English-speaking audiences have always found Die Meistersinger to be a life-enhancing celebration of wisdom, art and song. So it proves in David McVicar's production – the first at Glyndebourne – which is updated to the early-19th century of Wagner's childhood. At the centre of a true ensemble cast is Gerald Finley, a 'gleamingly sung', 'eminently believable' Sachs (The Independent on Sunday), supported by the dynamic conducting of Vladimir Jurowski which, like McVicar's production, uses Glyndebourne's special intimacy to bring sharp focus to bear on the subtlety of Wagner's musical and dramatic counterpoint.

Swedish hard rockers Crazy Lixx's new album, "Street Lethal" is chock full of huge choruses, memorable hooks and riffs, and wailing, emotive guitar solos, fans of the band will be thrilled and delighted by what is on offer here. Massive production comes courtesy of Danny Rexon, who, over the past couple of years, has really turned into a master craftsman in the studio. WithTobias Lindell (H.E.A.T, Europe, Hardcore Superstar etc.) handling the mix, this album is sure to resonate with old fans and new listeners alike.

Jarvi directs a characteristically warm and urgent performance of this exuberant inspiration of the 24-year-old composer. It is by far the longest symphony that Dvorak ever wrote, and was longer still in its original form, before the composer revised it. As Ray Minshull put it, when commenting on the Kertesz/LSO issue, which he had produced for Decca, Dvorak ''later learnt to be jubilant more concisely''. The jubilation is what matters, and there is plenty of that on this record yet the issue brings my first significant disappointment in Jarvi's Dvorak series.

80s series such as, "Stranger Things" are breaking records on Netflix, fashion labels throw "80s retro models" on the market every month and Mötley Crüe are returning to a US stadium tour after the apocalypse with Poison and Def Leppard. It smells, tastes and almost feels like it was 1984 again! The Supernova Plasmajets have come to take you by the hand and travel back to the future with you: That means modern female fronted metal with the spirit of the long-missed 80s stadium rock. Since 2013 and releasing two records, they are on the road as ambassadors of the 80s and have come to present the music of this great time as gnarly rockers to a new generation.

Yuja Wang joins her close friend and collaborator Gautier Capuçon to present a new recording of Rachmaninoff’s monumental Sonata for Piano and Cello. In four movements the sonata is filled with the character so typical of Russia’s Romantic era. Few composers before Rachmaninoff could have so deeply explored the cello’s capacity for expressive tenderness and intensity.

With the two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, Johann Sebastian Bach left posterity one of the most dazzling masterpieces in the history of music. Formal rigour and musical emotion meet in perfect communion. Following several outstanding recordings of other works by Bach, Andreas Staier invites us to climb this Everest once again, but starting, as it were, with the north face, the second book, and revealing its poetry, its sensibility and its daunting architecture with the utmost naturalness.

On this unusual CD, the remarkable harmonica player Toots Thielemans explores a variety of mostly French melodies. The music is often nostalgic and wistful but generally swinging, with enough different tempos to hold one's interest throughout. The oddest aspect of the set is that there is an overdubbed vocal apiece by Diana Krall ("La Vie en Rose"), Dianne Reeves, Johnny Mathis, Shirley Horn, and a promising newcomer known here only as Chip; Krall, Reeves, and Chip sing in French. Thielemans plays beautifully throughout the relaxed date, which includes "I Wish You Love," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "Once Upon a Summertime," and "Moulin Rouge." Easily recommended.

For 21 years, Belgium’s Amenra have been creating sludge-tinged hardcore so visceral and explosive that every album they release feels momentous in impact. De Doorn (the thorn) is absolutely no exception to the rule - not only is this their debut with Relapse Records, it’s also a shift away from their traditionally-named Mass albums. Having cycled through Mass I to VI, De Doorn feels like a departure from previous material, and so a change in name is suitably apt. Less rigid in structure, it’s bathed in poignant moments of soft ambience which lend a shimmering luminescence to frontman Colin H. Van Eeckhout’s cleanly sung vocals. As a result, in the moments where Amenra finally do lose control and feel just a little heavier, Colin’s animalistic screams come over a touch more feral…

This programme reflects a personal journey: I am Belgian, I studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and now I live in France. I wanted to present composers from these three countries, taking as my cornerstone the English song repertory and the English language. It was Britten’s On this Island that started me thinking in this direction. William Walton’s Daphne and Ivor Gurney’s tiny but intensely fresh Spring touch me enormously and form a part of my life experience.

Horror metal veterans Theatres Des Vampires are back with their long-waited new album ‘In Nomine Sanguinis’. Theatres Des Vampires return to the scene of the crime with an extraordinary effort: stylish cinematic and horror orchestrations, smart dark electro sounds and lush catchy/poppy vocal lines will resonate in your head through all these meticulously crafted ten new songs. ‘In Nomine Sanguinis’ combines the sensual touch of the Italian band with renowned songwriting brilliance and elegance, shaping the ultimate gothic metal pinnacle. Some of the intriguing lyrics conceived by leader and frontwoman Sonya Scarlet have roots in decadent romantic literature such as Goethe’s ‘The Bride of Corinth’ and Francis Marion Crawford’s ‘For the Blood Is the Life’; others represent a descent into the abyss of the human soul and the very esoteric nature of life. Overall, ‘In Nomine Sanguinis’ is the quintessential modern vampiric manifesto.