The explosion in classical compact disc releases since the technology was introduced in the early 1980s has exceeded the most optimistic expectations of critics and music lovers. Who would have thought that consumers would someday have the choice of sets of tenor Enrico Caruso’s complete recordings on three labels, let alone countless versions of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” or the Beethoven Fifth Symphony?
The flood of classical CD releases, reissues, boxed sets and concert and opera videos can be a daunting prospect to the veteran collector, let alone the newcomer to classical music recordings. Out of the myriad CDs with different orchestras, conductors, singers and solo artists, how does one choose the best available performances?
The 1,348-page Penguin Guide offers impressive scope and generally sound advice, but tends to go out of date rather quickly. For more current information on the flow of new compact disc releases, a subscription to one of the classical music journals is essential for the serious collector.
While there are other publications, such as Opera News or Stereo Review, that cover live performances or audio components, here we’re concerned with magazines that concentrate on classical compact disc reviews.
(Most of the following journals can be found at Tower Records, 2301 N. Clark St.; Rose Records, 214 S. Wabash Ave.; and better bookstores.)
– The grandaddy of all music publications, the British Gramophone, recently celebrated its 70th anniversary with an editorial face lift, going to a slicker, trendier look. Still the most influential, respected and reliable of the music journals available, Gramophone contains incisive interviews and articles, and the widest coverage of new releases and reissues in a scholarly yet unpompous style.
Gramophone also has some of the best British writers on music, including Robert Layton, Edward Greenfield and Ivan March (editors of the Penguin Guide), plus John Steane, whose enthusiastic advocacy has stimulated many younger music fans’ appreciation of the great voices of the past.
Some American readers grumble about the journal’s pro-British bias, but recently added contributions by American reviewers are a fair attempt to redress this imbalance. Gramophone is still the best of the lot and, at $75 a year (without index), the most expensive.
– Classic CD, also published in England, is the young upstart among music magazines, and is probably best suited to the classical music newcomer. Now in its fourth year, Classic CD offers considerably fewer reviews than Gramophone, but compensates with a breezy but intelligent style and a refreshingly quirky humor. (Q-“How many sopranos does it take to change a light bulb?” A-“Fifteen-one to change it and the rest to knock the chair out from under her.”)
Although Classic CD’s irreverence adds spice, the journal’s unique feature is the 70-minute-plus compact disc enclosed with each issue. It offers excerpts from a nicely varied selection of orchestral, opera, instrumental, chamber and choral music recordings. (Another British publication, BBC Music, also includes a CD, but BBC Music is even more British-oriented and is becoming increasingly difficult to find locally.)
– On this side of the Atlantic, Fanfare, published every other month, has the widest and most comprehensive review section of any U.S. journal, with close attention paid to smaller labels and historical recordings. Few journals can match Fanfare’s arcane reach; recent CD reviews include “The Condenser Microphone” and “Swedish Military Marches.”
Fanfare has some fine reviewers, but others can be vituperative and mean-spirited, which suggests that writers sometimes need to turn off their stereos and take a long walk.
– The underrated American Record Guide every other month offers solid, well-informed and straightforward reviews with regional appraisals of live opera and orchestral performances.
– Also, Tower Records has recently brought out Classical Pulse, a companion to its journal of popular music. Though predictably heavy on advertising, the premiere issue (in December) managed to cram in a wide range of reviews, with a nice emphasis on historic recordings and some offbeat new releases. The best part: it’s free.
