Katherine Munro

A mysterious beauty: In response to a commission from Count Troyer, who wanted a work closely modelled on Beethoven’s famous Septet op.20, Schubert – despite his fervent admiration for the older composer – resolutely struck out on his own by delivering an . . . Octet. While the enlarged forces opened his path towards symphonic writing, examination of the form and expression reveals a much more accomplished and personal composition than has generally been recognised by commentators. Isabelle Faust and her partners, enthralled by what is an exceptional work in every respect, offer us a new interpretation of it on period instruments.

Since the series' inception in 1915, the annual volumes of The Best American Short Stories have launched literary careers, showcased the most compelling stories of each year, and confirmed for all time the significance of the short story in our national literature. Now THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURY brings together the best: fifty-six extraordinary stories that represent a century's worth of unsurpassed achievements in this quintessentially American literary genre. John Updike worked with coeditor Katrina Kenison to choose the finest stories from the years since 1915. The result is "extraordinary… A one-volume literary history of this country's immeasurable pains and near-infinite hopes" (Boston Globe).