Shamus O’Brien is set against the Irish rebellion of 1798, and tells the story of the charismatic Shamus O’Brien, hunted by the English so he can be brought to justice – but will he manage to escape? The opera was so successful that Stanford feared it would incite anti-English sentiment and he withdrew it, but, revived after his death, its mix of pathos, drama, and melodies proved irresistible. Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was a prolific composer, and his church music, in particular, is regularly played and sung.

Johann Melchior Molter is a composer well-known among enthusiasts of music for winds, but generally his output is performed on modern instruments. Extensive research in the field of historically informed performance practice theoretically allows for the faithful reconstruction of the original sound of this music, but there exist only very few trumpetists today who are able to play on the required natural, valveless instruments. Jean-François Madeuf is one of these, extracting a warm, noble sound which make these concertos a very pleasurable listening experience.

To call the Comte de St Germain (ca 1710-1784) - by the way only one of his numerous names - a "dazzling character" does not even begin to capture the life, work and barely comprehensible person! The recording on COVIELLO deals here with the violinist and composer (undoubtedly one of his more serious biographical facets) and combines his violin sonatas published by John Walsh in London in 1750 and 1758 respectively with music by another composing violinist, Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), whose life is also shrouded in legend.

The recording sessions for the Byrds' fifth album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, were conducted in the midst of internal turmoil that found them reduced to a duo by the time the record was completed. That wasn't evident from listening to the results, which showed the group continuing to expand the parameters of their eclecticism while retaining their hallmark guitar jangle and harmonies. With assistance from producer Gary Usher, they took more chances in the studio, enhancing the spacy quality of tracks like "Natural Harmony" and Goffin & King's "Wasn't Born to Follow" with electronic phasing. Washes of Moog synthesizer formed the eerie backdrop for "Space Odyssey," and the songs were craftily and unobtrusively linked with segues and fades…

After they went “Inside The Machine”, reaped the “Dead Harvest”, survived the “Garden Of Death”, and got injected with “Needles Of Rust”, This Ending are ready to become “Crowned In Blood”. Three years have passed, since the band released their album “Needles Of Rust” and the world is a different one now. In these days, people might scream even more for a strong dose of (melodic) death metal to channel all the negativity out there. This Ending took their time to write a strong album that combines all strengths of the Swedish five piece that arose from the ashes of A Canorous Quintet in 2006. The title track starts with a somewhat unsettling intro before the guitars take the listener into a thrashy verse that leads into an anthemic chorus…

Dmitry Shostakovich’s Symphonies are arguably the most impressive symphonic cycle of the 20th century – certainly, if you don’t count Gustav Mahler. The depth and variety of these 15 Symphonies, so closely tied to Shostakovich’s personality and the times he lived in, make it particularly rewarding to listen to different interpretations. Dmitrij Kitajenko’s survey, recorded between 2002 and 2004, has found its place among the great cycles, both for its artistic merits and its reference sonics, the wide dynamic range and the impassioned playing of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne that the native Leningrad native Dmitrij Kitajenko obtains from his musicians. 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Four decades after its release, this is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. Tales from Topographic Oceans was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both here across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set; the group's musical ambitions were obvious on its face, as it consisted of four long songs (really suites) each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge."

The Bill Evans Trio's 1973 concert in Tokyo was his first recording for Fantasy and it produced yet another Grammy-nomination for the presentation. With bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, this LP mixes offbeat songs with overlooked gems, familiar standards, and surprisingly, only one Evans composition, the demanding "T.T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune Two)." Bobbie Gentry's "Mornin' Glory" was an unusual choice to open the performance and seems a bit conservative for Evans. The adrenaline picks up considerably with his midtempo waltzing take of Jerome Kern's "Up with the Lark" and a driving "My Romance." Evans also revisits the twisting Scott LaFaro tune "Gloria's Step," which showcases both Gomez and Morell. The closer, "On Green Dolphin Street," is given a slight bossa nova flavor and isn't nearly as aggressive as most of the pianist's live recordings of this popular standard…