Following the enthusiastic reception of Book 1, Trevor Pinnock continues with the recordings of the second book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, exploring the summit of Bach’s intellectual and contrapuntal mastery.

Continuing her inspiring series of discs exploring the solo piano repertory of the Polish Romantic, Xaver Scharwenka, Seta Tanyel here turns her attention to two of his four piano concertos. These unashamedly appealing works should by no means be judged by their relative unfamiliarty; they are among the most impressive of all the neglected concertos championed in our series, as Stephen Hough’s Gramophone Award winning recording of the 4th concerto (CDA66790) has shown. In the capable hands of Tanyel, the 2nd and 3rd concertos are rich with the harmonic poise of Schumann, the melodic coquettishness of Chopin and even the passion of Rachmaninov; a disc as enlightening as it is thrilling.

Haydn composed more than twenty operas, mainly for the sumptuous theatre at Eszterháza, the palace of his long-time employers, the princes of Esterházy. Even so, his work in the operatic field remains largely neglected. This disc focuses on an even more closely guarded secret: the so-called 'insertion arias' that Haydn wrote for inclusion in operas by other composers. The rarely, if at all, recorded music includes Haydn's three contributions to La Circe, an opera pasticcio which combined music by several composers, and six of the surviving insertion arias. Among these is Infelice sventurata, written for an opera by Cimarosa, and one of Haydn's finest arias, here movingly performed by Miah Persson. The Swedish soprano shares the greater part of the programme with the Swiss tenor Bernard Richter.

Akin to the Darkness in their unabashedly over the top, retro-fetishist, classic rock style, English rockers the Struts burst onto an unsuspecting public with big dreams and loud mouths to match. The band was the brainchild of singer Luke Spiller, the child of strict Christian parents, who had dreamed of being a showman ever since becoming obsessed with Michael Jackson at the age of seven. With his sexualized swagger, powerful voice, and outrageous pronouncements like "I was born to do this, and I'll die doing it," Spiller came off like a cross between Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Robert Plant. The band's music was a similar blend of '60s and '70s tropes, with big, singalong choruses that earned their videos hundreds of thousands of YouTube hits and won them a deal with Mercury Records.

Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru (Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful period in the 1980s, with their album Anthem winning the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985.

Clear, precise music featuring rhythmic refinement as free as it is polished, with vibrations that are, in the final analysis, more morbid than conquering, a series of enchantments idealising the violin as the charming bard of the inexpressible. A new form of Expressionism and a timeless challenge for performers.

The composer of Julietta left seven string quartets that do not, by any means, form a cycle but rather a succession of testimonies stretching from 1920 to 1947. This second volume – the first is on PRAGA 250 205 - juxtaposed the French Quartet (No. 1), a lengthy and luxurious, homage to Debussy and Dvorak, the shortest (No.3) ‘pocket’ Quartet and the Sixth written in the post-war utopia, a fantastic counterpoint of madrigals for strings with astonishing polymelodicism, introduction da camera to last Symphony No. 6 (Symphonic Fantasies, 1951-53), with his earnest, struggling character and high symphonic spirit.

Second volume devoted to the chamber music of the Hungarian pianist-composer-conductor, illustrating the late blossoming of a neo-Germanic Romanticism combined with Magyar nationalism in the style of Brahms. Concertante music in the heritage of Liszt, creating a dialogue between the keyboard compere, with strings treated like an ensemble of soloists. A new tribute paid to a master who made the Hungarian musical scene and his younger colleagues Bartók, Kodály and Weiner internationally famous between the wars.

These pieces are remembrances of some Gidon Kremer’s passings in Prague, during Soviet time… Kremer was then at the dawn of his career, one among the most brilliant for a violinist in our time! As an ‘ambassador’ of the Soviet Ministry for Culture in the ‘brother countries’, he owed to his mentor, David Oistrakh, a sort of freedom, demonstrated here in this recording. His absolutely perfect touch and his freedom of expression were the delight of his patrons in the welcoming communist countries… The short piece by Alfred Schnittke, then still hand written only, was an example of his wish to play scores out of the ‘classics’ from Bach to Stravinsky and to help other musicians through chamber music sessions. This record allows to hear the faked G.B. Guadagnini inherited from his grandfather.

'Appalachian Spring' and 'El Salón Mexicó' are archetypical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast landscapes, cowboys and pioneer spirit. Yet, in the 20th century perhaps only Stravinsky was as adept in as many styles as Aaron Copland [1900-1990]. His Piano Concerto, first performed by Serge Koussevitsky, is a good example of Copland the modernist but he also wrote chamber music, ballets, operas and film scores, as well as teaching, writing and latterly conducting. The winter of 1950 saw Copland take a break from writing his superlative 'Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson' and, inspired by a Pears and Britten recital in late 1949, he took five of his favourite American songs and arranged them for voice with piano. Pears and Britten liked them so much that they gave the premiere together at the Aldburgh Festival in 1950.

Supply, Demand & Curve was an Irish progressive rock group from Dublin active during the 70's consisting of musicians like composer Roger Doyle (featured in the likes of electronic groups like Fovea Hex), Brian Masterson, Jolyon Jackson, Paddy Finney, Greg Boland (of Moving Hearts),Paul McAteer, Fran Breen and Rosemarie Taylor. The group started out under the name Jazz Therapy and lasted until 1977 with only one released album which musically shares some of the jazz and folk sensibilities with the more accessible progressive rock bands in the Canterbury scene.

Hailed by many as the heir to Opeth's melodeath throne, In Mourning was formed in the Swedish woods in the year 2000. Since then the band has evolved over the years, striving to refine its sound to what it is today. Musically, the group blends a broad spectrum of influences into a foundation of melodic death metal. Thrusting from doomy metal-riffs, blasting drumbeats and deep growling vocals to calm breezes of clean flowing melodies and harmonies.
"Afterglow" takes off where the previous one, "The Weight Of Oceans" (2012), ends. It's more complex, yet more alive, with key In Mourning elements - and a few new twists and turns. The cover artwork was made by Kristian Wåhlin (Bathory, Tiamat, King Diamond). "Afterglow" is the first album featuring new drummer, Daniel Liljekvist (ex-Katatonia).

Shabazz captures Cobham's Total Eclipse band in a live setting, and contains two originals, "Shabazz" and "Tenth Pin." The other two songs, "Taurian Matador" and "Red Baron," which debuted on Cobham's classic recording, Spectrum, are given an impressive update. All of the songs are blowing sessions allowing each musician ample time to develop their ideas. Cobham attacks his drums with a vengeance on the introduction to "Shabazz" and on his powerful solo for "Tenth Pin." This is a good, old-fashioned blowing session that captures one of Cobham's best bands at their peak.

Listening to this Purple Rain-era live show from Syracuse in 1985, you’re reminded how introverted Prince was. Does he dazzle? Yes. Does he dance? Yes—and shred, and sweat, and offer you his most carnal love. But he also creates a sense of interiority that, if not at odds with how physical the music is, at least feels remarkable when you remember there were 50,000 people there with him. God and Satan (“Let’s Go Crazy”), Mom and Dad (“When Doves Cry”), U and Me (“Let’s Pretend We’re Married”): He sees the lines and he blurs them. The funniest banter comes on “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” when he asks, “Does your man have an ass like mine?” But the one that gets under your skin is on “God” because when he says, “I know you better than you think I do,” he says it like he might.

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to present "Live From Hollywood", a new live album and long-form video from internationally renowned rock guitarist Orianthi. Available on CD/DVD and Blu-ray, "Live From Hollywood" will be released on July 15, 2022. The performance was captured on January 8, 2022 at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, CA and sees the guitarist and her excellent backing band in fine form, playing songs from Orianthi's most recent release "O" and cuts like her hit, 'According To You'. This new live release serves as an appetizer for Orianthi's upcoming new studio album, which will be released later in 2022.