The Rough Guide to Classical Musicis the ideal handbook on the subject, spanning a thousand years of music from Gregorian chant via Bach and Beethoven to contemporaries such as Thomas Ades and Kaija Saariaho. Both a CD buyer's guide and a who's who, it features- Concise biographical profiles of more than 200 composers, explaining their social and musical contexts. Informative summaries of the major compositions in all genres, from chamber works to operatic epics. Incisive reviews of hundreds of CDs, selecting the very best of the latest recordings and the pick of the reissues, plus the lowdown on downloading. Engaging feature boxes on such topics as notation, conducting, the concerto and film music. More than 150 pictures of composers and performers, including some rare archive photos.