BBC Music January 2012

The 50 Greatest Recordings of all time We asked our reviewers to name the discs that every collection must have. Read their verdict in the January issue of BBC Music Magazine

Répétiteurs revealed They're the unsung heroes of the opera world, but just what do they do? Edward Gardner and colleagues explain all to Rebecca Franks

Dmitri Shostakovich Was he really a political animal, or just a canny survivor? Pauline Fairclough looks at the evidence


Strauss's Don Quixote Terry Williams scatters sheep and tilts at windmills as he chooses the best recordings

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