August 1999 Volume 50 No 8

Editor Rodney Milnes Co-Editor John Allison Marketing Director Alice Lindsay Editorial Assistant Stefanie Brtiggemann Editorial Board Martin Bernheimer Alan Blyth Ian Brun kill Andrew Clark Andrew Clement Richard Fairman oel Goodwin Michael Kennedy Fiona Maddock harle Osborne Andrew Porter John Warrack

Editorial Offices la Mountgrove Road London N5 2L Telephone: 0171-3591037 Fax: 0171-354 2700 e-mail: operamag@clara.co.uk WEB !TE: http://www.opera.co.uk

Adverti ing order and copy to atherine Hawkins abb 11 Publi hing Ltd 31 Hartfield re cent London SW19 3SG Tel: 0181-395 3808 Fax: 0181-395 3999

Front Cover: Barbara Bonney (Photo: Decca/Jean-Pierre Ma clet)

Founded by the Earl of Harewood Editor 1953-86 Harold Rosenthal, OBE

era

887 Writing on the wall The Editor 888 What are we really hearing?

Richard Fairman on ound enhancement 894 Readers' Letters 895 No teps backward

Sir Colin Southgate replies 897 Opera ew desk 898 ROH countdown-8 900 Dateline Warsaw George Loomis 905 People 254: Barbara Bonney

John Allison 914 Obituary 916 Opera Around the World: report from America, Austria, Belgium Canada, France, ermany, Ireland Italy Japan, Macau, etherland outh Africa, weden 929-942 COMI G EVE T UPPLEME T

including plan for the 1999- 2000 season from Lyon, ice, Hel inki, Berlin (Staatsoper unter der Linden and Kami che Oper), Je i; 'We hear that ... '; Opera calendar home and abroad 943 Opera book 961 Briti h Opera Diary: 'Benvenuto

Cellini' at the RFH; 'Arabella' in Leed ; the Royal Opera' 'Un giorno di regno'; 'Rigoletto' and ' armen' at E O; 'Rodelinda' at Glyndebourne; Scottish Opera' 'Ine de Castro'; Die ntfiihrung au dem Serail' and 'Italiana at Gar ington 977 Opera on the fringe 983 Opera at the colleges 986 On television 987 Opera on video 989 Opera on disc 991 la ified adverti ement 992 I can't live without ... golf

Barbara Bonney