Leonard Bernstein’s friends, family and fellow musicians discuss the man and the legend.

The February issue of Limelight is available now in newsagents and from our online store. The cover star is Leonard Bernstein: conductor, composer, teacher, legend… A colossus of 20th-century music. In a series of exclusive tell-all interviews his colleagues, friends and family share their memories of a man struggling to lead a double life in music.

From an American Jewish composer to classical music’s most famous anti-semite, we investigate the controversial question: was Wagner Jewish?

We discover how the world’s most famous piece of classical music, The Four Seasons, was rescued from obscurity by a band of intrepid young Italians. Sixty years after I Musici was formed, on the eve of its Australian tour, Vivaldi’s masterpiece is still the ensemble’s calling card.

Limelight talks to two barnstorming beauties about an unlikely classical collaboration: violinist Hilary Hahn and YouTube piano sensation Valentina Lisitsa talk about their perfect partnership, taking us behind the scenes as they recall recording Charles Ives sonatas in a barn!

Also in the magazine this month: Limelight sets out to discover what makes a Stradivarius so special; Harry Christophers of The Sixteen explains why the Allegri Miserere is like “a patchwork quilt that hasn’t been put together properly” and explains the myth of the famous High C; while Slovenian maestro Marko Letonja unveils his grand plans for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

With the release of the February edition, Limelight has launched its nationwide search for a new classical CD reviewer to join our team of expert critics. If you’re an avid record collector who loves Bach and Stravinsky as much as you love a good turn of phrase, why not enter the competition?

Get your copy of the February issue of Limelight from our online store.