Ian Bostridge

**** SAMUEL BARBER Violin Concerto, Opus 14; Ballet Suite, "Souvenirs," Opus 28; Serenade for Strings, Opus 1; Music for a Scene From Shelley, Opus 7 Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor; James Buswell, violin Naxos American Classics Composed between 1928 and 1952, these works, with the exception of the concerto, are undeservedly forgotten. Hearing them again restores one's admiration for Barber's unflagging creativity, abundant gifts and well-honed craft.

This was an active year in classical music, what with all the temptations for millennial merriment and contemplation. But it was also an unsettling time of transition, with new music directors being sought at major orchestras on the East Coast and changes in store at arts administrations all over the world. Here is a sample of the year's notable achievements, mostly but not entirely local--and not necessarily in order of importance. 1. Salonen here and not here.

The premiere of Kenneth Branagh's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" on Nov. 1 is among the highlights of the two-month UK/LA 1994 festival schedule to be announced by British Consul General Merrick Baker-Bates and festival organizers at a press conference today at the Biltmore Hotel. During the festival, Prince Charles will visit Los Angeles to attend UK/LA and other events related to fund-raising for Los Angeles inner-city charities, according to the consul general.

From the great wave of opera, symphonies, recitals and dance programs this season, picking even a few must-sees is hard. Here's one pass at the list . . . Starting with opera: * Verdi adored Shakespeare, but he composed only three operas based on Shakespearean texts. The earliest was "Macbeth," which Opera Pacific stages Jan. 16-21 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. Paul Fink and Gordon Hawkins alternate in the title role.

General Categories Record of the Year "Video," India.Arie (India.Arie, Carlos "Six July" Broady, producers; Kevin Haywood and Mike Shipley, engineers/mixers); "Fallin'," Alicia Keys (Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and Russ Elevado, engineers/mixers); "Ms. Jackson," OutKast (Earthtone III, producer; John Frye and Neal H.

General Categories * Record of the Year: "I Want It That Way," Backstreet Boys (Kristian Lundin and Max Martin, producers and engineers/mixers); "Believe," Cher (Brian Rawling and Mark Taylor, producers; Taylor, engineer/mixer); "Livin' La Vida Loca," Ricky Martin (Desmond Child and Robi Rosa, producers; Charles Dye, engineer/mixer); "Smooth," Santana featuring Rob Thomas (Matt Serletic, producer; David Thoener, engineer/mixer); "No Scrubs," TLC (Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs, producer; Leslie