Unlike many bands and albums that sample, play tribute or just plagiarize an artist's oeuvre, this one does so with the artists blessing. The premise is, Todd provides the original vocal tracks and of course, his genius at songwriting, and various mixmasters of the new millenium provide thoroughly different takes on the instrumental tracks. The potential of the album is that it could turn some more modern focused listeners onto the genius of Mr. Rundgren.

Pianist Lise de la Salle has a big tone and a strong technique, but while she is surely up to the technical requirements of Prokofiev's and Shostakovich's first piano concertos, she seems out of her depth in their interpretive demands. She can pound her way through the muscular rhythms and massive sonorities in the outer movements of Prokofiev's concerto but appears immune to the lyrical poetry in the legato lines of the work's central Andante assai.

This is not the smooth-classic type of performance, which is usually associated with these popular concetos, but uncompromisingly intense and passionate reading by young Kyung Wha Chung, digitally recorded in 1983 in vivid sound quality. The risk she takes in the outer movements of Tchaikovsky concerto is astonishing.

There are certain violin soloists who have adopted their instrument as a real extension of his soul. This is - nor more neither less- the case of Ruggiero Ricci a virtuosi who seems to be cold at the first bars of every piece ( as a matter iof fact I had the chance to watch him four times between 1976 and 1985 in Caracas), but once you are involved in the mood of the piece he conveys us to new horizons, thanks his amazing technique and voluptuous sensibility.

Chante is an exemplary cultivation of Aldo Romano's jardín of romantic songs. His poignant intimacy of feelings is genuinely conveyed in this stylish set of emotional songs replete with rhythmic waves, passionate lyrics, and beautiful music. With superb accompaniment from Nelson Veras on acoustic guitar, Rémi Vignolo on double bass, André "Dee" Ceccarelli on drums, Francesco Bearzatti on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Flavio Boltro on trumpet, and Baptiste Trotignon on piano, the pleasure you will derive from Romano's poetic expressions is priceless.

Ronald Smith is best remembered as the pianist who reintroduced the complex, but fantastic compositions of Charles-Valentin Alkan to the world in the 1960s, some 90-120 years after they were first written and 40 years after Alkan's previous great champion, Ferruccio Busoni, had died. Smith received his first piano lessons from his mother and when he entered school, others recognized his talent as well.

Anton Rubinstein was born in a village on the border between the Ukraine and Moldavia, but his family moved to Moscow as early as 1831, where his brother Nikolai was born. The two brothers received their first music lessons from their mother, but in 1837, Anton began to study with the best music teacher in Moscow. By the age of five, Nikolai had produced his first composition. B

The track list on René Marie's latest release reads like an iPod in random shuffle mode gone haywire: a Temptations classic is followed by a Jefferson Airplane classic, which is followed by Dobie Gray's hit "Drift Away." There's Dave Brubeck's "Strange Meadow Lark" and the American folk standards "John Henry" and "O Shenandoah," and a sensuous Latin ballad, "Angelitos Negros."

The dazzling debut from virtuoso recorder player Pamela Thorby which was named a Gramophone 'Choice'. This new recording offers an exuberant programme of baroque music for recorder and strings from the diva of the recorder, Pamela Thorby. She is joined by the ensemble Sonnerie, directed by Monica Huggett, to perform a programme of baroque recorder concertos by Vivaldi, Telemann, Sammartini.

I originally purchased this album in the 80's and was amazed at the PJBE's total understanding of every style of music. When you get this album you will be amazed at Frank Lloyd's ability on horn and the support from the other players as well as the "fun" they have with him and the music. Originally composed for cornet and piano (Band) the ability to perform this on horn is stunning. The Koetsier Circus March is an absolute joy and one of the best, most interesting compositions ever written for Brass Quintet.

Over de Franse organist en componist Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy is weinig bekend. Hij was ondermeer organist aan de Kathedraal van Perpighnan, waar hij in 1694 stierf. Verder was hij de componist van de grootste collectie klavecimbelmuziek uit het 17e eeuwse Frankrijk. Het handschrift van deze collectie bevat niet minder dan 217 werken, waarvan de meeste gerangschikt zijn in 19 suites.

When Gretchen Wilson released One of the Boys in 2007, she took a left turn and offered as many ballads as she did straight contemporary country-rockers. The album didn’t sell as well as its two predecessors. Wilson went into the studio and cut I Got Your Country Right Here two years later – producing it with Blake Chancey and two tracks with John Rich. She felt it reflected her live shows better than her previous recordings did and would connect better with her audience.

The Empire Brass adds a drummer to its lineup for CLASS BRASS–FIREDANCE, another collection of classical popular hits by one of the world's most renown brass ensembles. Empire is well known for its reliable interpretations of pieces such as Ravel's 'Boléro,' which leads off this collection of primarily dances.

Freddy Kempf is a fast-rising young star of the piano literature known for his outstanding virtuosity and independence. Any complaints about Kempf's music-making concern the issues of mannerisms and characterization. Unfortunately, these complaints rear their heads in Kempf's new Bach recording of two of the six keyboard partitas. First, the good stuff. Kempf has 'flying fingers' and an overall technique that is very impressive; just listen to his dynamic accounts of the Gigues from each Partita.

Accardo's performances are nothing short of spectacular, and (the late) Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus's performances never disappoint. Most classical audiophiles may be familiar only with Bruch's first violin concerto and the "Scottish Fantasy," but there are two more wonderful violin concertos, a Romance, a Konzertstuck, a Serenade, a piece entitled "Adagio Appassionato" and a piece that was new to me, "In Memoriam," a very beautiful and moving composition that is the last band on the last record.