When this came out in 2003, it marked the first studio release by the Yardbirds in 35 years. In that time, of course, the personnel had changed quite a bit. Even those inclined to get excited by reunions of great bands should know right off that it includes just two original members, drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja (though Jeff Beck plays guest guitar on one number, "My Blind Life"). Rounded out by three "new" members (including bassist John Idan, whose lead singing sounds fairly close to original Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf in style and tone), the record also features guest lead guitar cameos by Jeff Baxter, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Brian May, with Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls singing lead on "For Your Love"…

The name of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast cantata may not mean much to today's music lovers, apart from a few enthusiasts, but you have to imagine that up until the last war, before the work and its composer fell into oblivion, this superb score was one of the most famous and frequently performed choral pieces in the United Kingdom. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, then barely twenty-three, had suddenly burst onto the scene in a British musical milieu that was still somewhat conservative, and caused a sensation with this fresco inspired by the native American myths put into words by Longfellow (a poem that is said to have inspired Dvořák when writing his “Symphony from the New World”!) The first part, Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, is particularly famous, and was first recorded in 1930 under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent. The conductor, who was particularly fond of this work, repeated the experiment at the head of the Philharmonia Orchestra some thirty years later to give a reference version, made available for the first time for the celebrations around the composer’s 150th anniversary.

Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) is a pianist fully deserving of the epithet 'legendary'. His rigorous intellect and sense of the sublime found expression in his transcendent technique and sumptuous, yet lucid sonorities. The recordings in the recently released 24CD collection - made for Columbia Graphophone, Electrola, HMV, Parlophone and Telefunken between 1921 and 1962 - represent a significant portion of his legacy and are indispensable to his extensive discography. They can now be heard in their full glory, thanks to a process of restoration and HD remastering using the original tapes (for recordings from the LP era) or the best available source (for 78s). Among them are four world premiere releases: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 op. 109, a Chopin étude, and two pieces by Liszt.

The charming young soprano Martina Janková has amid fierce international competition established a firm position within her category. Since 1998 she has been a soloist of the Zurich Opera, working with conductors of such renown as Gardiner, Harnoncourt, Fedoseyev, Herreweghe and Rattle. Under Gardiner, she has also participated in recordings of Bach's cantatas. Yet, as in the case of this album, she keeps returning to the song repertoire, which simply suits her voice perfectly. Her Haydn is unpretentious, yet she captures all the nuances of expression and colour amid the spectrum of moods of individual songs.

The 2013 re-release features new keyboard arrangements and was completely remixed and remastered by David Castillo, as the band wasn't satisfied with the overall sound and production of the original release.
The Swedish kings of gloom and doom return with perhaps their mst balanced outing yet. Two years after Discouraged Ones marked a turn from the dark metallic mayhem of earlier records uch as Dance of December Souls and Brave Murder Day, it was 2000's Tonight's Decision and 2001's Last Fair Deal Gone Down that carved out the uniqueness in their sound. Here are equal parts dark gothic pop, crushing heavy rock, textured keyboards, lithe pop melodies, beautifully crafted songs with unique dynamics and sculpted sonic environments to surround them, and bleak, even morose subject matter. ..

The central figures of the CD are two colleagues from the Berliner Philharmoniker – first horn Radek Baborák and first clarinet Wenzel Fuchs. On this recording, accompanied by the members of Baborak Ensemble, they present themselves both as phenomenal soloists without technical limits and as experienced chamber players. In a novel dramaturgy, they introduce lesser known and rarely recorded works (Koechlin), alongside compositions performed more frequently..

Best known for his soul-jazz and breakbeat-friendly grooves of the late '60s and early '70s, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson first established himself as a strong bop player in the Charlie Parker mold. His sweet and slightly tart tone was freshly essayed on several fine combo outings from the '50s, most of which at least gave a nod to the R&B-based material to follow. And while its sequel takes care of those groove cuts from the Age of Aquarius, this first volume of Donaldson's best keeps it swingin' with several top Blue Note sides from 1957-1967. A stellar taste of the future funk gravy aside ("Alligator Boogaloo"), the nine tracks here embrace Donaldson's early bop 'n' blues mantra via a mix resplendent with roots ("Groovin' High"), easy strollin' swing ("The Blues Walk"), a Bird-meets-the-B-3 moment ("Sow Belly Blues"), and a rare big-band ballad ("Sweet Slumber")…

After the breakup of Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1978, Greg Lake set out to launch a solo career. He teamed up with guitar virtuoso Gary Moore and enlisted the talents of Bruce Springsteen's sax player, Clarence Clemmons, as well as Toto veterans Steve Lukather, David Paich, and Jeff Porcaro. The result was his 1981 self-titled debut album. After more than a decade with prog-rock legends ELP and King Crimson, it is clear Lake was looking for a musical change and a chance to perform as a guitarist, his primary instrument, after more than a decade mainly playing bass. The album is a guitar driven venture into straight forward rock & roll which features well written songs and some sizzling guitar work by Gary Moore. Lake's voice soars, as it did with ELP, and we see that his guitar prowess is something too often hidden in the past. His skill as a producer is also evident as he brings out the power of each note with a big, energizing sound…