I’ve recently returned from Paris, having enjoyed being immersed in the atmosphere of the Olympics. You don’t turn to these pages for coverage of sport of course, but it was a lovely surprise to spot so many artists to have featured in our pages – and for that matter on our cover – throughout the ceremonies that bookended events.

Pianist Alexandre Kantorow showed characteristic poise as he, rather appropriately, performed Ravel’s Jeux d’eau as torrents fell from the heavens upon him; we also saw countertenor Jakub Józef Orlin´ski singing Rameau and – in a nod to a new sport appearing in the Olympics – breakdancing. Even more dramatic were the appearances of mezzos Marina Viotti atop a pirate ship and Axelle Saint-Cirel singing the National Anthem. The rain was still falling as Cristian Ma˘celaru conducted the French National Orchestra in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, but no such deluge greeted tenor Benjamin Bernheim in the closing ceremony, where he sang alongside the vertical piano-playing of Alain Roche. Music didn’t stop there either – once the flame had been extinguished, I discovered that the ‘Fan Zones’ across the city used their giant screens to show productions from the Opéra National de Paris (I caught the Nutcracker and a notably moving Massenet Cendrillon). Sport rightly had the limelight, but it was wonderful to see classical music so present too.

And we of course have our own version of honouring excellence – one entirely focused on music of course – coming up! You can read the shortlist of albums for this year’s Gramophone Classical Music Awards on page 32, and look out for next month’s issue for full coverage – or log on to our website on the evening of October 2 to be first to discover the winners! This year’s list is as impressive as ever, a stunning reflection on the sheer quality of music-making today, and it’s been a joy to have so many conversations with our critics about the albums in contention. An equally wonderful aspect of editing Gramophone is hearing from readers too about what you’re hearing and enjoying, and I’m always grateful for the generous enthusiasm you share for what we do. Sometimes this takes the form of delightful conversations in the foyers of concert halls, at other times via email. And if you have observations you’d like to share not just with us, but with other readers, I would always encourage you to offer contributions to our letters page. Whether it’s continuing a conversation begun by one our reviewers, or sharing memories that can help add context to our coverage, we hope you see this page as a place where you can be part of our community (and we hope the added incentive of a splendid Raymond Weil watch for our Letter of the Month further encourages you!).

Finally, we were very sad to learn this month of the death of our former Editor, Christopher Pollard. The youngest of the three generations of the Pollard family who so proudly owned Gramophone up until 1999, his keen interest in the magazine continued beyond then. His energy and dedication to Gramophone and his commitment to the industry overall across several decades lives on in the privileged position our magazine proudly occupies today. We send our deepest sympathies to his family.

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