What you will find on this disc is A) contrapunctus I-IX played on two different organs in 1962; B) contrapunctus I II & IV from a1981 TV broadcast; C) contrapunctus IX XI & XIII in mono from a radio broadcast in 1967; D) the unfinished contrapunctus XIV from what may or may not be the same TV broadcast as B); and as a final filler E) a prelude and fugue on the name BACH from a studio recording in 1980. Items B)-E) are given on the piano.

"Now and Then" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 2 November 2023. Dubbed "the last Beatles song", it appeared on a double A-side single, paired with a new stereo remix of the band's first single, "Love Me Do" (1962), with the two serving as "bookends" to the band's history. Both songs were included on the expanded re-issues of the 1973 compilations 1962–1966 and 1967–1970, released on 10 November 2023. "Now and Then" is a psychedelic soft rock ballad that John Lennon wrote and recorded around 1977 as a solo home demo but left unfinished. After Lennon's death in 1980, the song was considered as a potential third Beatles reunion single for their 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, following "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", both based on two other Lennon demos of the same name.

Continuing their exploration of Ravel’s output, François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles offer us two works linked by his love of Spain. Alongside the famous Bolero, which regains its original flavour here on period instruments, is Ravel’s first opera, which flirted with libertinism: though its outstanding cast consists entirely of native French-speakers, this caustic ‘Hour’ remains quintessentially Spanish!

This is surely what the name Stokowski linked to Baroque music conjures up - a vast orchestra, deployed with great skill in his fabulously lush orchestrations. Beautifully played and recorded.

If you've ever presumed Chopin was a miniaturist whose music is to be played daintily you are wrong, and this CD is living proof. The Sonata No. 2 is a grand work and Freire treats it as such. He creates great tension in the first movement and delivers; his "scherzo" is filled with tempi tricks that all somehow cohere as he fearlessly leaps all over the keyboard, and the finale, a harmonic puzzle of sorts, makes excellent sense with all of the melodic lines given equal strength. The Barcarolle is more ferocious than we're used to but it's still a valid reading, and the Etudes are, indeed, perfect studies, offering a superb student's eye view of each.

On 24th November 2017 BMG proudly release Gary Moore’s Blues and Beyond, a remarkable collection of his powerful and emotive blues studio recordings. Blues and Beyond is released on double CD, 4 LP and as a box set, which includes unreleased live recordings and the official Gary Moore biography I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow written by Harry Shapiro. Best known for his evocative solo hits, Parisienne Walkways and Still Got the Blues (live versions feature in this set), and his on/off membership of Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore’s solo career comprises over twenty albums. Throughout the 1980s, Gary moved up the rock hierarchy, but turned his back on what he regarded as the empty flash of metal and reverted to his heart music – the blues – where ironically he scored his biggest commercial success through his 1990s and 2000s blues albums.

Two CD set from the Pop diva, celebrating 25 years since she released her debut solo album. When 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' became an MTV and radio smash in 1984, Lauper went from strength to strength, releasing best-selling albums (She's So Unusual, True Colours, A Hat Full Of Stars and more) and genre-defining hits like 'She Bop', 'Money Changes Everything', 'Time After Time' and 'True Colours'. Though her output since the '80s has been sporadic, she has achieved critical acclaim and adoration from her fans for two and a half decades. This double disc collection contains all her hits, album tracks, fan favorites and so much more. Experience Cyndi in all her True Colours on this, her most comprehensive collection to date! 36 tracks.

This worldly modern-jazz supergroup — a collective made up of the bassist Dave Holland, the saxophonist Chris Potter, the guitarist Lionel Loueke and the drummer Eric Harland — toured widely before recording its self-titled debut. As one might expect, it’s an album on which every granite-carved rhythmic vamp accrues many subtleties of texture and inflection, and any solo heroics (of which there’s no shortage) are absorbed into a larger flow.

Jazz bagpipes? The one master is Rufus Harley, who does about all that can be done with that unpromising instrument. After all, once one blows a note, the sound is sustained until the air empties out. This well-conceived sampler draws its music from Harley's Atlantic albums (Scotch & Soul, Bagpipe Blues, and Deuces Wild), plus his guest spot on a Herbie Mann album. Harley, who also is heard playing a bit of soprano, tenor, and flute, performs such numbers as "Feeling Good" and "Pipin' the Blues," the latter teaming him with altoist Sonny Stitt. This sampler is worth exploring.

After several years in England's pub rock scene, ex-Duck Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster formed the Motors in 1977 with vocalist Bram Tchaikovsky and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Their first album was a splendid piece of guitar-driven pop/rock highlighted by the single "Dancing the Night Away." Approved By was the album that earned them the U.K. hits "Airport" and "Forget About You"; the record saw the band's songwriting improving with forceful melodies and invigorating performances. After that record, the Motors split up; Garvey and McMaster used the band's name for the 1980 album Tenement Steps, which didn't equal the spark of their first two records.

The multidimensional Hot Chocolate incorporated strains of soul, rock, reggae, and disco into their sound and, during the '70s and early '80s, scored a dozen Top 10 hits in their native U.K. Formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson, the interracial band debuted in 1969 as Hot Chocolate Band with a cover of Plastic Ono Band's "Give Peace a Chance," issued on the Beatles' Apple Records. The band then forged a long-term alliance with producer Mickie Most and his RAK label, for which Brown and Wilson also wrote material for other artists. From 1970 through 1973, Hot Chocolate released seven singles. "Love Is Life" and "I Believe (In Love)" were Top 10 U.K. hits, as was "Brother Louie," a bleak tale regarding an interracial relationship. A cover version, shrewdly recorded by Stories, went to number one in the U.S.

Pianist Aziz Mustafa Zadeh, a native of Baku in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, is quite impressive on her American debut. This solo set finds her influenced by Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett to a certain extent but also infusing the music with her heritage. The scales she often utilizes are clearly from the Near East yet her improvisational skills show that the 23-year old has long loved jazz. She takes three vocals (two of which feature rapid and exotic scatting) that display a wide range and an appealing voice. Zadeh performs fifteen diverse originals and the virtuosic pianist clearly has the potential to be a major force in jazz.

VSQ performs some of our favorite songs from Taylor's catalogue. Through her endless reinventions and multiple classic albums, the once-country songwriter, pop superstar and indie auteur has proven herself a creative force and massive talent in her own right. And that's not to mention her immense skill for ear worms and catchy melodies. We're so happy to bring you twelve string quartet renditions of our favorite Taylor tracks from her career. From Red to Reputation to Folklore and everything in between, we've got you covered with this comprehensive tribute to this one-of-a-kind artist.