This interactivity goes much further, however. The score may be played back to you directly through the computer as a MIDI (musical instruments digital interface) file. This means that you are allowed total control over how it is performed. You can play back at any speed, edit the dynamics or articulation of any note or phrase, select individual voices for audition and, for practice purposes or just karaoke fun, you can play an accompaniment on its own so that you can add the solo line yourself. Any alterations that you make to the score can all be saved as "Interpretations" and loaded at any time to play, print or develop further. Printouts, I should add, are utterly professional in appearance.

In addition to all this, each CD has its own library of biographical information about composers, performers and repertoire, including excellent pictures, glossaries, texts and translations. I was particularly impressed that the Beethoven String Quartets CD-ROM included an explanation of musical form where each subject and episode clearly had its own commentary and play button. The potential for this quality of presentation is enormous. I can see days coming when music students from nursery schools to universities will be able to work with CD-Pluscores devised in this way for their specific needs. What a bonus such a system would be for set works at GCSE and A level...

I picked my way through every menu and I am pleased to say it all made perfect sense. You can tweak everything that you could possibly want right down to the font used in the footnotes and, if you ever get lost, there is a well-written help-file full of suggestions and advice. Did I mention that this comes in a variety of languages?

	"each CD has its own library of biographical information about composers, performers and repertoire"

Three cheers, then, for Deutsche Grammophon; their CD-Pluscore series exudes quality and good taste and puts so many tacky gimmicks to shame. Go out and buy them!

Crispin Woodhead

To win a copy of three CD-Pluscores from Deutsche Grammophon's rapidly growing range of titles, click here.