The year after J. C. Bach arrived in London he published three sets of works, among them this set of "Favourite Overtures". All but one of them had been heard in the King's Theatre, where he served as resident composer. Only one, the first on this disc, prefaced an opera of his own, Orione; Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 6 were written for pasticcios produced at that theatre between summer 1762 and early 1763, while No. 3, as far as we know, was not known in London, making the title "favourite" seem a little optimistic (it had been written for an opera heard in Turin in 1761). Being opera overtures, and essentially products of his Italian period, they are rather lighter in content and manner than most of J. C. Bach's music.

The Royal Handel of the title of this Alpha release does not refer to music for the king specifically but to the Royal Academy of Music. Founded in 1719, this opera organization gave Handel his first major post in Britain when he was appointed the music director. He traveled back to Italy, returning to London with the singers and instrumentalists who would bring his music to life over the next two decades. He had rivals whom he eclipsed, Giovanni Bononcini and Attilio Ariosti, and they are represented on the program; it's striking how Handelian their music sounds in this context, even if the Handel arias have greater breadth.

This 7CD set is the fruit of the love affair that developed in Paris between Leonard Bernstein and the Orchestre National de France in the 1970s. Beside long-admired studio recordings, featuring Mstislav Rostropovich and Alexis Weissenberg among the soloists, it presents live performances completely new to the catalogue: a 1975 programme to celebrate Ravel’s centenary – with Bernstein himself as soloist in the G major piano concerto – and orchestral suites taken from two of Bernstein’s most celebrated and brilliant works, both infused with jazz: the film score On the Waterfront and the landmark Broadway musical West Side Story.

"Springtime in Nagasaki" is the opening chapter of Tangerine Dream's five-CD project entitled "The Five Atomic Seasons". which were commissioned by a Japanese survivor of the 1945 dropping of the first atomic bomb. The six tracks which feature on this release emerge from two larger works - ‘Navel Of Light’ and ‘Persistence Of Memory,’ which are both divided into separate parts.

Definitely Maybe was originally released in August 1994 and was an immediate critical and commercial success. The fastest selling debut album ever (at the time), it went seven-times platinum in the UK (over 2 million copies), and sold 5 million worldwide. Containing the classic debut single Supersonic, released April 1994, and subsequent singles Shakermaker, Live Forever, and Cigarettes & Alcohol. The album was remastered in 2014 by Ian Cooper at Metropolis Mastering, London.

Formed in Cambridge in 1969 by Tim Souster and Roger Smalley, Intermodulation started out as a 4 piece group with the addition of Robin Thompson and Andrew Powell (who soon moved on to other Cambridge projects, including a pre Chris Cutler Henry Cow). Powell was replaced by Peter Britton, and this incarnation of the group remained for the duration of their existence. Having releasing a box set of works by Gentle Fire it felt necessary to do the same with Intermodulation and thus complete the other half of this missing chapter in British experimental music. Intermodulation have a quite different line up to Gentle Fire, most notably with Peter’s percussion, Robin on bassoon and soprano sax, and the shared use of VCS3’s and electric keyboards. Nonetheless both groups covered similar ground, appeared at the same European festivals, travelled together with Stockhausen to Iran, and they were generally concerned with a similar repertoire of experimental scores. Although Intermodulation released no records during their existence (and Gentle Fire only the one LP), both groups did appear side by side on the recording of Stockhausen’s Sternklang.

In their latest release, the Viano Quartet—one of today’s most dynamic young string ensembles—pays homage to NASA’s Voyager Program, which launched two spacecraft in 1977 on a mission to explore the farthest reaches of our solar system.

Valentin Silvestrov was forced to leave his native Ukraine after the Russian invasion of 2022. His music has a prescient quality that unerringly seems to express the fate of his homeland. The intimate Violin Concerto and the heartfelt, single-span Eighth Symphony are notable for their economy of expression and emphasis on beauty, depth and harmony. This is music that hovers on the edge of silence in an uplifting homage to love and humanity, hope and renewal.

This is the latest addtion to the highly regarded CD series, MARIAN MCPARTLAND'S PIANO JAZZ, which is take from Ms. McParland's highly successful and long-running NPR program. This album features stripped-down, live-in-the-studio performances of Steely Dan Classic "Josie," "Black Friday," and "Chain Lightning."

The Mystery Lights return with their most ambitious offering to date. With Wayne Gordon back in the producer's chair, the group delivers an eclectic mix of real-deal psychedelia, punk, art rock, and even a splash of country via the Kinks(y) pop earworm "I'm Sorry I Forgot Your Name".

KUNIKO’s fifth studio recording sees the hugely talented percussionist return to the music of Steve Reich, a composer she has championed since her debut recording in 2011. In Drumming KUNIKO delivers a tour-de-force performance of the work which is widely considered minimalism’s first masterpiece. Performing all thirteen parts herself, and adopting the same multi-track approach which was so successful on kuniko plays reich, KUNIKO once again displays the technical virtuosity and flawless musicianship for which she is renowned. This seminal work employs Reich’s trademark phasing technique; subtle changes in timing and timbre cause the soundscape to build through a series of rhythmic loops which gradually evolve to create a wholly immersive experience. After hearing her performance on Drumming Reich commented: 'The result is like a microscopic close up of the piece where all the finest details are heard with amazing clarity'. Drumming sees the award-winning percussionist once again demonstrate the musical intelligence and flair which makes such a captivating performer.

Grace Davies is here with her debut studio album The Wrong Side of 25, and I’ll say this, it’s one of the most introspective and deeply personal debut albums I’ve ever come across. The album sees Davies make a coming-of-age record that’s powerfully gripping and touches on so many of our daily insecurities that its relatability is guaranteed. If, like Áine Deane, you’re 20-something and pondering the reason why you’re trying to win a race you don’t remember running, you might find answers in this beautifully introspective Davies debut. Or you might come out with more questions than you did going in.

Following the tremendous success of her 2011 album Kuniko Plays Reich, and subsequent recordings of works by the pioneering composer, percussionist Kuniko has established a reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of Steve Reich. Here she has recorded Kuniko Plays Reich II, a bold programme of innovative works which span Reich's artistic career and showcase some of his groundbreaking techniques. Composed in his early thirties, Piano Phase is performed in Kuniko's own mesmerising arrangement for two vibraphones; characteristically Kuniko plays both parts. While Nagoya Marimbas uses some composition tools which Reich popularised in Piano Phase, Four Organs draws its inspiration from the Middle Ages. Closing this riveting recital, Mallet Quartet sees Reich in a more melodically expansive mood, albeit with his trademark tight rhythmic drive and canonic textures.

For her sixth Linn recording KUNIKO has chosen to pay a personal tribute to one of Japan’s most celebrated post-war composers: Akira Miyoshi (1933–2013). Showcasing Miyoshi’s marimba works from the last four decades of the twentieth century, this recording represents a reference collection commemorating the composer’s significant contribution to this repertoire.

KUNIKO's eagerly awaited second album includes world premiere recordings of the percussionist's new arrangements of popular works by contemporary composers Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich and Hywel Davies.