Swedish composer Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758), born 308 years ago today, was the son of a violinist in the Royal Opera Orchestra in Stockholm, and was employed there in the same capacity as his father. After a year or so, he was allowed to travel to complete his studies. He played in Handel's opera orchestra in London, earning the nickname 'the Swedish virtuoso' and worked for the Duke of Newcastle, before being summoned back to Stockholm, where he was swiftly promoted to vice concertmaster and later, in 1727, to concertmaster.

This disc of Vivaldi concertos celebrates ten years of the French label Zig-Zag Territoires. The fulsome paean contained in the booklet, sometimes flowery in its prose, sometimes fanciful in its content – ‘Long may our CDs continue to stir this life force within you!’ etc. – may not win new friends, but the playing of Ensemble 415 certainly should. Director and founder of the group, Chiara Banchini has chosen the four Concertos for four violins from Vivaldi’s first and most varied printed sets, L’estro armonico (1711), as well as two further works that, along with the greater number of his concertos remained unpublished during Vivaldi’s lifetime, a Concerto in F major for three violins (RV 551) and in B flat for four (RV 553).

One of Brahms' earliest musical jobs (besides playing piano in whorehouses) was directing a choral society. This introduced him to the music of the Renaissance and the Baroque, which sparked his antiquarian enthusiasms, in particular his first-hand encounters with the choral music of Bach. Choral music became an important part of Brahms' output – to his art, to his career (Ein deutsches Requiem propelled him to European notice), and to his income. Brahms may have directed much of his choral music to the then-lucrative amateur market, but he also produced plenty for crack choirs and without much reasonable hope for financial reward – again, Ein deutsches Requiem a good example. Like the Requiem, some of these works even became popular.

This new release opens with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bachs Symphony in F major, Wq. 183/3. This symphony belongs to a group of four Orchestral Symphonies with Twelve Obbligato Parts, which were commissioned by an unidentified patron in 1775. Next, this release presents Joseph Haydns Symphony No. 39. This work is the first of Haydns minor key symphonies and is associated with his Sturm und Drang period. Finally, Beethovens Symphony No. 1 in C major rounds out this release. The work was dedicated to an early patron of Beethoven, Baron Gottfried van Swieten. This work is a clear indication of Haydns influence on Beethoven.

Ries’s aptitude for Beethovenian sturm und drang is phenomenal. The impression is inescapable in the Overture from “Die Räuberbraut” where it is moderated by the Schumann of the Fourth Symphony. That particular flavour is varied with a touch of storminess redolent of Berlioz’s Le Corsair towards the end. The Overture from “Liska oder Die Hexe von Gyllensteen” is a shade more balletic, with a dash of Weber’s Oberon and Euryanthe and even a foreshadowing of Tchaikovsky.

Pietro Giannotti, who in the title page of Op. 1 (entirely written in Italian) is described as native of Lucca, was born in that independent Tuscan city, in an unspecified year between the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth. We do not have any information about his education or his musical pursuits before his activities in France began, in 1728, when he moved to Paris. From the subsequent year to 1758 we know that he served as a double-bass player at the Académie Royale de Musique. A much-appreciated performance of his as a violinist is documented at the “Concert spirituel” of 28 March 1749; on this occasion he also played some pieces of his own.

The multitalented Kenny Neal offers up a real treat with Bayou Blood, which features mostly original songs seasoned with a very few covers. Neal's guitar work is excellent and his smoky voice is a pleasure, but it's his harp playing that really shines, especially on "Howling at the Moon" and "Big City Ways." There's plenty of variety, from the fast-paced shuffle of "Right Train, Wrong Track" to the slower, attitudinal "Gonna Put You out of My Misery" to the smooth "Smoke Signals." "That Knife Don't Cut No More," "Do I Have to Go That Far?" and the title track are especially memorable, and a tasty cover of "You Ain't Foolin' Me" closes this album with style.

Love broadened their scope into psychedelia on their sophomore effort, Arthur Lee's achingly melodic songwriting gifts reaching full flower. The six songs that comprised the first side of this album when it was first issued are a truly classic body of work, highlighted by the atomic blast of pre-punk rock "Seven & Seven Is" (their only hit single), the manic jazz tempos of "Stephanie Knows Who", and the enchanting "She Comes in Colors", perhaps Lee's best composition (and reportedly the inspiration for the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow"). It's only half a great album, though; the seventh and final track, "Revelation", is a tedious 19-minute jam that keeps Da Capo from attaining truly classic status.

Dialogues may be one of saxophonist Lee Konitz's best albums in a discography both prolific and still expanding. The sounds of Bert van den Brink (piano), Hein Van de Geyn (bass) and Hans van Oosterhout (drums) blend perfectly with the leader's alto sax. So attractive is the sound that one hopes this session is not a one-off affair.

UFO has endured a myriad of lineup changes and stylistic shifts over its long career, but the band has always served as a haven for quality musicianship, and Conspiracy of Stars does little to tarnish that reputation. Featuring ten new tracks and a lineup that includes UFO core members Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond, and Andy Parker, along with guitar virtuoso Vinnie Moore and bass player Rob De Luca, the former a member since 2003 and the latter since 2012, the Steamhammer/SVP-issued Conspiracy of Stars is the veteran English hard rock unit's 21st studio long-player.

Following the success of the blazing debut album ‘Emperor Rising‘, ‘Return Of The Heralds‘ delivers yet more fast melodic tunes living and prospering in the realm of traditional power-speed metal.
The new Krilloan record is once again a heartfelt homage to the “good ol’ times” of classic heavy metal and sword & sorcery entertainment that shaped them. Epic and fierce battle hymns about Conan the Barbarian, Elric of Melniboné, “Warhammer 40.000” and those never-ending days spent in a world beyond our own: this is the conceptual foundation of the Swedish band led by guitarist Klas Holmgren, with a clear focus on a well-crafted and always well-balanced song-writing as well.
One thing is for certain: you will never be bored listening to a Krilloan album!