"Why present just Handel's Coronation Anthems for King George II when you can present the whole Coronation?" seems to be the proposition that underlies this two-disc set, entitled The Coronation of King George II, 1727. And, thrillingly performed by Robert King directing the King's Consort and the Choir of the King's Consort, there seems no good reason not to, and every good reason to, do just that. King, who has led many stirring recordings of Handel's oratorios in his time, turns in splendid performances of the four Coronation Anthems, along with superb performances of ceremonial choral music by Tallis, Purcell, Gibbons, Blow, Farmer, and Child.

Peter Phillips has here deliberately paired two sharply contrasted parody Masses … the former … is marvellously bright and open and is given a correspondingly outgoing performance, while the latter, inflected with chromaticism and melodic intervals that constantly fall back on themselves, is darker-hued and more plaintive, a mood well captured here in the intensity of the singing. The recording, made in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Salle, Norfolk is well handled and adds powerfully to these flexible, expressive and beautiful readings.

The Storm is an excursion into deep, often un rooted ambience. Stearns can completely transform a space with his swirling layers of sounds. Environments cascade atop each other as the Balinese "Ketjak" chante merges from a white noise of rain and barber-pole glissando, but he also leavens The Storm with welcome respites of minimally drawn melody. The Last Feeling is a techno-tribal trance work of plaintive flute melody and hypnotic hand percussion, while The Light in the Trees illustrates the deep melancholy Stearns can evoke with just a few well-placed chords.

La Cenerentola is one of the few operas to have an important subtitle, "The Triumph of Virtue". This Salzburg production makes a point of its being a moral tale rather than a mere fairy tale like the version reflexively sung by Angelina in her "Cavatina": the defeat and forgiveness of the stepsisters and their greedy father is a settling of moral accounts. The production is also tremendous fun–partly because of gimmicks like the mechanical coach and horses that arrives on stage in the high wind of the Act Two storm–but mostly because of the endlessly energetic pulse of Riccardo Chailly's conducting of the Vienna Philharmonic.

The libretto, by Henri Meilac and Ludovic Halévy, is based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée. The first performance of Carmen on 3 March 1875, produced such a hostile reaction that Bizet left Paris physically and psychologically ill, and died only three months later on 3 June 1875, following two serious heart attacks. The massive scandal of the premiere may have been partially the result of Bizet’s attempt to reform the Opéra Comique genre, yet it must still be said that Carmen is operatic history’s most famous example of a failure being corrected by the passage of time: Carmen is now one of the most frequently performed operas in the world.

Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer has created a blood-pumping dramatic score for Hannibal that pulses with Wagnerian intensity. Sir Anthony Hopkins's monologue on three tracks adds a dimension of hair-raising eeriness to the already deeply affecting and suspenseful instrumental backing. (Just hearing him first enunciate on the opener "Dear Clarice" sets up the Pavlovian sense of dread.) Hopkins's Hannibal Lecter is still on the prowl 7 years after FBI agent Clarice Starling first interviewed the criminally insane doctor (and 10 years since The Silence of the Lambs hit the theaters). This sense of uneasiness is captured alternately by deep, sustained notes and the rapid attack of a full-throttle orchestra. Whether it's the dark, tonal clusters of "Firenze Di Notte"; the desperate, descending notes that punctuate "Virtue"; or the chorale solemnity of the 10-minute "Let My Home Be My Gallows," the intent to horrify never waivers.

Vinikour and Delos’ beautiful new recording of this timeless classic features a performance of supreme elegance and an instrument built in 1998 by Kevin Fryer (inspired by the 1624 Ioannes Ruckers Colmar harpsichord) of unusual beauty and tone. The Goldberg Variations appeal on every possible level, transporting the listener to the incredible heights made possible by Bach’s masterful ingenuity.

What can you expect but good things from a date featuring three players of such high pedigree. With Dave Holland and Elvin Jones representing the steadfast rhythm sections of old, and with Frisell's post-modern tones being among the finest voices moving jazz forward, a date like this should easily yield some classic moments. But Frisell comes up with only partial melodies and bare bones sketches for the band to play. Jones sounds at times utterly bored with his rhythm duties, desperate for a chance to stretch out. Frisell himself is often hesitant. Henry Mancini's "Moon River" and Stephen Foster's century-and-a-half old "Hard Times" together offer brief glimpses of levity, but cannot save the set entirely.

Released on the struggling Beyond record label in 2000, Ten 13 wasn't exactly a well-publicized release. An impressive list of artists joined Sammy Hagar around the turn of the century at Beyond only to release hefty musical but commercially non-viable recordings. Hagar fared better than most due to his solid fan base – with which he managed to maintain a very close connection through touring, entertaining at his very popular bar and restaurant Cabo Wabo in Mexico, and by continuing to produce music generally true to his extremely popular '80s solo and Van Hagar material.

Paul Dombrecht, Wieland Kuijken en Robert Kohnen zijn sinds jaar en dag klinkende namen op de internationale barokpodia. Zij behoren tot de internationale top op het gebied van oude muziek en verwierven een ijzersterke faam als solist, artistiek leider of musicus in diverse ensembles. Hun pionierswerk van weleer was en is de vruchtbare bodem voor de internationale weerklank van de oude muziek. Samen koesteren ze een warme symathie voor de schier onuitputtelijke muziek van Georg Philipp Telemann.

Those who have had the good fortune of hearing live performances as conducted by Bernard Labadie with his usual ensembles Les Violons du Roy and La Chappelle de Québec will understand why this radiant recording is so special. Labadie is an authentic period devotee and his intensive scholarship and gifts as a conductor pull us back in time to the purity of sound surrounding these compositions.

This CD contains four compositions by the Icelandic composer Haukur Tómasson. The pieces are Concerto for Violin and Chamber Ensemble, Annual Ring, Spiral and Stemma. Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir plays the solo violin in the Concerto and the ensemble is conducted by Guðmundur Óli Gunnarsson.