The world premiere recording of Torelli's Triosonatas opus 2 (1686) performed by violinist Pietro Battistoni together with the Rosso Verona Baroque Ensemble. This recording is an important contribution to our appreciation of Torelli as a pivotal chamber music composer.

Previously unheard Ra culled from the archives and compiled based on their association to that children's film corporation with the cartoon rodent.

The Benavent, Di Geraldo and Pardo trio emerged from the ashes of the Pardo y Benavent band, the sextet that made flamenco history and that came to an end in 1998 with an amazing tour of the most important jazz festivals from Vitoria to Montreal. It was in this sextet – a historic fact – improvisation on a flamenco beat was done for the first time, with a jazz attitude and based on the compositions of Pardo and Benavent contained in their previous albums.

Multi award-winning period performance ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, led by the charismatic and inspiring Giovanni Antonini, make their first appearance on the newly invigorated l'oiseau lyre label with a wonderful new recording of Handel's 12 concerti grossi op. 6 to mark the composer's anniversary year (2009). Handel's concerti grossi, op. 6 are one of the pillars of baroque orchestral music. Il Giardino Armonico takes a characteristically dramatic and instinctively Italian view of the music (Handel did after all hone his compositional skills in Italy before settling in England). The group hopes to reclaim Handel for Italy by exploring some of the unique qualities that their native temperament can bring to the music.

A couple of the concertos included here, RV 452 and RV 446, were only discovered in the 1960's, and while there is a discussion in the notes about their provenance (they "differ slightly, in terms of style, from what is generally regarded as undoubtedly authentic Vivaldi"), they have been accepted as having come from the master's pen. In any case, Heinz Holliger and I Musici perform these small masterpieces to perfection. The allegro of RV 463 exemplifies the glorious sound produced by I Musici - big, lush and swinging - and a modern musical approach that now ironically may be somewhat out of fashion.

Pier Francesco Caletti Bruni 'Francesco Cavalli' lived in Venice under the protection of the nobleman Federigo Cavalli, whose surname he adopted in gratitude. The musician dedicated his life as a composer to two musical forms: music theatre, for which he was appreciated throughout Europe and the sacred repertoire. Following his maestro Monteverdi, he composed sacred music in the Concertato style for double choir until near the end of his life when he published the three Vespers, among which the Vespers of the cinque Laudate ad uso della Cappella di S. Marco stands out as a work in its own class.