The letter from Len Mullenger and others complains about a facet of
Gramophone that has irritated me for some time, and they quite rightly
feel aggrieved.  The fact that some CDs are given very brief reviews leads
to suspicions - whether justified or not - about when and why the choice
is made as to which CDs are so reviewed.  I find it even more annoying when
a refurbished reissue of Beecham, Baribirolli et al is given the full
treatment and a new release is relegated to the capsules - anyone who's
been buying CDs for any length of time does not need to be convinced of the
quality of such conductors, so the reviewer is merely indulging in a little
nostalgia.  Unfortunately, the most interesting part of Gramophone these
days is the list of new releases and even this information is available
from a number of web sites.  I can't comment on ARG as I've never seen one,
but I must say that these days, Fanfare is the music magazine I prefer.

The open letter also said:

>It has previously been stated in Gramophone that a
>mini-review does not preclude a later major review.

That may be true, but I don't recall ever seeing a review which mentioned
an earlier mini-review.  Has anyone else?

Richard Pennycuick
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