Edmund Wylfing (ca. 844-870), a Saxon king of East Anglia, virgin and martyr, was the the first patron-saint of England. The Italian ensemble La Reverdie brings to life again his story through a medieval liturgical drama, in three parts: life, passion and miracles.

As the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth approaches, and following a much-admired version of the Diabelli Variations (Alpha 386 Gramophone Editors Choice), Martin Helmchen has decided to record his complete piano concertos in the company of musical partners with whom he has a special affinity, Andrew Manze and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. They devote this first volume to the Concertos nos. 2 and 5, giving lovingly polished performances of these two masterpieces of the piano repertory. Composed even before Concerto no. 1, the Second Concerto was premiered in Vienna in 1795, when Beethoven was only twenty-five years old, but underwent several revisions before being published in its final version in 1801.

Atalanta (HWV 35) is a pastoral opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel composed in 1736. It is based upon the mythological female athlete, Atalanta, the libretto (which is in Italian) being derived from the book La Caccia in Etolia by Belisario Valeriani. The identity of the librettist is not known. Handel composed it for the London celebrations of the marriage in 1736 of Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King George II, to Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. The first performance took place on 12 May 1736 in the Covent Garden Theatre.

A superb varied selection of Irish music from 1921 to 1959, recorded in Ireland, England and America, featuring both vocal and instrumental tunes." Unknown accompanists on: track 5-piano & banjo; track 7-violin & accordion; track 19-piano; track 24-piano.

All recordings previously unreleased. Grapefruit were a London-based British band of the late 1960s, brought together by Terry Doran of Apple Publishing, a music publishing company started and owned by the Beatles. Their brand of music was a typical late 1960s blend of rock, which they often fused with psychedelic effects such as phasers and vocoders, or classical arrangements.

Arc of a Diver is the second solo studio album by singer/multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood. Released in 1980, Winwood played all of the instruments on the album. Featuring his first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" (which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States), this was Winwood's breakthrough album as a solo artist. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, establishing him as a commercially viable act. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was voted number 455 in the third edition (2000) of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

SINGLE DISC VERSION OF CSNYs COMPLETE SET AT THE FAMOUS FESTIVAL Most fans would agree that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were at their very best right at the beginning of their career, in late 1969. This was just after Neil Young had joined the existing trio, and at that point, as is somewhat obvious, they were thrilled to be playing with each other. CSNY only played one prior gig to their Woodstock show, in Chicago two nights earlier, while CSN never played in public before Young joined, so this appearance was about as brand news as it gets. Truth be known, it wasn t long before drugs and ego got in the way. Even by 1970 the situation had changed dramatically and they were torn apart for the first time (though definitely not the last!).

Compiled by DJ Spinna and Monty Burns.

A Song for You is the fourth studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters, released on June 22, 1972. According to Richard Carpenter, A Song for You was intended to be a concept album (of sorts) with the title tune opening and closing the set and the bookended selections comprising the 'song'. "A Song for You" was written by songwriter Leon Russell. In Cash Box's Top 100 Albums of 1972, A Song for You was ranked number 26. Six songs were released as A-side singles internationally: "Hurting Each Other", "It's Going to Take Some Time", "Goodbye to Love", "Top of the World", "I Won't Last a Day Without You", and "Bless the Beasts and Children".

Babalon fantasia in seven parts for piano and percussion based on the poem “Waratah-Blossoms” by Aleister Crowley. “Seven are the veils of the dancing-girl in the harem of IT. Seven are the names, and seven are the lamps beside Her bed. Seven eunuchs guard Her with drawn swords; No Man may come nigh unto Her. In Her wine-cup are seven streams of the blood of the Seven Spirits of God. Seven are the heads of THE BEAST whereon She rideth.

Formed in London in 1968, Deep Purple remain among the pioneers of heavy metal and hard rock, but their musical approach has changed over the years. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. Deep Purple’s second and most commercially successful line-up consisted of Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass), who joined founder members Jon Lord (keyboards), Ian Paice (drums) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). This line-up was active from 1969 to 1973 and was revived from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1992 to 1993. The Mk. II line-up’s second album, the creatively progressive Fireball, was issued in the summer of 1971, reaching number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.

Crown of Creation is the fourth studio album by the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released by RCA Victor in August 1968. The album saw the band continuing their development of psychedelic music, emphasizing acid rock with science fiction themes. While failing to eclipse Surrealistic Pillow (1967) from a commercial standpoint, the album was a considerable success in comparison to its immediate predecessor, After Bathing at Baxter's (1967), peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Charts and earning a gold certification. Its two singles ("Greasy Heart", released in March 1968, followed by the title track in November) were modest hits on the Hot 100 chart. It was voted number 591 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).

Following up on the success of Sony Classical’s recent large-scale Ormandy collections – his monaural discographies with the Minneapolis Symphony and Philadelphia orchestras – the label now presents the conductor’s stereo recordings from Philadelphia containing all recordings released from 1958 to 1963 (plus some fillers from later years) Eugene Ormandy took over the music directorship in Philadelphia from Leopold Stokowski in 1938 and held the position for 42 years. During that time his name and the orchestra’s became inseparable as he cultivated and further developed the voluptuous sound that originated with his predecessor.

Elvis Is Back! is the fourth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley, released on April 8, 1960 by RCA Victor. It was Presley's first album of new material since 1958's King Creole soundtrack, as well as his first to be recorded and released in stereophonic sound. The album marked Presley's return to music after his discharge from the U.S. Army. The material on the album has some influences from the rock and roll of Presley's early work, but it also offers a mix of sophisticated pop, blues, R&B and the "Nashville sound" production values associated with Chet Atkins, who co-produced the recording sessions with Steve Sholes. With public anticipation high, RCA rushed Elvis Is Back! and the standalone single "Stuck on You" into release mere days after Presley finished recording. The LP topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number two in Billboard's Top LP's. Initially, the release received mixed reviews, but over subsequent years its critical reception became progressively more positive, with critics generally praising its stylistic variety, production quality and mature sound. Elvis is Back! was certified Gold on July 15, 1999.

Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 13 May 1985 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Brothers in Arms charted at number one worldwide, spending 10 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, nine weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and 34 weeks at number one on the Australian Album Chart. The album is the eighth-best-selling album in UK chart history, is certified nine-times platinum in the United States, and is one of the world's best-selling albums, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The album won two Grammy Awards in 1986, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards. Q magazine placed the album at number 51 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Brothers in Arms would become Dire Straits' final album until they reunited and recorded 1991's On Every Street.