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Giuseppe Verdi gave the world more than two dozen operas, some good sacred music, and one string quartet. He also provided the young Arturo Toscanini with one of his first big breaks—conducting the singing of "Va pensiero" at his burial procession—and gave the flagship consumer product from England's dCS Ltd. its name. That the latter two gestures were posthumous and unwitting does nothing to diminish their poetry.

The <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/010505ces">Consumer Electronics Show</A> (CES) in Las Vegas is not the only major electronics event held in early January each year. Apple Computer and allied companies throw their own specialty shindig more or less concurrently.

The new year got off to a litigious start as the audio industry's seemingly endless battle against the gray market continued with a pair of federal lawsuits.

Angus McKenzie was a wholly remarkable individual. One of British hi-fi’s legends, he was the country's leading equipment reviewer for more than a decade, but that was only one of several careers and passions he pursued with repeated and conspicuous success, despite losing his sight completely at the age of 26.

It used to be that, when I sat down to write the introduction to <I>Stereophile</I>'s ever-popular annual "Records To Die For" feature, it quickly became an exercise in racking my meager brain for jokes about "dying for" records. But being funny, in print or otherwise, is tremendously difficult. I'm sure Groucho had a much more apropos, not to mention funny, quip about the trials of being humorous&mdash;but, as with the aforementioned jokes, I can't seem to think of it right now.

This is the story of the tiger wagging its tail. It is also the story of a tail trying to wag its tiger...

<B>BEETHOVEN: <I>Complete Music for Cello & Piano</I></B><BR>
Cello & Piano Sonatas: in F, Op.5 No.1; in g, Op.5 No.2; in F, Op.17; in A, Op.69; in C, Op.102 No.1; in D, Op.102 No.2. Variations: in F on Mozart's "Ein M&#228;dchen oder Weibchen," Op.66; in E-flat on Mozart's "Bei M&#228;nnern," WoO 46; in G on Handel's "See, the Conquering Hero Comes," WoO 45<BR>
Andr&#225;s Schiff, piano; Mikl&#243;s Per&#233;nyi, cello<BR>
ECM New Series 1819/20, B00003389-02 (2 CDs). 2004. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Stephan Schellmann, eng. DDD. TT: 2:31:19<BR>
Performance <B>****&#189;</B><BR>
Sonics <B>****</B><BR>