W.A. Mozart’s timeless masterpiece at the Salzburg Festival is always an event! Especially when Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) receives such a ‘spectacular and virtuosic staging’ (Le Figaro) by director Lydia Steier. Steier introduces the role of the grandfather, a narrator reading the opera like a fairy tale to his three grandchildren, performed by the famous actor Klaus Maria Brandauer (Out of Africa, James Bond). This ‘trick’ in combination with the gigantic moveable sets by stage designer Katharina Schlipf, allows new views on Mozart’s magical opera, with its different worlds. Thanks to conductor Constantinos Carydis, who ‘seems to breath with the music’ (Tagesspiegel), there is a new Mozart to be heard too: Carydis draws ‘precise phrasing and plenty of crisp articulation’ (Financial Times) from ‘the musicians of the great Vienna Philharmonic’ (New York Times).

The "Under Stalin's Shadow" subtitle of this release may be confusing inasmuch as the opening Passacaglia from the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District dates from before the period when Stalin made Shostakovich's life a living hell, and the main attraction, the Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93, was finished ten months after Stalin's death. Actually the album is the first in a set of three; the others will cover the symphonies No. 5 through No. 9, all written during the period of Stalinist cultural control. But even here the theme is relevant: the pieces are linked by a dark mood that carries overtones (of a feminist sort in the case of the opera) of repression. And the Symphony No. 10 is decidedly some kind of turning point, with repeated (and finally triumphant) assertions of the D-S-C-H motif (D, E flat, C, B natural in the German system) that would appear frequently in the composer's later work.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason proudly unveils his 21st full-length album, A Shade of Blues. A project over a decade in the making, this blues-infused masterpiece showcases Mason's legendary artistry and collaborative spirit. The album features an impressive lineup of guest artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Michael McDonald, Mike Finnigan, Warren Hill, and more. A Shade of Blues sets the stage for Mason's highly anticipated 2025 tour, celebrating over five decades of electrifying performances and sold-out shows worldwide.

Susannah McCorkle suceeds where others have failed on her latest release for Concord Jazz titled, From Broken Hearts to Blue Skies. Her silky voice wraps around the classic Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington "Something to Live For," like a velvet envelope. Filled with emotional yearning, her interpretations render the listener motionless, rapt in the charisma of her phrasing and nuance. Many of the songs are indicative of broken-hearted love including "Losing Hand," a Ray Charles blues favorite from the '50s about a woman with a man gone astray. But McCorkle changes her tune and rebounds with a vibrant remedy on "I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle," in classic Bessie Smith style. Susannah McCorkle suceeds as the voice of authority, a voice that has feeling and experience and one that respects the original content of each song…

Where most Italian progressive rock favors the overblown symphonic tendencies of the music's Emerson, Lake & Palmer axis, the comparatively unassuming Acqua Fragile is a much more gentle affair. Think Gentle Giant or the more lyrical moments of early Yes or Renaissance. (It will be almost impossible not to think of early Genesis; singer Bernardo Lanzetti sounds frighteningly similar to Peter Gabriel, especially on the opening "Morning Comes," which would not sound out of place on Trespass or Nursery Cryme.) The lyrics, in English, are pretty atrocious - "Science Fiction Suite" is about as promising as its name suggests - but really not much more so than many prog bands singing in their mother tongue. Musically, however, the album is often quite lovely, with acoustic guitars predominating on most tracks and some impressive multi-tracked harmonies coloring the arrangements…

The share of love for music lasts longer than many marriages. 20 years is the period of Chris Gilcher, Ingmar Hänsch and Marcell Meyer unified as a team called Levitation. Affected by a distinctive style, they’ve been shaping a sound that has inspired a whole generation. Chillout is the musical genre, they had a big impact on - most of all with their contributions for the ground-breaking compilation-series Café Del Mar, above all "More Than Ever People" feat. Cathy Battistessa. For one part, "Essential Levitation" is a collection of 20 tracks on 2 CDs, which presents the best achievements of the team in 20 years. For the other part, it is new material which Levitation has produced for this release over the past three years. To escape the stereotype of lounge music as just another muzak, Levitation has always strived for high standards in songwriting and composition…