LATEST ADDITIONS

The night after we got home from the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show in January—see the report in this issue—my dear companion and I attended a performance of Madama Butterfly at San Francisco's beautifully refurbished War Memorial Opera House. It was a Tuesday evening, traditionally a big event for the Opera's benefactors. From our box seats, we had an excellent view of a production musically sumptuous and visually austere—and of a sea of gray and balding heads.

Reader Doug Cline just bought a new La-Z-Boy and likes the way it feels, but wonders about its effect on the sound. What do you prefer for listening?

Last Month, music labels, distributors, and retailers met in Las Vegas for the 41st annual <A HREF="http://www.narm.com">National Association of Recording Merchandisers</A> convention to wrestle with several new issues wrought by the digital age. NARM Chairperson Rachelle Friedman set the tone for the event when she stated in the keynote address that "for the music industry, the 21st century and the impact of the Internet have already thrust themselves upon us."

Toronto-based Lenbrook Group announced earlier this month that it had acquired NAD Electronics from AudioNord International, a Scandinavian organization that has owned the brand for most of this decade. The deal is expected to close next week, on May 3. Lenbrook will take over NAD's worldwide marketing and distributorship, but AudioNord will continue to market the brand in Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Scandinavia. Other joint marketing ventures will follow, according to Lenbrook's public relations agent.

We posted an <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10415/">update</A&gt; on Peter Belt and his activities earlier in the month, but the saga began many moons ago. If you're curious about where it all began, or just need to know more, then J. Gordon Holt's "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/110/">L'Affaire Belt</A>" is for you. Stranger than fiction? Guaranteed.

<B>JOHN TAVENER: <I>Eternity's Sunrise</I></B><BR> With: <I>Song of the Angel</I>, <I>Petra: A Ritual Dream</I>, <I>Sappho: Lyrical Fragments</I>, <I>Funeral Canticle</I><BR> Patricia Rozario, Julia Gooding, sopranos; George Mosley, baritone; Andrew Manze, violin; Choir & Orchestra of the Academy of Ancient Music, Paul Goodwin<BR>Harmonia Mundi HMU 907231 (CD). 1998. Robina Young, prod.; Mike Hatch, eng. DDD. TT: 65:03<BR> Performance <B>****</B><BR> Sonics <B>****</B>

An audio system is not a system unless you hook it all together. How do you do it?