Reviewing sound recordings in 2013

Technology and listening habits have been changing fast. Listening to high-quality CDs on up to date audio equipment may be approaching a minority practice? Many of our readers are probably listening with earphones to downloads on their computers, or on i-Phones and i-Pods on commuter travel. How much of that ties in with our mainly classical or 'serious' reviewing is questionable; a minority but we hope a significant one...

2013 sees a new significant change in our approach to reviewing CDs, which are tending to become overtaken by new technological advances. We remain loyal to solid CDs largely because of the oes and analyses which are an essential part of the whole experience at its best (though some downloads now include those complete, and with the advantage of variable print-size which are of inestimable help to people with deteriorating or failing eyesight.

But our newest discovery has been the almost limitless scope of YouTube to augment discs. We have been enthused by the parallel coverage of numerous artists on You-Tube, where many newer musicians can be seen, often at recording sessions. Here, at random, are You-Tube links to recent MusicalPointers reviews of the Nightingale String Quartet, pianist Sebastian Stanley, and recorder player Jill Kemp, to give a few examples.

Inevitably this is time consuming, and bound to be at the expense of our reviewing fewer of the ever increasinly numerous discs received - the remedy to be hoped for is that we may be joined by some new contributors to add to the list below?

Contributors: Editor Peter Grahame Woolf Anthony Barker Mark Barnes Alfia Bekova Andrew Benson-Wilson Stephen Beville David Bird Jane Booth Handa Bray Marc Bridle Robert Briggs Elena Brown Fern Bryant Tom Butler Ying Chang Jeremy & Yvonne Clarke Jill Crossland Steven Daverson Steven Devine Dennis Day Mark Dennis Evan Dickerson Robyn Donnelly Gordon Downie Nina Drucker Mary Dullea Melanie Eskenazi Serena Fenwick Duncan Fergusson Harry Gilonis Mark Greenfest David Griffel Angela Hall Daire Halpin Wieland Hoban John Irving Stewart Jenkin Peter Jones Caroline McGee Mieko Kanno Stephen Medcalf Anna Michel Miriam Nerval Jennifer O'Connor Heather O'Donnell Tess Ormond Anne Ozorio Ian Pace Daniel Parkinson Tim Rutherford-Johnson Evis Sammoutis Simon Satori Oliver Schneller Francis Schwartz Kate Semmens Karen Sharf Dmitri Smirnov Richard Smith Benjamin Staern Aleksander Szram Geoffrey Terry Roger Thomas Declan Townsend Alison Truefitt John Warnaby Georgina Whitehead Julie Williams Roland Williams Alexa Woolf Simon Woolf Theo Wyatt Reynaldo Young

Contributions from new writers are always welcome.

PGW