Recordings of all the Beethoven symphonies with their chief conductor are always a milestone in the artistic work of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was with Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, and expectations are correspondingly high for this cycle conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Where does the special status of these symphonies come from? Simon Rattle has an explanation: “One of the things Beethoven does is to give you a mirror into yourself – where you are now as a musician.” In fact, this music contains such a wealth of extreme emotions and brilliant compositional ideas that reveal the qualities of the orchestra and its conductor as if under a magnifying glass.

Enrico Pieranunzi breathes new life into contemporary jazz. This beautifully recorded CD presents music for musicians and for those who are prepared to change their preconceived ideas.

The first of these is an album dedicated to 11 compositions by the American tenor and soprano saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Inspired by John Coltrane, Shorter made the news in the 1960s through his association with the Jazz Messengers, after which he worked intensively with the Miles Davis Quintet for many years, replenishing Davis’s band book with his own compositions. From 1971 to 1986 Shorter was on the move with the successful jazz rock group Weather Report, and since then he has been active with his own groups. The Pieranunzi Trio plays Wayne Shorter with an eye for the finishing touch and a feeling for style.

This recording would be ideal for one with the intent of studying the scores, as it is a rather exact and unbiased read, quite true to Schubert's intended style. The pharsing, choice of tempi and degree of precision are examplary for a work of the era.

This collection of vocal and orchestral works by Benjamin Britten span his career, from Two Portraits for string orchestra, written when he was 16, to the solo cantata, Phaedra, one of his last completed works. The music varies in style but even the earliest pieces sound mature and demonstrate the composer's early mastery of his craft. Phaedra, from 1975, sets a selection of monologues from Racine's play that outline the dilemma of the queen who falls in love with her husband's son from an earlier marriage.

Considered by many in the jazz world as the natural heir to the throne of the late great Jaco Pastorius, Cameroon-born bassist and vocalist Richard Bona is so well-known for his incredible work as a studio sideman (Joe Zawinal, Regina Carter, Bob James, etc) and two-year stint as musical director for Harry Belafonte that it's easy to overlook his prodigious solo output since the late '90s. Rather than release a safe greatest hits type collection, Decca had the capital idea to follow his Grammy nominated disc Tiki with a high energy, hour-plus live album that captures a batch of his most compelling, rhythmically overjoyed tracks in the habitat where they best come to life. The unique twist is that while Bona loves being on-stage, he's not a fan of making live recordings. So his deal was telling his board guy not to inform him of which performance he was recording to use for the album.

Abandoning the intoxicating blend of art rock and glam-pop that distinguished Stranded and Country Life, Roxy Music concentrate on Bryan Ferry's suave, charming crooner persona for the elegantly modern Siren…

It's never easy to be the sibling of a star when you're active in the same profession – ask Joey Travolta or Frank Stallone, and try to find out what happened to John Murray, one of Bill's brothers. Similarly, David Knopfler, younger brother of Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, has often remained in his brother's shadow, unfairly remaining a footnote in the famous British band's history and not always gaining much recognition for his solo work – provided people know he's remained active in music at all. The comparison to the abovementioned actors is misleading, however, since they all possess little of their siblings' talent, whereas David Knopfler has proven himself to be a talented musician with considerable songwriting skills of his own and several strong solo releases under his belt. Knopfler was born on December 27, 1952 in Glasgow, and grew up in Tyne, England. After attending Bristol Polytechnic, he became a social worker in London, where he shared an apartment with bassist John Illsley.

Highly accomplished English pianist, composer and arranger who shined from the 1930s through to the '80s.
Although the third finger of his right hand was amputated following a playtime accident as a child, McGuffie persevered with his music studies, and at the age of 11 was awarded the Victoria Medal for his piano proficiency by the Victoria College, Glasgow. A year later he made his first broadcast on Childrens’ Hour, and at the age of 14 was playing regularly with the BBC Scottish Variety Orchestra. For a while he studied to be a naval architect, before moving to Ayr to join the Miff Hobson Orchestra. Early in 1944, he moved to London and played with Teddy Foster at the Lyceum, and then spent four years with Joe Loss, before joining Maurice Winnick and Sidney Lipton…

When you're white and not too poor, it's hard to find a place in the nascent rap community at the dawn of the 80s. Yet Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam " MCA "Yauch and Adam" Ad-Rock " Horovitz not only succeeded in this feat, but were also quickly absorbed by this selective and on-the-go raposphere to unmask opportunistic impostors. The strength of the Beastie Boys was first to offer a very very personal reading of the rap idiom that he knows on the tip of their nails (in mourning). Punks at heart and as much passionate about hardcore as hip hop, the New York trio founded in 1981 first had the chance to settle at the top of the charts with a joyful single carried by an equally insane music video (we are in 1986 and MTV, then in full swing, makes the rain and the good weather via the videos that it broadcasts 24 hours a day) and that will become an anthem for many: (you Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!). Signed by the label Def Jam which already houses Public Enemy and L. L. Cool J, The Beastie play the bad boys, release dirty but still fair rhymes and impose their attitude of nickel-plated feet rap. Their debut album, License To Ill, produced by Rick Rubin, was a success around the world.

The legendary Dutch Death Doom Elite ASPHYX release their much anticipated new, 10th full studio album “Necroceros” worldwide on January 22nd, 2021 via Century Media Records. “Necroceros” was recorded at Tom Meier’s Tom Meier Studio as well as at Paul Baayens’ The Mörserstudio and then finally mixed/mastered by Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann at Greenman Studios. The album once again features front cover artwork by Axel Hermann

Set 1: Hartford Civic Centre, CT - July 10th, 1977. 2008 repressing of this deluxe eight CD box set, subtitled From The Manticore Vaults. Four epic concerts make up this suitably extravagant box set by the unchallenged kings of Pomp-Rock, whose majestic three-way instrumental interplay laid down the blueprint for the Progressive '70s. Features shows from Hartford Civic Center (1977), Chicago (1978), Pennsylvania and Jones Beach (both from 1992), 61 tracks. Volume #4 seemed to have completely caught me by suprise. Out Of The blue[excuse the unintended pun]. I was indeed unprepared; Since I own volumes I-III; I had no choice but to buy this ELP set. Volume IV contrasts dodgy to somewhat good -great audio performances of ELP specifically comparing/contrasting the ELP years of 1977/1978/1992. It is a true sucessor to volumes I-III.

For the biographer Karl Holl chamber music was “Friedrich Gernsheim’s very special artistic domain”. The composer again and again returned to this field during the course of his life, from his beginnings in Leipzig and Paris to his later Berlin years. The Violin Sonatas in particular stand out in this group within his oeuvre because they, more than any other genre, document his compositional development.

Trois solistes de référence se sont réunis à Paris pour célébrer la musique de Ludwig van Beethoven en cette année où l’on commémore les 250 ans de la naissance du génial compositeur allemand. Ils ont enregistré les deux uniques trios de Beethoven pour piano, clarinette et violoncelle, Opus 11 et Opus 38. Il s’agît du troisième album de Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro pour Paraty. Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro est un des grands pianistes de sa génération, il est également directeur artistique de l’Ensemble Chostakovitch DSCH. Il revient cette fois-ci au disque accompagné du célèbre clarinettiste Pascal Moraguès, premier clarinette solo de l’Orchestre de Paris depuis quarante ans et du prestigieux violoncelliste Adrian Brendel qui a dans sa discographie l’intégrale des sonates pour violoncelle et piano de Beethoven en compagnie du légendaire pianiste Alfred Brendel. Le présent album a été enregistré à la Seine Musicale.

This enchanting duet project features Polish-born (and Berklee grad) Marek Dykta engaging in some intimate guitar dialogues with his friend and mentor John Abercrombie. Between four delicate waltzes, including Dykta's affecting "2642", the playfully dissonant " How They Dance" and the lovely "Ten Nights" along with Dykta's gorgeous " The Day that wouldn't End" and Abercrombie's introspective "Foolish Door", this is a brilliant collection of luminous, warm-toned improvisations.