There’s little if anything by this composer in the current CD catalog, and this recording makes a welcome addition. Among the few contemporary references to Alexander Fesca (1820-49) is one from Robert Schumann, who wrote a short article on some of the composer’s youthful piano pieces for his journal, Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1840. For what it’s worth, Schumann described these as “a glimpse into a rich if not yet controlled musical mind”, though a year later he despaired of Fesca’s capabilities and wrote, “if he continues to indulge his own aspirations, we must regard him as lost.” Fesca probably would have been lost, too, were it not for enterprising discs such as this, which includes direct and convincing performances of his two septets.

Giovanni Battista Colonna (1637-95) spent most of his career in Bologna as maestro di cappella of the basilica of San Petronio. Since he had at his disposal this imposing building with its two choir organs, well known to lovers of the instrument, and its very generous acoustics, Colonna wrote a large number of sacred compositions for imposing vocal and instrumental forces. But, in a more intimate vein, he also devoted two collections to the repertory of ‘small motets’. The pieces recorded here come from the 1681 set of Motetti a due e tre voci (1681). They display a wide variety of formulas, combining traditional elements and innovative aspects that were to be further developed in the following generations.

Aujourd’hui Jehan Titelouze fait plus ou moins figure d’australopithèque. Mais il est tout de même le fondateur de la tradition de l’orgue français. Il y a près de 400 ans, un éditeur parisien a publié cette collection de 39 pièces, premier recueil français d’œuvres pour clavier d’un seul et même compositeur. Titelouze explore 12 des plus populaires hymnes de son temps. Dans ces « fugues et ricercars » il développera le langage polyphonique du XVIe siècle en utilisant des dissonances, des accords de septième et le chromatisme laissant ainsi entrevoir les nouveaux chemins que la musique allait prendre.

Grand Funk Railroad continued to move further into the pop/rock mainstream with this hit album. They are aided considerably in this aim by the ultra-slick production of Jimmy Ienner, a producer best known for his work with the Raspberries: songs like "Runnin'" and "Memories" boast rich yet punchy horn and string arrangements that beef up the group's sound without softening its energetic edge. The album's combination of high-gloss production and the band's energy resulted in some impressive hits: "Some Kind of Wonderful" is an exuberant, organ-drenched soul song that highlight's the group's strong harmonies while "Bad Time" mixes a delicate, string-laden melody with a pulsing beat from the rhythm section to create a one-of-a-kind power ballad.