Welcome to the Fanfare Archive!

20 interviews and over 375 reviews of classical CDs, SACDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, streaming, and downloads in the 512-page July/August issue!

A Fanfare for the New Fanfare

By Joel Flegler, publisher

The first issue of Fanfare was printed and published in 1977, and it looked like it had come from someone’s garage. The second issue was done by a professional printer, and when I saw it for the first time, it was the biggest thrill I’ve ever had when seeing a new issue. Until, perhaps, the September/October issue.

For almost 50 years Fanfare was a hybrid: half magazine, half book. Its digest size had reviews and interviews across every page without any divisions, and most of the paper used in every issue except for the last one was non-coated. No more. Starting with the September/October issue, the size has been upgraded from 6” x 9” to 8” x 11”, which are the standard specs for most magazines regardless of their content, and every page has been printed on coated (aka gloss) paper. All the texts are divided into three columns, the standard layout for almost all magazines. Not only is the magazine more readable, but it’s also more attractive to advertisers, especially with ad rates not increasing in the near future. The content of the September/October issue is identical to what would have been published had it been printed in a digest-size format, including a record number of more than 20 interviews and a memorable group of “Music Matters” articles, including several devoted to the decline of pop music.

For a long time many labels have perceived Fanfare as “the little engine that couldn’t.” In addition to its smaller layout, it couldn’t compete against Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine with their higher circulations. Although Fanfare might never have as large a circulation as these other magazines, it should be noted that our readers probably buy more new classical releases per capita than any other publication, and it won’t hurt that the format of each issue now enters the mainstream.

Welcome to the “new” Fanfare!

What is the Fanfare Archive of Classical Music CD reviews?

Click any link on this page, and you'll soon find a wealth of information and opinions about tens of thousands of LP, CD, SACD, DVD, and Blu-Ray recordings of Classical, Jazz, and Film music that have been reviewed in Fanfare. The Archive is now complete, dating back to Issue 1:1, September 1977. An account of how this Archive came to be, and what our goals for it are, is here. We've tried to make it as subscriber-friendly as possible, for both new readers and old hands. You can't really get lost in the Archive, so we recommend just clicking on any button or link that seems interesting.

What's new in the Archive?

We've added information on Finding Titles of Musical Works in the Fanfare Archive, along with "Finding Text Within a Page". You can always access that information from the Help page or by clicking the link on the right side of any page.

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Special Thanks to the Archive's Helpers

The Fanfare Archive is a massive effort, and we couldn't do it without the many sharp-eyed readers who point out problems and offer solutions. We give special thanks to Stephen Ellis, our Fact Checker Extraordinaire with an encyclopedic knowledge of Classical Music, as well as critic J. F. Weber, who also contributes many corrections to make the Archive records accurate.

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We Welcome your Suggestions!

All comments, suggestions and criticisms are most welcome! Scanning is an error-fraught process. We try to remove all egregious errors before publication, but some inevitably remain. Please let us know of them! If you use the Comments? link on the bottom of any page that needs fixing, the email to the Archive Team will automagically include the page you are talking about in the subject line.