Here are just a few of the highlights from the August 2018 issue of Gramophone, a very special issue in which we celebrate the centenary of Leonard Bernstein.

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Features

The Bernstein Centenary 

★ Edward Seckerson paints a vivid picture of this genre-hopping composer who believed that music could tell any story, any which way it liked.
★ Michael McManus explores Bernstein’s bold political outlook and how this made itself known in major works such as Songfest and Mass. 
★ Rob Cowan takes as his starting point two anniversary box-sets from DG and Sony to celebrate Bernstein’s massive recorded legacy.

The Musician & the Score

Gramophone’s Reviews Editor Tim Parry meets with pianist Steven Osborne to discuss the hidden complexity of Rachmaninov’s Études-tableaux.

Icons

Richard Fairman recalls his first, unforgettable encounter with the lyric soprano Julia Varady.

Contemporary Composers

Jed Distler on the music of his mentor, colleague and friend, the composer-pianist Frederic Rzewski.

What Next?

A musical journey inspired by Richard Strauss’s Don Juan.

My Music

Playwright Barney Norris on a life full of music.

Reviews

Recording of the Month

Bizet’s opera The Pearl Fishers is awarded the top recommendation, thanks to a superb cast directed by Alexandre Bloch and his Lille forces.

Orchestral

Absorbing Adams from Scotland; a double dose of Gergiev’s Bruckner; Caroline Goulding plays Mozart and Korngold.

Chamber

Yuri Bashmet’s Brahms; the Mori Trio play Dvořák; Ilya Gringolts with more Stravinsky.

Instrumental

Francesco Piemontesi impresses in Liszt; Alexandra Dariescu’s unique Nutcracker.

Vocal

Bach’s bass cantatas; Łukaszewski from Tenebrae; Carolyn Sampson’s Schubertiade; De Profundis sing sacred music by Sebastián de Vivanco.

Opera

Bernstein’s A Quiet Place; Philippe Jaroussky sings Gluck; Verdi’s Otello with Kaufmann & Co.

Classics Reconsidered

Two critics have different takes on Sir Thomas Beecham’s 1959 EMI recording of Bizet’s Carmen.

Books

An anniversary round-up of books on Bernstein: an updated classic and two new titles.

Gramophone Collection

David Gutman surveys the recording history of Bernstein’s Plato-inspired Serenade.

Explore our full list of the August issue's Editor's Choice recordings