Classical Music Publications: Does Anyone Subscribe?

[EdgeleyRob]

Welcome L'enfer.
To be quite honest there is such a wealth of knowledge amongst the members of this forum (myself not included ) regarding all aspects of classical music and recordings etc that you don't need any other publications.
As someone with no formal musical education who has been listening to music as far back as I can remember, I can honestly say I have learnt so much from the experts on here.Ask any question and someone will invariably come up with the answer.

[Nick Armstrong]

Welcome L'enfer.
To be quite honest there is such a wealth of knowledge amongst the members of this forum (myself not included ) regarding all aspects of classical music and recordings etc that you don't need any other publications.
As someone with no formal musical education who has been listening to music as far back as I can remember, I can honestly say I have learnt so much from the experts on here.Ask any question and someone will invariably come up with the answer.

You're a sport, ER! And I quite agree!

[jayne lee wilson]

Welcome L'Enfer, hope you enjoy many seasons in the heaven and hell of the forum...

Curious about Gramophone - I've subscribed for many years, still do - but under the previous editor it suffered an attempt at misguided, personality-led populism (rather too many photoshoots of sopranos in ballgowns - I love clothes, but not in Gramophone...) and declined badly into the morass of brief unhelpful reviews and boring, "entry-level" features. Since the editiorial change it's been trying a little harder; the Schubert feature in the March issue (by Richard Whitehouse) on his last year is surprisingly lengthy and well-written, a great stimulus to listening! And Richard Osborne's Collection article on Brahms 3rd in the April issue is exactly the kind of thing you once looked forward to the Gramophone for. So, signs of life - the features are the one thing G. has over IRR, provided they're well prepared. IRR generally has longer (often much longer) and usually better reviews, though one sometimes finds on acquiring the given recording a, er, degree of disagreement about its assessment! But that's true of all such writing occasionally.

But neither magazine has nearly enough about downloads, especially high-resolution downloads. Bit backward, then. Go on, editors, gissajob!

[L'enfer]

Thanks to you both over the past month or so I have been reading this forum it's clear that many posses a knowledge that is far superior to to my own. I plan on being as active as possible on the forum and hope some of that may rub off on me given enough time. The reason I asked about the magazines are two fold, I've always subscribed to one magazine or another most of my life however I've had to ditch my current batch as I could no longer support their shoddy and often bias magazines any longer. The second reason is (without going into to much detail) I am ill and spend a lot of time in doctor's waiting rooms or hospital. I was advised by a nurse that I've gotten to know quite well not to bring my Kindle with me as it would likely "grow legs" as she put it. So a little magazine would be ideal I thought. Thank you all the same for your recommendations everyone.

Slightly off topic but I've been reading The Art Desk since Christmas. It is UK based I believe and often has decent reviews on music, opera, the theatre etc. As far as I know it's internet only and free and may be worth a look if you haven't already bookmarked it.

[VodkaDilc]

But neither magazine has nearly enough about downloads, especially high-resolution downloads. Bit backward, then.

To many of us this is a strength.

[doversoul1]

L'enfer

I've been reading The Art Desk since Christmas. It is UK based I believe and often has decent reviews on music, opera, the theatre etc. As far as I know it's internet only and free and may be worth a look if you haven't already bookmarked it.

Similarly, this is highly recommended.

http://opera-britannia.com/

[jayne lee wilson]

Well maybe you're a bit backward too, I should cut out the Vodka if I were you...

Oh alright, that's not fair, I drink far too much wine myself, so keep drinking the Russian Bomber, but I think the future has to be delivery of music via broadband, especially given the improvement of 24-bit Audio over CD (believe me, once you get used to it...)... oh don't worry, this isn't Korea, it won't happen in Europe, like, FOR EVER... Hyperion will still make ye olde CD... whoever it was discovered Hyperion just started 24-bit, thanks, I'll go for the Reger Vn. Cto. soon.

Point is, an ever more populated world with smaller living spaces, where d'you put all those silver discs? So it will come, but GB governments will carry on with their absurd obsessions with deficit reduction and Finance and Europe and tax tinkering, missing the main technological and electronic engineering event as usual...

Er, what was this thread about again...? Oh, er, yes, the print music magazines will continue to fail to cover all of the above adequately. Especially downloads.

To many of us this is a strength.

[salymap]

This is worse than Alphabet Associations

What are you and saly on about?!?!

I think I'm being particularly obtuse (where's Angle when you need him?!)

Let me know when you sort this out - She Who Must be Obeyed and Rider Haggard ???? As Poirot says "I am too old".

[Nick Armstrong]

Let me know when you sort this out - She Who Must be Obeyed and Rider Haggard ???? As Poirot says "I am too old".

Sorted! You were talking about french frank all along!!

[salymap]

Very good, Rumpole

[Panjandrum]

Richard Osborne's Collection article on Brahms 3rd in the April issue is exactly the kind of thing you once looked forward to the Gramophone for. So, signs of life - the features are the one thing G. has over IRR, provided they're well prepared. IRR generally has longer (often much longer) and usually better reviews, though one sometimes finds on acquiring the given recording a, er, degree of disagreement about its assessment! But that's true of all such writing occasionally.

Gramophone is, to use the dreadful americanism, one of those "marquee" names like Aston Martin, or Claridge's. It could still re-emerge to reclaim its former pre-eminent position in the market if it gets its act together. JLW, you echo one of my thoughts about IRR; its writers never seem to have quite the authority that the great names of yore in Gramophone had, viz: Richard Osborne; Deryck Cooke; John Steane; Alan Blyth; Robert Layton; Felix Aphramian; et al.

[VodkaDilc]

Gramophone is, to use the dreadful americanism, one of those "marquee" names. Like Aston Martin, or Claridge's, it could still re-emerge to reclaim its former pre-eminent position in the market if it gets its act together. JLW, you echo one of my thoughts about IRR; its writers never seem to have quite the authority that the great names of yore in Gramophone had, viz: Richard Osborne; Deryck Cooke; John Steane; Alan Blyth; Robert Layton; Felix Aphramian; et al.

Sadly most of the names you mention are no longer available.

[salymap]

Sadly most of the names you mention are no longer available.

What wonderful names from the past. With Dynely Hussey [sp] and others in the newspapers we were very lucky in those days.

[JFLL]

Have you tried the Music Web International website, L'enfer? I know it's not a magazine, but I've always found it very useful for detailed reviews, especially of English music and lesser-known works. Other useful features are an email service by which they send you all their weekly reviews as they are published, and summary articles on particular composers/themes such as Bruckner's and Mahler's symphonies (particularly good) and symphonies by country, e.g. French symphonies.. Well worth exploring, I think. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get a general idea of what they offer. It's all FREE, as well!

[L'enfer]

Have you tried the Music Web International website, L'enfer? I know it's not a magazine, but I've always found it very useful for detailed reviews, especially of English music and lesser-known works. Other useful features are an email service by which they send you all their weekly reviews as they are published, and summary articles on particular composers/themes such as Bruckner's and Mahler's symphonies (particularly good) and symphonies by country, e.g. French symphonies.. Well worth exploring, I think. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get a general idea of what they offer. It's all FREE, as well!

No I haven't thank you JFLL thank you for the link, I'll be sure to explore it later I wouldn't turn down a free source of information.