October 1999 Volume 50 No 10

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

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Editor Rodney Milnes Co-Editor John Allison Marketing Director Alice Lindsay Editorial Assistant Stefanie Brilggemann Editorial Board Martin Bernheimer Alan Blyth Ian Brunskill Andrew Clark Andrew Clements Richard Fairman Noel Goodwin Michael Kennedy Fiona Maddocks Charles Osborne Andrew Porter John Warrack

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Editorial Offices la Mountgrove Road London N5 2LU Telephone: 0171-359 1037 Fax: 0171-354 2700 e-mail: operamag@clara.co.uk WEBSITE: http://www.opera.co.uk

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Advertising orders and copy to Catherine Hawkins Cabbell Publishing Ltd 31 Hartfield Crescent London SW19 3SG Tel: 0181-395 3808 Fax: 0181-395 3999

Front C(7Ver: Joe Cura (Ph'oto: Wattiirt· ~a sfrs)

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A view from the composer William Bolcom talk to George Loomis Readers' Letters People 256: Jose Cura John Allison Opera Newsdesk ROH Countdown- 9-10 Back to the oasis Rodney Milnes in Saint Louis The music of pacifism Anthony Arb/aster Flying the flag for Ireland OTC's James Conway talks to Rodney Milnes Obituary Opera Around the World: reports from America, Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland COMING EVE TS SUPPLEME T including plans for the UK houses; Sydney, Bordeaux, Stuttgart, Athens, Bologna, Florence, Seville, Zurich; 'We hear that .. .'; Opera calendar home and abroad British Opera Diary: 'Das Rheingold' and 'Die Walki.ire' at Loogborough; 'The Rape of Lucretia', 'Die schone Galathee' and 'Il campanello' at Buxton; D'Oyly Carte's 'HMS Pinafore'; 'Dialogues des Carmelites' at the Proms; the Bolshoy's 'Bori ' and 'Three Oranges' in London; 'Flight' at Glyndebourne Opera on the fringe Opera at the college At the musical Opera books Opera on disc Classified advertisements I ca·n't live without . .. Rimsky's 'Boris' John Allison