PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS:
The late Patric Standford may have written these short pieces deliberately to provoke our feedback. If so, his success is reflected in the rich range of readers' comments appearing at the foot of most of the pages.
CD Spotlight. Solace to Listeners - Patrick Maxwell listens to a box set of John Barbirolli's Elgar recordings for Warner Classics. '... a musical artefact which still tells us how Britain's most famous composer really can sound like ...'
CD Spotlight. Incomparable Musical Beauty - Gerald Fenech listens to Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius' from Carnegie Hall. '... a precious addition to this acclaimed treasure trove of historic recordings ...'
CD Spotlight. A Fine Start - American recordings of Elgar, heard by Gerald Fenech. '... considering today's technological excellence, this issue is strictly for collectors with a nostalgia for the past.'
CD Spotlight. Gentle Passions - Music by John Jeffreys, heard by Patric Standford. '... beautifully paced ...'
Ensemble. A Brilliant Idea - A Bernard Stevens celebration at London's Wigmore Hall, reviewed by Bill Newman
Ensemble. Gloriously Colourful - The British Society of Music Therapy looks back, with Margaret Campbell
Unforgettable Ifor - Jennifer Paull pays tribute to Ifor James (1931-2004)
CD Spotlight. Wondrously alive - Music by Elgar, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... yet more immediacy than the original LPs ...'
Profile. An ideal lifestyle - Remembering Sir John and others. Bill Newman visits Lady Evelyn Barbirolli
A star is reborn - BBC Legends, passing its one hundredth release, is appreciated by John Bell Young
Episodes from a memory bank - Basil Cameron. Bill Newman looks back at undeservedly neglected musicians.
Record box - Trawling for treasure - Barbirolli -