Opus (classical record magazine)
| Editor | James R. Oestreich |
|---|---|
| Categories |
Discography Music journalism Classical music Music criticism |
| Frequency | |
| Publisher | Warren Bertram Syer (1923–2007) |
| Year founded | 1984 |
| Final issue | 1988 |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 8750-488X |
Opus was an American magazine that featured critical reviews of classical music recordings. Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the magazine ran from November/December 1984 to March/April 1988, publishing 21 issues. James R. Oestreich was its editor-in-chief. Historical Times, Inc., of Harrisburg was its owner. Warren Bertram Syer (1923–2007), who had published High Fidelity for 30 years, was then the president of Historical Times.
Music critics depart from High Fidelity
In 1983, most of the senior music critics at High Fidelity and Musical America — including Harris Goldsmith (born 1936), (Stanley) Dale Harris (1928–1996), Andrew Porter, Will Crutchfield, Paul Henry Lang, Allan Kozinn, Peter G(raffam) Davis (born 1936), Kenneth (A.) Furie (born 1949), David Peter Hamilton (born 1935), Robert P. Morgan (born 1934), and Conrad L(eon) Osborne (born 1934) — resigned in protest over a reduction of autonomy for their music editor, James Oestreich, who had been informed by the parent that the classical music section was going to be reduced to eight pages by January 1984, and further reduced to one or two pages by December 1984. In 1983, the average issue devoted 18 pages to classical music.
On behalf of the parent company, ABC Leisure Magazines of ABC Publishing, William (Bill) Tynan explained that they were going to "blend lengthy classical features into its highly acclaimed Musical America," a slim magazine sewn into the centerfold of selected issues of High Fidelity and available only by subscription. Musical America, at the time, had a circulation of about 20,000 subscribers. High Fidelity had a circulation of nearly 400,000. Tynan said that High Fidelity's average reader "no longer prefers the lengthy classical music articles that have appeared as part of the previous format."
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