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Did they capture the sound of her violin? Did the nuance of a 9' Steinway grand piano translate onto the disc with all of its dynamic range intact? Hear for yourself when Ida Levin and Delores Stevens mark the debut of Stereophile's latest recording, Duet, with two live performances at HI-FI '98.

Following the tragic events of September 11 last year, Audio">http://www.audioasylum.com">Audio Asylum and Audiogonhttp://www.audiogon.com">Audiogon; co-sponsored a charity">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11141/">charity auction of audio equipment to benefit the NY Firefighters' Fund and other related charities. Manufacturers, dealers, magazine writers and editors, and audiophiles donated equipment, recordings, and memorabilia for sale, and as reported">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11159/">reported on this website, the auction ultimately raised almost $175,000 for 9/11-related charities.

Music lovers worldwide are mourning the passing of violinist Isaac Stern, who died of heart failure in a New York hospital Saturday, September 22. Stern was 81.

On Saturday March 28, from 11–6pm, Virginia dealer Command Performance AV (115 Park Avenue, Suite #2, Falls Church) will be hosting Zanden Audio's North American distributor, Eric Pheils. Eric will demonstrate Zanden's Model 120 phono stage, Model 3100 preamplifier, and Model 8120 stereo amplifier. Not only will audiophiles be able to hear a state-of-the-art audio system, but they will also experience what Zanden feels is "the profound effect of proper equalization" of stereo LP records.

Virginia retailer Command Performance A/V—115 Park Ave. Suite #2, Falls Church—is having a Grand Opening on Saturday November 8 from 11am to 5pm. The day will feature Constellation Audio's new Inspiration Series (above), presented by Irv Gross, Director of Sales for Constellation Audio.

I'm a great fan of the musical theater: musicals, operetta, and opera, more-or-less in that order. A typical summer vacation for my wife and me involves driving from Toronto to the East Coast, stopping off to see musicals (and some plays) at places like the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, , and the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, ME. The Glimmerglass summer opera festival, near Cooperstown, NY, is not far from the route we usually take, but I never thought of visiting it because my impression has been that they specialize in performances of modern and obscure operas, which are not quite our cup of tea.

My discovery of the fact that Glimmerglass has greatly expanded the range of its offerings came about through sheer serendipity. . .

For Vivendi">http://www.vivendi.com">Vivendi Universal SA, when it rains, it pours. Just two weeks after chief executive Jean-Marie Messier ousted Pierre Lescure, the president of France's Canal">http://www.canalplus.fr">Canal Plus television company—an event that caused demonstrations in the streets of Paris and paroxysms of nationalistic fervor among France's 18 presidential candidates—a complicated stock deal got vastly more complicated, resulting in a $250 million payment due to A&M Records founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.