Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) is one of Mozart’s five great repertoire operas alongside Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte. A typical ‘Singspiel’, a form in which all the dialogue is spoken rather than sung, it was a great success during Mozart’s lifetime and to this day has not lost any of its magic. Mozart was twenty-six when he wrote this opera, which was commissioned by a Viennese Theatre and premiered in 1782.

While there are plenty of contestants these days for the top spot in the "who's got the best recording of Rachmaninov?"" competition, one could persuasively argue that this 1993 recording with Nikolai Korniev directing the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir is the best. First, of course, the choir is Russian, which means that they've got the right tone, the right technique, the right intonation, and, best of all, the right basses for the job because no choir anywhere can hit low B flats like Russian basses. Second, the director is a dedicated choral conductor, which means that he's not using this disc as an audition for recording operas, oratorios, or symphonies, but rather doing it for the sake of the music.

M.F.S.B., which stood for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother released seven albums on Philadelphia International but were also the backing orchestra for all the big hits by the likes of the O'Jays, Three Degrees, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls and Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes. This package also contains the full-length version of the classic 'Let's Clean Up The Ghetto' which featured all the major artists on the Philadelphia International label, but the driving force behind this hit was defiantly M.F.S.B.'T.S.O.P (The Sound Of Philadelphia)' was the ensemble's first smash hit single, and went to No. 1 on both the R&B & Pop Chart back in 1974, and was adopted as the theme tune to the legendary Soul Train TV Show. The track also featured the Three Degrees on vocals… but it was not to be their only hit single. 'Sexy' was a No. 2 on the R&B chart in the summer of 75. Both 'T.S.O.P.' and 'Sexy' also charted in the U.K. The package also includes the track 'K-Jee' probably best known for it's inclusion on the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack album. Other stand-out tracks are 'Mysteries Of The World', 'Love Is The Message' and 'Dance With Me Tonight' which Robinsongs include here in the rare 12" mix.

With this recording, Contrasto Armonico continues its recording project of Handel’s Italian vocal works. The first release in the series, of the serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, was enthusiastically welcomed. ‘Everything is shaped intelligently and tellingly’, wrote the American Record Guide; Fonoforum called it a ‘lustvoll’ recording and noted the ‘very elegant, fluid and resonant style’ of Contrasto Armonico’s playing.

“Carmelite Vespers 1709” presents a reconstruction of musical performances in Rome in 1709, based on a new critical edition by Italian Handel expert Angela Romagnoli. In early 18th century-Rome the holiday of Madonna del Carmine was celebrated with a lavish musical pasticcio. Italian Early Music specialist Alessandro de Marchi, his Academia Montis Regalis and an excellent ensemble of solo vocalists present the reconstruction of such a service as it might have been performed in 1709 under the direction of Venetian master Antonio Caldara (1670–1736).

In May 2020, with much of the world in lockdown and reeling from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, Robert Fripp began uploading the first of 52 individual Soundscapes on his YouTube channel, streaming platforms, and DGMLive. 

EntitledMusic For Quiet Moments and appearing once a week, these pieces created a space for reflection, offering a means of pausing from the day-to-day concerns and to provide a point of calm and perhaps, a sense of hope, in such troubled times.

Since the very birth of the blues, the train has been a source of great inspiration for musicians. From the steam engine imitation tunes of pioneering harmonica players to wonderful variations on classic folk songs, this collection highlights how the railroad helped shape the blues.

5 years after her last solo album, Sandra Nkaké returns with a fourth album: SCARS. SCARS is a jewel of powerful and organic soul songs that make us travel in weightlessness, suspended in the majestic breath and words of Sandra. His long-awaited return captivates us and takes us into a universe that gives pride of place to the energy of rock, to folk ballads that move from the first notes.

Anglo-German contralto Claudia Huckle, tenor Nicky Spence and pianist Justin Brown present Mahler's autograph piano version of Das Lied von der Erde in this stunning new recording. The recording was a lockdown project, which provided Huckle with a focus for over a year during the pandemic.

Lust, murder, alienation, war, depravity and credit cards.Troubled times demand troubled troubadours. And here they are. 27 tales of misfortune, desperation, woe and just plain high weirdness, delivered by a stellar cast of country music luminaries. First up, Marty Robbins sits us in The Chair, the grizzly, bathetic final resting place of a man about to be electrocuted for his crimes. Next Waylon Jennings takes us to a haunting graveside confessional and then Dolly Parton takes her last steps high upon The Bridge. You get the idea. In that seminal epoch of the late 1960s and 70s, the times were a changin' and it clearly wasn't always for the better. Autocide, infanticide, deicide and the desire to transmigrate into a stuffed toy are just some of the low-lights presented for your masochistic/musical pleasure. Deluxe remastered collector's edition with exclusive scholarly liner notes and rare photos. Most tracks make their very first appearance on CD.

From the '70s disco big-band comes a double-disc retrospective of their greatest hits and best-known material from "Nice 'n' Nasty," "Don't Beat Around the Bush," "Salsoul Hustle," "Get Happy" and "Tangerine" to "Ooh I Love It (Love Break)."

The Russian Orthodox Novodevichy Convent, dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, was founded in 1524. According to UNESCO, Novodevichy is the best known convent in Moscow, and in 2004 was proclaimed to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 1989 recording features the choir of the Dormition Church of the Novodevichy Convent under the direction of Hegumen Petr Polyakov. The album is dedicated to the great jubilee of the Millennium of Baptism of Russia, which celebrated a thousand years of Christianity in Russia.

Secret Story is among the more provocative recordings in Pat Metheny's oeuvre. Combining the relaxed groove of the early Pat Metheny Group recordings, it is full of odd sounds, exotic instrumentation, and the participation of members of the London Orchestra conducted by Jeremy Lubbock. Along with regular group members – bassist Steve Rodby, drummer Paul Wertico, percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, pianist-keyboardist Lyle Mays – numerous guests adorn these tracks as well: bassists Charlie Haden and Will Lee, percussionist Armando Marcal, vocalist Mark Ledford, jazz harmonica legend Toots Thielmans, Gil Goldstein, and Pat's brother Mike Metheny. But what's most notable is that none of these players are constants, as this is most certainly a Metheny solo effort: Secret Story is his own song, so to speak. His acoustic and electric guitars are augmented by synthesizers and samplers, and no matter how lush these proceedings get, they are never overwhelmed by production.

GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 2015 - BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR. This recording is the first time that the five-stringed Amati has been used to record the 6th suite and it is the only original five-string cello in existence in the UK and unique in being the only one by this maker. The Cello Suites are performed on two gut-string cellos Suite Nos. 1-5 on a Francesco Ruggieri from 1660 and Suite No. 6 the five-stringed Cremona cello by A. & H. Amati from c.1600, both tuned to Baroque pitch. Bachs cello suites are renowned as the pinnacle of the instruments repertoire and are performed here in period performances by the internationally acclaimed cellist, David Watkin. David Watkin has been performing Bachs Cello Suites in concert for 35 years, and Bachs unaccompanied cello repertoire has taken him all over Europe, from the Palace of Frederick the Great at Potsdam to the Prague Spring Festival, and, as part of Sir John Eliot Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, included performances sitting by the font in which Bach was baptised.

Soul Fixin' Man was blues guitarist/vocalist Luther Allison's first American recording in nearly 20 years. However, his domestic inactivity was not because Allison had stopped playing music. Far from it, since he was based in Paris and worked constantly on the European continent. A powerful player whose intensity on this set sometimes borders on rock (although remaining quite grounded in blues), Luther Allison (who contributed eight of the dozen songs) displays the large amount of musical growth he had experienced since the mid-'70s. Joined by his quintet, the Memphis Horns, and (on "Freedom") a choir, Allison is heard throughout in top form.