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THE DOUBLE LIFE OF FRANZ SCHUBERT
 This dramatic exploration of the life and works of Franz Schubert features excerpts from many of his compositions. We see how illness was both a consequence of the composer's darker inclinations and a spur to some of his greatest work. Schubert conducts his own internal imaginative examination, a sometimes delirious and dreamlike evocation of the moments and music from his past life. The characters he recalls are his maverick friend and ‘Svengali’, his authoritarian father, his illustrious but conformist patron Michael Vogl and his unfulfilled love, Karoline Esterhazy. Simon Russell Beale stars as the great composer, with Jason Flemyng and Freddie Jones. You could win a copy of this DVD by answering this question: What is the ASIN number for the Sony Bravia KDL22S5500U television at Amazon.co.uk? email your answer before 9 August 2009, and the best of luck.
PARIS TO CUBA
 The ten evocative tracks on this album are the embodiment of summertime. Composed and created by Bulgarian-born Mario Grigorov, the sound conjures up beautiful complexions, mid-afternoon mojitos, linen garments and vintage Cadillacs. This is music that creates an aural landscape, a narrative of striking up a wandering romance with a stranger, a ‘paseo’ through Plaza Vieja or a sunset on the Seine. Lilting, sensual brass sections flirt with gentle vocals on I See, Every Little Moment and Snake Eyes - three tracks which feature singer Melissa Newman. It’s easy for the listener to get lost in the guitar solos, mysterious accordion and nostalgic, sweeping strings. This is not your typical jazz or world record. To win one of three copies of Paris to Cuba, listen to the track “Snake Eyes” in its entirety then email your description of what the song reminds you of (in no more than three lines). The best three descriptions received before 26 July 2009 will win an autographed CD.
BIGGA THAN BEN
 This dark comedy is the tale of two wayward young Russian immigrants who come to London to make an easy fortune. Finding themselves drawn into a shadowy underworld of backstreet drug deals and seedy nightclubs packed with refugees and nymphomaniacs, life begins to turn sour and the highs begin to fade. While Spiker misses his girlfriend and seeks consolation in drugs, slipping into serious addiction, Cobakka is forced into making some life changing decisions. This breezy, low-budget black satire on life as an outsider in a harsh, unforgiving, yet fascinating metropolis was directed by Suzie Halewood and has a music score by Pete Doherty and Joe Strummer. You could win one of five copies of this excellent DVD from High Fliers Films by answering this question: Which member of the Fiennes dynasty makes his acting debut in Bigga Than Ben? email your answer before 22 July 2009.
FLUTE MYSTERY - FRED JONNY BERG
 Flute Mystery is a collection of five orchestral works recorded in dynamic surround sound by London’s Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, with sisters Emily and Catherine Beynon as soloists on flute and harp. The title work is a lyrical tone poem featuring both harp and flute, and Emily Beynon is also the soloist for Berg’s delightful Flute Concerto. The other pieces are his beautiful ‘Pastoral’, a dramatic sound landscape ‘Vicino all Montagna’ and the brilliant tone poem, ‘Warning Zero’. This outstanding, innovative release includes both Blu-ray and SACD discs to do justice to Berg’s original, soulful and richly rewarding music. You could win one of three copies of Flute Mystery from 2L by answering the following question: In which country does composer Fred Jonny Berg live? email your answer before 24 July 2009.
THE JOSE CARRERAS COLLECTION
 The great Spanish tenor, José Carreras, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Classical Brits awards, and to commemorate this Warner Classics & Jazz has released a superb 2 CD set celebrating his outstanding contribution to music. Globally famous as one of the legendary ‘Three Tenors’ alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, José Carreras’ meteoric musical career began with early debuts at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals. He has since performed in more than 60 operas, including several operatic films, and his extensive discography stretches to over 150 recordings. Special guests on The José Carreras Collection include fellow tenor Plácido Domingo and sopranos Barbara Frittoli, Barbara Hendricks and Eva Lind. This fantastic collection features Neapolitan classics such as Torna a Surriento, Granada and Santa Lucia, together with the sublime Che gelida manina and O soave fanciulla from Puccini’s La Bohème and other operatic favourites, plus popular songs like Moon River and The Way We Were. You could win one of 10 copies of this exciting double CD set from Warner Classics by answering this question: Which Harold Arlen song features in The José Carreras Collection? email your answer before 18 July 2009.
THE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is an absorbing series in which each one programme is an adaptation of a short mystery, suspense or crime story featuring detectives who were literary contemporaries of the great Sherlock Holmes. The foggy, gas lit streets of the Victorian world are brought to atmospheric life in these satisfying adaptations of works by authors such as R. Austin Freeman, Arthur Morrison, Guy Boothby and Max Pemberton. The BAFTA-winning series attracted top class acting talent, including John Neville, Robert Stephens, Peter Vaughan, Roy Dotrice, Donald Pleasence, Ronald Hines, Peter Barkworth and Donald Sinden. You could win a copy of this brilliant 4-DVD set from Network containing all 13 episodes from the first series by answering this question: In what year was The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes originally broadcast on ITV? email your answer before 16 July 2009.
KEN ELKINSON - LINK
 Ken Elkinson played piano in Atlanta bars and restaurants before moving to New York City and later to Los Angeles, California. His latest album, Link, is a relaxing and elegant mix of jazz and classical music. All twelve compositions are by Ken Elkinson and his mellifluous piano style is heard to great effect on tracks such as the mysterious title song, the wistful Juniper, Dry Lake Bed, the lovely Sunlight Through Trees, and the lovely Sway. This excellent album would make ideal background music for a romantic dinner or create an intimate vibe to help you unwind after a hard day, though the reflective music also rewards careful listening. You could win one of five copies of this excellent CD by answering this question: What was the name of Ken Elkinson’s first album? email your answer before 4 August 2009.
TRAINSPOTTING & SHALLOW GRAVE
  Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is a ground-breaking film that captured the minds of a generation. Starring Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald, and directed by Danny Boyle and based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, this cult British film charts the drug-fuelled disintegration of a group of friends in economically-depressed Edinburgh during the early 90s. Trainspotting was ranked 10 in the British Film Institute’s Top 100 British Films poll and has now been released for the first time on DVD and on Blu-ray as an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. The savagely entertaining neo-film noir Shallow Grave is another new Special Edition Blu-ray release, also directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox as three cocksure twenty-somethings sharing a flat in Edinburgh. These are two of the most influential and imaginative British films ever made and you have three chances to win DVDs of both from Channel Four Films by answering this question: Which actor played the Begbie in Trainspotting? email your answer before 2 August 2009.
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