Vienna austria

Edward Brooke-Hitching Simon & Schuster 978-1-398-53240-3 256pp (hb) £30 This is a fascinating compendium of classical curiosities, thoroughly researched and charmingly written by Edward Brooke-Hitchi

Sun Triptych Maxim Rysanov, Dasol Kim, Roman Mints et al; BBC Concert Orchestra/ Dobrinka Tabakova ECM 4878558 64:61 mins This is the second ECM disc to feature the extremely accessible music of Bulga

Glasgow, 1942. The Carl Rosa Opera Company was in town to perform Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Tickets had been snapped up by local people – including many who didn’t really know what an opera was. The

Cello Concerto; Symphony No.1; Scapino Jonathan Aasgaard (cello); Sinfonia of London/ John Wilson Chandos CHSA5328 76:38 mins A fervent romantic liaison with Baroness Doernberg inspired Walton’s First

From the otherworldly landscapes of Iceland to Italy’s white-capped mountains – if you love the cold, in these destinations winter is always coming...

Hikers head for the high trails of this Alpine adventure playground, but keep your eyes peeled for Austria’s diverse birds, mammals and other creatures in its meadows, woods and rivers, advises Rudolf Abraham