In the past, the viola was often considered the poor relation to the violin or cello, for which composers wrote solo pieces, notably Bach with his solo partitas. Only the 20th century, to a certain extent, redeemed the debt to this splendid instrument. This CD featuring Jitka Hosprová presents the best compositions written for solo viola in the 20th century in the homeland of Dvořák, Smetana and Janáček. We would be hard-pressed indeed to find another violist whose repertoire is so dominated by 20th- and 21st-century works.

London, 1760. Handel had just died and George III acceded to the throne. During the reign of this monarch and his queen Charlotte, both discerning musicians, musical life in the British capital was to enjoy an exceptional revival. Virtuosos and composers from all over Europe flocked there, vying with each other in originality and modernity. Now La Rêveuse invites us to sample the creative whirlwind of the age, spinning from viol concertos to airs for musical glasses . . .

This CD, the latest title within the acclaimed Russian Masters series, presents three towering Russian musicians. At a superb 1960 Prague Spring festival concert, Kogan, Barshai and Rostropovich performed together three of Beethoven’s four string trios. These pieces are seldom played in combination since they require from the musicians a rare combination of virtuosity and humility, as well as mutual respect between the chamber players.

The gracious young soprano Martina Janková has established a firm position amidst fierce international competition. Since 1998 she has been an Oper Zürich soloist and has featured in productions by conductors of such renown as Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Fedoseyev, Herreweghe, Rattle, etc. With Sir John Eliot Gardiner, she has recorded, among other things, Bach’s cantatas. Yet Martina Janková keeps returning to the emotionally rich realm of the song.

Alpha Classics proudly presents "Baroque Stories", a new series of recordings devoted to young talents in early music; its first recording introduces Louise Acabo, a French harpsichordist and winner of several international competitions who divides her time between Paris and Basel. She has chosen to devote her debut recording to Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (ca1601-1672), composer of more than 150 harpsichord pieces and the first French musician of the 17th century to publish volumes of works for harpsichord.

2009 three CD set. Beginner's Guide to African Funk delves deep into the dusty vaults of African record labels in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso to reveal some of the gems of African Funk from celebrated acts such as Orchestra Baobab, Peter King, Amadou Balake, Balla et Ses Balladins, ET Mensah, Super Eagles, Ry-Co Jazz & the Rail Band w/ Mory Kante. Nascente.

Four CD set. NOW That's What I Call 60s Pop is a celebration of an incredible decade of music. Includes tracks by John & Yoko, The Who, Bob Dylan, Sonny & Cher, The Righteous Brothers, The Walker Brothers, Dionne Warwick, The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, The Crystals, The Chiffons, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Zager & Evans, Herman's Hermits, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Roy Orbison, Manfred Mann, The Tremeloes, The Mamas & The Papas, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Ike & Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and many others.

A sequel to the "Music Cafe" series "Caribbean Music Cafe" compiled with a Caribbean music theme, focusing on roots music from the 1950s to the 1960s, is now available. This time, under the title of "Caribbean Music Cafe Callaloo," seven songs were selected from Martinique and Guadeloupe, and ten from Trinidad and Tobogo. Callaloo, by the way, is a vegetable that is a staple in Caribbean countries and is often used in soup dishes. The 17 songs are not only cheerful Caribbean pop songs, but also a variety of music born from the African culture that remains strong in the Caribbean and songs about people's beliefs." This compilation is a "Caribbean Music Journey. Song selection and supervision by Oshow (Yasuhiro Yamaguchi ex. Wack Wack Rythm Band)

Scandinavian rock'n'roll bands that released records in Japan at the time are all here! Lane & The Lee Kings, well-known in Japan for "Stop the Music," The Hep Stars, known for ABBA's Benny Andersson, The Shamrocks, known for their hit "La La La," and The Shamrocks, who starred in the movie "Beautiful Piece of Rainbow," also released in Japan. The Shamrocks, known for their hit "La La La," Aura & The Junglers, whose movie "Beautiful Piece of Rainbow" was released in Japan, and The Mascots are among the Swedish groups, while The Matadors, The Rocking Ghosts, and The Hitmakers from Denmark are also known in Japan. For those who know the music of those days, this is a nostalgic collection of "fresh and vibrant rock'n'roll bands", and for those who do not know the music of those days, this is a great collection of "fresh and vibrant rock'n'roll bands". Commentary: Toru Ueshiba

Six years after the commencement of a major Elvis Costello reissue campaign at Rhino, his catalog transferred over to Universal, which had been releasing new Elvis music since 1998's Painted from Memory. Like every one of his previous two big catalog shifts – a campaign with Rykodisc/Demon in 1994, a jump to Rhino in 2001 – the 2007 series is preceded by a new hits collection, this time The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years, a 22-track collection of highlights that's pretty much exactly what it says it is. It is quite similar to the last previous single-disc collection, the 1994 Ryko/Demon set The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, which also ran 22 tracks, 19 of which also appear on The First 10 Years. The three omissions – "Watch Your Step," "New Amsterdam," and "Love Field" – will not be missed by anybody looking for a new Costello comp in 2007, particularly because all three substitutions are better choices for the casual man: "New Lace Sleeves," "Almost Blue," and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," which bizarrely wasn't on the 1994 set. With these three songs rubbing shoulders with "Alison," "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," "Oliver's Army," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding," and all the other usual suspects, The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years winds up being the best single-disc summary and introduction to Costello's prime years.

This is a compilation album of hits by various male and female duos that graced the pop music scene of the 1960s. The album features a diverse range of numbers, set against the backdrop of a US pop music scene that saw a significant change in both sound and style after The Beatles arrived in the US in 1964.

One of the long-standing collaborations of the British folk revival, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn's Bert and John sees the masterful Pentangle guitarists sparing together through their trademark steel-string guitar styles. Their respective solo careers established them both as leading troubadours of British Isles folk, with little debate and few peers, besides maybe Wizz Jones and Ralph McTell. On this album the duo finds good company in each other's techniques, which are quite indistinguishable in both guitar playing and singing through traditional adaptations, blues, and originals in the Anglo-folk style. The duo plays beautifully together in a candid setting.

This is the 55th anniversary of the "Miniska Whirlwind" that started with the debut and visit to Japan of the "Queen of Miniska", Twiggy! The opening number is "Mini-Mini Rock" by Goosey's, which is the theme song of this compilation, and the songs by Queen Twiggy, Sandy Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Cilla Black, Helen Shapiro, Sylvie Bartin, Françoise Aldi, Brigitte Bardot, France Gal, Annie Philip, Vicky, Claudine Longier, Leslie Gore, Nancy Sinatra, and a hundred others. Compilation of 20 songs mainly from 1967 by female singers who were introduced in Japan along with the mini-skirt look that caused a huge sensation! Commentary: Toru Ueshiba

Música Callada (Music of Silence) is a very special work, one of the most beautiful and elusive in the entire piano repertoire. It is extremely difficult to perform. On the one hand, there’s the temptation to stretch each piece out hypnotically, if monotonously, while quicker speeds preserve the music’s melodic essence at the expense of much of its atmosphere and harmonic richness. For although much of the music is indeed quiet, and none of it moves quickly, it is all meaningful. Mompou himself found the perfect balance between incident and repose, and of all the pianists since, Jenny Lin arguably comes closest to doing the same, only in much better sound. It’s not so much that her tempos match Mompou’s own (she’s actually not copying him–it would hardly be possible in a work containing 28 individual pieces), but rather that her phrasing and sense of timing let the music breathe and sing with its own special poetry. To take just one example, consider the sadness that Lin finds in the fourth piece, “Afflitto e penoso”, by allowing the piece’s harmonic color time to speak simply and eloquently.

The man behind the Chicago Blues! From his vast and great achievements, we have narrowed our focus to his songwriting and assembled an evergreen collection of 52 songs that transcend genre and time on two CDs! When it comes to the blues, the name Willie Dixon is indispensable. He was the driving force behind the evolution of Chicago blues and created many masterpieces. The artists he honed echoed the spirit of the blues around the world, and his influence on the masters of rock music has made me a sucker for the music. In fact, when I made a list of my top ten favorite blues songs, seven of them were by Dixon. This is a testament to how he captured the heart of the music. Even if you don't know him, you have already heard his music. KAZU (Kazuo Nagano)Willie Dixon is known for his activities as a session bassist, songwriter, producer, and A&R artist for the prestigious Chess and Cobra labels. This film focuses on him as a songwriter among his diverse activities and explores his appeal.In addition to songs for great bluesmen such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, and Otis Rush, we will also focus on songs under his own name and songs from the Big Three Trio period, the early days of his musical career before the Chess Era.