This legendary Bayreuth Festival production of Wagner’s 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', directed by Harry Kupfer, with designs by Hans Schavernoch, and conducted by Daniel Barenboim, is considered perhaps the finest video recording of these four operas ever made. For their innovative modernist staging, Kupfer and his team turned away from the work’s time of origin and located The Ring at a “road of history”, a meeting-place of past, present and future, which sets the scene for the story’s struggles of power and love. Barenboim’s authoritative yet highly responsive reading of the immense score and the extraordinary performances of the cast help to make this a truly memorable Ring.

Ván Records proudly presents the highly anticipated fourth full-length of Italian Heavy Acid Doomers CARONTE! After two years since the end of the first magic trilogy regarding the shaman aspects of the works of Aleister Crowley, “Wolves Of Thelema” brings a huge change regarding sound and vibes. The introduction of a second guitar and several synth related to the lyrics treating forces and cosmic entities mark a new era for the band. Produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios (Paradise Lost, Ghost, Cathedral, Ulver,…) and adorned with an amazing artwork by Italian artist Alessandro Canu, CARONTE deliver their most atmospherical and evocative album yet. “Wolves Of Thelema” represents a true occult trip!

You will get diverging opinions about Kleinzeit. Some people say it is No Secrets in the Family's finest; others condemn it as their worst. And truth be told, both camps are right. Simply put, the Schönholzers went overboard on this album, an adaptation of Russell Hoban's novel Kleinzeit, itself a very strange story about hospitals, love, pain, and medical devices. The songwriting is definitely a few steps higher in terms of complexity and experimentation, something Rock in Opposition fans will appreciate (particularly fans of News from Babel, although not for the vocals). On the other hand, the album misses the unbridled humor found on Play & Strange Laughter. Despite a lot of quirks and fun passages, Kleinzeit is serious business and, because of that and its duration (67 minutes), it gets slightly tedious.

Although Toivo Kuula was one of the few pupils taught by Sibelius, he never really had to struggle to emerge from his teacher’s shadow into his own independent light. Kuula originally had wanted to be a violinist and continued to favour the violin even after the playing of this instrument had receded into the background and his activities as a composer had come to occupy the foreground. The Sonata Movement of 1906 already attests to the composer’s remarkable mastery in the design of musical processes. The essential difference between this piece and the Violin Sonata Op. 1 composed during the following year, when Kuula was a student in Helsinki, is that in the latter work his own voice is present from the very beginning.

Our Solitary Confinement is the third Sieben album, the first to be released by German label Trisol/Iceflower in 2002 (TRI 151 CD), and licensed to Russian label Irond (IROND CD 02-350). This album is the last before the now trademark violin-looping that Howden employs in his work and recordings with Sieben. Sieben is the one-man, violin-looping work of Matt Howden. He beats, plucks, tickles and layers voice and violin. MJR Festival in Lithuania recently gave this rather nice description, saying Sieben is “bringing us driving rhythms, vocals as intense visions and charming landscapes, loop by loop building a shining starway over the Abyss, to our dreams.” Under his own name Howden releases instrumental works of varied styles; as 7JK, electronica meets violin and vocals; with rasp, looped cello and violin combine seemlessly, mixing ambience, mood, and just a little drive.

On The Road is the second live album (two LPs, reissued on one CD) by English rock band Traffic, released in 1973. Recorded live in Germany, it features the Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory lineup plus extra keyboardist (for live performances) Barry Beckett. The initial U.S. release of On the Road (Island/Capitol) 1973 was as a single LP consisting of: "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" (edited to 15:10), "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory", "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired", and "Light Up or Leave Me Alone". The whole album, which was originally a two disc vinyl album, is on one disc. The tracks are long and extended, and given a jazz feel; but never boring. One of the best Traffic albums ever. This was recored live in Germany. If you like traffic, this ones a real winner. It's just as exciting today, as it was the day it was released.

Ringo Starr had a demonstrated affinity for country music, as heard on such Beatles recordings as "Act Naturally," and he sounded as modestly comfortable on this Nashville-recorded session as in any other musical context. The cream of the city's session players backed up the former Beatle on a set of newly written songs, and the result was a typical country effort, pleasant as long as you didn't expect too much…

AC/DC hits turned into Christmas rock by Santa Claws And The Naughty But Nice Orchestra – instrumentals (jazz/classical/elevator style) with sleigh bells added. Sleigh bells ring and hell's bells toll on this incredible holiday tribute to one of music's most iconic acts. Nothing can quench AC/DC's thirst for cheap thrills, dirty deeds and sweet, sweet candy. Santa may have crossed these naughty boys off his list a long time ago, but that doesn't mean you can't score the world's biggest Christmas ball with this little noel. You will definitely score with these hard rock candy holiday versions of AC/DC's greatest songs.

There's something incredibly tragic and ironic in the strange reality that finds a beloved jazz singer taking her own life just after compiling a collection of her best loved interpretations. So loved by so many, but perhaps – as she wrote in her liner notes for her wistful reading of "If I Only Had a Heart" – she was one of those people who "have trouble experiencing their own emotions and yearn to feel something, anything." Also in this spirited mix of classics is "Look For the Silver Lining," and her version is, of course, cheery.

This twenty-year-old release comes from a time when Myung-whun Chung, a surprise appointment to the new Opera Bastille, suddenly emerged on DG as their leading French conductor. He comes from Korea's first family of classical music and was a gifted, prize-winning pianist before taking to the podium. It's very worthwhile to backtrack and find his early CDs - they are often of very high quality even if they have more or less sliped through the cracks.