The quintessential
Penguin Guide has now been in
existence for close on four decades.
Edward Greenfield, Robert Layton and
Ivan March are all highly respected,
venerable reviewers and so the recommendations
in this book can be accepted with confidence.
But be warned. This Yearbook
is an updating of the previous year’s
gargantuan Guide. Look at this
Yearbook’s spine. It is only
1¼ inches (3 cm) wide. The previous
full main Guide had a spine closer
to 2½" (approx 6 cm) wide; it had
more than twice the number of pages
(over 1500), but was in the same paperback
format, the same cover size, practically
the same colour and almost the same
design - except the new book has the
violin tilted across the front cover.
The last main Guide, covering
a much wider choice of recommendations,
was entitled, The Penguin Guide to
Compact Discs & DVDs 2005/6 Edition
– The Key Classical Recordings on CD,
DVD and SACD. For this latest, smaller
Yearbook, surely a different
colour and front cover design might
have been preferable?
So why the need for
this extra ‘slimline’ Yearbook?
It contains reviews of the immense number
of new CDs and reissues including bargain
and ‘super-bargain’ CDs issued since
the main Guide was last published as
well as information on the very best
current releases. As Ivan March, explains:
"Because of the huge number of
recordings now covered by our main CD
Guide and this Yearbook,
we have thought it essential to continue
to offer our readers a selection of
‘Key’ recordings which may be used as
a basis for a personal collection."
More than one choice is offered where
there are attractive couplings of music
available and where highly recommended
versions are available on both CD and
DVD.
The book’s evaluation
system is explained in the ‘Introduction’:
a key icon denotes a "key recording
that is suitable as a basis for a collection",
then there are star ratings five stars
descending to one. Very, very few recordings
regarded as "really exceptional
issues on every count" are awarded
five stars. Some recordings are awarded
a ‘Rosette’ for "a performance
that is considered to show special illumination,
magic, a spiritual quality or even outstanding
production values, that place it in
a very special class."
The composer reviews
range across 410 pages from Carl Friedrich
ABEL’s (1723-87) six Symphonies (on
Chandos 8648) to Carl Michael ZIEHRER’s
(1843-1922) polkas, waltzes and marches
on two Marco Polo CDs (8.223814-5).
A further 280 or so pages cover recordings
grouped by: ‘Concerts of Orchestral
and Concertante Music’; ‘Great Conductors
of the Twentieth Century’; ‘Other Concerts’;
‘Instrumental Recitals’; ‘Other Instrumental
Recitals’; ‘Vocal Recitals and Choral
Collections’; ‘Historical Vocal Recitals’;
‘Nimbus Prima Voce Series’; ‘Other Historical
Releases’; ‘Other Vocal and Choral Recitals’;
and ‘The Lives and Music of the Great
Composers’
An eleven-page ‘Foreword’
gives an overview of the year’s important
releases and impressive additions to
the recorded music repertoire plus news
of artists’ new projects etc.
For the ‘not-too-serious’
listener requiring guidance on best
recordings this Yearbook is an
invaluable ‘stand-alone’ guide; however
considering not only the increasing
number of new releases and reissues,
but also the not inconsiderable number
of deletions, the main Guide
should also be considered by the serious
collector - and house room permitting,
earlier editions retained for reference.
Ian Lace
See also 2005
Paenguin Guide
