, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Operatunity


• CD Spotlight. Entertaining tricks - Cello and violin CDs, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... silken, silvery tone ...'


• Ensemble. Important revivals - Hindemith and Mahler played by members of the New World Symphony, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Love of music and family - On the death of Marcello Viotti, by Tess Crebbin


• Ensemble. Refreshing clarity - Paul Goodwin and the Academy of Ancient Music play Beethoven, reviewed by Malcolm Miller


• Ask Alice - Swingin' Samson, problems in the violins and a review of 'La Clemenza di Tito' at English National Opera, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• CD Spotlight. Sheer modernity - Shostakovich's 2nd and 14th symphonies, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... a superb disc ...'


• CD Spotlight. Love and learning - Schubert and Schumann song cycles, reviewed by Robert Anderson, who also pays tribute to the late Eric Sams


• CD Spotlight. Creditable performances - Vocal music by Wolfgang Rihm, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... purity, clarity and commendable accuracy.'


• Ensemble. Incandescent Mozart - Lawrence Budmen reviews clarinettist Alexander Fiterstein's concert with the American String Quartet


• Ask Alice - On musicals, publishers and Starker, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Piano sonority - Lydia Scadding wins the 2004 Beethoven Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition, reported by Malcolm Miller


• CD Spotlight. Stylistic diversity - Boris Tishchenko's Symphony No 7, reviewed by Ron Bierman. '... expert and at times wildly enthusiastic.'


• Ensemble. 3, 2, 1 ... Piano! - Kelly Ferjutz sees Red in Cleveland


• CD Spotlight. Ravishing colloquy - Orchestral music by Tchaikovsky, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... sumptuous and highly disciplined playing ...


• Editorial musings with Basil Ramsey - Fresh starts


• Ask Alice - On concerts, witches and sightings, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Vibrant performance - Bellini's 'I Puritani' in Florida, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• CD Spotlight. Warmly recommended - The music of Harold Farberman, reviewed by Carson Cooman. 'The performances, all directed by the composer, are strong and authoritative.'


• Ensemble. Rebel to rebel - Beethoven, Berg and others in Cleveland and New York, reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz


• Ensemble. Remarkable diversity - The Beethoven Intercollegiate Piano Competition, reviewed by Manus Carey


• Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Roots


• Nabucco, Silesia style - by Tess Crebbin


• What is the English National Opera for? - Robert Hugill asks the question and, whilst previewing the forthcoming season, suggests three possible answers


• Ask Alice - When Agony Aunt meets White Witch, plus a review of the Jacqueline du Pré memorial event in London, by Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. Sizzling Prokofiev - A recital by Adam Neiman, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Rosalyn Tureck - A memoir by Jenna Orkin of wtceo.org


• Ensemble. Absolutely contemporary - David Wilkins was one of two M&V writers at Tippett's 'A Child of Our Time', staged at the London Coliseum on Friday 21 January 2005


• Ensemble. Particularly frustrating - Robert Hugill on Jonathan Kent's staging of 'A Child of Our Time'


• CD Spotlight. Much to praise - Mozart wind concertos, reviewed by Ron Bierman. 'The performances range from able to among the best.'


• Record box. Lightness of interpretation - Harnoncourt conducts Haydn, reviewed by Patric Standford


• Ask Alice - On Wallfisch, disfunctionality, choral singers, princes and swastikas, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Profile. Total dedication and accord - A portrait of piano duettists Isabel Beyer and Harvey Dagul, by Bill Newman


• CD Spotlight. Strongly neo-romantic - Chamber music by Lowell Liebermann, reviewed by Carson Cooman. 'The playing is uniformly committed.'


• Profile. Letting the music grow - A conversation with Dan Locklair, by Carson Cooman


• Ensemble. Holocaust opera - A powerful, deeply moving performance of Viktor Ullmann's 'The Emperor of Atlantis', reviewed by Lawrence Budmen


• Ensemble. The Kirckman concept - by Bill Newman


• Ask Alice - On bad advice, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh


• Ensemble. New sounds and ideas - Malcolm Miller attends the first concert in the Park Lane Group's New Year Series 2005


• CD Spotlight. Wondrously alive - Music by Elgar, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... yet more immediacy than the original LPs ...'


• CD Spotlight. Swimming against the tide - Music by John Foulds, reviewed by Rex Harley. '... in performance terms, everything about this disc is excellent ...'


• CD Spotlight. Red ribbon - The Talla Vocal Ensemble, recommended by Patric Standford. '... guaranteed to delight listeners ...'


• Scientific music? - Alistair Hinton replies to Patric Standford's recent provocations


• CD Spotlight. Interlinking resonances - A song recital by Malena Ernman, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... lively and charmingly refreshing ...'


• CD Spotlight. Threads - Music by Carson Cooman, considered by Patric Standford. '... an ecstatic all American sound ...'


• CD Spotlight. A poetic approach - Eric Le Van plays Scriabin mazurkas, reviewed by John Bell Young. '... always elegant, meticulously adjudicated, and discreetly inflected.'


• Record box. The perceptive oboe - Nancy Ambrose King plays oboe concertos, reviewed by Basil Ramsey


• CD Spotlight. Higher authority - Jacob Heringman plays music from the Siena Lute Book, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... an infectious zest for the music ...'


• Three Questions before the First Night - In the first of a new series, Carson Cooman talks to Leonardo Balada before the première of the opera 'Death of Columbus'