Long before the advent of surtitles in the opera house, success across Europe of new dramatic works depended on their plots being understood by local audiences. Such was the case for the German singspiel that is Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and when it was introduced to in Paris in 1801 it was adapted and re-titled Les Mystères d’Isis: this is the opera which Le Concert Spirituel and the Flemish Radio Choir have recorded for this new release on Glossa (Diego Fasolis conducting the ensembles in place of the then indisposed Hervé Niquet).

These discs come from LPs recorded in the 1970s – unfortunately the reader of the booklet does not learn exactly where or when from the booklet, which is also something of a graphic design catastrophe. The Hilliard Ensemble, formed in 1974, took a great leap forward in the investigation and performance of English Renaissance music. It took its name not from baritone and leader Paul Hillier but from that of an Elizabethan portraitist, Nicholas Hilliard. These discs cover a couple of generations' worth of English madrigals and other songs, interspersed with instrumental works and a few songs from other countries.

This version of Handel's wonderful late potpourri of short orchestra works boasts the best string playing the music will ever receive - more recent recordings going forward running steadfastly to Historical Informed Practices complete with twitchy and bizarre tuning and pitches. The superb violinist Iona Brown, who sadly passed away too soon, was also an excellent conductor, and she nails practically every movement with just the right balance of tempo and spirit. The music's variety of colors and instrumental pairings is put across splendidly.

Eberhard Weber's first record remains his most well-known and influential. An ambitious work of what might be called symphonic jazz, The Colours of Chloë helped to define the ECM sound – picturesque, romantic, at times rhythmically involved, at others minimalistic and harmonically abstruse. Weber at various points combines strings, choir, synthesizer, and small jazz ensemble. It's a brew that can bring to mind some of the progressive rock and fusion of the era, although Weber's vision is a good deal more idiosyncratic than that.

Stages of a Long Journey was recorded in Stuttgart in March of 2005, as part of a celebration of both the 20th anniversary of the Theaterhaus Jazzstage festival and as a 65th birthday celebration for bassist Eberhard Weber. Weber was asked to pick a number of his own compositions, rearrange them by writing new charts for the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, and select his own band as well. Weber picked on former and current bandmates such as Gary Burton, Jan Garbarek, Rainer Bruninghaus, Marilyn Mazur, Wolfgang Dauner, Reto Weber, and human beatbox Nino G., and carefully chose material from his own catalog and pieces he had performed on in their initial recordings.

Is it jazz? Some of it is, but much of it isn't. Then what is it? The Ensemble FisFuz (for the purpose of pronunciation, there's an umlaut over the `u' in `Fuz') plays world music, an amalgam of sounds and themes from Spain and Portugal, the Middle and Far East, Mediterranean and Klezmer music, and, yes, with Trovesi several albums his affinity for folk music and a variety of popular forms. And as his marvelous duet albums with accordionist Giani Coscia (see esp. In cerca di cibo, 2000) have shown, he can improvise on almost any melody! Although he melds well with clarinetist Maye, and they do wonderful harmony and counterpoint passages together, it is easy to tell when Trovesi is in the lead -there is a bluesy tone to his clarinet, a way he skews notes as though swerving up to them at moments. Maye plays equally well -her clarinet solos sound `purer', as I just said, less blues-intonated.

Twenty-three years after dropping their last full-length, Sacred Reich are returning in force with the towering Awakening, effortlessly demonstrating that they remain a formidable force in metal. Showcasing everything a fan would expect and hope for from the Phoenix, Arizona crew, it is a timeless collection comprised of blistering thrash, crushing grooves, killer solos and socially conscious lyrics that demonstrate a true understanding of everything that matters most in the world today. "Going into it, we had a loose idea as far as knowing that we wanted some fast, heavy songs to honor the old school fans that have supported us and gotten us to this point," states vocalist/bassist Phil Rind. "We wanted everything to happen naturally. We didn't want to force anything and we are super stoked with every song. It is easily the best thing we have ever done."

Progress without estrangement is a rare craft that very few bands truly master. All too often, a band ventures so far from its roots it that loses its trademark sound. And every so often, a band’s stagnation drains all of its charm. Finding that rare balance between the two is a huge task not easily accomplished. And yet there is a band that has been coming close to that perfect balance more and more over the course of the past few years. A band that, ironically, already bears that balance in its well-known name: EQUILIBRIUM. Embodying everything that Equilibrium has worked for over the past two decades, Renegades is an album that is destined to bring them greater exposure. Staying true to their roots, but changing the formula just enough to keep their music feeling fresh and innovative will definitely work in the band’s favor and should bring new fans along for the ride. With a renewed focus on their overall sound and armed with tracks that are sure to generate greater interest outside their native lands, Equilibrium certainly looks poised to elevate to new heights with this record. Disc 2 contains an 8 bit version of the album.

Never one to limit himself, Aaron Novik is set to unveil five EPs’ worth of material that have been incubating amidst the bass clarinetist’s myriad musical involvements, which include Fred Frith’s Gravity band, his own ensembles No Signal, O+O+, Dante Counterstamp, and his comic book/album series Frowny Frown. With plans to release all five titles between late summer and the end of the year, Novik kicks off the EP series with a July residency at John Zorn’s experimental nonprofit venue The Stone, along with a full-length compilation of material that spans the whole set, titled The Fallow Curves of the Planospheres, out digitally and on cd on July 19th and available at the shows.

Existing fans of brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon have likely been waiting with baited breath for their eventual and inevitable release of the Brahms Double Concerto, a work that would seem to have their names written all over it. Their premiere duo album, Face a Face, demonstrated their incredible technique, precision intonation, and inborn knack for playing together. Each brother's solo ventures, from Gautier's vivacious interpretation of the Haydn cello concertos and Renaud's insightful performance of Mendelssohn and Schumann, have been similarly highly regarded.