Weber's first romantic heroine was undoubtedly the clarinet. Ten years before Max and the 'Freischütz', Weber composed his two clarinet concertos and began the Quintet. These three masterpieces he dedicated to the virtuoso Baermann, who substantially reworked the clarinet part of the concertos in his edition, which has now passed into posterity. For his first recording, clarinettist Arthur Stockel returns to the sources of the original scores. More stripped down, the solo part highlights the link between these pieces and the composer's dramatic imagination. Nurtured by Lieder and opera, Arthur Stockel explores their relationship to vocality and gives his instrument a Weberian role, between ardour, tenderness and pain. He is joined by the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, where he has held the post of principal clarinet since 2019, conductor Leo McFall and the Hanson Quartet, who respond with mischievousness (minuet from the Quintet), ardour and grandeur (First Concerto).

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have had to talk about, or heard about, the love triangle between Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, or Beethoven’s ‘Immortal Beloved’. Today, I think it’s time to talk about other love stories that had just as much influence on the way these composers created their music. On this CD, you will hear seven composers who, in their daily lives, could not be themselves. The music they have composed is a veritable refuge where the notes free themselves from words to reveal the essence of their feelings.

DYNAMIC BROADCAST RECORDING FROM BOWIE S 1978 TOUR David Bowie s stint in West Berlin during the latter half of the 1970s is as legendary as the music he released while there. Enamoured with the burgeoning artistic scene in the city, by 78 Bowie had brought out Low and Heroes, while also having served as producer and de facto musical director for Iggy Pop The emergence of Krautrock had had a profound effect on Bowie, leading him to take a more abstract and experimental approach to his craft. The result was ultimately successful, with Low and Heroes being hailed as two of his greatest albums. Having by now kicked the drug habit that had plagued him during the years predating his move east, Bowie embarked on the mammoth Isolar II Tour, playing 78 shows across four continents over the course of the year. With a rejuvenated Bowie at the helm, these concerts were considered some of the best he had ever performed. The tour concluded at Japan s NHK Hall on 12th December, which was the subject of a live broadcast transmitted across many parts of the world. Featuring an eclectic mix of cuts from Heroes, Low, Station To Station and Ziggy Stardust, this dynamic show is now available on this CD for all fans to finally enjoy.

DYNAMIC JAILBREAK TOUR BROADCASTING RECORDING FROM 1976 Formed in Dublin in 1969 by Brian Downey and Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy first hit big in 1972, when their single Whiskey In The Jar topped the Irish chart and reached No. 6 in the UK. The band s real commercial breakthrough, however, came in March 1976 when their Jailbreak album, and its accompanying singles, The Boys Are Back In Town and the title track, all garnered huge radio play and sold well worldwide. Having just concluded a short UK tour supported by Graham Parker & The Rumour, in early April 76, Thin Lizzy travelled to the US for their first American tour. One of the finest shows on this jaunt came on 21st of the month when the group performed at Chicago s Riviera Theatre. Recorded for live radio broadcast by local station WXRT-FM, and supported by England s Be Bop Deluxe, the show was a dazzling success for Lizzy when the band performed cuts from the new record alongside many choice numbers from their back catalogue. Previously unreleased, the entire recording is now featured on this superb CD, which illustrates what an exceptional group Thin Lizzy already were at the beginning of their most potent era.

STUNNING 1970 BROADCAST RECORDING FROM PETER GREEN S FLEETWOOD MAC Released in September 1969, Fleetwood Mac s third studio album, Then Play On, was their first to feature new recruit,19-year-old guitarist Danny Kirwan, and was their last with Peter Green. Some months following the record s release, Green was subjected to drinks spiked with LSD at a party in Germany, leading to his severe mental decline; after a final performance on 20 May 1970, Peter Green left Fleetwood Mac. The marvellous Mr. Green was, however, on hand and truly on form for the band s January 30, 1970 appearance at The Warehouse in New Orleans, where Messrs. Green, Kirwan, Fleetwood, Spencer and McVie played a stunning set as support to the Grateful Dead. Mac s complete performance was recorded for local broadcast too, and from this source comes this superb CD featuring one of Fleetwood Mac s finest available live recordings from this period, an era sadly destined to come to a close soon after this quite extraordinary gig.

LIVE RADIO BROADCAST OF ONE OF PAUL & ART S FINEST REUNION SHOWS While the personal relationship between Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel was at times a volatile one, following their official split in 1970 as a musical partnership they have, on occasion, buried the hatchet for long enough to reunite; and when such an occasion has occurred, they have generally been met with universal celebration. One such example was in 1993, when Paul Simon invited his old companion to join him for a number of dates across North America and Japan. Their brief reunion this time included a six-date residency at New York s Paramount Theatre, during which their concert there on the 23rd October was the subject of a live FM radio broadcast, which was synced across the USA. Now available on this CD for the first time, this superb show can be enjoyed in full by all fans, as the pair play a selection of their biggest hits, alongside a handful of lesser-heard originals and some interesting covers.

Ten Fé return with their third album, ‘Still In Love’, marking a joyful new chapter in their ten year career. The band has evolved from the electro-pop of 2017’s breakout success ‘Hit The Light’, and the Americana of 2019’s ‘Future Perfect Present Tense’, to embrace a softer, more mature, rootsy sound on ‘Still in Love’. The chemistry of a decade playing together is evident throughout the 11 songs on ‘Still in Love’. They capture the magic of seeing this band play live: relaxed, confident, showcasing the classic songwriting and musicianship Ten Fé are known for, with a new emphasis on honesty and pared-back arrangements.

Borrowing its name from a poem by the great Maya Angelou, Macha Gharibian’s fourth album ‘Phenomenal Women’ is set to release on January 24th on Rue Bleue Meredith Records. Captivated by a video of Angelou reciting her poem in London in 1987, Macha Gharibian found herself urged to pay musical tribute to the poet, and to the strength of all women. “In all the battles we are fighting right now—against sexism, the violence women endure, and for equality—I want to tell them, “We are brilliant, we are the wealth, the intelligence, and the power, we are phenomenal.”” Influenced by the school of ‘natural vocalists’ in Nina Simone, Jeanne Lee and Joni Mitchell, Gharibian’s luminescent energy leads her listener through the record’s delicately varied tonal palette of celebration, prayer, joy, and melancholy across the album’s ten original compositions and three imaginative covers.

The Long Island via New Orleans, trio Zebra broke from the gate with their eponymous first release, a record that was, at the time, one of Atlantic Records' fastest-selling debuts ever. Tapping into the vacuum left by Led Zeppelin's breakup, lead singer Randy Jackson and company gave the masses a good, healthy dose of Zeppelin-like hard rock. True, they are a pale imitation of their icons, but they pack enough requisite crunch into the album's nine tracks to make Zebra an enjoyable listen. The use of synthesizer dates the album, but they did manage to score a pair of radio hits with the driving "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind the Door?" which builds to a respectably thunderous climax.

Steppenwolf is a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1961 in Toronto by vocalist John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton. Steppenwolf sold over 25 million records worldwide, releasing eight gold albums and twelve Billboard Hot 100 singles, of which six were Top 40 hits, including three Top 10 successes: "Born to Be Wild", written by Dennis Edmonton, "Magic Carpet Ride", and "Rock Me." Steppenwolf is the first studio album by American rock band Steppenwolf, released in January 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album was a successful debut for the band, featuring the songs "Born to Be Wild", as well as "The Pusher", both of which were used in the 1969 film Easy Rider. "Berry Rides Again" is a tribute to guitarist Chuck Berry.

More than a decade has now passed since April 1995, when Joan Baez and her guests took over the Bottom Line cabaret in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village for the recording of Ring Them Bells, a watershed event in post-modern folk music. This is an expanded edition double-CD: 90 minutes vs. the original single CD’s 64 minutes. The original's 15 tracks have now been upped to 21 tracks - the additional six of which are previously unreleased - more accurately reflecting the sequence of the recording over the course of two nights, with two sets each night. Added in are three additional performances by Joan (Love Song To A Stranger, Geordie, You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere), a second duet with Tish Hinojosa (Gracias A La Vida), a second duet with Indigo Girls (The Water Is Wide), and a second duet with Mary Chapin Carpenter (Stones In The Road). Joan's other guests on this memorable recording are: Mimi Farina, Mary Black, Janis Ian, Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Dar Williams.

Slug Line is the third album by John Hiatt, released in 1979. It was the first of two albums with MCA Records. It was his first charting album, reaching No. 202 on Billboard's album charts, and also the highest-charting album during his first 15 years as a recording artist. The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that "Hiatt evinces a talent for disarmingly pretty ballads."

La-La Land Records, Universal Pictures, and Geffen proudly present a Limited Edition remastered and expanded CD reissue of renowned composer John Barry’s (GOLDFINGER, OUT OF AFRICA, DANCES WITH WOLVES) original motion picture score to the beloved 1980 big screen romantic fantasy-drama SOMEWHERE IN TIME, directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer. Barry’s rich, gorgeous orchestral score perfectly embodies this heartfelt and heartbreaking romantic classic, enriching it with a resonating melodic and thematic timelessness that is vital to the film’s powerful sentimental allure. As the director himself states, “John’s music gave the film everything it needed. I still think it’s his most beautiful score – and one of the most beautiful scores in the history of film.”

Never Let Me Down is the seventeenth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 21 April 1987 through EMI America Records. Co-produced by Bowie and David Richards and featuring guitarist Peter Frampton, the album was recorded in Switzerland and New York City from September to November 1986. Bowie's goal for the project was to record it differently following his disappointment with 1984's Tonight. Musically, Never Let Me Down has been characterised as pop rock, art rock and hard rock; Bowie himself considered the record a return to rock and roll music. The cover artwork features Bowie surrounded by numerous elements from the songs.

This is a mixed bag, but it is a mixture of wonderful stuff put together with considerable expertise. Marc-Antoine Charpentier was a major composer of the French Baroque, served at the Sainte-Chappelle in Paris, and wrote much music of solemnity and grandeur, but was also principal composer for the Comedie Française where he wrote music of a lighter nature. What we get here is mainly the latter, more directly entertaining Charpentier, and we get it in the forms of airs serieux, which are refined songs intended for court circles, and airs a boire, in a more popular style.