Les Barbares was premièred at the Paris Opéra (Palais Garnier) in October 1901, having originally been intended for the Roman theatre of Orange, in Provence. Rather than concentrating on bloodshed and slaughter, the plot focuses on the evolution of the relationship between Floria, the chief vestal, and Marcomir, the leader of the Barbarians, with the musical interest of the opera culminating furthermore in their splendid duet at the end of Act II. Saint-Saëns, like Massenet too at that time, shows here his ability to adapt his style to suit his literary inspiration. Les Barbares is in the same vein as Berliozs Les Troyens and contemporary with Faurés Pénélope.

If Out Among the Stars had come out when its sessions were completed, it would've appeared sometime in 1984, arriving between 1983's flinty Johnny 99 and 1985's slippery, sentimental Rainbow. Allegedly, this album – discovered by Legacy and John Carter Cash during some archival work in 2012 – was shelved because its Billy Sherrill production was just a little bit too pop for Johnny Cash's taste, but that reasoning isn't sound, particularly with the Chips Moman-produced crossover of sugar of Rainbow taken into consideration. Moman had been riding high on the hits he produced for Willie Nelson – notably "Always on My Mind," Willie's last great crossover smash – and he applied a similar heavy-handed touch to Cash, who at that point was several years away from his last Country Top 10 hit.

Known for his mariachi-inspired easy listening sound, trumpeter Herb Alpert is one of the most successful instrumental performers in pop history. He is also one of the entertainment industry's canniest businessmen, having co-founded A&M Records – a label that ranks among the most prosperous artist-owned companies ever established – with partner Jerry Moss. Collection includes: The Lonely Bull (1962); South Of The Border (1964); Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965); !!Going Places!! (1965); What Now My Love (1966); S.R.O (1966); The Beat Of The Brass (1968); Rise (1979); Fandango (1982); Bullish (1984); Keep Your Eye On Me (1987); Classics, Volume 1 (1987); Steppin' Out (Featuring Lani Hall) (2013); In The Mood (2014); Come Fly With Me (2015).

In the year 2009 Daniela Dolci discovered an interesting opera with obbligato cornett arias in the Austrian National Library that had been listed as a work by Giacomo Perti; with her ensemble Musica Fiorita, she gave concertante performances of the arias of the protagonists Rosinda and Emireno. After this, it turned out that not Perti, but Alessandro Scarlatti is the composer of this opera. The opera, premiered in Naples in 1697, is set in the city of Memphis in an idealised Egypt. The plot - as is usual for operas of this period - is quite intricate and complicated. Various love relationships and hardships connect the protagonists, with the conflict over the Egyptian throne being argued out at the same time. The arias are musically appealing, especially due to the use of a cornett (played by Bork-Frithjof Smith with virtuosity and beauty of tone).

David Geringas is very much of the school of his teacher Rostropovich when it comes to the Bach Suites: the speeds are very fast, and they have a masculine edge to them that may be more aggressive than some palates can support. But where Rostropovich projects through the phrases, Geringas is more prone to distraction, with the hiatuses of his phrases more often signifying frustrating pauses than lilts that gracefully encourage the music to its conclusion.

There can only be one Chillout and Lounge Compilation Series being the market leader and it certainly is the Café Del Mar series! There have since been many imitators, but only one true Café Del Mar. No other album will reaffirm further this very simple statement than Volume 20 Includes exclusive tracks from Nightmares on Wax, Goldfrapp, Thievery Corporation, Rae & Christian, Penguin Café, Moby, M83, Morcheeba, Boards of Canada.

Two years after Thick as a Brick 2, an explicit 2012 sequel to the 1972 prog classic, Ian Anderson embarked on another ambitious journey, this time assembling a concept record called Homo Erraticus. A loose – very loose – album based on a "dusty, unpublished manuscript, written by local amateur historian Ernest T. Parritt (1873-1928)," Homo Erraticus is an old-fashioned prog record: it has narrative heft and ideas tied to the '70s, where jazz, classical, folk, orchestral pop, and rock all commingled in a thick, murky soup.

Padre Davide da Bergamo was one of Italy’s most famous and prolific organists and organ composers (besides being a monk). His lifespan, 1791- 1863, encompassed the Romantic Era, in which organ music detached itself from purely liturgical use. He introduced the symphonic form in his organ works, especially in his “Sinfonias”, which are substantial structures in classical/romantic style and form. This recording features the first recording of his “6 Sonatas & Sinfonias”. Organist Marco Ruggeri chose two organs from Da Bergamo’s time, magnificent instruments which do full justice to the colours and virtuosity of Da Bergamo’s works. Booklet contains liner notes, biography and information on the instruments.

As part of The Stranglers' celebration of their Ruby Anniversary, the definitive collection of the B-side recordings they made whilst signed to Epic is released for the first time, via their own label. Appropriately, as befits a band marking forty years together, Here & There: The Epic B-sides Collection 1983-1991 gathers 40 tracks across 2 CDs and is also released as a 40 track digital package. The Stranglers released no less than 13 singles in the UK during this period, which saw them produce five albums: four studio and one live. The Stranglers signed to Epic Records in 1982 having been with United Artists / Liberty since 1977. The change of label coincided with changes in marketing policy across the UK industry - often dubbed "the Frankie Goes to Hollywood effect". Previously, The Stranglers' had released only one 12" single - an extended version of Bear Cage in 1980 - but from 2nd Epic single, Midnight Summer Dream until 1990, each release had a 12" version which required extra studio or, increasingly, live tracks to "add value" to the package.