Decca proudly presents the Complete Works by Giuseppe Verdi in a single 75 CD box set. From the ever-popular “Aida” to the obscure “Alzira,” all 28 of Giuseppe Verdi's operas are here as well as his Sacred Works, Arias, Songs, Ballet Music, the String quartet and other rarities.

“…Fleming looks fabulous, knows and can deliver good German, and can sing this role at least as well as anyone on the planet at the moment. But it's a shame that all concerned did not wait for a genuinely new production to preserve. This run-through of an old staging… is fluent and energetic… but it is not an evening pregnant with dramatic insight. In the pit Welser-Möst is an efficient, unemotional guide to the score…” (Gramophone Magazine)

The Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2015 and has since performed in various formations: from the quintet to the forty-member chamber orchestra. The young ensemble cultivates a diverse repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the Modern, always placing great importance on making less known musical works heard. In 2017, the Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra released Primus with works by Shostakovich, Vasks and Baum. It has been under the direction of internationally active and award-winning conductor Sergey Simakov since its foundation. Mischa Cheung studied with Prof. Konstantin Scherbakov at the Zurich University of the Arts and has taken up a busy career bringing him to many concert stages and festivals throughout the world. He is a member of the Gershwin Piano Quartet, a highly praised ensemble which performs spectacular arrangements on four pianos and released its newest album Transatlantiques with Sony Classical in 2018. He is a popular soloist at the Symphonic Game Concerts produced by the Merregnon Studios and has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.

MTT, leading American champion of Ives’ work, states: “At its core, the music of Charles Ives is an expression of the heart and soul of America. The complexity of Ives’ rhythmic and harmonic ideas was very much ahead of his time, and, even as he was often labeled eccentric by his peers, he created a uniquely American sound. My aim with this album is to reveal the true essence of Ives’ music in order to allow the audience to see America through his eyes.”

Following the release of the universally praised Winters Gate in 2016, many people thought that Insomnium had hit their peak. Where could the band go after creating a single body of beautifully captivating music that had a momentous and timeless progression to it’s 40-minute running time? It was certainly an interesting conundrum for a band that has been on a steady climb through the melodic death metal ranks over the past decade. Enter the band’s 2019 follow up Heart Like A Grave, which sees Insomnium returning to a more condensed (and multiple songs) formats, injecting new life into their music with a new member, and creating an album which sits as a true testament to their entire catalog of work to date.

The Dave Weckl Acoustic Band represents the realization of a dream. In 2013, while touring with Mike Stern, Dave was reintroduced to playing with the amazing Makoto Ozone. Dave met Makoto in the '80s, and Makoto blew Dave away during this tour! Each night, Mike would give some space for Dave, Makoto, and Tom Kennedy to improvise a song. The guys would take this opportunity to really stretch out! The chemistry was amazing. This record is loaded with straight ahead jazz, a little funk, a little Latin, and more.

Toss into the musical blender the spirits of Stevie Wonder, Crusaders, Van Halen, Sting, Dr. John, and Chick Corea; turn on the fire, low for easy simmering blues-rock at times, high for a fiery intensity that busts the borders between R&B and fusion. The result: the Dave Weckl Band's hard-to-categorize adventure, Rhythm of the Soul. Here, he celebrates his liberation from Corea's Elektric fold with a vengeance.

Other than a Christmas album and a greatest-hits collection, we haven't heard anything new from contemporary jazz saxophonist Dave Koz since his successful 2007 date At the Movies (though recording somewhat infrequently has been a Koz trademark). Hello Tomorrow, his first date for Concord, is not only full of new tunes in a diverse array, but hosts an impressive cast of band and guest players, as well. Produced by John Burk and Marcus Miller, the set kicks off with the euphoric jazz-funk groover "Put the Top Down," featuring Lee Ritenour on lead guitar, Ray Parker, Jr. on rhythm, Brian Culbertson handling the synths and programming, Omar Hakim on drums, Sheila E. on percussion, and a three-piece horn section adding to Koz's alto.

While their playing is just a little bit on the scrappy side, it is still hard not to enjoy this recording by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble. Part of the reason is the players' innate beauty of tone. Part of the reason is the players' affection for the music. Part of the reason is the players' sheer joy in making music. And part of the reason is that the music is just so darned enjoyable. Johan Svendsen may be no Edvard Grieg, but he still mines the same deep vein of Scandinavian sentimental melody and his String Octet is as charming as any piece of chamber music this side of Schubert's Octet.