Winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn competition, Haochen Zhang is no stranger to a challenge. On this début concerto disc he proves this once more, boldly jumping in at the deep end as he takes on Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The demands posed by Prokofiev’s concerto are famous, starting with a huge cadenza already in the first movement. This may explain why the concerto was for a long time relatively unknown and, … Read moreunlike the First and Third Piano Concertos, has only recently taken its rightful place in the repertory.

As the possessor of one of the great lyric soprano voices of our time, soprano Renée Fleming is in demand in the world's great opera houses. (It doesn't hurt that she's also lovely and a fine actress.) This album is an outstanding collection of great arias, ravishingly sung.

The French cantata had a brief, but vibrant life during the first three decades of the 18th century. Beginning with Morin's first book in 1706, there followed dozens of books of cantatas by a number of French composers. Clerambault, Boismortier, Rameau and Monteclair all published cantatas during this period. Monteclair may by relatively unknown, but he was a composer of undoubted talent if judged by the works on this recording…If you like the French baroque, do yourself a favor and try to buy this recording. It is a high point in the art of the cantata, and in the musicianship of William Christie and his colleagues.

2025 marks a new chapter for symphonic metal innovators Epica, with the announcement of their 9th studio album titled Aspiral. For more than 20 years now, Epica have been standing tall. And while already their last efforts clearly showcased their commitment to the game, it is Aspiral that truly distills the very heart of their trademark sound.

After the two back-to-back albums,it was time for Nuova Era to focus more on their live appearances. So for about two years they gave many shows,before they entered again the studio to record their third album.
The band decided to follow the same structure as with ''Dopo l'infinito'', this means the album contains two long Symphonic Rock suites, clocking at 18 and 24-min. respectively. Musically nothing has changed. Both compositions contain a great number of sudden breaks, complex themes, virtuosic keyboard work and intense vocals. The music again is mostly based on Walter Pini's great skills on organs and synths: Baroque-influenced parts, intricate solos, marching synthesizers and background fillings for the guitars, along with some light piano interludes…

Eleni Karaindrou has been active for more than three decades as a film composer, creating scores for Weeping Meadow, Eternity and a Day, Voyage to Cythera, and other projects. Elegy of the Uprooting (1982-2004) is a large-scale work for voice, choir, and orchestra, in which themes from Karaindrou's soundtracks and incidental music for the theater are brought together in a more unified format. This live 2005 concert presentation from Athens is as much a retrospective celebration of Karaindrou's artistry as it is an extended cantata-symphony on the theme of dislocation and the plight of refugees, so listeners at first may feel some confusion in how to appreciate the album. Furthermore, fans of ECM's New Series may find that this music is rather conventional, compared to the avant-garde fare the label regularly features…

The Byrds Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys for a brief period in the mid-'60s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. They were not solely responsible for devising folk-rock, but they were certainly more responsible than any other single act (Dylan included) for melding the innovations and energy of the British Invasion with the best lyrical and musical elements of contemporary folk music. The jangling, 12-string guitar sound of leader Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker was permanently absorbed into the vocabulary of rock. They also played a vital role in pioneering psychedelic rock and country-rock, the unifying element being their angelic harmonies and restless eclecticism.

Anybody interested in Don Byron gets his range, and his willingness to try almost anything that tickles his fancy, whether it be klezmer, swing, funk, out jazz, blues or funky soul. He explores and leaves his mark on something and moves on. From Music for Six Musicians and Tuskegee Experiments to Nu Blaxploitation and Bug Music, from Fine Line: Arias and Lieder and Plays the Music of Mickey Katz to Ivey-Divey, Byron has explored - not usually reverently - his inspirations and curiosities with mixed results, but it's the investigation that counts for him in the first place. Do the Boomerang: The Music of Junior Walker is a curious outing in that Walker didn't always write his own material, but he wrote enough of it (five cuts on this set) and, like Byron, put an indelible stamp on anything he took on, from singing to blowing the saxophone. Byron assembled a dream band for this offering that includes guitarist David Gilmore…

We know Hendrix was influenced by Bob Dylan, as shown by his covers of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Like a Rolling Stone" (live at Monterey). On this star-studded live jam previously released as a bootleg called Sky High, it's obvious Jimi listened to other people, too. He opens "Red House" quoting from "Crossroads," the Cream take on a legendary Robert Johnson blues. Later, Hendrix plays a Beatles tune and further tips his hat to Eric Clapton by closing with the unmistakable "Sunshine of Your Love" riff. At times, Hendrix and Johnny Winter lock into an elemental force, although a seriously drunk Jim Morrison doesn't add much except obscenities. The drumming of Randy Z. for the first half and Buddy Miles the rest of the way produces renewed appreciation for Mitch Mitchell and the way his inventiveness meshed so well with Hendrix's brilliance…

Electronic music maestro Paul Ellis continues his lifelong exploration into the aesthetics of minimalism, ambient, space music, and the classic sequencer-driven Berlin School sound, on his third Spotted Peccary Music release, Moth In Flames. The veteran artist meticulously crafts restrained pulsing electronics that provide the measured momentum to steadily move through a morphing soundscape of classic analog synth moods and atmospheric textures, on his most refined work to date.
Like a perfectly placed pendulum, the music of Moth In Flames steadily moves through the blurred boundary where melodic and ambient music overlap, pulling from both worlds while never straying too far into either…

The most comprehensive tribute ever issued on record to the art of the Italian pianist Sergio Fiorentino. Many recordings here newly remastered and receiving their first-ever issue in the digital age. A landmark set for pianophiles. This set has been curated by the collector Ernst Lumpe, who contributes a lengthy appreciation and introduction to the booklet of the set, alongside an essay by Christoph Schlüren & Ottavia Maria Maceratini. It was Lumpe who drew the pianist out of retirement during the 1990s, resulting in an ‘Indian Summer’ of recordings made in Berlin until not long before the pianist’s death in 1998. They are reissued here, alongside much less familiar solo and concerto recordings from the 1950s and 60s – ‘The Early Recordings’ – and separate sections dedicated to Fiorentino’s particular, free-wheeling mastery of Chopin and Liszt.

The most comprehensive tribute ever issued on record to the art of the Italian pianist Sergio Fiorentino. Many recordings here newly remastered and receiving their first-ever issue in the digital age. A landmark set for pianophiles. This set has been curated by the collector Ernst Lumpe, who contributes a lengthy appreciation and introduction to the booklet of the set, alongside an essay by Christoph Schlüren & Ottavia Maria Maceratini. It was Lumpe who drew the pianist out of retirement during the 1990s, resulting in an ‘Indian Summer’ of recordings made in Berlin until not long before the pianist’s death in 1998. They are reissued here, alongside much less familiar solo and concerto recordings from the 1950s and 60s – ‘The Early Recordings’ – and separate sections dedicated to Fiorentino’s particular, free-wheeling mastery of Chopin and Liszt.

Tribute to an outstanding 20th century pianist: SERGIO FIORENTINO - The legacy "He is the only other pianist," said legendary Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli about Sergio Fiorentino. How is it that one of the greatest musical geniuses of the 20th century is still so unknown? Sergio Fiorentino (1927-1998) was a remarkable Italian pianist whose career combined extraordinary artistry with a silent, almost mysterious presence in the music world. Born in Naples, Fiorentino showed an extraordinary talent at a young age and studied at the renowned San Pietro a Majella Conservatory with Alfredo Casella and Paolo Denza.

After years of friendship and shared music in France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, friends Camille Prenant and Casper Christensen release their first album together! Camille Prenant and Casper Christensen met in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2019. They quickly became close and played together daily during their time in Holland. Since then, they have maintained their friendship through music by traveling across Europe, exploring new musical horizons, sharing their influences, and experiencing some memorable adventures during their tours and travels together.

Rhino released a comprehensive double-disc Otis Redding collection in 1998 called Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology. It was a generous 50 tracks and contained not only his hits, but lots of great lesser-known singles and album tracks, plus some live recordings. Eight years later, Rhino released a second Otis Redding collection, 2006's The Definitive Soul Collection, which isn't nearly as comprehensive or definitive as Dreams to Remember. It's a good 20 tracks slimmer for one thing, nor is it as far-ranging in its scope or as attractively packaged, for that matter. But while The Definitive Soul Collection pales when judged against its stellar predecessor, taken on its own terms, it's quite a good compilation, containing all of his biggest songs – "These Arms of Mine," "Mr. Pitiful," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Respect," "I Can't Turn You Loose," "Try a Little Tenderness," and "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" – along with a good sampling of the best of the rest. Dreams to Remember may be the first choice for anybody looking for a double-disc set, but if that's hard to find, this is a good substitute.