How the great conductor resisted the regime from within FURTWÄNGLER & THE NAZIS The symphony that shows Beethoven at his playful best A LIGHTER SIDE OF LUDWIG

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The Four Seasons V iv a ldi’S

We celebrate 300 years of this perennially uplifting Baroque masterpiece

Full February listings inside

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Carnal composers

The fevered love lives of the musical greats

Unsung heroes Why we should value opera librettists more

A life with Bach Masaaki Suzuki on an unshakeable obsession

100 reviews by the world’s f inest critics Recordings & books – see p72