Bellini suits June Anderson surprisingly well: 'surprisingly' because her voice is bright and her manner somewhat impersonal and unyielding very much the opposite of sopranos like Selma Kurz and Galli-Curci, or in later days Montserrat Caballe, who could make the cantilena of ''Qui la voce'' and ''Ah, non credea mirarti'' a thing of ethereal tenderness and limpid purity. Yet the Sonnambula aria and a similarly sad and lovely solo from I Capuleti e i Montecchi are among the most satisfying items here. In both of them a prime virtue is that of the well-drawn line, closer to (say) dal Monte and Pagliughi than to Sutherland. She is also, if not exactly imaginative, at least sensitive in her handling of the phrases, and there is no hardening of the sort that with many Italians (dal Monte among them) makes one flinch at the approach of high notes.

Most recordings of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in D minor are based on the completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, which has become the standard performing version, though some of these offer minor modifications of the orchestration and alterations of Süssmayr's awkward counterpoint. Yet as far as historically informed reassessments of the Requiem are concerned, perhaps only Arthur Schoonderwoerd's performance with the Gesualdo Consort and Cristofori on the Accent label is an attempt to re-create the experience of a funeral mass in Vienna in the 1790s.

Five years since their much-acclaimed album VUUR VAN VERZET, early 2023 will see Dutch folk metal collective HEIDEVOLK return with their seventh studio album via Napalm Records, continuing to keep the pagan flame burning! Ever since their impressive 2005 debut, De strijdlust is geboren, HEIDEVOLK has taken the heavy music scene by storm, conquering stages throughout the world with their very own brand of folk metal. With dual clean vocals, irresistibly catchy songs, traditional instruments and fast metal riffing all fueled by their folkloric fire and pagan pride, HEIDEVOLK delivers for an uncompromising sound and musical adventure. Their new masterpiece, WEDERKEER, makes no exception, and proves why the Arnhem-based six-piece is one of the best, unrivaled and most exciting bands of their genre and beyond! In a world of myths, nature and legends of the Veluwe, Netherlands, the concept album is a powerful odyssey of the Self, deeply rooted in metal and folklore.

Insomnium will release their ninth album "Anno 1696" on February 24th 2023! With their latest masterpiece “Anno 1696”, Insomnium take us into a world woven of sorrow and last crumbling vestiges of hope, of wrath and morbid lullabies, an album relying on the strengths of their beloved trademark sounds and a new sense of grandiose, melancholic storytelling. Welcome to 1696. Welcome to hell.

Hyperion’s Romantic Violin Concerto series reaches volume 8 and the music of the Belgian composer Henry Vieuxtemps, himself widely considered the finest violinist in Europe after the death of Paganini. Listening to the repertoire recorded here, he certainly deserves to be ranked among the most important composers for the violin in the mid-nineteenth century. Vieuxtemps never indulged in sheer virtuosity for its own sake; instead in his concertos and chamber works he brought a more classical dimension to the violin repertoire in place of the technically brilliant variations and fantasies on popular operatic themes that were so popular with audiences.

The Végh Quartet was not only one of the finest string quartets from mid-twentieth century Europe, but its style was never subjected to radical change over the years from personnel changes because the four original players remained members for 38 of the 40 years of the ensemble's existence. Its style evolved in subtle ways, of course, but its essential character endured until 1978: the quartet was Central European in its sound, with a bit more prominence given to the cello in order to build tonal qualities from the bottom upward. The Végh Quartet was best known for its cycles – two each – of the Beethoven and Bartók quartets. It also performed and recorded many of the Haydn quartets, as well as numerous other staples of the repertory by Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, and Debussy. For a group that disbanded in 1980, its recordings are still quite popular, with major efforts available in varied reissues from Music & Arts, Archipel, Naïve, and Orfeo.

My Criminal Record is the 17th studio album by Australian musician Jimmy Barnes. The album was released on 31 May 2019. The album is Barnes' first solo album of primarily original material since 2010's Rage and Ruin. It became Barnes's 12th number-one album on the Australian albums chart, making him the artist with the most chart-topping albums in Australian chart history, having previously tied at 11 number ones with Madonna and U2.

Released as a private edition of only 200 copies in 1977 on the 'Joint' label (but recorded two years earlier, in 1975), Warlus 'Songs' could be regarded as the king of all French 70s obscure private pressings. Warlus was the brainchild of young musician Richard Maubert, who created a mini- masterpiece of twisted, melancholic fuzzed- out psychedelic- pop, with a charming homemade sound/ production and druggy atmosphere. Sung in English, it also brings to mind some obscure USA private pressings like Kath. This is a very special record that will appeal to both psych afficionados and fans of 70s DIY weirdness. If you like other French private pressings like Dandelion and Les Temps Heureux, you'll be amazed when you hear Warlus…

No Smoke Without Fire is the ninth studio album by rock band Wishbone Ash. It was the first album since 1972's Argus to be produced by Derek Lawrence. It was also the heaviest Wishbone Ash album in years, featuring rockers like the hit single "You See Red" and the multi-part epic "The Way of the World." Many fans considered this to be a true return to form after their flirt with an "American" sound on their previous trio of albums. After a 1978 tour to support the album, Wishbone Ash would take a one-year hiatus during 1979 before regrouping for songwriting sessions at the end of the year.

A brand-new, unreleased entry in the Lost Not Forgotten Archives, "Live at Madison Square Garden (2010)" sees Dream Theater supporting the legends, Iron Maiden, performing to a hometown New York audience in one of the world’s most iconic venues.

"Havana Candy" was Patti Austin's second solo album and was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. Stylistically, it's very similar to its predecessor and Patti's passionate and emotive vocals are truly magical and spellbinding on gorgeous ballads like "I Just Want To Know", "Little Baby" and "That's Enough For Me". While not commercially successful, "Havana Candy" is a Patti Austin classic which anyone who loves good music should not miss out on.