And the Alice of Lewis Carroll crossed the path of Ibrahim Maalouf and Oxmo Puccino! Their meeting that gave birth to this superb album concept guided by the magic wand of the trumpeter and the pen of the rapper. In 2011, the Festival d'ile de France had invited Ibrahim Maalouf to imagine a musical inspired by Alice in Wonderland. To accompany them in this adventure, he had then sought Oxmo Puccino. With the addition of the orchestra and choirs, the two artists are building the backbone of a modern opera, and multicultural. Ambitious project, completed in a good mood, freedom and a sense of humour, to The country of Alice… mix of emotions, and it is a new work of art that can be discovered here.

Share in our healthy appetite for good food, a good vibe, having fun, and flirting just a little, with this unique album where nostalgia and modern vintage come together to a cool jazz beat. Vintage jazz band WhoSheDo takes you on a nostalgic trip back to the 1930s: a steamy night club, jazz, bootleg whisky, champagne, cigars, gangsters. Appetite is an unique album: WhoSeDo recorded their own compositions of both upbeat 1930s swing and sultry jazz ballads influenced by Gypsy jazz, flamenco, Motown, tango and Latin jazz. Although the songs all sound deliciously vintage, the lyrics, written by singer Mylene Hanson, describe our modern daily life in a funny, quirky or melancholic way…

French chanson trio, singing the songs of 1930s and 40s Paris in their original language, and playing in the style of Django Reinhardt and jazz manouche. Music from the greats - Piaf, Gainbourg, Ulmer, Montand and Trenet, and fiery gypsy melodies. La Mauvaise Réputation - based in Melbourne, Australia - are the premier exponents of Hot Swing and Chanson in the region. They perform the songs of Piaf, Ulmer, Gainsbourg and the like, in the style of legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, and all sung in their original French…

"Sons Of Society" is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Riot, released on September 7, 1999. Sons of Society continues Riot's move into a more European metal sound, strongly reminiscent of Rainbow and Thin Lizzy and tailored for the preferences of the Japanese market. It's a solid if unexceptional record, with all the well-executed craft of seasoned veterans and the rather conservative predictability of journeymen. Japan release comes with an exclusive bonus track: "QUEEN".

This album of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s chamber music and songs, mostly of recent vintage, is issued as the innovative Great British composer approaches his 80th birthday (he was born in Accrington in July 1934). It features an exceptional line-up of performers. Heard together and separately is the trio of Austrian pianist Till Fellner, Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili and English cellist Adrian Brendel. They are joined by London-born singers, soprano Amy Freston and baritone Roderick Williams.

Gramophone Record of the Year-winning group The Cardinall’s Musick continues its exploration of Tallis’s sacred music. These recordings not only showcase the greatest repertoire of the English Renaissance in dazzling performances, but also illustrate the complex historical and political background of the works and their genesis.

Chandos continues to champion the works of York Bowen, this time turning to the chamber works of this great composer who, after years of neglect, is finding ever growing audiences. The works are performed by the Gould Piano Trio, one of the finest ensembles of their kind, which is joined by the clarinettist Robert Plane, violinist Mia Cooper, and violist David Adams. The Piano Trio in E minor is arguably Bowen’s masterpiece of chamber music and one of the finest such works by a British composer. It features a natural fluency and melodic expression that are hallmarks of Bowen’s output. The Phantasy Quintet is a fascinating work for the virtually unique combination of bass clarinet and string quartet. Flowing seamlessly, the music masterfully integrates the bass clarinet into the texture. Also included is the first movement from the unfinished early Piano Trio in D minor, edited for this premiere recording by the Gould Piano Trio. Its structure is simpler and less organic than the later works but it is an intriguing piece and clearly the work of a gifted creative figure. The Rhapsody Trio in A minor and Clarinet Sonata in F minor complete the disc.

Louis Spohr - Violinkonzerte Nr. 1, 14 & 15
Ulf Hoelscher / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Christian Fröhlich
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 274 MB | Full Artwork: 149 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: CPO # 999 403-2 | Country/Year: Germany 1999
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School, Romantic

Hoelscher demonstrates a formidable mastery of Spohr’s technically challenging passagework, although his efforts are somewhat undermined by the recessed sound of the orchestra. (…) Nonetheless, it is fascinating to experience a bird’s-eye view of Spohr’s development, from the elegant if somewhat four-square First Concerto to the more sophisticated harmonic and formal structures of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth.