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Rating: 
Summary: COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE
Review: As is usual with this series, it is complete, comprehensive, articulate, opinionated, and very, very useful to collectors of classical music on CDs and DVDs.It should be in the library of every collector of classical music on the above-stated media.
Rating:
Summary: Here's how to find these recommended recordings:
Review: I've heard quite often that American readers have great difficulty finding the recordings that are recommended in the Gramophone and Penguin CD guides--primarily because these guides work from the catalog of CDs that are in print in the UK, but also because they recommend many CDs that must be imported into both the UK and US from Germany. Here's one trick to finding many, many imported CDs in the Amazon database--the only way I know of, in fact. Specially imported classical CDs retain their original label: Philips, Decca, Deutsche (from Deutsche Grammophon), Classics for... (from Classics for Pleasure), Archiv, Eloquence, Teldec, Virgin, etc. By contrast, CDs released domestically on these labels show up as Polygram, Universal, Elektra, etc. (these labels' "parent" companies). So--if you go to the classical search page and type "Deutsche" in the label field and nothing else, you get about 400 or 500 results that are specially imported Deutsche Grammophon CDs. Likewise, if you search only for "Philips" or "Decca," you will be astounded by the results--hundreds of imported CDs on these labels that I don't think can be found any other way because most imports don't carry catalog numbers. For example, dozens of DG Galleria discs can be found only by searching with "Archiv" in the label box. The peculiarity is that often these imported discs apparently have links and info for the performers, but if you search for this performer from the classical search page, these imported CDs still don't show up! Very strange... For example, searching for "Dumay" on the classical search page brings about 15-20 results, but clicking the "Dumay" link on an imported CD page brings about twice as many results! So--the other trick to searching is to click on links for a performer, and don't rely only on searching for a performer. You almost always get significantly more results by clicking a link than by searching. You can, of course, also find many--but not all!--of these CDs on the Amazon.co.uk site, which is just as easy as using Amazon.com, but often the price advantage is in Amazon.com's favor, so it can really pay off to sift through the extensive import search results. And in the case of imports from Germany, the Amazon database often still carries imports that are no longer available through the UK outlet. (Though the integrity/accuracy of the Amazon.co.uk classical database surpasses Amazon.com's.) Examples of CDs I've found by doing label searches are Andras Schiff's box sets of Schubert piano sonatas and Mozart piano concertos, the Bruggen box set of Haydn's Sturm/Paris/London symphonies, all of the Dumay/Pires chamber music recordings on DG, Brendel's 4-disc set of the Haydn piano sonatas, recently released Double Deccas of Bizet, Hindemith, Stravinsky, and Vivaldi, Dvorak piano quintets by Richter and the Borodin Quartet, the Bohm set of the Mozart symphonies, the Alban Berg set of the late Mozart string quartets--all these recordings are very highly rated by either the Gramophone or Penguin guides, and I found all of them by sifting through the hard-to-find imports. Finally, what I've sometimes done, and what other classical music-lovers can do is, after I've found one of these highly rated recordings, I use Amazon.com's recommendation feature to create links to this hard-to-find disc from other recordings of the piece. For example, from Kemff's Schubert box set I created a link to the imported Schiff Schubert box. It was through one of these links that I found the Chung / Zimerman Gramophone Award-winning recording of the Strauss / Respighi violin sonatas on DG Galleria-thanks to whoever did that! Happy searching--and listening!!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent addition...
Review: This 02/03 yearbook, which is designed to keep the biannual Penguin Guide to Classical Music, is similar to its excellent forebears, and even has some improvements. Of particular note is that DVDs are now included with CDs in the ratings rather than being segregated in its own section in back. I would like to see Penguin continue this format when it publishes its 04 guide next year.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent addition...
Review: This 02/03 yearbook, which is designed to keep the biannual Penguin Guide to Classical Music, is similar to its excellent forebears, and even has some improvements. Of particular note is that DVDs are now included with CDs in the ratings rather than being segregated in its own section in back. I would like to see Penguin continue this format when it publishes its 04 guide next year.
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change and new musicians presented
Review: This guide, although not thick, provides the reader with information on many of the lesser known and contemporary
composers, conductors and artists worldwide. Moreover, in
giving ratings, one can find "new blood," rather than strictly
citing the old standards. This is okay but there are other musicians. Sadly, previous editions of Penguin & Gramophone
miss/don't include a lot of them. Don't buy this guide thinking you will have loads of DVDs mentioned. This is excellent for CDs and opens the door for more coverage
of classical music DVDs as they appear. Sadly, there are
a large number of classical music VHS and only perhaps
two handsful are mentioned in Gramophone, while Penguin
somehow has bypassed the VHS. Sections included in this guide including "Great Composers of the Twentieth Century" are
a joy to read. Also there are many pages devoted to recitals
by instruments other than the piano and violin. I highly recommend this book. It is excellent, new and
a welcome addition to the literature. Dr. Alan Kardoff, Melbourne FL
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change and new musicians presented
Review: This guide, although not thick, provides the reader with information on many of the lesser known and contemporary
composers, conductors and artists worldwide. Moreover, in
giving ratings, one can find "new blood," rather than strictly
citing the old standards. This is okay but there are other musicians. Sadly, previous editions of Penguin & Gramophone
miss/don't include a lot of them. Don't buy this guide thinking you will have loads of DVDs mentioned. This is excellent for CDs and opens the door for more coverage
of classical music DVDs as they appear. Sadly, there are
a large number of classical music VHS and only perhaps
two handsful are mentioned in Gramophone, while Penguin
somehow has bypassed the VHS. Sections included in this guide including "Great Composers of the Twentieth Century" are
a joy to read. Also there are many pages devoted to recitals
by instruments other than the piano and violin. I highly recommend this book. It is excellent, new and
a welcome addition to the literature. Dr. Alan Kardoff, Melbourne FL
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