Schumann’s studies in counterpoint during 1845 climaxed in what he described as a ‘Fugenpassion’. He rented a pedalboard attachment for his piano to extend his music’s textural possibilities and to help familiarise himself with organ technique.

Antonin Dvorák’s symphonic poems are fascinating works because they offer a perfect combination of colourful orchestration, lively narrative art and deeply rooted Czech folk music tradition. Dvorak’s ability to paint musical pictures and tell stories in a haunting way is particularly evident in the three pieces recorded here by the Basel Symphony Orchestra under its chief conductor Ivor Bolton. The physical edition of the production is published as a magnificent digibook with many illustrations and informative texts that allow us to follow the described course of Karel Jaromir Erben’s (1811-1870) originals.

Marilyn Monroe Although film actress and Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe has been the subject of a large number of albums, she rarely stepped into a recording studio to make a commercial recording and only appeared in five real movie musicals (with a few other musical performances in her straight films), making for a total record and soundtrack output of less than three dozen titles that are recycled endlessly along with bits of movie dialogue and radio and TV appearances on the frequent reissues.

Totally 80s (Only Hits)" sounds like a fantastic playlist idea! The 1980s were a golden era for music, with iconic hits across pop, rock, new wave, and synth-pop. Here's a list of some absolute must-have tracks for your 80s playlist

Nearly three decades since they first came together during informal sessions at O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin, the Dubliners remain one of the most influential of Ireland's traditional folk bands. Unlike their counterparts the Clancy Brothers, the Dubliners have never strayed from the raw looseness of the pub scene. According to Dirty Linen, "Whereas the Clancys were well-scrubbed returned Yanks from rural Tipperary, decked out in matching white Arab sweaters, the Dubliners were hard-drinking backstreet Dublin scrappers with unkempt hair and bushy beards, whose gigs seemed to happen by accident in between fist fights".

Soundway Records delivers an exciting new compilation, diving ever deeper into South-East Asia. Ayo Ke Disco celebrates the musical identities emerging during the 1970s and 80s from the newly independent countries nestled around the South China Sea.

Tenn. – Pennsylvania-based, raucous and rowdy indie southern rock band, Six Gun Sally, will release its sophomore recording project titled STAND UP. Poised to appeal to audiences with an appetite for classic rock, Southern rock and rockin' country music entertainment.

Both Scriabin and Langgaard believed that through their music they could pave the way for a spiritual revolution. The piano offered a perfect and very intimate medium for their highly personal harmonic and expressive vocabularies. Scriabin drew on daemonic associations in his Piano Sonata No. 9 to liberate the old tonal system, whereas Langgaard explored his youthful fascination with Catholicism in music of fanaticism and ecstasy. Langgaard’s The Flame Chambers and Scriabin’s Vers la flamme are feverish musical twins that exemplify both composers’ explosive intensity.

Sonny Rollins is the most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop eras, but also one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time. His fluid and harmonically innovative ideas and easily accessible sound have influenced generations of players. Nicknamed "Newk," he served early apprenticeships with bop masters from Bud Powell and Miles Davis to Max Roach & Clifford Brown.

This ambitious video and musical project was co-ordinated by Tom Galley (brother of former Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley) - the albums are concept affairs, centred on the theme of supernatural phenomena. However, utilizing an impressive list of guest musicians has not always guaranteed a good result, and Phenomena went some way towards proving this truism. With Neil Murray (bass), Cozy Powell (drums), Mel Galley (guitar) and Glenn Hughes (vocals) among the initial line-up, great things were evidently expected for Phenomena.

Bryan Lee: Live and Dangerous features the celebrated guitarist and his Blues Power Band performing a concert at the Montreal Spectrum, October 17, 2003.

When headbanger historians look back on the important heavy metal and hard rock bands that were active during the '70s, Mahogany Rush's name doesn't come up nearly as often as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Kiss, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Blue Öyster Cult or Aerosmith – and that is regrettable because Frank Marino led one of the '70s' most exciting hard rock/metal outfits.

The Laura Anglade Quintet’s debut recording is entitled ‘I’ve Got Just About Everything’. “This record is a collective effort,” explains Anglade, “We are always setting new goals as a band and challenging and learning from each other. I think the key is a shared level of humility and desire to do this music justice. With the exception of Easy Way Out, this record is our take on lesser-known standards outlining the tradition. Branching out from the quintet’s combined influences, on top of the carefully thought out melodies, I truly believe that these tunes offer themes and experiences that are indeed timeless. Music creates a safe space for self-digging by freeing the listener to approach it without constraints.

The Cello Concerto no.1 was Villa-Lobos’s first major orchestral work. Filled with youthful energy and displaying an eclectic style, it is the sound of the composer finding his voice. Three decades later and with his reputation at its height, the inspired melodies and flowing style of the Fantasia sees Villa-Lobos giving free rein to his vivid imagination. Composed for the Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, the no less inventive and lushly scored Cello Concerto no.2 from 1953 suggests man’s solitude when facing the vastness of nature.