There are certain violin soloists who have adopted their instrument as a real extension of his soul. This is - nor more neither less- the case of Ruggiero Ricci a virtuosi who seems to be cold at the first bars of every piece ( as a matter iof fact I had the chance to watch him four times between 1976 and 1985 in Caracas), but once you are involved in the mood of the piece he conveys us to new horizons, thanks his amazing technique and voluptuous sensibility.

”Live at the Troubadour” is a live album by Carole King and James Taylor released in 2010. The album was recorded at The Troubadour in West Hollywood in November 2007 to celebrate the venue's 50th anniversary. It was also the first venue that King and Taylor played together in November 1970. The album debuted at #4 in the United States with first-week sales of 78,000. This gives James Taylor a top 10 album in every decade since the 1970s and Carole King her first top 10 album since 1976.

In this thoughtful collection of chamber music, Ian Stephens’ work reveals a rare balance of melodic clarity and inventive disruption, qualities that have drawn artists like Cate Le Bon, Ian Broudie, and OMD to his arranging talents. Here, Stephens’ signature rhythmic vigour, theatrical subtlety, and knack for weaving unexpected moments define each piece, creating a body of work that intrigues as much as it soothes.

Darryl Taylor Taylor has sung with the Johann Strauss Sinfonietta, the Mozart Philharmonic, and with Nehring and Burkhardt.

This is a soul-stirring release performed by Pat Metheny and a plethora of friends, all great jazz musicians in their own right. Works II is a compilation of his finest work, spread out from the years 1976 to 1984. This guitarist/composer/bandleader became one of the leading names in the jazz genre during the '70s and '80s. This collection of beautifully written numbers reflects his character of good taste and the unique flavor of his graceful, even-flowing solos. Opening with "Unquity Road," Metheny is joined by the legendary Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on drums. The soothing sweeping tones of his guitar blends in charmingly with Moses pulsating percussion and the rousing basslines of Pastorius.

For their fourth Fuga Libera-project, the Russian orchestra Musica Viva recorded one very famous, and one forgotten piece by Antonín Dvorak. The well-known piece is the Serenade for Strings in E major, written by Dvorak in 1875. It is believed that Dvorak took up this small orchestral genre because it was less demanding than the symphony, but allowed for the provision of pleasure and entertainment. The other piece is the Cello Concerto in A major. Unlike its brother, the B minor Concerto Op.104, this concerto has been more than overlooked. It was left un-orchestrated by Dvorak, existing only in piano-score form. It was only after his death that a few composers orchestrated this dazzling piece of music. Cello virtuoso Alexander Rudin, and Musica Viva let us taste from this magnificent forgotten treasure…

John Robert Hiatt American rock guitarist, pianist and singer/songwriter born on August 20, 1952 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

To Whom It May Concern is the tenth album by the Bee Gees. Released in October 1972, it is the follow-up to, and continues the melancholic and personal sound of its predecessor, Trafalgar. The album was recognised as "a farewell to the old Bee Gees" as the album marked the end of an era for the group in several ways: it was their last album to be recorded solely at IBC Studios, in London, their last with conductor and arranger Bill Shepherd, who had guided them since 1967, and their last under their first contract with Robert Stigwood. Some of the songs were old ones finished or rewritten for the occasion (in the case of "I Can Bring Love").

Oh! Pleasant Hope is the sixth album by American rock group Blue Cheer, and their final album until 1984's The Beast Is Back. It features less psychedelia and hard rock and includes more folk rock elements. This is an unusual Blue Cheer album in that Dickie Peterson only sings lead on three songs. Another unusual aspect is that the song "I'm the Light" features extensive use of the sitar and synthesizer, although on the previous album The Original Human Being the song "Babaji (Twilight Raga)" also featured extensive use of the aforementioned instruments.

Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674) celebrated his 400th birthday in 2005. Reason enough to pay tribute to this most important composer of the 17th century with a recording of some of his oratorios. Thanks to a very lively live recording of a concert with Jérome Correas and Les Paladins on Pan Classics, we now get to know five of his much admired oratorios.

ANDERS CHYDENIUS was collecting music at a time when public concerts and interest in classical music were just taking their first steps in Finland. His collection occupies an important position in Finnish musical history. Similar, much bigger private collections had long before been made in Central Europe and Sweden, but the musical vision in the spirit of the Enlightenment of the vicar of a small, remote parish was quite exceptional. This new release is an homage to his work and features the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra performing compositions that held a place in Chydenius’s collection- works by Gaetano Pugnani, Christian Ernst Graf, Giuseppe Maria Giacchino Cambini, Antonio Sacchini, and Lebrecht Julius Schulz.

Shostakovich's film music, and before that his incidental music for the stage, has gotten a bad rap as unadventurous music he wrote when he needed to ingratiate himself with the Communist regime. For some of it, the characterization rings true, but not for all of it, and these early works – one a set of stage incidental music and one a film score of 1935 – are delightful. Both are world premieres, although a suite from The Bedbug, Op. 19 was performed by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra many years ago. It's a biting, bumptious, satirical work straight out of the highly creative early Soviet scene that Stalin brutally stamped out.

MAJESTICA, the symphonic and power metal band from Sweden, is set to embark on an exciting new journey with their upcoming album Power Train, scheduled for release in February 2025. This spellbinding experience awakens sleeping dreams with powerful riffs and epic choruses in singles such as "Power Train," "Battle Cry," and "A Story in the Night." The enchantment rises like a breath of stars, propelling listeners into the heart of a fairytale world.

As adjuncts to our highly popular “America’s Greatest Hits” series of collections for each calendar year in the 50s and early ‘60s, we have already produced collections based on landmark moments in the Billboard charts – “The First Top 100 Nov. 1955” (ACQCD7062), “The First Hot 100 Aug. 1958” (ACQCD7083), “The First Hot 100 of the '60s” (ACQCD7097), “The 'Heartbreak Hotel' Top 100” (ACQCD7122)and “The Day The Music Died - Feb 3rd 1959 Hot 100” (ACQCD7134), “The 'Telstar' Hot 100 December 22nd 1962” (ACQCD7144), “The Twist” Hot 100 Jan. 25th 1962”, “The 1000th Billboard Chart 7th September 1959”(ACQCD7164), “The American Bandstand Us Top 100 5th Aug. 1957” and “The JFK Inauguration Hot 100 20th January 1961” (ACQCD781). This collection homes in on another anniversary in the history of the Billboard chart, the 20th anniversary of the first chart, which was published in July 1940. This collection features just about every record from the Hot 100 of 18th July 1960, apart from a few titles which are unfortunately unavailable for copyright reasons. It provides a fascinating and evocative snapshot of the music scene at what was a dynamic and exciting time as the rock ‘n’ roll and teen era gave way to emerging new sounds at the beginning of the 1960s, and features an entertaining range of styles and genres. As always with these chart collections, it includes a number of unfamiliar names and recordings towards the bottom of the chart, of which even seasoned pop enthusiasts may not be too aware, and which will be welcome additions to their collections. It contains a 12,000+ word booklet featuring background notes on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.

Double Trouble is the fifth album by the British rock band Gillan, released in 1981. It was released as a double album, the first disc containing studio material, and the second containing live recordings. It reached No. 12 in the UK charts. In 1989, Virgin re-released the album, with the same track listing, in CD format. It is the first album to feature Janick Gers, since Bernie Tormé left the group during the tour of Germany in 1981. In fact Tormé was fired because he did not want to participate in the playback TV performance of "No Laughing in Heaven" at "Top of the Pops" on 24 June 1981. Janick Gers came in for the rest of the tour on 25 June 1981.