Pianist Lara Melda and the acclaimed Carducci Quartet present A Portrait of Chopin, a striking reimagining of Chopin’s First and Second Piano Concerti, arranged for piano and string quartet.The project offers an intimate perspective on these pianistic masterpieces, illuminating their chamber-like qualities and evoking the spirit of 19th-century salons where Chopin himself might have performed. Lara Melda, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2010, is celebrated for her expressive touch and refined interpretations, earning acclaim on major stages worldwide.

The aim of this musical tour - an expedition that travels backwards, from today to the Renaissance - is to reconstruct the overarching strands that comprise and unite five centuries of music of a "Roman school" famed for its contrapuntal rigour, melodic flair and popular roots. The label "romano", which many a musician of bygone eras proudly displayed after their name, is a sure sign of belonging to a school, to a special style. The backdrop for this excursion back in time is Rome, which in this same Jubilee Year of 2025 is the destination for millions of pilgrims on the march from every part of the world, each with their own history and culture. And the various stops on the journey present the music of the eternal city, a music that - no matter whether sacred or secular or whatever the type of work - is as capable today as then of moving, delighting and nourishing the soul of any human being. After exploring the personality of Giovanni Zamboni (L'ultimo romano, 2016) and the refinements of the French repertoire (Meditation, 2022), in this, his third solo album for Arcana, Simone Vallerotonda engages with contemporary and ancient music, broadening the horizons of the lute with a confidence and sense of novelty that fascinate and surprise.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (or P.F.M.) were arguably the finest Italian Progressive rock band of the 1970 s and certainly one of the most well known. A successful act in their home land, they came to international attention when they signed to Manticore label in 1973, recording a series of albums with English lyrics, some penned by Elp and King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield. Over the next four years they released four studio albums and a live recording for the label, and it is from these albums that this 2CD anthology is drawn. In addition, four previously unreleased live recordings from the Manticore vaults also grace this collection, along with the CD debut of a rare B-side to a UK single.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has held a prominent place in British music-making for more than seven decades. With a wide reach across Britain, in addition to its regular concerts in London's Cadogan Hall, including concerts in places where access to orchestral music is limited, the RPO can lay claim to the title of Britain's national orchestra. The RPO incorporates the pops-oriented Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the avant-garde Sharp Edge group, and RPO Resound, a community and educational outreach program.

Irrespective of the ups and downs of her career, Tracy Chapman has had one thing going for her that a number of singer/songwriters lack: a major label. This assures that she'll always get what every performer wants: a fair hearing and perhaps even radio exposure. On Let It Rain, Chapman turns in another introspective album that flows quietly from track to track and will remind listeners of New Beginning (1995) and Telling Stories (2000).

Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner have a unique musical companionship. Both artists bred the '80s British music scene into pop candy delight thanks to Marr's charming guitar hooks while fronting the Smiths, and Sumner, whose ingenuous lyrical poetry pushed New Order's dance-oriented sound into the new wave mainstream. But since their musical collaboration began back in 1991, the duo continues to make music for themselves, uninhibited by current norms and marketing success. Twisted Tenderness, the band's third album, is certainly a vast improvement over their sophomore effort, 1996's Raise the Pressure. Twisted Tenderness steps back into Marr's talented guitar work: carefree, a bit rollicking at times, but in classic Electronic fashion…

Sam Cooke - aka 'The Man Who Invented Soul' - is the most important R&B singer of all time.This compilation features the very best of his recordings between 1957 and 1960, seventeen of which were US hits, including four million sellers, 'You Send Me', 'I'll Come Running Back To You', 'Wonderful World' and 'Chain Gang'.Alongside his hits are a number of collector's rarities, including various B sides and tracks from his 1960 LPs 'Cooke's Tour' and 'Hits of the '50s', which have not previously appeared on CD.This is an enormously influential body of work which effectively laid down the roots for '60s Soul.

London based Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate are Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland on their own or with Kathryn Thomas. They combine prog/alt-rock, classical, minimalist, and electronic elements. They often explore scientific, sci-fi, and historical themes. The 8th album by Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate explores the idea of uncertainty. Certainty is, on the whole, comfortable, but often misleading and dangerous.

Jeff Parker’s 2016 album The New Breed was a turning point for both Parker and for International Anthem, changing the trajectory of his solo career as well as drawing an abundance of attention to our fresh imprint despite our then very limited catalog. Most importantly though, the album is the first to give voice to Parker’s wholly unique take on sample-based beat construction augmented by a crack squad of improv-savvy LA breezers—the high-level crew of Paul Bryan (bass), Josh Johnson (alto sax), and Jamire Williams (drums), augmented by Jay Bellerose (drums) and Ruby Parker (vocals).

The achievements of the brothers Gibb are truly unique. No other band has scored Number Ones around the globe in each of five decades. This album contains the best-loved number one singles, plus classic songs taken from Number One albums. In all, 20 stunning tracks which prove the Bee Gees' Greatest achievement: touching the heart and soul of millions of people with their music.

Rademann makes Bach shine writes pizzicato about the series. VISION.BACH, which has won several record awards and is being released in 10 editions - 300 years after the premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach's first cantata in Leipzig. The ensemble of the Bachakademie, the Gaechinger Cantorey, plays under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann. For this purpose it comprises the instrumentalists and up to four vocalists per voice, including the soloists, all specialists in their field, as Bach himself wished it. This is a vision that only now can be fulfilled in its ideal form. To this day the music will inspire its audience to devotion, challenge them to reflect and make them glad. It addresses questions of faith and comes to terms with particular situations of human life.

The Most Popular Guitar is the fifteenth studio album by guitarist Chet Atkins, released in 1961. It is an example of his highly orchestrated, smooth sound with lush strings and vocal choruses. While it did not top the chart action of his previous release Chet Atkins' Workshop, it spent ten weeks on the Billboard LP chart.

Mark Lanegan's first solo album, 1990's The Winding Sheet, was a darker, quieter, and more emotionally troubling affair than what fans were accustomed to from his work as lead singer with the Screaming Trees. The follow-up album, 1994 's Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, used The Winding Sheet's sound and style as a starting point, with Lanegan and producer/instrumentalist Mike Johnson constructing resonant but low-key instrumental backdrops for the singer's tales of heartbreak, alcohol, and dashed hopes. While The Winding Sheet often sounded inspired but tentative, like the solo project from a member of an established band, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost speaks with a quiet but steely confidence of an artist emerging with his own distinct vision. The songs are more literate and better realized than on the debut, the arrangements are subtle and supportive (often eschewing electric guitars for keyboards and acoustic instruments), and Lanegan's voice, bathed in bourbon and nicotine, transforms the deep sorrow of the country blues (a clear inspiration for this music) into something new, compelling, and entirely his own. Whiskey for the Holy Ghost made it clear that Mark Lanegan had truly arrived as a solo artist, and it ranks alongside American Music Club's Everclear as one of the best "dark night of the soul" albums of the 1990s.

Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis is probably best known for the soundtrack to the film 'Zorba the Greek,' but he has produced an extensive body of concert music and includes Olivier Messiaen among his teachers. Much of his work has a political subtext and attempts a synthesis of popular, folk and classical symphonic styles, communicating directly with simple rhythms and a pared-down harmonic vocabulary reminiscent of Carl Orff. The oratorio "axion esti" is a setting of a poem by Nobel Prize winner Odysseus Elytis that refers to events of the Second World War and the subsequent German-Italian occupation of Greece. The nationalist flavor of the piece is underscored by the use of Byzantine church music, Greek folk dances and native instruments such as the bouzouki, in addition to a vocalist cast as a "folk singer." This 1983 Dresden performance, conducted by Theodorakis himself, is sung in German.

"…cross-style notes with folk, Americana, jazz or bluegrass, as they thrive in Nashville. Multifaceted lead vocals permeate the songs in US English. Welcome to Cologne. And not Los Angeles - how does that work? Amazingly well."