Intent on developing the reputation he had won in Vienna, Beethoven undertook an extensive tour ending in Berlin, home to the cello-playing Frederick William II. There he unveiled his Sonatas for Piano and Cello, Op. 5 with one of the famed Duport brothers playing cello. These are revolutionary works, with neither instrument subservient and the piano fully independent, for which in the 1790s there was no precedent. Beethoven also wrote vivacious variations on operatic music by Mozart where light-hearted playfulness and dramatic rivalry are energising features.

This album features performances of less frequently recorded orchestral works by Igor Stravinsky. They showcase the versatility of the Russian composer, who was never a supporter of any particular genre of aesthetic expression. On the contrary, he saw composing as an intellectual game, an attempt to solve self-imposed musical problems that could be kindled equally by Italian Baroque music, by the polyphonic structures of the Renaissance, by jazz, or by Anton Webern’s serial tone complexes. As both an opera conductor, orchestra director, festival director and author, Ingo Metzmacher is noted for his consistent and especial commitment to 20th- and 21st-century music.

Following the success of last year’s release of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, John Wilson and Sinfonia of London turn their attention to Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel. As in the case of the previous release in the series, this world première recording of the complete score features every note of music played at the first Broadway performance, here in the full thirty-five-piece orchestration made by Don Walker for the original production. The outstanding cast, led by Nathaniel Hackmann (Billy Bigelow), Mikaela Bennett (Julie Jordan), Sierra Boggess (Carrie Pipperidge), and Julian Ovenden (Enoch Snow), also features Francesca Chiejina (Nettie Fowler) and David Seadon-Young (Jigger Craigin).

Together with pianist Michael McHale, Michael Collins continues his exploration of the chamber repertoire for clarinet, turning to British music with this recital covering a hundred years of music for clarinet and piano which reflects the special relationship between English composers and this instrument. The earliest works on this recording are the Three Intermezzi and the Sonata by Charles Villiers Stanford, who made no secret of his debt to Brahms.

Join us in celebrating 25 years of our record label with 25 classical masterpieces from our catalogue.

The second in their award-winning series, the Calidore Quartet return with a three-disc album of the Middle Quartets. Their Beethoven performances have been described as “shockingly deep” by LA Times. The first album of Late Quartets won the Chamber Music Award at the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024. Their interpretation is informed by their diverse set of mentors, which includes Alban Berg, Emerson and Guarneri and yet still uniquely represents the sentiments, aesthetics and research of their generation. Their interpretations of Beethoven are already critically acclaimed with performances at the Lincoln Centre planned as part of their residency.

The Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. Their undeniably funny lyrics and on-stage antics might have suggested a simple troupe of clowns, but Coasters records were no mere novelties – their material, supplied by the legendary team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was too witty, their arrangements too well-crafted, and the group itself too musically proficient. That engaging and infectious combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock & roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo wop/vocal groups of all time.

Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn and music journalist Paul Morley. The group had international Top 20 hits with "Kiss" and the instrumental "Peter Gunn", which won a 1986 Grammy Award. The group's mostly instrumental compositions were novel melodic sound collages based on digital sampler technology, which was new at the time. Inspired by turn-of-the-20th-century revolutions in music, the Art of Noise were initially packaged as a faceless anti- or non-group, blurring the distinction between the art and its creators. Collection includes: (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise! (1984); In Visible Silence (1986); In No Sense? Nonsense! (1987); Below The Waste (1989); The Ambient Collection (1990); The FON Mixes (1991); The Seduction Of Claude Debussy (1999).

E.C. Scott is a superior blues and soul singer who is in prime form throughout this set. She is also a talented and witty lyricist, as can be heard on her tribute to "Money" (which should become a standard), "He Ate the Apple," and a song called "This Ain't Yo Daddy's Kind of Blues." Scott's band, Smoke, supports her perfectly, with Bill Ireton contributing some blazing guitar solos. Little Milton makes guest appearances on "Just One of Those Days" and "If I Can Borrow Some of Your Love," but E.C. Scott is certainly strong enough to carry this set by herself. The Other Side of Me is one of her finest and most stirring recordings to date.

Nelson was a child prodigy, born into a showbiz family, his father Ozzie was a bandleader and his mother Harriet was the singer. They had their own radio show & subsequent TV show, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, in which Nelson featured with his brother David. Nelson appeared in his first film aged 7.A 'Teenage Idol' of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson gained 9 gold records by the age of 21 in 1961. His single, 'Travelin' Man', was a huge #1 hit that year, selling over 2 million copies. The flip-side 'Hello, Mary Lou' went on to be his biggest hit ever, reaching #1 in 32 countries.

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), known professionally as Ricky Nelson until his 21st birthday when he officially dropped the "y" and simply became Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter. His discography comprises 24 original studio albums, one original live album, various compilation and archival projects, and 94 singles.
Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the 1950s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats. Yet now the consensus is that he made some of the finest pop/rock recordings of his era. Elvis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and others may have rocked harder, but Nelson was extraordinarily consistent during the first five years of his recording career, crafting pleasant pop-rockabilly hybrids with ace session players and projecting an archetype of the sensitive, reticent young adult with his accomplished vocals. He also played a somewhat underestimated role in rock & roll's absorption into mainstream America — how bad could rock be if it was featured on one of America's favorite family situation comedies on a weekly basis?

Unhappy with the slicker approach of Setting Sons, the Jam got back to basics, using the direct, economic playing of All Mod Cons and "Going Underground," the simply brilliant single which preceded Sound Affects by a few months. Thematically, though, Paul Weller explored a more indirect path, leaving behind (for the most part) the story-song narratives in favor of more abstract dealings in spirituality and perception - the approach stemming from his recent readings of Blake and Shelley (who was quoted on the sleeve), but more specifically Geoffrey Ash, whose Camelot and the Vision of Albion made a strong impression. Musically, Weller drew upon Revolver-era Beatles as a primary source (the bassline on "Start," which comes directly from "Taxman," being the most obvious occurrence), incorporating the occasional odd sound and echoed vocal, which implied psychedelia without succumbing to its excesses…

Funky Miracle is a compilation album from the funk group The Meters on the Charly Records label, containing re-issued material mainly from their first three albums with Josie Records: The Meters (1969), Look-Ka Py Py (1970) and Struttin' (1970). In fact, 35 of the 36 tracks from these albums are present on Funky Miracle with only Wichita Lineman from Struttin' missing.

Pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and occasional singer Ferdinand Joseph ‘Jelly Roll’ Morton was one of the most important and influential personalities in the entire history of jazz. Born in New Orleans of Creole descent in 1890, he was one of the earliest jazz innovators and pioneers, to the extent that he actually said that he invented the genre, although his accomplishments and influence were such that he did not need to make such exaggerated claims. Starting as a ragtime pianist, his 1915 tune “Jelly Roll Blues” was one of the first published jazz compositions. His career output of recordings was so prolific that we have chosen to release them as two 3-CD sets.

U.S. vocal male soul quartet formed in 1953, in Detroit as The Four Aims. They made their recording debut in 1955 backing Carolyn Hayes on her Baby Say You Love Me / Really single. The four founding members remained together for over four decades, until 1997 without a single change in personnel.In the 60's they were the main male vocal group for the signwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, the Four Tops were assigned to several producers, primarily Frank Wilson. When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit and moved over to ABC Records, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. Since the 1980s, the Four Tops have recorded for, at various times, Motown, Casablanca Records and Arista.Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 (Performer).