The January 2025 issue of Gramophone features a special exploration of Robert Schumann's 'year of song', 1840, which saw the composer write an extraordinary amount of lieder. Richard Wigmore tells the story, talking to leading artists about what the works of that year mean to them. And in this month's Collection, Jed Distler traces the recording history of Schumann’s Piano Concerto.

Also this issue, violinist Daniel Pioro and Sir Michael Morpurgo have collaborated on a new recording of Vivaldi’s masterpiece The Four Seasons; Mark Seow meets them to find out about the resulting performance and poetry. Plus, a fascinating project has allowed modern audiences to hear medieval Polish music from the 1400s; Edward Breen sat in on the sessions.

This month's Musician and the Score features conductor Jérémie Rhorer, who has recently recorded Beethoven’s Missa solemnis – he talks David Patrick Stearns through his interpretation. The Icon is John Shirley-Quirk, Michael McManus celebrates the achievements of the bass-baritone renowned for his recordings of Britten and Tippett. And in My Music, as his latest film, about operatic icon Maria Callas, is released, Pablo Larraín shares his insights on what makes an ideal soundtrack.

For Classics Reconsidered, Edward Breen and Fabrice Fitch discuss Pärt’s Passio, as first recorded by the Hilliard Ensemble, and this month's Contemporary Composer is Rebecca Dale.

Plus, as always, the most recent releases are reviewed by our panel of expert critics, with the best being named Editor’s Choices.

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