The German Romantic classics - Beethoven, Brahms, and Mahler - had been central to Bruno Walter's middle years, but his life-long devotion to Mozart grew in his “post-retirement” days, beginning in 1958.

From 1958 to 1961, he recorded 55 works in the reverberant acoustic of Hollywood's American Legion Auditorium. Only the chorale finale of Beethoven's Ninth proved unsatisfactory, so Walter made one more trip to New York, this time with an East Coast version of the Columbia Symphony and the Westminster Symphonic Choir.

This box set of stereo recordings - with remasterings previously released in Bruno Walter - The Complete Columbia Album Collection - brings together some of the most treasured symphonic works of Mozart and Haydn, including two of Mozart's violin concertos played by the great French virtuoso Zino Francescatti.

Despite constant persecution under the communist regime, Shostakovich created a fascinating and personal music language, such as the violin, cello and piano trio opus 67. (Alpha)

Each new Handel release by The English Concert and Harry Bicket is a milestone in the composer’s discography, and the latest, Serse – ‘a spectacular treat for Handel lovers’ (The Times) – is no different. Created to astonish London audiences in 1728, Handel’s romantic and at times comic opera Serse is a spectacular drama of love, war, power and civil engineering set in ancient Persia, whose opening aria ‘Ombra mai fu’ remains an enduring favourite. Serse rules a vast empire, but the human heart is more difficult to command, and sometimes the beauty of a plane tree is the only constant in a dangerous world. The work is complemented by a world-class cast including the ‘barnstorming’ (The Daily Telegraph) Emily D’Angelo as the lovestruck king and Lucy Crowe as Romilda.

REVIEWS:

As David Vickers points out in his excellent commentary on this latest offering from master Handelians Harry Bicket and The English Concert, [Handel's Serse] ran for only five performances, in April 1738. Fast forward to the 1920s, when a modern performance tradition took root and gradually gained momentum, helped no doubt by what became one of the most famous opening arias of all time: Ombra mai fu.

The story focuses on the amorous predicaments of Serse and his brother Arsamene. Serse falls in love with Romilda, unaware that Romilda is already in love with Arsamene, and he with her. To complicate matters further, Romilda’s sister Atalanta also has feelings for Arsamene, and attempts to sabotage their relationship. Then there’s the small matter of Serse already being betrothed to Amastre, who disguises herself as a soldier the more easily to exact revenge for Serse’s fickleness. But fear not: it all ends well, with both couples ultimately reconciling. It’s all a bit daft. Thankfully, Handel’s music is sublime, with arias, duets, choruses and orchestral music negotiating the opera seria and buffa elements with imagination, lightness and panache.

And this is a sublime cast. Bicket and The English Concert’s credentials are self-recommending, the soloists’ nearly so. There are mezzos Emily D’Angelo, Paula Murrihy and Daniela Mack as Serse, Arsamene and Amastre respectively. Sopranos Lucy Crowe (Romilda) and Mary Bevan (Atalanta). Finally, bass-baritone Neal Davies (Ariodate) and baritone William Dazeley (the servant Elviro). This studio recording was made in All Saints’ East Finchley in May last year, following live concert performances in the UK and the US. D’Angelo’s ode to a plane tree is the curtain-raiser it should be: tonally rich, focused and playing it completely straight. There’s something grounding about it, too, despite its ethereal qualities (contrast these with her later Crude furie degl’orridi abissi), which really sets the tone for the quality of the performances to follow. Such as Crowe’s, in numbers such as O voi and the spectacular Va godendo vezzoso e bello; but also Chi cede al furore. Bevan’s Un cenno leggiandretto and Mack’s beautiful Cagion son io.

Here, and elsewhere, Bicket (who directs from the harpsichord) and The English Concert play with a technical and stylistic command that is above reproach, lithe strings, plangent winds and a punchy continuo section more than making up for the theatrical elements invisible to a home listener.

-- Limelight

This is the third of four albums to be released that will form a recording cycle that explores the closely intertwined personal and artistic connections between three musical giants: Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Robert Schumann’s and Johannes Brahms’ symphonies will be paired and combined with Clara Schumann’s chamber works and orchestral pieces, including some special gems. “I have always loved these symphonies and saw many links between them. It has always been my dream to record them and release them together. No story of these two composers is complete without Clara, as famous in her lifetime as her husband, and a strong influence on both Robert and Johannes. ?We crafted this vision with Clara Schumann scholar Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers, to combine the symphonies with pieces by Clara in ways that provide an insightful narrative to the intertwined lives and works of these three Romantics.” – Alexander Shelley

The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most active dance companies in the world. The dancers, used to practicing 5 to 7 hours a day, develop themselves by working with coaches and choreographers, but first and foremost through a close relationship with their audience. But in 2020, the pandemic radically changed their artistic life. They had never stayed away for so long from the rehearsal studios and from the stage of the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille. This film witnesses a unique moment in the history of the Ballet and follows the dancers from their first day back in the studios, to the reopening of the venues, and through the rehearsals of Rudolf Nureyev’s La Bayadère.

Les McCann - "Never A Dull Moment! Live From Coast To Coast (1966-67)" / Never A Dull Moment! Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967) is a previously unreleased collection of live recordings from unsung piano and vocal icon Les McCann. Featuring performances at Seattle's Penthouse jazz club in 1966 with Stan Gilbert, Paul Humphrey and Tony Bazley, plus recordings by Resonance founder and co-president George Klabin from the Village Vanguard in 1967 with Leroy Vinnegar and Frank Severino. This is an official release (in cooperation with Les McCann) transferred from the original tapes and mastered for by the legendary Bernie Grundman. Deluxe 3 CD set includes an extensive booklet with rare photographs and liner notes, plus quotes and statements from Roberta Flack, Monty Alexander, Roger Kellaway, Emmet Cohen and others.

Charles Mingus - "The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's" - The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's is an unreleased live recording of jazz icon Charles Mingus from Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London captured in August 1972. It features alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, tenor saxophonist Bobby Jones, trumpeter Jon Faddis, pianist John Foster, and drummer Roy Brooks. Deluxe 3 CD Digipak includes an extensive insert with rare photos, essays, and new interviews with Charles McPherson, Fran Lebowitz, and bass icons Eddie Gomez and Christian McBride.

Vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Released by Motown in 1972, The Temptations' Solid Rock features vocals by Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, Damon Harris, and Richard Street. A #1 Soul LP smash, it was the first recorded by the group without original lead singers Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams.

Released in 1973, Neither One of Us, the ninth studio album by Gladys Knight & the Pips, was their most successful work, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and No. 1 on the Soul LPs chart. By the time of it's release, the group had already left Motown and signed to Buddah Records, making the title song (which peaked at No. 2 on the US Pop charts and led the R&B charts) all the more poignant. "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" was also a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Available on 140g virgin vinyl. Limited Edition.

This edition features heavyweight orange vinyl showcasing the original 1969 BYG Records album, restored & remastered from the original master tapes. It comes in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with a matte laminate finish, along with an insert featuring liner notes by John Masouri. The first of The Art Ensemble of Chicago's renowned trio of albums for BYG's Actuel series now returns in a deluxe, audiophile edition This album is the Art Ensemble's most celebrated release, capturing the American avant-garde jazz collective at their most sensational, provocative, and startlingly original in a historic June 1969 session at Studio Saravah in Paris. Recorded in the aftermath of widespread anti-government protests and student riots, this album showcases what happens when four highly intuitive and accomplished musicians-driven by Black Nationalism and dreams of liberation, and armed with an array of diverse instruments-let their inspiration run free. The tracks on A Jackson in Your House challenge us to view music in a different light-not just as a source of entertainment, but as enlightenment, wonderment born of togetherness, courage, beauty, and surprise, all mixed with terrifying honesty.

Maria Callas remains the epitome of the operatic diva and is recognized as one of the 20th century's most legendary and enduring icons. She was both a glamorous diva and a global superstar who captivated audiences worldwide with her vivid and passionate performances. This Record Store Day special-edition LP features Callas in a glittering selection of opera favorites that showcases her unique voice and her heartbreaking portrayal of tragic heroines. Maria Callas is very much alive in the hearts of opera lovers - her official Facebook page has over 600,000 'likes' now. Recordings remastered from original tapes in 2014 by Abbey Road Studios.

Brad Mehldau / JACOB'S LADDER - The album features new music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music inspired by the prog rock Mehldau loved as a young adolescent, which was his gateway to the fusion that eventually led to his discovery of jazz. Jacob's Ladder is made up of original compositions by Mehldau alongside interpolations and covers of songs by Rush, Gentle Giant and Yes. Featured musicians on the album include Mehldau's label mates Chris Thile and C�cile McLorin Salvant, as well as Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens, Joel Frahm, and others.

This collection assembles the range of sources that Robert Johnson heard and learned from including songs from his mentor Son House and from other Delta performers and from sources that show aspects of the musical world in which he lived. His tastes ranged far and wide and he had a gift for absorbing sounds of all kinds, including from tin pan alley to hillbilly songs. He was a brilliant creative musician who managed a stunningly effective fusion of his Delta roots and the smoother approach of the then prominent contemporary blues artists. As with any genius in any field he was able to produce great work only because he was standing on the shoulders of previous great artists. This collection provides an introduction to a number of them and gives a sense of how Johnson adapted and combined their styles. It presents music that can still excite and inspire us today just as it did to Robert Johnson back in the first golden age of the blues.

This edition features heavyweight vinyl showcasing the original 1969 BYG Records album, restored & remastered from the original master tapes. It comes in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with a matte laminate finish, along with an insert featuring liner notes by John Masouri. The first of The Art Ensemble of Chicago's renowned trio of albums for BYG's Actuel series now returns in a deluxe, audiophile edition This album is the Art Ensemble's most celebrated release, capturing the American avant-garde jazz collective at their most sensational, provocative, and startlingly original in a historic June 1969 session at Studio Saravah in Paris. Recorded in the aftermath of widespread anti-government protests and student riots, this album showcases what happens when four highly intuitive and accomplished musicians-driven by Black Nationalism and dreams of liberation, and armed with an array of diverse instruments-let their inspiration run free. The tracks on A Jackson in Your House challenge us to view music in a different light-not just as a source of entertainment, but as enlightenment, wonderment born of togetherness, courage, beauty, and surprise, all mixed with terrifying honesty.

Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain’s most illustrious composers, and this specially curated selection of works demonstrates the sheer breadth of his achievement. As a major 20th century symphonist he is represented by four of his nine symphonies, all in critically acclaimed recordings (‘A clear top recommendation’ wrote Gramophone of A Sea Symphony). Popular orchestral works such as the celebrated Tallis Fantasia and The Lark Ascending are also included. Vaughan Williams’ chamber works are performed by the Maggini Quartet, his greatest contemporary champions; while the sublime Mass in G minor shows the composer’s high standing in the English choral tradition.

REVIEW:

More Vaughan Williams—and very welcome, too. While admirers may favour other performances, every take here on the composer’s exquisite scores is more than competitive. This curated selection of works is a measure of RVW’s achievements. As a major 20th-century symphonist he is represented by four of his nine symphonies, all in much-praised recordings, while winning orchestral works such as the celebrated Tallis Fantasia and The Lark Ascending are also included. Vaughan Williams’ chamber works are performed by the Maggini Quartet, his greatest contemporary champions; while the sublime Mass in G minor is a solid addition.

-- Classical CD Source (Barry Forshaw)