Passion is in actuality Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ, retitled as a result of legal barriers; regardless of its name, however, there's no mistaking the record's stirring power. Like much of Gabriel's solo work, the album is a product of his continuing fascination with world music, which he employs here to create an exceptionally beautiful and atmospheric tapestry of sound perfectly evocative of the film's resonant spiritual drama; inspired by field recordings collected in areas as diverse as Turkey, Senegal, and Egypt, Passion achieves a cumulative effect clearly Middle Eastern in origin, yet its brilliant fusion of ancient and modern musics ultimately transcends both geography and time.

Throughout his composing career, from his Hamburg days onwards, Brahms was devoted to writing choral music, both religious and secular, superbly crafted. In their recording, Robert Jones and the Choir of St Bride’s, Fleet Street, give fresh, clear performances. They are beautifully scaled to give the illusion of church performance, helped by warm, atmospheric recording.

Rolling Stones Fans attention: in 2019, "Demos & Outtakes 1963-1966" is a real treat, especially for Fans of the early years. The album title is program, it is a collection of rare Stones recordings, demos and outtakes from the years 1963 to 1966. Included are some well-known songs, but with different arrangements. A total of 40 tracks are waiting on two full CDs.

Shostakovich never wrote an original composition entitled "Chamber Symphony". Works known under this title are arrangements of the composer's string quartets by the conductor Rudolf Barshai and authorized by the composer. The String Quartet No. 1, Op. 49 was written in 1938, after the Great Terror from 1937 and can be considered as an act of inner emigration. The String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 was written 22 years later, within three days, from 12 to 14 July 1960, in the Saxon health resort of Gohrisch.

Complete Clapton is a greatest hits collection by British rock musician Eric Clapton, released on 9 October 2007 to accompany Clapton's official autobiography. An exclusive edition sold through Barnes & Noble bookstores in the United States included a bonus compact disc with four additional tracks. As with The Rolling Stones' Forty Licks, each disc has been compiled by different record companies: disc one, virtually identical to The Cream of Clapton by Polydor, and disc two by Warner Bros. Records. Clapton helped to promote the album by being interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show in 2007. The compilation debuted at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It also peaked at number two on the British albums chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company.

Vivaldi was already a renowned opera composer in Venice and throughout Italy, but he gained exceptional notoriety throughout Europe when the concerti constituting his Quattro Stagioni were published in Amsterdam. These theme concertos, which embraced the imagination of Arcimboldo, gained top billing in private and public concerts. But their composition for solo violin has impressive virtuosity and expression: Stefan Plewniak becomes both unchained and sensual in them, not giving the Orchestre de l'Opera Royal any opportunity for respite in intensely sounding out these seasons that are so emblematic of Baroque Europe!

Following the Revolution of 1789, it was no longer His Majesty's professional army, but the living body of the nation carried the flag of its new National Guard on the battlefield. Military music flourished as never before and influenced the entire musical scene of the time, resulting in a musical legacy dedicated to the triumphant glory of the Republic. This recording, featuring trumpets and drums, harmony orchestras, military rhythms and patriotic choruses, provides a 'very French' anthology: the French Army Choir and the Symphonic Orchestra of the Garde Republicaine, conducted by Herve Niquet, invite us to sing these odes to France, the immortal legacy of our forefathers, with panache and a hand on our hearts.

“Erik Satie and John Cage are UFOs in the world of music, because they envisioned music through a completely different prism,” says pianist Bertrand Chamayou. “They are pioneers in the sense that, for many people, they changed the very idea of what music must be.” With his album Letter(s) to Erik Satie Chamayou pays tribute to two idiosyncratic, innovative and influential composers, one born in Normandy in 1866, the other in Los Angeles in 1912. There is a strong connection between them: Cage considered Satie a source of inspiration. Satie takes pride of place on the album with such pieces as the three Gymnopédies and the seven Gnossiennes, while Cage is represented by five pieces and a work attributed to him following its rediscovery amongst the papers of his disciple James Tenney – whose musical homage to Satie also features in the programme. Chamayou recorded the album at the state-of-the-art Miraval Studios in Provence, which inspired him to take an experimental approach: “I thought we should do something a little different – and I thought of Erik Satie. This was an opportunity to get really intimate with the piano… Satie is really a special case, a strange musician unlike anyone else.”

Essential is a fine 16-track compilation that features all of Yello's best-known Eurodance hits including, of course, their signature song, "Oh Yeah" as well as earlier material like "Bostich," "Pinball Cha Cha," "Tied Up" and "Vicious Games." Yello is a Swiss electronic duo band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. The band is known for their 1985 single "Oh Yeah" which featured in the films Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Secret of My Success, American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, K-9, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and as the theme song for the character Duffman on The Simpsons. Their 1988 single "The Race" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, and was also featured in the film Nuns on the Run.

Santana III is an album that undeservingly stands in the shadows behind the towering legend that is the band's second album, Abraxas. This was also the album that brought guitarist Neal Schon – who was 17 years old – into the original core lineup of Santana. Percussionist Thomas "Coke" Escovedo was brought in to replace (temporarily) José Chepitó Areas, who had suffered a brain aneurysm, yet who recovered quickly and rejoined the band. The rest were Carlos, organist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Schrieve, bassist David Brown, and conguero Michael Carabello. "Batuka" is the powerful first evidence of something being very different. The band was rawer, darker, and more powerful with twin leads and Schon's harder, edgier rock & roll sound paired with Carlos' blend of ecstatic high notes and soulful fills.

The Christmas Attic is the second album by the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, released in 1998. The cover art is by Edgar Jerins. On November 18, 2004, The Christmas Attic was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Trans-Siberian Orchestra's second album, Christmas Attic, may not be as focused or serious as Christmas Eve, but it is just as enjoyable and maybe even more consistent, thanks to Paul O'Neill's increasingly impressive compositions and an improved musicality.

After the '70s, Jethro Tull struggled with each album to update their sound, but kept falling short with out-of-place synthesizers and drum machines. Three attempts at harder-rocking albums were followed by the Little Light Music tour in 1992, one which took a step back into a relaxing semi-acoustic setting. This album, a document of that May's European shows, should be treasured by fans looking for something more than the 10,000th performance of "Aqualung" (although it does contain the 10,001st performance of "Locomotive Breath"). The playing highlights the gentlest musical abilities of Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, bassist/mandolinist Dave Pegg, and temporary drummer Dave Mattacks (Pegg's Fairport Convention buddy). Old favorites are rearranged alongside rarely performed tunes from the Tull catalog.

One of the unsung British progressive bands of the early 1970s, the Strawbs differed from their more successful compatriots – the Moody Blues, King Crimson, Pink Floyd – principally in that their sound originated in English folk music rather than rock. Their transformation from acoustic bluegrass outfit to progressive folk-rock innovators was an impressive feat, and they hit their stride with gems like 1972's Grave New World and its follow-up, Bursting at the Seams. As the '70s wore on, the Strawbs' career began to falter with ongoing lineup and label changes marring their progress. They survived a breakup at the end of the decade and went on to enjoy a robust revival in the mid-'80s that, while not quite up to the level of their peak years, helped carry them and their fans into the 21st century. The Strawbs of the 2000s were particularly prolific, delivering an array of studio albums with highlights like 2005's Painted Sky and 2009's The Broken Hearted Bride. Over the years, the group has managed to remain stylistically adventurous even on late-period outings like 2021's Settlement, released over 50 years after their debut, and 2023's The Magic of It All, featuring songs written for a film about the band's following in South Africa.

The gorgeous early music releases of France's Alpha label, each illustrated with a relevant painting along with discussion of both the music and the artwork, offer a splendid introduction to the culture of the ancien régime. The discussions get down to the kind of depth that academics traffic in, yet the performances are by and large sensuous ones entrusted to some of France's best historical-instrument ensembles.

Thomas Zehetmair’s manually overwhelming and thought-provoking ECM recording of the complete sonatas for unaccompanied violin by Eugène Ysaÿe – released in 2004 to great critical acclaim – offered ample proof that alleged virtuoso pyrotechnics can be surprinsingly multi-faceted and complex when approached by a musician with a rare awareness of stylistic layers and expressive traditions. His (long deleted) Teldec version of the Capricci dating from the early nineties quickly won the status of a new benchmark recording.