If proof were needed that Roxette are the new ABBA, the lack of critical respect should be enough. Like Abba, Roxette is a masterful pop band (with just the right amount of kitsch in its armor) that routinely gets slagged off for lacking substance, whatever that may be. Room Service showcases a band at the top of its form with its feet firm on the pedal: this album is a case study in songcraft and pop smarts. With its na-na-na choruses and sparkly guitars, Room Service is also trademark Roxette, a mostly no-surprises package that divides its time between the soaring, emotive power ballads and the rife-with-hooks rock-dance stompers that the band pretty much took patents out on back in the '80s and '90s.

These two concertos come from late in Nino Rota's career, coming in-fact just when he was finding his greatest fame as the composer of The Godfather Trilogy. (1972). The first concerto dates from that same year, the second from the year after. Consequently there are more similarities than differences. Both are in three movements, each opening and closing with an allegro, and each playing for approximately 25 minutes. Indeed, by current, and certainly by Chandos standards, this is a short release for a classical album. There is an undeniable completeness and symmetry to simply providing the two concertos, but at full price another work in the 15-25 minute region would not have gone amiss.

Veteran Italian rock band Pooh formed in Bologna in 1966. During the late '60s, the band featured Roby Facchinetti, Valerio Negrini, Dodi Battaglia, and Riccardo Fogli, but after Negrini left in 1971, the band recruited guitarist, bassist, and vocalist Red Canzian plus drummer and percussionist Stefano D'Orazio, and began a long run as one of the best and most popular Italian rockers of their times. The band recorded for many labels, including CBS, Vedette, CGD (Compagnia Generale del Disco), and Warner Music Italy, selling over 100 million records in the process. Pooh continued to tour and record continually up into the 2010s, but in late 2016 they decided to call it quits by the end of the year, in order to complete their 50-year anniversary as a band. The concert album Pooh 50: L'Ultima Notte Insieme, recorded in mid-June at two shows in Milan, promptly hit number one in the Italian charts upon release in September.

In order to expand the breadth of his performance career, Thibold has been actively exploring repertoire that is less popularly recorded in recent years. These two piano concertos by Mendelssohn are crystal clear and graceful under Thiebaud's skillful hands. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is the oldest orchestra in the world. Mendelssohn was invited to be the fifth conductor of the orchestra in 1835. Therefore, this episode invites them to take on the important responsibility of concerto, which is particularly meaningful.

Apollo e Dafne was probably begun in Venice in 1709, but was not completed until after Handel’s arrival in Hanover in 1710, to take up his appointment as Kapellmeister to the Elector. The instrumentation is more colourful than usual, and in addition to the usual strings Handel added a flute, a pair of oboes and a bassoon. The musical structure is relatively simple, with a succession of emotionally varied da capo arias and a pair of duets for the two main characters, Dafne, a soprano, and Apollo, a bass. Since Handel’s original overture has not survived, this performance is prefaced by the opening movement of his Concerto Opus 3, No.1, which was probably composed at the same time.

The Christmas Attic is the second album by the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, released in 1998. The cover art is by Edgar Jerins. On November 18, 2004, The Christmas Attic was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Trans-Siberian Orchestra's second album, Christmas Attic, may not be as focused or serious as Christmas Eve, but it is just as enjoyable and maybe even more consistent, thanks to Paul O'Neill's increasingly impressive compositions and an improved musicality.

On Kenny Neal's third Telarc release, One Step Closer, he combines the Louisiana musical traditions he grew up listening to with a wide range of contemporary material. Among the 12 tracks are soul-blues renditions of Bob Dylan's "Walk Out in the Rain," Nick Lowe's "High on a Hilltop," and John Hiatt's "Lover's Will." Neal's developing skills as a songwriting have been convincingly affected by roots rock and Americana, as showcased on "Backdoor Tipper," "No More One More Chance," "Whiskey Tears," and "She Ain't Happy Unless She's Sad."

There are plenty of available versions of the Mozart Violin Concertos, but few that can match the recordings David Oistrakh made in Berlin back in 1971. His big, juicy tone is irresistible, as is his flowing legato line and the intensity with which he elevates what sometimes (in unsympathetic performances) can seem like mere juvenilia. The first two of Mozart’s concertos for solo violin do display less variety and depth than the later ones, but the 19-year-old was a fast learner, writing all five of them within eight months in 1775.

A well-packed disc, for those who love a good long play. But, more to the point, the singing and recording are outstanding. And what music is here enshrined! … readers may be a little weary of praises for The Tallis Scholars. There is no other course. This is surely one of the supreme choirs of the world. Peter Phillips, whose notes are revelatory reading, has reached the heart of this sublime music.

Listen as Niklas Willén teases the skittish polka (No. 6) from Alfvén's 'The Prodigal Son' ballet suite, or steers his players through the vehement fugue that rounds out his Symphony No. 2, and you'll appreciate why this release commands unreserved praise. Ireland's NSO gives superlative performances, worthy alternatives to Neeme Jarvi's coolly efficient Royal Stockholm Philharmonic accounts on BIS. These works come to life in Willén's hands. For example, he infuses the third section (a festive march) of the ballet music with the requisite proud swagger, while the national dances that follow are engagingly characterised.

Heinz Holliger's first full length opera is a radical reworking of the Snow White story, with libretto based on the version by Swiss author Robert Walser. The opera opened in Zürich to rave reviews, applauded for its energy, invention, wit and psychological insight. Soprano singer Juliane Banse was singled out for her exceptionally inspired performance in the title role. This New Series recording features the original cast, under the direction of the composer.

Before the great conductor Ferenc Fricsay died (tragically young at the age of 48 in 1963), he made dozens of brilliant mono and stereo recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. Many of his most significant recordings have been released on CD, though some have already drifted out-of-print (Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Mozart Syms 29, 39-41 and Beethoven Syms 3, 5 & 7) and others are only available as expensive imports. This past year there has even been a limited edition boxed set of his music released (in the "Original Masters" series – see my review).

Guillaume de Machaut was one of the great composers of a pivotal period at the intersection between the late medieval times and the Renaissance. His works include sacred compositions, such as his Messe de Nostre Dame, which took polyphonic music to new summits, as well as popular dances and songs that reveal the influence of the trouvères.
Yet this disc actually contains little music by Machaut. Only the last two pieces are by him. This leads to a bit of confusion: is Calliope trying to use Machaut’s name to sell a compilation of medieval music? This barely seems necessary, yet there is clearly some ambiguity.