EDWARD GREENFIELD

From Leonard Bernstein to Benjamin Britten, André Previn and Igor Stravinsky, Edward Greenfield had the privilege of getting to know some of the 20th centurys greatest composers, conductors and performers. His lifelong career as a music critic for the Guardian and Gramophone has taken him around the world and left him with an endless source of fascinating material. Here for the first time he has brought together a lifetime of memories in this absorbing and fascinating memoir. Greenfield has worked with such renowned singers as Joan Sutherland and Elizabeth Schwarzkof, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti; he has interviewed luminaries including Yehudi Menuhin, George Martin and Colin Davis; and he has forged enduring friendships with the likes of Jacqueline du Pre, Daniel Barenboim and Edward Heath. His is a career steeped in classical music and his Portrait Gallery brings that vividly to life.

The new, completely revised edition of The Penguin Guide surveys the key classical recordings issued and reissued on CD over the past two decades, many of which have dominated the catalogue because of their sheer excellence, irrespective of their recording dates. Now DVDs have also been added, with their extra video dimension, as well as the sound enhanced SACDs. If you want to be sure of acquiring the finest available version of any major classical work (including DVDs of opera and ballet) you will find it listed and assessed in these pages - often with alternatives of comparable excellence in different price ranges. This latest edition contains more entries than ever before. Ranging from long-established recordings to the latest releases, it represents the cream of the international repertoire and has all the information you will need to select the finest classical music available.

INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF THE YEARThis completely new edition of the Penguin Guide reviews the 1000 best classical albums issued and reissued over the past five decades, many of which dominate the catalogue because of their sheer excellence, irrespective of recording dates. More comprehensive than ever before, it indicates key recordings on CD, DVD and enhanced SACD, including those in surround sound. If you want the finest available version of any major classical album you will find it listed and assessed in these pages. Ranging from long-established albums to the newest releases, the latest edition represents the cream of the international repertoire and has all the information you need to select the finest classical music available.