Carmina Burana, the staged cantata by Carl Orff, is a work unique in musical history, claims conductor Paavo Järvi: ‘The convergence of medieval texts with such daringly original orchestral colours creates a soundworld that is both archaic and yet beyond time, in which chorus, orchestra and soloists vie in splendour.’

Investigate the music of Beethoven's contemporaries who were well enough known to be called his rivals, and the idea of Beethoven as fist-shaking revolutionary comes in for some serious revision. Jan Ladislav Dussek, Bohemian-born, became famous all over Europe for piano music that was daring in every way. The three sonatas on this disc date from the very beginning of the nineteenth century.

The 17th century - especially in Italy - was obviously much more advanced in terms of women's emancipation than many a century later. At least we know of several female composers from this period who achieved fame and glory without having to hide behind a male pseudonym.

These sterling performances have been high among the prime available Beethoven Quartet sets since their initial appearance in the early 1970s as sought-after Telefunken LPs. Naïve’s booklet and transfers are the same as those of the 1987 Auvidis Valois set. So what’s this release got that the previous one didn’t? A bargain price, with the eight CDs marked down to the price of four. These are happy days for Beethoven Quartet lovers: my three favorite complete sets (the others are the Quartetto Italiano on Philips and the Talich on Calliope) are all now available at midprice.

Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, both 'Welcome To Hell' and 'Black Metal' were major influences on the whole genres of thrash and extreme metal. Often considered the first black metal band, the band even gave a certain band named Metallica their first break in Europe nearly 30 years ago. Indeed Lars Ulrich once said “[The first Venom album] 'Welcome To Hell' was a classic! Black metal, speed metal, death metal, whatever you want to call it, Venom started it all with that one record!”
1985’s 'Possessed' is presented here as a digisleeve CD reissue featuring bonus tracks.

Both quartets on this disc are by composers who were not known for their chamber music, and in the case of Verdi, the E minor quartet stands completely outside his usual mode of composition. The Sibelius quartet, while it veers far from the well worn path of late-romantic chamber music, lies comfortably within its composer's milieu, with its angular harmonies, stark melodies, and overall enigmatic mood.

Swiss-French flautist Emmanuel Pahud, named "one of the finds of the decade" by Gramophone Magazine, is one of today's most exciting and adventurous musicians. Appointed Principal Flute for the Berliner Philharmoniker aged just 22, his solo albums have sold over 400,000 copies worldwide, including a Mozart Concertos disc that has sold over 70,000 units.

Scène de vie (Eng: Moments in Life) is a studio album recorded by the French artist Patricia Kaas. It was her second album and was released in 1990. It confirmed the singer's potential, reaching the top of the albums chart in France.
The top female performer in 1990s France, she sold over five million albums by her mid-twenties.
Chanteuse Patricia Kaas was born in France's Lorraine region, where she began performing as a youth; by age 11, she even held a residency at the Rumpelkammer Club in Sarrebrucken, Germany, over time honing a distinct style updating the French chanson tradition with elements of pop, blues and jazz. Scoring her first national hit in 1987 with "Mademoiselle Chante le Blues," Kaas was named Female Newcomer of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, and her debut album Mademoiselle Chante earned platinum status in France, Belgium and Switzerland…

Not released for the first time until 1974 but now available in expanded form as a CD, this set of duets by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and drummer Rashied Ali are full of fire, emotion and constant abstract invention. The original four pieces ("Mars," "Venus," "Jupiter" and "Saturn") are joined by "Leo" and "Jupiter Variation." Coltrane alternates quiet moments with sections of great intensity, showing off his phenominal technique and ability to improvise without the need for chordal instruments. Rousing if somewhat inaccessible music.

Quella Vecchia Locanda were one of Italian pioneering prog acts who released 2 classic albums. QVL blend the harmonics of PFM with the gentleness of Celeste , but rely heavier on the violin throughout and less on the mellotron. There are some absolutely brilliant musical moments which must be heard to really appreciate. Truely one of the all time greatest Italian prog masterpieces.

After a ten year hiatus, original Boytronic vocalist and songwriter Holger Wobker (Kamerata/Beachead), return with former Boytronic frontman James Knights to release the new Boytronic album The Robot Treatment. Never before in the history of pop music has a predecessor collaborated with their replacement to make a new album. It's very much a thing of legend. And perhaps it's hard for some to understand why two singers occupying the same position would make a new album together. The answer is simply Boytronic! Despite critically acclaimed performances surrounding the release of the Jewel album in 2017, differences of opinion over the musical direction of the band saw James leave the line-up in January 2018. Holger and James decided to meet in Berlin. They soon realised they had far more in common musically than they'd realised…