Gramophone Specialist's Guide to forgotten 19thC VCs

[eschiss1]

Fanfare magazine reviewers used to write lengthy, comparative reviews as a matter of course; not everything was equally good reading but as a whole I was glad of my (admittedly, gift) subscription while it lasted. I gather it is not quite so now, though. Still, in that magazine I first learned of many unsung composers (Romantic, sort-of-Romantic, and otherwise) and their music (that, and William Newman's Sonata since Beethoven, and some other places, but definitely in Fanfare reviews...)  With the exception of the products of a few of their reviewers (David Fanning, Guy Rickards, Robert Layton sometimes, some others, I think... but not that many), the reviews in Gramophone have always seemed somewhat more dismissive. (Fanfare reviewers, even ones I like, have been accused of special pleading on the -other- side of that line, though I've gained so much enjoyment in one way or another- purchased CDs, library CDs, radio  listening - from the music I've been exposed to and risked trying that their best reviewers have described and argued for - that I for one have been inclined generally to be forgiving. Apologies, anyway, for an only tangentially related entry to the jousts, I mean, to this thread.)

[Mark Thomas]

Over the twenty or so years I've been visiting the USA regularly and have picked up copies of Fanfare and American Record Guide, I have always found them to be much more open minded and fair in their reviews of unsung music than Gramophone ever has been.

[Alan Howe]

I agree.
I have had a subscription to Fanfare in the past. I just felt that IRR was doing everything I needed in a top-notch classical music magazine...

[giles.enders]

It is an unfortunate fact that many reviewers have a very limited knowledge of any repetory other than main stream and some of those that do will praise to the hilt, thoroughly bad performances. I would love to name names but---

This demonstrates the need for this forum.

The IRR magazine sadly has a very limited circulation,