Contents – September 2011

‘Abbado seems to wallow in impending death; Barenboim looks past the pathos and finds life’ Ken Smith on Daniel Barenboim’s DVD of Mahler’s Symphony No 9 – page 89

Letters Neglected George Lloyd; Baroque DVDs

8

editor’s choice An Earth-shaking Fidelio from Abbado; Lise de la Salle, back on form for Liszt; Miklós Rózsa’s wonderful Cello Concerto

12

S o u n d b i t e S

L t d i c m u s i e m

,

e h r h a r d t i n a b e t t

:

p h o t o g r a p h y

For the record Gramophone’s Artist of the Year shortlist; the next Glyndebourne chief is announced;

a new label from Paul McCreesh

14

a conversation with… …the violinist and conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy, on interweaving football and music in his new Manchester job

19

diary

Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott on his lifelong love of Britten’s music and Britten’s love of the Baroque

21

one to watch At a time when Warner Classics aren’t signing many new artists, violinist Rachel Kolly d’Alba is set to be their new star

23

richard eyre As the director pens his last Gramophone column, he agonises about the difficulties as well as the delights of writing about music

24

biography oF an instrument The fascinating story of Handel’s organ,

its restoration and rebirth

26

www.gramophone.co.uk

F e A t u R e S

abbey road, a history From Elgar to Domingo, the world’s most famous recording studios have witnessed classical music history (with a bit of pop thrown in!). Martin Cullingford investigates

30

the heroism oF kent nagano A maestro who made his name with musical rarities has brought his Montreal Symphony back to the mainstream

38

the canonisation oF nieLsen

It’s Nielsen’s time to join the greats

42

the gramophone coLLection Which recording of Elgar’s Second Symphony is the must-have?

46

e n C o R e musicaL journeys Dawn Upshaw as festival curator in Ojai; personal reflections on Cardiff Singer of the

World; early music in Stockholm

97

pick oF the musicaL month Great events, from Southwell Minster to Symphony Hall, Boston

101

audio and visuaL The lastest moves in stereo networking

104

my music Rock and musical theatre icon Murray Head reveals his gradual but intense love affair with classical music

122

Elgar and Menuhin at Abbey Road Studios 30

Kent Nagano, the maestro in Montreal 38

GRAMOPHONE september 2011 3