Customer Reviews

The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs 2005/06 Edition: The Key Classical Recordings on CD, DVD and SACD, 30th Anniversary Edition (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is certainly not a comprehensive or complete guide to classical CDs. While I've been using this guide for a number of years, I'm not finding it to be as useful or as helpful as it once was. In fact there was a time when I relied on this source exclusively, but I've found over the years that I missed out on several great recordings (not to mention composers) that were either overlooked in the book or were give less than 3 stars for whatever reason.

What the editors of the Penguin Guide are attempting to do is to make primary recording recommendations for purchase within the classical repertoire. This is no small feat due to the long history of classical recordings resulting in the shear number of available recordings (even in this time of contraction and deletions by the major labels). However, keep in mind only 3 editors are making these recommendations, and as with any review source, the opinions are highly subjective and biases tend to creep in. The editors are British, and as such, there is a definite bias towards British labels, performers and conductors (Simon Rattle, Vernon Handley and John Eliot Gardner can do no wrong). Anyone using this book as a primary source should be aware of it. I've learned to work around this by weighing the editor's opinions according. Also, I use several other sources for reviews. There are many good sources available in print and online.

Also, and I can't emphasize this enough, there are many, many great recordings overlooked by this guide. Yes, many of these are by American orchestras and labels (believe it or not, American orchestras are capable of performing British music), but there are also several independent labels and releases that get overlooked. Don't let this be your only source when looking for recordings. There are also many great performances that only get a two or two ½ star rating. The list is too long to list here, but I've been amused by seeing two star ratings next to recordings that are certainly worth three stars. The editors also put a rosette next to recordings they believe to be of special merit. These are highly subjective picks, and I've found over the years that they should not necessarily be a primary recommendation - I've been disappointed with several.

I believe the Penguin Guide to be most useful to the novice collector who is just beginning a collection. Most of the 3 star recordings are fairly solid recommendations (although don't pay particular attention to the order of the reviews - Simon Rattle's Beethoven Symphony cycle should not be the number one cycle to have in anyone's collection, there are too many more worthy cycles out there - at a cheaper price too).

Also, one of the changes that have been made over the past few editions is the addition of DVDs. While I find the DVD reviews interesting, it is not a primary reason that I buy the book. This edition really puts the spotlight on DVD reviews. But what's most irritating is that the DVD reviews come before the CD reviews after each composer entry - often with twice as much space devoted to each DVD entry. I'd rather they spend more time reviewing additional CDs. The DVDs should be in a separate section or better yet, a separate guide.

If you have the previous edition (2003/04), I wouldn't upgrade unless you want the most recent DVD reviews.

Is the Penguin Guide becoming an anachronism that relies too heavily on its timeworn recommendations and lets them get in the way of better new recordings? This is the first question I asked when I purchased the newest guide (apparently written in 2005 and dated 2005-06) and couldn't find any of the newer CDs I had purchased that surely deserve some commendation herein (the new Shostakovich symphony set led by Kitaenko on the Capriccio label being the most obvious.)

I was also taken back when I reviewed the Bach cantata pages and see the current issue continues to list all the complete sets made by groups in the Bach year of 2000. That was six years ago. Doesn't that make these somewhat dated and less deserving of a place in this compendium, given that every single CD of the sets recorded by Rilling, Gardiner and others continues to be included? Even the entire set recorded on the super discount Brilliant label is included!

These were my first impressions. When I looked deeper, I found the Penguin Guide in 2005 still performs the same role it did when it first arrived 30 years eariler: it recommends classic recordings, the best new recordings since its past issue, the best recordings of English music (the authors are British), and probably the best recordings of just about any classical music in which you have interest. Even though they don't list every favorite recording of mine, I found the authors' taste and comments were just as judicious today as ever.

Here's an example: Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2, or "Romantic" symphony, was first recorded by the composer in the 1950s on Mercury Living Presence. It has since been recorded a bunch of times, with the consensus critical best probably being the performance by the St. Louis Symphony on EMI. The Penguin Guide authors suggest the newly reissued SACD of Hanson's recording does nothing to hide its thin string sound and they demote it a half-star because of that. However, becuase it is a classic recording led by the composer and unlike any other recording of the music, they call it an "indispensable" disk even in light of recordings they rate higher.

An example of this compendium's failure is its steadfast refusal to list a single CD by the late German composer Richard Wetz, the author of three very Bruckner-Mahler like symphonies, a violin concerto and other music, all currently available. While any mediocre British composer can get his or her entire diskography included in the Penguin Guide, there continues to be not a single word published about Richard Wetz or his music, CDs of which have received plentiful critical around the world the past five years.

Even given this obvious and large fault, the Peguin Guide continues to be the top guide in recommending current classical music recordings. As a two or three year guide, it is well ahead of that thing Gramophone magazine produces every year, the Rough Guide and the now hopelessly out of date Third Ear Classical Music, whose editor died shortly after its only printing.

This version does not seem to be as innovative as the last one, which introduced a section on "key" recordings and DVDs. To its credit it lists a group of 100 outstanding recordings (some not otherwise reviewed inside) and 15 wonderful DVDs. In addition, it includes chatter about the emerging Super Audio CD, or SACD, recordings that continue to flood the market. It even talks a bit about surround sound. There aren't many SACDs in this issue but I'm sure that will change as the industry changes.

In the final analysis, this issue let me down a tad compared to past issues, but I think that's because I may be ahead of the curve for this publication in terms of purchasing and collecting classical music CDs. If so, that change is because of me, not the Penguin Guide. Overall, this is still the best bet for any discerning collector that wants to know what the best bets are when purchasing classical music on CD and DVD (and someday on SACD).

I had not really looked at the Penguin Guide since the mid-1990s. My recollection was that its recommendations were rarely trustworthy, and often downright ridiculous, so I thought I just wouldn't bother. Nevertheless, I decided to give this '30th anniversary edition' a try, thinking they might have put in an extra effort for the occasion, and that the book might have improved over the years anyway. I was wrong on both counts.

The book is often poorly written, and there are editing mistakes of a kind I don't recall from the edition I had in the mid-1990s. The new edition seems the outcome of a process of hasty cutting and pasting. The result is that some entries cross-reference others that are no longer there, and (more worryingly) that recommendations are inconsistent. An example of the latter: on page 982, one reads that Pogorelich's performance of Prokofiev's 6th piano sonata is `by far the best version of it ever put on record'. Before rushing over to the record store, however, one should make sure to read another, separate review where one learns that Lugansky's new recording of the same work `is the most exciting and authoritative now before the public and superseded the likes of Pogorelich and Kissin in musical insight and virtuosity.' Such editorial mistakes are surprisingly frequent.

I also found that the reviews of recent recordings were often too short to be of any use. Thus Ilya Gringolts's recent recording of Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto is simply described as `one of the best accounts of the D major Concerto to have appeared in recent years,' while `DG present a perfect balance between soloist and orchestra and a wonderfully transparent orchestral texture'. This is hardly helpful information when one has to choose among dozens of competing recordings by distinguished violinists. Older recordings typically receive a fuller treatment, reinforcing my impression that this new edition was put together too hastily, and that the authors are running out of steam.

As for the recommendations themselves, well, as everybody knows, this guide is written by and for older British gents with staunchly conservative tastes in matters of interpretation (they still haven't quite come around to Glenn Gould's way with Bach, if you can believe that), and an unflinching bias in favour of all things British.

Writing about the book's obvious pro-British bias, another reviewer advises `to get over it'. That would be sound advice if the bias did not affect the quality of the recommendations, but it clearly does. Let me give a few examples, as a friendly warning to the unsuspecting buyer.

The most egregious bias, and the one that chiefly contributes to the guide untrustworthiness, is that in favour of British recording artists, ensembles, and orchestras. To put it mildly, they get more than their fair share of three-star ratings in the guide. Rattle and Gardiner can do no wrong in the authors' view; the London Symphony invariably plays `superbly' or `gloriously', as do pretty much all other British ensembles, large or small; Stephen Hough earns top recommendations for every single note he has ever recorded; even the notoriously uneven Lindsay Quartet systematically gets praised for its technical proficiency (!), and for penetrating deeper in the music than any of their peers. The list could go on and on and on. Now the truth is, there are many good British musicians out there, and there have been a few excellent ones over the course of recorded history. But the idea that they completely dominate the field, as the authors seem to believe, is simply preposterous.

A perhaps less obvious, but also seriously problematic bias is the one in favour of recordings issued on British labels--most obviously Hyperion, Chandos, and ASV. Granted, these are respectable labels. But one is hard pressed to find *any* recording from these labels receiving less than a three-star rating in the guide. Indeed, if there is a decent recording of a work available from one of these labels, it more often than not gets the top recommendation.

A slightly less disturbing bias is in favour of British composers, who tend to get a far broader coverage than their importance warrants. In principle, this does not have to be a problem -- *someone* has to stand up for that least popular of national schools. But unfortunately, important composers get short-changed in the process. York Bowen, Sir George Dyson, and Kenneth Leighton each get the same number of pages as Couperin, while Charles Stanford gets more space than Dutilleux, and Constant Lambert is deemed worth of ten times (!) the space dedicated to Gyorgy Kurtag.

At the end of the day, though, the chief problem with this guide is simply the poor judgment its authors display. They emphasize general production value over artistic merit, so that their top recommendations are usually nicely played, nicely recorded, nicely documented performances that lack any spark. Their esthetic ideal seems to be the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields -- polished playing, clarity, elegance, and absolutely no surprises. If this is also what you like, maybe the guide will prove useful to you at times. But even then, you are better off getting your reviews for free on the web from sites like ClassicsToday, ClassicsTodayFrance, and Fanfare Magazine.

Truth be told there just are not that many good classical music guides to choose from. In terms of scope the Good Guide is second to the Penguin. In my humble opinion, if you're serious about building or adding to an existing collection of classical CDs and DVDs you will own the "Good" book. You'll also own the Penguin Guide simply due to its more comprehensive scope as there are works (e.g., Beethoven's Overtures to name but one example) that are not covered in the "Good".

The Good Guide, like the Penguin, originates from the U.K. Some reviewers feel both these guides have a bias towards British artists. While to some extent this is true, it's not what other reviewers make it out to be and there are countless number of non-British recordings that are highly recommended in these pages. Besides, to my knowledge, one really doesn't have much choice because outside of the Penguin and the Good Guides a comprehensive guide for purchasing classical music is not available. There is the "Third Ear" but is does not come close to the high standard of these two publications. In fact, I have found the Third Ear to be far more biased AGAINST British recordings than these two guides are biased for them. If you're a complete beginner, the NPR Guide by Ted Libbey is an excellent place to start and it can't be accused of a British bias.

Gramophone Magazine is the only respectable periodical I've found that gives updated reviews and information about the latest in classical music recordings. The "Good" Guide is issued by the editors of Gramophone. This is the first year I bought the Good Guide as I've been content with the Penguin. However, after being a subscriber to Gramophone Magazine for the past 3 years I've been so impressed with their recommendations that it was a logical purchase for me.

I've perused the pages of the Good Guide and found a lot of agreement between it and the Penguin. Certain recordings are obvious recommendations and usually both these guides lead the buyer to owning certain "masterpiece" recordings. Both guides provide professional reviews of many of the avialble purchases for a given piece. Both provide great descriptions of many of the subtleties of given recordings and how the performers interpret the music. These descriptions make it easy to compare and contrast recordings and will help one become a more discerning listener.

If you love opera, you're in for a real treat. In addition to being season ticket holders to the Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest Ballet, we also have season seats to the Seattle Opera. I use these guides to make sure I own the music for whatever it is we will be hearing and "seeing" in our upcoming seasons. For Opera Lovers, the DVD recommendations are great to have. Now, in addition to having the best CDs of a given opera, I am now able to confidently purchase outstanding DVDs of the operas we'll be attending. If you go to live classical music performances of any kind, being able to familiarize yourself with what you'll be hearing before you attend the performance only leads to enhancing the performance.

As you can tell, I am very pleased with both the Penguin and Good Guides. Once you're really serious about compiling a CD/DVD collection, I'm confident you'll feel the same. These books will become your trusted advisors and you'll look forward to replacing them as they're updated.

Again, if you're really just starting out, you're fine with the NPR Guide (350 Essential Works) to begin with. It is refreshingly brief in scope and will get you the base you need for your collection and you'll be pleased with your recommendations. A great example is Libbey's recommendation of the Leon Fleisher/George Szell recordings of the Beethoven Piano Concertos. These recordings are phenomonal treasures at bargain prices!

Once you really get into classical music listening as a part of your life, and your "being" so to speak, it won't be long before you'll realize you'll want more. Owning these two guides will make you smarter about the music you're listening to and you'll be proud of your collection of excellent recordings.

In closing I want to express my belief in my credentials to make a recommendation to prospective buyers of these Guides. I am 52 years old. At age 5 I began piano study with Edith Knox in Los Angeles. Ms. Knox, a Juliard graduate, studied piano with Alexander Ziloti. Ziloti was a pupil of Franz Liszt. Ms. Knox premiered the Ravel Piano Concerto in G at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra in, I think, 1936. I continued to study with Ms. Knox into my early twenties afterward, I studied with Reginald Stewart at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. In college I majored in composition and piano and for four years was the student representative for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. For the past 30 years I've continued listening to classical music for countless hours each and every week of my life. I now continue to study piano with Celia Chandler in Mt. Vernon, WA. Mrs. Chandler is a protege of the great Maestro Leon Fleischer. She studied under scholarship with him at the Peabody School of music and at age 14 performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

I only provide this bit of autobiographical information so you know that I've got a solid foundation in, and more importantly love, of classical music and consider myself a lifelong student of the genre. Even though I'm an avid reader, I don't feel as though I'm qualified to be a literary critic to the same extent that I have developed a discerning ear with regard to classical music listening. Accordingly, based upon my personal life experiences in classical music I think I am qualified to write a review about classical music guides. Buy these with guides with confidence. There is no perfect book for building a classical music collection but these two are the best available.

Happy listening!

There seems to be a divide of opinion on the merits of the mighty Penguin Guide here - and all points previously made have definate validity. Perhaps some additional comments can give further perspective. First, if you are serious about classical music, there is a great benefit from having several guides. As for the major BUYING GUIDES of classical music recordings, there are really three main ones that give in-depth reviews and ratings for a wide range of recordings: Penguin, Third Ear and Gramophone Guides. The other, "minor guides" (NPR Guide, Omnibus, Rough Guide, All-Music Guide and David Dubal's guide) are more introductions to the composers, music history, the main repertoire and offer only a couple CD recommendations and usually without any review or comparison.

A main benefit of The Penguin Guide is the sheer number of listings (the most of any) - but is definiately not the "end all," one-and-only guide. To the collector it is an indispensible resource for that one aspect alone. But, like Gramophone, it will not list nearly as many N. American orchestras, performers or labels. To balance the British emphasis of these two, one would do well to acquire The Third Ear Guide to Classical Music does (published in the USA) which makes an excellent compliment to the Penguin. One example: while Third Ear lists and reviews the superb, complete Chopin recordings of American pianist, Garrick Ohlsson (Arabesque label), Penguin and Gramophone list none. Additionally, The Third Ear Guide has some brilliant, in-depth and refreshingly opinionated commentary on the composers, performers and repertoire works that is really interesting and informative to read. But, its weakness is its inconsistency (in one category giving tons of choices and commentary, but in another, having major gaps of obviously outstanding choices) . Gramophone's strengths are its greater emphasis on composer bios and greater quality and length of reviews ... but it has the least number of listings - offering instead more "the creme-of-the-crop" choices (typically 1-3 per work) of the dozens of recordings available.

The bottom line is that, like people, no one guide is perfect and has all the answers. If you seriously research any topic like classical music, you need several sources to get the composite picture and best information as it is a big world of recordings out there. Also, by nature, music is highly subjective, so a multitude of opinion brings out the ultimate truth better. So, after using all these guides for years to build a collection, my first choice would still be Penguin, the second would be the Third Ear Guide (to fill-in the non-Brit titles) and with Gramophone being the last but certainly not the least. You can get all three cost-effectively by buying a year or two-old version used and still get several years usefulness from it (going to the library to supplement only the latest releases). Also, the Rough Guide is another recommended resource that I have found quite reliable in its recommendations and fascinating info (but typically only two recording recommendations with minor discussion). But, the fact is that all of these guides have something unique and valuable to offer to the research process, and to look for any one to be everything to everyone is an unfair and unrealistic expectation.

Everybody seems to agree that this guide has a strong bias in favor of English composers, performers and labels and this is very true. There is somewhat less agreement regarding its "completeness". Let me say that this guide is far from "complete". There are important composers totally neglected while too many pages are reserved to obscure English composers that would not find home in any other guide of the kind. Just few numbers to support what I am saying.

The following composers are totally absent (just to name a few): Banchieri, Bussotti, Cavalieri, Chavez, Cimarosa, Encina, Janequin, Milan, Mudarra, Sciarrino, Sor, Stockhausen, Tarrega, Torroba, Xenakis. Others are treated very badly: Bellini (3 pages), Berio (1/2 page), Cage (1/5 page), Couperin (1 and 1/2 p.), Dallapiccola (1/2 p.), Gesualdo (1/2 p.), Benedetto Marcello (1/4 p.), Lully (1/2 p.), Maderna (1/8 p.), Marenzio (1/8 p.), Nono (1/4 p.), Penderecki (1/2 p.), Pergolesi (1 p.), Petrassi (1/2 p.), Vecchi (1/4 p.), Willaert (1/8 p.). Should I continue?

Other reviews have said that this guide is getting worse as new editions are issued, while one reviewer has opposed this statement. It happens that I own the 1984 and 1990 editions of this guide and I must confirm that I find the older editions less upsetting than this newer one. For instance in the 1990 edition the following composers were present (now they are not): Chavez (2 CD), Cimarosa (5 CD), Sor (3 CD), Stockhausen (3 CD), Tarrega (1 CD). Moreover the English bias was strong but not exaggerated. To make an example, the present guide reserves to Stavinsky 14 pages while there are 16 dedicated to Vaughan Williams. In 1990 these figures were: 13 pages Stravinsky and 12 Vaughan Williams. A little more credible. The 1990 had 130 pages dedicated to Collections and Recitals while now there are none.

Some reviewers have also criticized the authors' tastes regarding good performances, and the choice of "stars", "keys" and "rosettes". I must say this is perhaps the main reason while I am writing this review. After buying this guide I got some recordings that earned "rosettes" and "keys", only to find out that there was nothing special about these performances.

I must add that too often the "stars" and the comments to the recordings are of little help in making a choice. Most of the recordings have 3 stars and the comments are often vague and repetitive.

In conclusion, it's a big guide, still usefull for mainstream composers, 1700-1800-1st half 1900 and English music. Forget it if you are looking for early or contemporary music. Be carefull with "rosettes" and "keys" especially when given to English performers and composers.

I couldn't disagree more with the two reviews that are today the "featured" reviews of this latest edition of the Penguin guide. One gives it three stars and the other one, despite the fact that most reviewers are giving it very strong reviews. I think the strong reviews quite deserved. Unlike the featured reviewers, I can detect no serious decline in the quality of the reviews in the guide. Most of the other criticisms I find either anecdotal or depending on the perception of the reviewer making the judgment. The problem here is that I don't know the reviewers here, while I have spent large quantities of time with the Penguin writers. I've owned most of the editions of the guide over the past twenty-five years and I can't say that there have been massive changes. The reviews are largely affected more by older recordings going out of print or being repackaged and by new recordings than anything. But "decline and fall" theories are always popular. I think they are almost always exaggerated.

Let me respond briefly to several of the generalized criticisms. First, that the reviews are not sufficiently in depth. That is true, especially compared to the Gramophone guide's reviews. This is not all downside, however. The brute fact is that the Penguin guide is, compared to the Gramophone guide, much, much larger. It is, in fact, much larger than merely holding the two volumes up beside one another would indicate. The Penguin guide dispenses with much of the prefatory material that the Gramophone guide contains, does not contain composer biographies, and does not contain any indices. Take all these out of the Gramophone guide and the Penguin guide's size becomes more apparent. Also, remove the Gramophone sidebars and reduce its font to the size of the Penguin guide and the hugeness of the Penguin guide becomes even more impressive. Yet, despite its size, the reviews are smaller than those in the Gramophone. Why is this? Because the Penguin guide reviews a vastly greater number of records than the Gramophone guide. It isn't the Penguin guide's fault that there are simply a vast number of classical recordings available today. There are more classical CDs in print today than there were LPs 30 years ago. Penguin's decision was to review more discs rather than featuring longer reviews on far fewer recordings. I WANT a guide that says at least something about a substantial hunk of the CDs currently available. If I want more depth, I can always go to the library and look at an issue of the Gramophone magazine or subscribe to any of the many review magazines out there. A guide like this is what it is: a necessarily brief review of a large number of the more significant recordings, with recommendations of various sorts. For those who wish the reviews were longer, either buy the Gramophone guide or remember that if Penguin had longer reviews they would review as few recordings as Gramophone does.

Bias. Yes, the Penguin guide is biases. Friends, we've known this for decades. So is Gramophone, if not even more so. I couldn't care less if they are biased. I am concerned that they make their biases blatant, and this they have done for ages. Yes, these English reviewers are nakedly Anglophilic. For my money, this isn't a negative of the guide; it is an indictment of America for not producing its own classical music guide. There is the All Music guide, but it simply isn't up to snuff with the two big English guides. I would thoroughly applaud an American guide that could compare to the Penguin and Gramophone guides, but currently none exists. (Well, there is one, but it is now five years out of date and in serious need of revision.)

In fact, the Penguin guide has remained consistently helpful over the years. It has changed, but change doesn't mean decay. It isn't perfect, but it is a hugely helpful guide to a range of information that is constantly in flux. What I recommend to people is that they get both the Penguin and Gramophone guides, for each has its own set of virtues and vices.

The purpose of guides like these is not to make absolute aesthetic judgments about which recordings are the best. They are essentially consumer guides and are best used when that is kept in mind. They cannot make absolute judgments about which is the greatest recording of this or that piece or music, but in attempting to steer the music consumer away from truly awful records and towards ones that the reviewers value. What gets me is that people take these guides (and in their defense, the reviewers writing for the guide may fall into this trap as well) and imagine that there is some ultimate point about concluding whether Kleiber's or Walter's recording of Brahms's Fourth Symphony is the finer. Like I said, a guide is what it is.

So, despite some naysayers, the Penguin guide remains the most helpful single guide to the buying of classical CDs today. What I would like to point out that none of the negative reviewers seems to acknowledge is that while the guide might not steer the consumer to all of the good recordings, they almost never point you to a bad one. In fact, I can honestly say that using the guide I have never bought a CD that I later regretted on the basis of the performance. I might not like the particular piece of music, but the quality of the recording has never been an issue. The closest I can come to the latter would be in cases where I simply do not like a performer. For instance, they praise lavishly many performances by Peter Pears, while I have always found his voice to sound strained and have disliked his slow, exaggerated vibrato. But there are always going to be arguments on issues like this. My point is that the guide is not infallible, but despite this it is nonetheless an invaluable aid to building a classical library.

I will voice one complaint. If my prior use of the Penguin guide is any indicator, this will be a heavy use volume and I'm use to my previous copies sustaining unavoidable damage during normal use. Nonetheless, after only a short time my current copy has sustained a major crease (not quite a split) in the spine and a couple of creases in the covers. Some previous editions had pretty flexible covers, but the current edition has covers that are more like pieces of cardboard. So, while I don't have the complaints about the contents like the featured reviewers, I am not happy with the physical production of this edition.

Most classical pieces have been recorded by more than one person, group, or orchestra. Logic tells you that some are better than others. Unless there's a big difference in price or other factor, why not go with the best available? The Penguin Guide not only tells you what's available but also rates each recording. This guide tells you the strengths and weaknesses of each recording, compares them to other recordings, and provides a general price range as well. Armed with this information, you can take the catalog number to your favorite store or on-line site and order with confidence knowing your selection best suits your criteria.

As usual, Penguin has done it again and given us a treasure-trove of easily-accessible reviews of many, many CDs and and increasing number of classical DVDs. This is a very thick paperback and it has many interesting new lists and categories that only add to this guide's usefulness.

Some reviewers in the past have complained about the "British content" and "emphasis" on recording made in the United Kingdom. Get over it! Many of the very best recordings are made by Chandos, Hyperion, etc. and they just happen to be British. Also, this is not an Americocentric prublication because it has to appeal to those discriminating listeners who live in the European Union.

Once again - as I said in my review of the Penguin 2004/2005 update version it may be useful to have a section just with DVDs all grouped together because that medium is becoming increasingly important to the dissemination of fabulous performances of symphonies, operas, recitals of all sorts and for those not able to attend a live concert or recital this will enable aficionados of classical music to enjoy the utter reality and precise picture and sound that most DVDs allow.

This is a standard reference guide and puts most of the others out of the running.

Very, very highly recommended for content and layout.

TIMOTHY WINGATE OTTAWA CANADA

I've loved reading through the Penguin Guide over the years, and I recently picked up this version at a used book store. I still enjoy reading them, but like others have said, it's not quite the same. Also, you can't always believe their recomendations are a sure winner. For example, I love collecting Boyce's Eight Symphonies, and I recently bought Naxos' (2005) version with the Aradia Ensemble, and it was a wonderful recording and far more enjoyable than Trevor Pinnock's version. But, the Penguin Guide (2006/07) gave the Naxos recording just one star, but Pinnock's got three stars. I couldn't agree less!!!

So, it is a fun read and you can find some great recordings through the Penguin Guide, but other times they'll recommend turds. If you are looking for music references, the best thing to do is use many different music guides (Amazon, Gramophone, Third Ear, etc.) and not just the Penguin Guide.