Contemporary Rome is the setting for this unique and highly innovative version of Puccini’s Tosca, performed in the Roman locations – and at the same times of day – as Puccini had written into his score. Thus the action opens in the beautiful 16th-century church of Sant’Andrea della Valle at noon, where Cavaradossi (Domingo) meets the fugitive Angelotti, moves to the Farnese Palace that evening where Tosca (Catherine Malfitano) dramatically makes a pact with the lustful Scarpia (Ruggero Raimondi), and finally to the battlements of the Castel Sant’Angelo at dawn the following day where the final drama is played out.

The original 1805 version of Beethoven's only opera is a high-adrenaline experience in the hands of the Belgian conductor and his period-instrument band, with Marlis Petersen in the title-role and Maximilian Schmitt as her imprisoned husband. From Leonore (1805) to Fidelio (1814) there were three successive versions of Beethoven’s opera, only the last of which has been in the repertory since the 19th Century. Going against tradition, René Jacobs has chosen to revive the earliest version, reworking the librettos and the spoken dialogue: a genuine tour de force, this still unknown Leonore forms an incomparable musical and dramatic structure requiring exemplary mastery on the part of both orchestra and singers. This landmark recording proves its case in every respect.

Trio 1790's releases for the German specialist label cpo, in which they trace the development of the trio in the second half of the 18th century, have harvested a great deal of praise in the critical press, and this issue containing six (not five) sonatas by Bach's second son Carl Philipp Emanuel is exemplary in that both the performance and the engineering are of the highest standard. The program contains excerpts from three collections published in London and Leipzig in 1776 and 1777, at a time therefore when the harpsichord was gradually being replaced by the fortepiano, so that Harald Hoeren is probably right to choose the latter despite the fact that Bach himself left it up to the performers which of the two instruments they preferred to use.

Ferdinand David is principally known today as the dedicatee of Mendelssohn’s violin concerto; he gave the premiere of the work in 1845. But in his time he was also celebrated as a composer, and Hyperion is delighted to present this disc of world premiere recordings as Volume 9 in the Romantic Violin Concerto series.

Though it is seldom ranked among the composer's greatest works, Rigel 9 is actually one of the most easily digested, as David Bedford links with science fiction author (and now lyricist) Ursula LeGuin to create a song cycle that, though it is certainly rooted in LeGuin's own territory, will certainly not disappoint Bedford's own followers. The premise of the storyline is relatively simple - a group of astronauts arrive on an alien world that they believe to be uninhabited. Or, rather, most of them believe it is uninhabited. One, however, can see a city all around them, and the accompanying conflict is the theme to much of Bedford's score. Like Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, the album that can most confidently be described as a precursor to Rigel 9, the narrative portions can jar. But, as Bedford's own moods shift between grandiose and downright creepy, it is often easy to forget there's a "concept" unfolding altogether…

40 years of Sodom, 40 years of ruthless thrash metal 'Made in Germany'. What came into being in 1982 in Gelsenkirchen-Buer has lost nothing of its authenticity and rawness, not even four decades later. Tom Angelripper and his men still belong to the spearhead of a music style that draws its energy from pure determination, intransigence and relentlessness. What's more, Sodom never fail to surprise their fans all over the world. They managed especially well with '40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom', a more than worthy anniversary album that - in various formats - sums up the band`s history in an unusual and highly ambitious way. "Our goal was to re-record one song from each of our previous albums," Tom explains. "Not necessarily the most obvious ones, we wanted to go for rarities or tracks we've never or very rarely played live…

Bernard Haitink's classically clear and direct approach combines élan, elasticity and, where appropriate, tremendous rhythmic punch – his readings of Boléro and La valse are volatile, yet thrillingly disciplined to the last. He brings a natural compulsion to the languorous eroticism of Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, while his idiomatic handling of the earliest (and slightest) of these works, the Menuet antique and familiar Pavane pour une infante défunte, is equally beguiling. Haitink's painstaking attention to fine orchestral detail adds refined distinction to his Valses nobles et sentimentales and crystalline delicacy to both Le tombeau de Couperin and the more elusive Ma mère l'oye. There are few more vibrantly evocative, or palpably exciting versions of the Rapsodie espagnole and Alborada del gracioso. Don't be in the least surprised, however, if the phenomenal sound quality prompts an incredulous second glance at the recording dates quoted in the booklet!

Wadada Leo Smith's recorded long-form works in the first half of the 2010s have all been justifiably celebrated. From 2010's Ten Freedom Summers to 2013's Occupy the World and 2015's Great Lakes Suites, his albums have evocatively and provocatively engaged their subjects in a deft musical language that investigates as well as illustrates. The six thematically and musically linked compositions of America's National Parks were birthed by Smith's own research on the congressional passing of the Organic Act in 1916 that created the National Parks Service. Unlike filmmaker Ken Burns' documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, Smith doesn't celebrate the majesty of nature here…