If Kissin were a singer, he would definitely be on the opera stage. He produces a sound which is deep, weighty and brilliant, and projects the opening of Kreisleriana as if he were Jove himself venting his rage.

Yevgeny Kissin may look like a marionette, but if he were a singer, he would definitely be on the opera stage. He does not bash, but he produces a sound which is deep, weighty and brilliant. He projects the opening piece of Kreisleriana as if he were Jove himself venting his rage – not quite the passionate eccentricity Schumann had in mind, perhaps, though the contrasting quiet section is delicious. Nor does the second piece begin quite ‘inwardly’ as marked, though it is very considered, and while Kissin makes the first Intermezzo dazzling, he misses Schumann’s simple joy. From the second Intermezzo alone you know it is Kissin playing because of his characteristic – and deliberate – dragging of the left hand behind the right. His constant virtue is commitment to every single note he plays, which makes the final section of this extended piece, if much larger than life, incredibly compelling.

No pianist today (or yesterday) is more lavishly gifted than Kissin purely as a technician. For natural brilliance, perhaps, Martha Argerich compares, and it is her recording of Kreisleriana with which this new release invites comparison. Though Kissin’s recording is rich and spacious, it doesn’t make use of the microphone to produce all those half-lights and impalpable shadows that Argerich achieved. And Kissin hasn’t Argerich’s range of response to the picturesque – none of her secretive mood in the third piece, her impish glee in the fifth, nor above all, her sense of intimacy.

And yet, on its own, very ‘public’ terms, this issue is overwhelming, with a performance of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne which, for once, bears no sign of straining the medium.

Performance: 5 (out of 5), Sound: 5 (out of 5)

-- Adrian Jack, BBC Music Magazine

The incomparable violinist Jascha Heifetz lends his prodigious talents to four performances of three famous film composers of the middle of the 20th century. Enjoy the work of Korngold, Rozsa and Waxman like never before in Heifetz's deft hands.

A wonderful release of Bela Bartok's 1943 work, which to this day is the Hungarian's most recognizable works. Performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Fritz Reiner, this CD is a perfect introduction to the modernist classical movement, and a wonderful addition to any collection of the great classical composers.

Personnel: Gil Scott-Heron (vocals, flute, piano, bells); Horace Ott, Johnny Pate (conductor); Brian Jackson (vocals, flute, acoustic & electric pianos, bells); David Barnes (vocals, percussion); Hubert Laws (saxophone, piccolo, flute); David Spinozza, Burt Jones (guitar); Ron Carter (acoustic & electric basses); Gerry Jemmott (bass); Bernard Purdie (drums); Eddie Knowles, Charlie Saunders (congas, percussion).
Producer: Bob Thiele.
Compilation producer: John Snyder.
Engineers include: Bob Simpson, Ray Hall.
Recorded between 1970 and 1972. Includes liner notes by Tom Terrell.
Digitally remastered by Tom MacCluskey (1997, BMG Studios, New York, New York).

This 1971 album from the quintessential "street poet" laid a foundation way back in the early 1970s for rap music and hip hop artists as Gil performed his music tainted with a political and social commentary. He ultimately landed on charts for jazz and then R&B. This early look at the no-nonsense musician is as powerful today as when it was first released.

Argentinian saxophonist Gato Barbieri teamed up with his greatest contemporaries for these two albums, which bring in soul, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and other influences to make a truly remarkable set of jazz performances. Features the likes of John Abercrombie, Airto, Stanley Clarke, Bernard Purdie and many more.

The Far East Suite is an album by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, recorded in New York City on 19 December to 21 December 1966. The nine compositions on the original album were all composed by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (except for one by Ellington).