Gramophone Awards free iTunes tracks

I find samples quite helpful, particularly of unfamilair works, in so far as they give me some idea whether I should investigate further. The music industry seems hell bent on trying to prevent anything that's too easy for people like me, for reasons best known to themselves.  The large companies in particular can't even create decent web stores to sample, buy and download direct (e.g. Universal stores' site is confusing, and pretty hopeless).

I'll see if some that might interest me are on Spotify (quite a bit more work than clicking on the electronic copy of the magazine, so I may not try so many).  However at least Spotify lets you try things properly, and for free, before deciding whether to buy.

I auditioned the winner on Spotify. Beautifully made recording, but Schutz is so much less interesting than Victoria, who is pretty much a genius.

I do understand that the reportoire is part of the judgement, hence the Martinu gets a place, though in the contemporary category I don't think that Rautavaara is the most interesting of contemporary composers (by some distance) and I also don't think this material is his best (by a distance). So while it is a great job, and the conductor is a figure to be reckoned with for sure, I also feel that this won its category as an attractive and not-too-challenging record and that its virtues will not be felt for long. I was grateful for hearing it when it first came out but I found it didn't really bear repeated listening. I'd have gone for something like the recent Cerha on Kairos with Eotvos and Boulez - a more stimulating sound-world - try that on Spotify, people. Love Ondine as a label though so good luck to them with the Rautavaara.

ApplesHK, don't you think your response here is a bit over the top? Gramophone is a UK magazine with an international readership. Occasionally there might be good copyright reasons why they can't distribute something - an extra freebie here, for heaven's sake! - universally.

You're not over the top to complain, Apple, but it's a bit over the top to still call Gramophone "the bible" of Classical Music magazines. There is no such a thing regarding any magazine in the world and none can claim that.

If we have to judge their choices as the "best" recordings on various composers' major works along with the "Awards" of the last years (or of the last couple decades), I can clearly see the indicative nature of any review or Award. We should not forget, by the way, the "Awards" are given to recordings that have been reviewed in the magazine and, normally, they have to come from well established labels. Anything else (and there are plenty) has no chance at all.

Parla