EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Te l : +44 (0)117 300 8752 Email: music@classica l-music.com Post: The Editor, BBC Music Magazine, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES Te l : 03330 162112; 01604 973720 Web: ourmediashop.com/contactus Post: BBC Music Magazine, 3 Queensbridge, Northampton, NN4 7BF Follow us on Twitter @musicmagazine Like us on Facebook facebook.com/ classicalmagazine Find us online classical-music.com Subscribe to our podcast Subscribe today to BBC Music Magazine Save money on newsstand prices! See p10 for our fanta st ic of fe r We l c om e ‘Being a pianist is a very solitary job,’ says this month’s cover star Yuja Wang. Indeed, she admits, if she had her time again, she might have chosen another career path. Not that Wang isn’t grateful for all that she has achieved, as she tells Clive Paget on page 24. But being a top musician – even of the collaborative type – involves a great deal of independent thought, and the capacity to delve deeply into the score. Such solitary study is crucial when memorising music, as f ive great soloists explain on page 46. Practising a piece repeatedly may train the hands to perform those tricky passages – but in moments of stress, when standing in the spotlight on a darkened stage, muscle memory alone can fail. On page 42, Nicholas Collon, director of Aurora Orchestra, speaks to Rebecca Franks about the diff iculty of memorising complex orchestral works for the group’s celebrated BBC Proms performances – collective feats of recollection that have earned them plaudits aplenty over the past 20 years. And it turns out that a deeper understanding of the score can help us to be more engaged as listeners, too. On page 58, Ariane Todes investigates the highly taboo topic of the mind wandering – dare we call it ‘ boredom’ – in concerts, and gives advice on how we can all focus more effectively and enjoyably. Happy listening! Charlotte Smith Editor THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS Anthony Cheng Writer, producer & filmmaker ‘When in conversations with Andrew Keener he enraptures you with his passion for record producing. His craf t is not only his job but his whole sense of being. His erudition of classical music record histor y is truly second to none.’ Page 34 Ariane Todes Writer and editor ‘How many people are put off classical music by the feeling that they have to pay constant attention in concerts? I of ten think about this as my mind wanders during a performance, so I wanted to shed light on a taboo subject.’ Page 58 Merv yn Cooke Professor of music ‘Whether accompanying an exotic dance routine at Harlem’s Cotton Club or impressing at a Carnegie Hall concert, Duke Elling ton’s music was among the most original and sophisticated ever written for jazz musicians.’ Page 64 BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE 3