This session, under the leadership of trumpeter Louis Smith, brings hard bop veterans together with a couple newcomers who were at the time helping to revive the style. This is the kind of recording session where one gets a taste of the fireworks that would result from a live jam session featuring the participants. Each soloist launches into the heart of the tune, cutting out the preliminaries and never reaching the heights more extended blowing would allow. Each song gives the frontline and pianist Kevin Hays a chance to have their say. The hornmen have complementary yet distinctive approaches. Tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, like Smith a former member of Horace Silver's combo, is a study in soulful reserve, whittling statements from the grain of the tunes.

This Passion text is short, beginning abruptly with Pilate's scourging of Jesus. It continues in a strikingly short-winded way — fragments of recitative lasting a few seconds, brief ariosos, choruses, including one on a single word, 'Crucify!'. It lacks chorales: Heyerick has borrowed some from Handel's later Brockes Passion. The music is a jewel-box of small-scale gems, further polished by the quality of the performers - six finely focused solo voices, a transparent choir of 18, and delicate, one-to-a-part strings with pairs of recorders and oboes, a bassoon and continuo organ.

As a result of many years of successful producing of Kool&Klean series this album a compilation of the best tracks so far from 6 previous albums. The continued success of Kool&Klean genre is a result of talented approach and gently applied music craft by the mastermind Konstantin Klashtorni. His music feels like a soothing immersion into a musical mineral bath – a truly relaxing yet still sensual and romantic jaunt into the chill side of smooth urban jazz.

Violists like to complain of the paucity of romantic music for their instrument, yet these two discs refute that contention. In addition to the famous two Brahms Sonatas, the discs feature unfamiliar, thoroughly Romantic works, by six of the composer's "friends." All are clearly influenced by Brahms and Schumann; indeed, the absence of the latter's "Märchenbilder" (Fairy Tale Pictures) is conspicuous and inexplicable. In a substantial set of Variations by Joseph Joachim, a lovely theme is transformed and developed in inventively contrasting ways, including a somber contrapuntal piece and a Hungarian semi-improvisation.

Vyacheslav Artyomov is considered by many to be Russia’s greatest living composer. His music is deep, ultimately spiritual and brilliantly crafted, with influences from the Russian symphonic tradition coloured by Mahler, Scriabin, Honegger and Messiaen to name a few – but melded into a unique voice.

Eighteen months after his last long-player, ‘Reunited’, the acclaimed British guitarist Snowy White presents his new album containing 12 new tracks. Once again, Snowy called on his musical collaborators and friends, including Max Middleton (piano/keys), Ferry Langendrijk (keys), Jessica Lauren (keys), Kuma Harada (bass), Walter Latupeirissa (bass), Juan van Emmerloot (drums) and Jeff Allen(drums). Since the late 1960s, Snowy and his characteristic guitar-playing have made their mark on tasteful blues rock. Whether as a member of Thin Lizzy (on the albums ’Chinatown’ and ’Renegade’), working with Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), as an indispensable tour musician for Pink Floyd and later Roger Waters, or as a highly-respected solo artist: Snowy has always remained true to his love for excellent, handmade music.

“Gaming in Symphony” is an epic concert performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra with the Danish National Concert Choir and various soloists conducted by Eímear Noone. Featuring soundtracks from across the world of gaming: Halo, Street Fighter, Bioshock, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft and many others.

With his affinity for the 16th-century sculptor Benvenuto Cellini’s advocacy of artistic and personal freedom, Hector Berlioz went straight for the grand gesture with his first completed opera. Returning to it years after initial production debacles, Berlioz stated that he would ‘never again find such verve and Cellinian impetuosity, nor such a variety of ideas.’ The plot revolves around Cellini’s wooing of Teresa, a match frustrated at every opportunity by his rival, the cowardly Fieramosca. Benvenuto Cellini is a pithy work combining romance, excitement, violence, comedy and spectacle; the perfect stage for Terry Gilliam’s stylishly colorful and larger than life directing.