Ludwig van Beethoven’s only oratorio Christus am Ölberge (‘Christ on the Mount of Olives’) portrays Jesus’ emotional struggles in the garden of Gethsemane before being seized by soldiers and taken for crucifixion. The work has an Italianate form with recitatives, arias and choruses, and its operatic attributes show Christ as a very human figure, a dramatic precursor to the sufferings of Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio. The tender and beautiful Elegischer Gesang is a memorial to the young wife of one of Beethoven’s close friends.

Five albums from Joe Satriani – picked seemingly at random but not unappealingly – are collected on this budget-priced 2013 box set. The albums here – Surfing with the Alien, Engines of Creation, Strange Beautiful Music, Is There Love in Space?, Super Colossal – arguably showcase Satriani at his best, even if they don't focus on any particular time…

Niels Pedersen became one of the most heralded jazz bassists of his generation, playing with Bud Powell and Sonny Rollins while gaining international acclaim for his many recordings with Oscar Peterson. But the phenomenal bassist, whose sound is readily identifiable with a note or two, especially shined as a leader. This live CD documents a pair of concerts with guitarist Ulf Wakenius (who also worked with Peterson) and drummer Jonas Johansen, the first five tracks from 1999 and the last six from Pedersen's final recorded concert in March 2005, just a few weeks before his sudden death from a heart attack…

Canada’s iconic group the Tragically Hip have returned with Saskadelphia, a surprise album made up of unreleased material from 1990. It’s the band’s first album since vocalist Gord Downie died of brain cancer in 2017, though a posthumous Downie solo LP called Away Is Mine emerged last fall.

Craft Recordings has revealed the full details of the forthcoming Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age: a compilation of 1960s-era psychedelic rock featuring cult-classic artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Circus Maximus and Southwest F.O.B.

A 5CD collection featuring the albums Frank, Back To Black, and Lioness: Hidden Treasures. Frank was Amy’s debut album, originally released on 20th October 2003 and features hit single "Stronger Than Me" for which Amy won an Ivor Novello Award in 2004. Back To Black was originally released on October 27th, 2006 and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide to date. It features the singles "Rehab," "You Know I’m No Good," "Back To Black," "Tears Dry On Their Own’ and "Love Is A Losing Game." Lioness: Hidden Treasures is a posthumous compilation album, first released on 2nd December 2011 and notably features the Grammy Award-winning duet "Body and Soul" with Tony Bennett. In addition to these three albums, the set contains Live In London, a concert recorded at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London in 2007, and a collection of remixes from Frank and Back To Black, such as a Hot Chip remix of "Rehab," and a Kardinal Beats remix of "Love Is A Losing Game." These two discs appear on CD for the first time as part of this set.

Leonard Cohen seems singularly determined to document his adventures in live performances which began when he returned to the concert stage in 2008, and Live in Dublin is the third live album Cohen has released in just five years. Given how satisfying 2009's Live in London was, one might reasonably wonder how badly one would need another concert souvenir, especially in such a short period of time, but comparing Live in Dublin with Live in London and 2010's Songs from the Road, one can readily see how Cohen's live show has seasoned since he returned to duty…

Pet Shop Boys has released their new two-track CD single, "Cricket Wife".
The dramatic new song - almost 10 minutes long - features orchestral sounds and was written by Chris as a classical-style instrumental piece; the lyrics, meanwhile, are taken from a poem Neil Tennant had written. Pete Gleadall mixed the final track. The second track is a lockdown version of Pet Shop Boys classic "West End Girls", a completely new version of the classic song which debuted online in June 2020. Both tracks were recorded during the first lockdown last year, with Chris and Neil recording their parts in their respective homes.

After two LPs with little or no energy, Sade demonstrated some intensity and fire on her third release. Whether that was just an attempt to change the pace a bit or a genuine new direction, she had more animation in her delivery on such songs as "Haunt Me," "Give It Up," and the hit "Paradise." Not that she was suddenly singing in a soulful or bluesy manner; rather, Sade's dry and introspective tone now had a little more edge, and the lyrics were ironic as well as reflective. This was her third consecutive multi-platinum album, and it matched the two-million-plus sales level of her debut.

Security – which was titled Peter Gabriel everywhere outside of the U.S. – continues where the third Gabriel album left off, sharing some of the same dense production and sense of cohesion, yet lightening the atmosphere and expanding the sonic palette somewhat. The gloom that permeates the third album has been alleviated and while this is still decidedly somber and serious music, it has a brighter feel, partially derived from Gabriel's dabbling in African and Latin rhythms…