Gramophone

[VodkaDilc]

Same here. I have subscribed since the first issue (didn't realise it was so long ago).

I didn't realise either, but the full set is on the bookshelf next to me.

[Don Petter]

I didn't realise either, but the full set is on the bookshelf next to me.

Wish I could say the same - they are all in the house somewhere.

[VodkaDilc]

Hi VodkaDilc,



Sadly my friend tried to no avail at various newsstands in New York to get hold of Fanfare. But quite coincidentally, the vendor suggested a copy of IRR, which he duly brought back and seeing that crisper, waffle-free magazine was the thing which made me switch subscriptions this month!

I've got to the end of my final year of Gramophone subscription and now see it as a complete waste of money - for all the reasons previously discussed. IRR is wonderful, but I really like another source of opinion too. I recall that Fanfare was mentioned. Does anyone know of a UK source for a one-off copy? Or perhaps it's possible to get a single copy from the subscription department. The subscription rates sound reasonable, at least direct from Fanfare's website; I also found a UK source of Fanfare subscriptions which seems to be priced considerably higher.

So, can anyone offer advice? - either on the source of a single copy or on the wisdom of a regular subscription. (Before I am offered numerous on-line alternatives, I should point out that I want the pleasure of a printed magazine experience!)

[reinerfan]

I have been a subscriber to Fanfare for some years and regard it as my primary source of reviews together with IRR, Musicweb International and other online providers, but I no longer subscribe to Gramophone after nearly 50 years of loyalty. I think that your best way of sampling the magazine is online as a one month subscription costs about $10. I do not think they provide an individual printed copy, although you could e-mail them to make sure. The reviews are comprehensive, hard-hitting and sometimes controversial, but because of the length of the reviews and the explanations the latter should not be a problem. An additional benefit after subscribing is that you have access to the Fanfare Archive and even next months reviews online.

[gurnemanz]

When I first started buying Gramophone in 1972, it seemed to me to be an almost essential purchase if you took recorded classical music seriously. I gave up a few years ago not only because of the post-Haymarket changes but because there were so many other available sources of information. I now manage quite happily without buying any of the magazines.

[VodkaDilc]

I have been a subscriber to Fanfare for some years and regard it as my primary source of reviews together with IRR, Musicweb International and other online providers, but I no longer subscribe to Gramophone after nearly 50 years of loyalty. I think that your best way of sampling the magazine is online as a one month subscription costs about $10. I do not think they provide an individual printed copy, although you could e-mail them to make sure. The reviews are comprehensive, hard-hitting and sometimes controversial, but because of the length of the reviews and the explanations the latter should not be a problem. An additional benefit after subscribing is that you have access to the Fanfare Archive and even next months reviews online.

Thanks reinerfan, I think this gives me the information I wanted. Assuming you take the postal version of Fanfare, I wondered about the physical format. Is it normal magazine size (ie Gramophone size) or, with such a huge number of pages, possibly smaller? And does the postal subscription system, presumably direct from the US, work efficiently?

I also have Gramophones going back almost as far as you (probably 1974). I feel inclined to jettison the most recent few years and keep the older ones for nostalgic reference!

[Alison]

I'm sure most of you will just love the Proms edition of Gramophone recently published ---- with Lang Lang
as guest editor as an extra boost.

Come on Micky D, renew that subscription !

[Don Petter]

Fanfare: The size is 9" by 6", and the thickness varies slightly from issue to issue. The latest (May/June) is just under an inch, with 544 pages.

The postal subscription to the UK works very well. I think there is some bulk batch mechanism, as they seem to come, by the regular post, from TNT in Heathrow.

[Ferretfancy]

I always enjoy reading Fanfare, although I can't say that I read it from cover to cover. If I have a small criticism, it is that they have rather too many protracted interviews with musicians who are not well known to us. Fanfare correspondents are often far more outspoken than their opposite numbers here, the steam rises from the pages sometimes, but that's all to the good. Definitely recommended.

[VodkaDilc]

Fanfare: The size is 9" by 6", and the thickness varies slightly from issue to issue. The latest (May/June) is just under an inch, with 544 pages.

The postal subscription to the UK works very well. I think there is some bulk batch mechanism, as they seem to come, by the regular post, from TNT in Heathrow.

Many thanks to Don Petter and to Ferretfancy for the information. The size of Fanfare sounds like the offshoots from Gramophone, such as International Classical Record Collector, Early Music and Songlines, which were produced for a couple of years around 2000 - but much thicker.

As Alison has suggested, the Proms issue of Gramophone was the final straw!

[MickyD]

I'm sure most of you will just love the Proms edition of Gramophone recently published ---- with Lang Lang
as guest editor as an extra boost.

Come on Micky D, renew that subscription !

Thank you for the encouragement, Alison, but somehow I think I will just about manage to resist temptation! I'm still enjoying IRR immensely - and having just done a short flight recently, I also find its slim size fits perfectly into my briefcase.

[VodkaDilc]

Thank you for the encouragement, Alison, but somehow I think I will just about manage to resist temptation! I'm still enjoying IRR immensely - and having just done a short flight recently, I also find its slim size fits perfectly into my briefcase.

Have you managed to pick up a copy of Fanfare yet, Micky?

[MickyD]

Unfortunately, Vodkadilc, I no longer to over to the States, so the possibility of picking up Fanfare is no longer there. But I do remember it being quite a tome - it must take a long time to get through. Ferretfancy is right - some of the reviews are of American artists whose CDs don't really make it over to this side of the pond.

[PaulT]

I spent some time in New Zealand four years ago and Fanfare was widely available in the newsagents there. I bought a couple of issues and thought it was brilliant. Each issue was many pages and I was able to pick and choose what to read. Unfortunately that was also its downfall. As its quite expensive here I have still to pluck up courage to subscribe.

[VodkaDilc]

As its quite expensive here I have still to pluck up courage to subscribe.

Fanfare (including postage, according to the website) - £7.60 - 6 issues a year
IRR - £4 monthly (more than Fanfare over a year.)
Gramophone - £4.60 in the shops, probably much less by subscription, depending on their current level of desperation when renewing.

So over two months, Fanfare costs £7.60, IRR £8 and Gramophone £9.20.