Jon Vickers one of the great Othellos of the 20th century brings his remarkable vocal power and dramatic intensity to the role, with Renata Scotto as Desdemona at the height of her powers and Cornell MacNeil's manacing Iago in one of the baritone's greatest roles. James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in one of the most thrilling performances of the decade.

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto presents a new arrangement for string orchestra of Philip Glass’s String Quartet No. 3, which Glass derived from his epic film score Mishima. Pekka Kuusisto performs this new arrangement together with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, of which he is Artistic Director as of 2021.

Born into a working-class family, Anders Eliasson’s earliest musical experiences originated from within himself: ‘they were my own singing, and tunes I heard on the radio’. At the age of nine he began to play the trumpet, and soon after he became the leader of a jazz band for which he wrote arrangements. Aged 14, he found a local organist to teach him harmony and counterpoint, and at 16 he left his hometown for Stockholm to study privately.

In this album called “Hope”, created during lockdown, violinist Daniel Hope presents a highly personal, yet distinctive collection of timeless classics by Schubert, Elgar and Pärt, several beloved traditional songs in stunning new instrumental versions and a brand-new arrangement of the inspiring and spiritual Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez. “Music has a tremendous power,” says Daniel Hope. “This album is my attempt to send out a ray of hope and to provide people, myself included, with a sense of support and perhaps even consolation.” Well-known favourites from Hope’s childhood such as Amazing Grace and Danny Boy are as integral to this album as Schubert’s Die Nacht and “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Several different periods are illuminated in this way, and the same is true of the most disparate styles and musical contexts. Daniel Hope is joined by the Zürcher Kammerorchester as well as prestigious singers like the vocal ensemble Amarcord, baritone Thomas Hampson and jazz-singer Colin Rich.

Tape Five is an international studio project based in Germany created by multi-instrumentalist songwriter-producer Martin Strathausen. Tape Five combines a variety of styles and influences: The focus on Swing or Electro-Swing, but also Bossanova, Latin, Soul and NuJazz with their very own vivid retro interpretation in a classy way. For years, Tape Five has expanding global record sales and millions of Spotify streams, it´s albums frequently appear in the top 40 charts of the big international online-retailers… Selected songs can be found on about a thousand compilations (“Café del Mar”, “Campari Lounge”, “Swing Mania” and many more), they can be heard on Ad-campaigns from Spain and Hongkong to the USA and are playlisted on countless radio stations.

Despite an excellent debut, India.Arie still had much to prove with her second record. Several of her neo-soul compatriots, from D'Angelo to Erykah Badu to Macy Gray, had faltered with sophomore albums, and it appeared she may have already said everything she had to say on Acoustic Soul. That anticipation, and trepidation, is exactly what makes Voyage to India such a beautiful surprise; it's a record that easily equals her debut, boasting better vocal performances but also better songwriting and accompanying production. As on her debut, there is a marked balance of organic and artificial: an acoustic guitar paces many tracks, though the edges are shorn off for a digital feel; the beats are often sampled, but there are still plenty of handclaps and fingersnaps; and the arrangements are simple yet obviously very polished. The improvement in her songwriting is most obvious from the first three tracks (after the short intro). The themes driving "Little Things" (keeping it simple), "Talk to Her" (the importance of honesty, warmth, and communication in relationships), and "Slow Down" (taking life one day at a time) certainly have been covered already, many times even, but India.Arie writes with a fresh perspective that makes it sound as though she's the first to broach the topic.

Never let it be said that Lenny Kravitz lives in the past – he knows that 2008 is all about the resurrection of Led Zeppelin, so he's constructed his eighth album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, as a virtual tribute to the mighty Zep…

This album will jump into the ears of the innocent and strike the heart of its soul. A solid mixture of rock n soul with a unique vocal delivery and sound that fuses rock, soul and Motown filling the void in female rock today. “No Frogs For Snakes,” will jump into the Ears of the Innocent and Strike the Heart of it’s Soul! Coming off a fantastic year of singing, touring, and writing Eliza Neals is prepared to release “No Frogs” in the chaos of 2008. Her strong, raspy voice balanced with piano and unique song arrangements fills the void in Female Rock today! Eliza Neals is a dynamic front woman, multi-talented musician, confident producer and outstanding live performer plus the voice of the ‘new blues’ for this generation.

Here are the Monteverdi Vespers as you’ve never heard them before! ‘I see these Vespers as a great incantatory ritual that connects the sacred with the pagan, the intimate with the collective. I experienced this powerful sensation many times in my childhood, in the choir of an abbey: the intense, warm light of a late summer day, filtering in from the west and reflected all the way up to the choir’, says Simon-Pierre Bestion. The founder of La Tempête has made very personal choices for this recording, notably concerning the composition of the orchestra, which he has enriched with instruments from different cultures, including the serpent and the chitarrone. He has added ‘fauxbourdons’, simple improvised chants deriving from folk tradition. The colours of the voices in these Vespers are also very unusual: Bestion follows in the tradition of oral polyphony as it still exists in Corsica, Sardinia and Georgia.

Undoubtedly our interest and passion for the works composed throughout the 20th century have informed the choice of repertoire proposed in this record – the result of a long period of study and artistic collaboration. This repertoire has been part of our concert programmes for many years and represents four major milestones of the chamber music repertoire for the flute and guitar. Each work proposes a different compositional style – peculiar musical grammars and language with a varied and contrasting artistic vision delivered by each composer.

Contemporary cuts, but with a vibe that resonates with the best modes of 70s mellow soul and AOR – an impeccable selection of tracks that we might have missed otherwise, pulled from a range of releases from around the globe! Some of these are artists that have more presence in the digital market than the physical one, others are maybe older acts that have continued to make great music underground – and together, the 19 tracks in this set deliver plenty of the promised sparkle throughout! Titles include "Fireplace" by Penthouse, "On The Very Low" by Ivan Ave, "Call It Home" by Ginger Root, "1/7 (10*9)" by Julia Wu, "Goddess" by Matt Johnson, "You'll Never Get To Heaven" by Workshy, "Lose June" by Randy Goodrum, "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me" by Young Gun Silver Fox, "Another One" by Mandoo, "BMPD" by Smooth Reunion, "Aim High" by 9m88, "Cauliflower" by Jak Lizard, and "Live Learn" by The California Honeydrops.