Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996) has been called a musical giant, a magician, a brilliant lion-tamer and an enfant terrible of classical music. He was a legend in his own lifetime, mesmerizing orchestras audiences and critics with his intensity and brilliance. Celibidache himself claimed that not a single French conductor was capable of conducting French music - a bold statement that makes this recording even more interesting. This DVD shows most of what made Celibidache a legend in his own lifetime and offers todays viewer to participate in the musical wonders he produced.

Grace Under Pressure was the first Rush album since 1975's Fly by Night to not be produced by Terry Brown, who was replaced by Peter Henderson (Supertramp, Paul McCartney). The change resulted in a slightly more accessible sound than its predecessor, Signals, and marked the beginning of a period where many Rush fans feel that synths and electronics were used too prominently – in effect pushing guitarist Alex Lifeson into the background. The songwriting and lyrics were still strong however, as evidenced by the video/single "Distant Early Warning" (a tale about nuclear war) and the often-overlooked highlight "Kid Gloves," one of the album's few songs to feature Lifeson upfront.

Claudio Abbado’s 1981 performance of Berlioz’s Te Deum for three choruses and pipe organ easily outranks the handful of widely-available recordings of the work. Abbado’s closest competitor is 1969’s Sir Colin Davis with similar London forces on Philips, but Davis’ tenor soloist does not have the solid heroic quality of Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza, and Davis’ choirs are a little more recessed (although Abbado’s is not miked particularly close either), in particular the almost lost sound of Davis’ boys choirs which cut through forcefully in Abbado. In addition, Abbado moves purposefully forward through Berlioz’s treacherous choral/orchestral writing, whereas Davis takes his time, perhaps allowing more time for climactic build-up; however, I find Berlioz’s talent with choral writing was not his particular forte as it is not particularly melodic or thoughtful for singers, so I appreciate Abbado’s fluid, forward momentum.

Mozarts Große Messe, KV 427, ist Fragment geblieben und gehört dennoch zu den eindrucksvollsten Werken geistlicher Musik in Europa. Der Salzburger Meister folgt hier den Messemodellen Bachs (und Händels). Auch Spuren der italienischen Gesangstradition lassen sich erkennen, vor allem was die Ausarbeitung der Sopranpartien betrifft. Frieder Bernius, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Musikwissenschaftler Uwe Wolf, hat den Mut, der ausgedehnten Diskographie zu dieser Messe eine weitere Einspielung hinzuzufügen (Kammerchor Stuttgart/Hofkapelle Stuttgart). Das Besondere an dieser Aufnahme ist der aus Praxis, theoretischen und musikhistorischen Überlegungen gespeiste Versuch, eine sehr diskret ergänzte Fassung dieser Messe vorzulegen.

The great Russian bear has disgorged another magnificent voice. To encounter Galina Gorchakova for the first time, as I did, in the intimate surroundings of Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall was a hair-raising experience nobody would be likely to forget. Her blazing soprano has conquered audiences in the opera-house and, though the recordings which followed – such as Mazeppa (DG, 1/94) and Prince Igor (Philips, 4/95) – have sometimes raised doubts, they are not enough to obscure the essential message: Gorchakova promises to be one of the vocal giants of her generation.

Arista had made it clear they would not accept any concept albums from the Kinks, and Sleepwalker, their first effort for the label, makes good on the band's promise. Comprised entirely of glossy arena rockers and power ballads, the album is more of a stylistic exercise than a collection of first-rate songs…

UK six CD set including book of lyrics and fold out poster. This box includes Ronnie's four solo albums - Anymore For Anymore (+ singles), Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance, One For the Road and the cruelly underrated See Me. In addition, it features tracks from Ronnie's Mahoney's Last Stand album with Ron Wood and Rough Mix with Pete Townshend. The final disc of the set focuses on Ronnie's time in the US with live highlights and studio tracks never previously released.

Dave Hollister's first album for the Shanachie label, the follow-up to 2014's Chicago Winds…The Saga Continues, was released after the singer had rejoined Blackstreet, and as he was preparing to perform in a stage adaptation of Love Jones. Considering all his activity, there's reason to be a little skeptical about The MANuscript, an album recorded during six days – a blip in time by the 2010s standard. Nonetheless, there's no evidence here that Hollister spread himself too thin, or even an impression that he rushed through his eight proper solo album. As with his best work, Hollister carries himself with easy-going, modest certitude. The songwriting and production crew, including Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, and Walter Millsap III, is pretty much the same one that worked on Angie Stone's Dream, a set highlighted by a Stone-Hollister duet.