The July issue of Gramophone welcomes the world-renowned opera singer Jonas Kaufmann as the cover star. The German tenor talks to Warwick Thompson about his new recording of Puccini arias, and how he's looking forward to being the first German to sing 'Rule Britannia!' at the Last Night of the Proms.

We embrace the Proms elsewhere in the issue, too: violinist Alina Ibragimova talks to Hannah Nepil about the challenges of performing solo Ysaÿe and Bach (she focuses on the latter in her Late Night Prom in July), and Harriet Smith meets Andrew Litton, the force-of-nature conductor who's leading the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra's 250th anniversary celebrations at the Proms and elsewhere in Europe.

Add to this a Collection by Bryce Morrison on Rachmaninov's Etudes-tableaux, Op 39, and an extensive reviews section, compiled by our expert critics and covering all the latest classical music releases, and you'll find a July issue to provide the perfect start to your summer.

The July issue is with subscribers now and on general sale from June 19. Visit our subscriptions page to find out more.