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Classical compact disc review sources on the web.

Article Excerpt
In recent years, many critics have lamented the decline in coverage of classical music in the mainstream press (see, for example, James M. Keller, "Endangered Species: Are Informed Music Critics a Dying Breed?" Opera News 63, no. 1 (July 1998): 8-10). Perhaps in response to this trend, coverage of classical music on the Internet has grown markedly. Some critics who are active in print media also maintain a blog, such as the New Yorker's Alex Ross (http://www.therestisnoise.com). Reviews of recordings are also increasingly available on the Web. Some of them provide an online presence for a print resource, others are independent, though sometimes allied with similar sites in other countries, while still others reflect primarily the more specialized interests of their authors. The following review evaluates several Web sites from these categories for content, ease of searching, and usefulness to librarians. It should be emphasized that most of them include resources beyond reviews: feature articles on various topics, news items, editorials, and so forth. The focus here, however, will be on the reviews. All of these sites are accessible free of charge, although the first two do require registration.

Gramofile. Gramophone. http://www.gramophone.co.uk/cdreviews.asp (Accessed June 2007) [Requires a Web browser and an Internet connection.]

Gramofile is the online database of the magazine Gramophone, one of the oldest and most respected sources for reviews, and claims to offer access to over 30,000 reviews. Approximately 100 reviews are added each month. After registration, Gramofile is available by logging in with e-mail address and password. Searching is possible by Composer, Recording Name/Title Of Work, Artist, Group, Conductor, Company/Label, Keyword, and Format (limited to CD and DVD), or any combination thereof; to find a specific recording, search boxes are also provided for Catalogue Number and Barcode. On the help page, users are advised that Boolean operators do not work with this search engine. Despite this drawback, the number of searching options generally produces satisfactory results.

Each review gives full details of the works and performers on...

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