In its original form, Maria di Rohan was without doubt the most audacious result – pre-Verdi – of aesthetic transformation beyond the courtly dramas of “long Italian classicism”. The opera’s intrigue develops like an unstoppable machine: the fatal triangle formed by Maria, Chalais and Chevreuse being the work of Richelieu’s absolute power (despite never appearing on stage). Like trapped animals, the characters hopelessly search for a way out, and they devour each other in turn. Recorded at the Bergamo Donizetti Festival, October 2011, this is the first DVD release of Donizetti’s 1843 opera.

…bold, intelligent readings, cooler than some but none the worse for that, and superbly engineered under the watchful eye of recording producer Chris Hazell. They give you Beethoven shorn of mannerism or affection, which is fine in my book. Bronfman plays Beethoven's own cadenzas.

There is no shortage of performances of the two Bach cantatas on this release by the Ricercar Consort and the Collegium Vocale Gent, under the direction of gambist Philippe Perlot. They are two of the most imposing among Bach's examples of the form, with two large sections, a variety of movement types and elaborate orchestration, and Bach strove to impress with both. Good readings are available in cycles by conductors John Eliot Gardiner, Masaaki Suzuki, and others, but there's a lot to be said for Perlot's approach, which has been developed over a deliberate set of recordings of cantatas that have something to say to each other.

Who needs another recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations? After all, there have been so many great recordings of the work already – Landowska, Kempff, Gould, Pinnock, and Leonhardt, to name a few – that surely no one needs another recording of the Goldberg. Actually, everyone needs another recording of the Goldbergs provided that it's a recording of a great performance. There's too much in the Goldberg – too much brilliance, too much sorrow, too much humor, too much spirituality – for any one performance, even the best performance, to contain all of it. So long as the performance honors the work's honesty, integrity, and virtuosity, there's always room for another Goldberg on the shelf. This 2001 recording by Andras Schiff belongs on any shelf of great Goldbergs. Schiff has everything it takes – the virtuosity; the integrity; and most importantly, the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual honesty – to turn in a great Goldberg. Indeed, Schiff has already done so in his 1982 Decca recording of the work, a lucid and pellucid performance of tremendous beauty and depth. But as good as the 1982 recording was, the 2001 recording is better.

Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder’s latest album, Soirée de Vienne, features music by Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann and Strauss and celebrates his home city. The recording captures both the lost world of salon soirées and Vienna’s legendary attitude to life, with its heady blend of intensity and insouciance, earthiness and beauty.

In 2020, Pain of Salvation have already shattered expectations with the release of their latest studio album "Panther", but Swedish progressive metal/rock innovators are not finished yet: celebrating the 20th anniversary of its original release, the third Pain Of Salvation album is resurrected in a completely remixed and remastered form as "The Perfect Element, Pt. I (Anniversary Mix 2020)".
Here, the group effectively melds strong compositions with pertinent injections of technical proficiency and shrewdly crafted rhythmic developments. However, in most instances, the musicians infuse raucous heavy metal type licks with '70s-style progressive rock, as they perhaps intimate the best of both idioms via resplendent imagery, driving beats, and crunching guitars along with a penchant for fabricating memorable melodies…

Global reissue of 2019 Japanese SHM-CD edition.. Time Waits for No One: Anthology 1971–1977 is a compilation album by The Rolling Stones released in 1979 (released worldwide except for the U.S.). It covers the period from Sticky Fingers in 1971 until Love You Live in 1977. Only two of ten single A-sides from the period are included—"Angie" and "Fool to Cry". It was released for the first time on CD in May 2019 in Japan, making use of the standard version of the title track and the censored version of "Star Star".

The Godfather Of Soul, James Brown was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music, as evidenced on new collection Super Bad Live!

Rusty Bryant, a veteran R&B tenor player, was somewhat forgotten at the time of his debut Prestige album, but due to the commercial success of this recording, Bryant would record seven more sessions for Prestige during the next five years. Actually, this date is a bit surprising, with Bryant sticking exclusively to alto and sometimes using an electrified model similar to what Lou Donaldson was playing at the time. The music (mostly blues-oriented originals) is enjoyable, with plenty of boogaloos and soulful vamps. In addition to Bryant, the main soloists are guitarist Grant Green, in excellent form, and organist Sonny Phillips.