Given Sibelius’s reputation as one of the great symphonists of the last century, contemporary Finnish composers may be forgiven for feeling a little overshadowed. Fortunately for the young Aho, Rautavaara’s advice and support proved decisive in shaping this symphony, which began life as a string quartet.
The work is in four movements, the mysterious opening and ascending brass figures of the Andante strongly reminiscent of Shostakovich. Indeed, this is confirmed by the noted music publisher Fennica Gehrman, in a short article on the Finnish Musical Information Centre website.

Bearing in mind that almost anything Status Quo chose to do could only be a vast improvement on their last album, Ain't Complaining, Perfect Remedy was very well titled – and that despite being far from perfect itself. Indeed, "Tommy's in Love" is arguably the worst song the band had ever recorded, while "Not at All" only sprang to attention when it became the band's worst performing 45 since the very early '70s. It's also worth remembering that, while the album does abandon its predecessor's attempt to locate a new band sound, that's only because it thinks it has found one, in the form of producer Pip Williams' slick, country-rock approach. It has a little more in common with some of the band's efforts from the early '80s ("Living on an Island" would have fit nicely in here), but still you can't help wondering what was wrong with the band's own sound? And how long before they get back to it?

Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad is the first live album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released on 12 October 1989 through Polydor Records. The album reached #31 on the Swedish albums chart and #128 on the Billboard 200. A VHS video of the concert was released on July 1, 1991 through PolyGram Video; a DVD edition was reissued on December 12, 2006 through Universal Music.

Jonn Serrie is a composer of space music, a genre of ambient electronic music, and New Age music. He has recorded at least 18 albums and worked on projects for Lucasfilm, IMAX Corporation, NASA, the United States Navy, Hayden Planetarium, Expo Seville, and CNN. Born and raised in Connecticut, Serrie began his musical direction in the 70’s, demonstrating synthesizer technology for Electronic Music Laboratories, a Connecticut based manufacturing and research facility. “I was fortunate to have such an in-depth understanding of synthesis early in the development of electronic music. It enabled me to see the future of the industry from a unique perspective.” Serrie’s list of achievements and contributions is both diverse and esteemed…

Apparently Benson got the message. Giving up the fruitless search for decent contemporary material, he switched gears and recorded an album of old standards with top-grade jazz musicians (including pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Ron Carter) and Marty Paich's classy string and brass charts. With good songs to sing, Benson gives some moving performances, particularly on "This Is All I Ask," and there is a lovely reminder of his affinity for the Beatles, "Here There and Everywhere." Moreover, his jazz instincts were fully at his command; you'll hear some remarkable Latin-slanted guitar work on "At the Mambo Inn," some brilliant bebop on "Stella By Starlight" and "I Could Write a Book," and a stunning solo performance of "Tenderly" itself…