Billboard, April 27, 2002 The Classical Score by Steve Smith Opposites Attract: During a period of downturn in sales and market share, it's hardly suprising that the major classical recording labels are hesitant about signing new artists known for performing core repertoire - even when those artists have well-established careers and box office clout. With two significant new signings, however, Sony Classical and Universal Classics prove that such artists can still find a home at a major - provided they are willing to consider new approaches to documenting their art. Canadian violinist Lara St. John was a name well-known to classical music consumers well before she signed to Sony Classical this month. Of course, her earliest notices paid more attention to the CD covers on which she appeared in various states of more-or-less tasteful undress than to the artistry concealed in the pits of the discs themselves. But when the storm about her cover art blew over, St. John was found to be a genuine talent with a gift for performing the music of Bach. The violinist earned plaudits from such august sources as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Gramophone. St. John will court controversy of a different sort with the initial release under her Sony contract, due in fall 2002. Like her three previous recordings, the violinist will once again focus on the music of Bach. This time, though, she is collaborating with British composer/ producer Magnus Fiennes - whose production credits include the Spice Girls, All Saints, and Bond - and arranger Brian Gascoigne, who has contributed to projects ranging from ousider pop artists David Sylvian and Scott Walker to classical crossover projects that include Ute Lemper's The Punishing Kiss and the King's Singers' Circle of Life. Anticipating outrage among purists, St. John is undaunted. "No matter what I do, somebody's got a problem with it," she says with a laugh. "This goes along with my credo of 'Let's get this stuff out there'. Of course, I'm going to continue doing what they call 'core classical'. But I can hit a much larger demographic with this, which hopefully is going to get at least half of that demographic interested in the original [music]." According to Sony Classical president Peter Gelb, the new project is not merely intended to broaden St. John's audience but that of Bach as well. "I don't want to dismiss this project as simply a way of launching [St. John] as an artist, because our hope is that this record in itself will be an artistic success as well as a commercial one," he says. "Lara will be doing core projects as well; hopefully, if this first project is the success we're hoping for, it will create a larger audience for her, so that future recordings of core repertoire will be possible."