For listeners who revere Shostakovich's despairing late song cycles and his death-haunted Fourteenth Symphony, this disc of three vocal symphonies by Soviet composer Alexander Lokshin will be like manna in the desert. A victim of Soviet repression – a native of Siberia, he was twice all but banished there for writing music that wasn't positive enough for Socialist Realism – Lokshin was not just another Shostakovich wanna-be; he was his own man with a distinctive compositional voice and strong views on art and aesthetics, and on life and death. In these three works ……

James Leonard @ AllMusic

A seminal figure of French Romantic music, Camille Saint-Saëns was also a great keyboard prodigy. The Études, Op 52 unite exuberant virtuosity with shimmering delicacy, while the Six Études, Op 111 pay homage to Chopin and Bach as well as anticipating Ravel’s impressionism. The neo-Baroque Op 135, for left hand alone, is modelled on Couperin and Rameau.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9 – Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan
Classical | 2 CD | EAC Rip | 403 MB, 3% recovery | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon | Recorded: 1982 | Published: 1984

Rarely has this Symphony been shaped with such understanding and played with such selfless virtuosity as it was by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in a legendary series of concerts in 1982. The performance is electric and intense, yet Karajan - ever the enigmatic blend of fire and ice - has the measure of the symphony's spiritual coolness… When the history of Twentieth Century music-making comes to be written this performance will be seen as one of its proudest landmarks. - Gramophone CD Guide

For more than four years, fans have been waiting for a new Bach recording from the extraordinary Austrian pianist Till Fellner. His interpretation of the first book of the Well-tempered piano for ECM was released in 2004 to great critical acclaim. “The articulation and the shaping of line are always clean, with meticulous but subtle attention given to the underlining of fugue subjects. There is just the right amount of flexibility in his shaping of phrase, and the sheer beauty of his sound helps lend the cerebral an enticing touch of the sensual.

This is yet another wonderful creation of Adrian von Ziegler. This album was specifically made thinking of his fans who were always requesting different styles of music, so he tried to please them all in various styles of his music included in this album. Here you can find very emotional music to listen with your loved one, as well as calm, relaxation soundtracks for when you want to be in peace with yourself after a long day of work or just to enjoy the nature, very epic songs which believe me that they will make you feel like you are living into a different era or modern filmscores. An album made for everyone´s taste.

Honored in 2009 with an Academy Award, David Gompper has traveled the world working as a pianist, conductor and composer, and developing a fascination with all manner of things, from the experience of echoes in the mountains, to the images of popular film and TV, and even old Russian icons. Putting such disparate ideas into play, his music often has a tightly-organised yet free flowing character making it endlessly fascinating. David Gompper’s compositions are heard throughout the United States and Europe.

Atlas is the fourth album by Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive. It was recorded in Los Angeles,California and will be released on 30 October 2012 through Epitaph Records.

Having focused on music from their home country before, the Norwegian Soloists Choir here present a German programme, featuring two of the most influential composers in 19th-century choral music: Johannes Brahms and Franz Schubert. It includes both sacred and secular music, scored for male, female and mixed choir a cappella and accompanied, starting with a selection from Brahmss deservedly popular Zigeunerlieder for mixed choir and piano.

The Special Limited Edition of “Bring Me Your Love” features revamped album artwork including two new illustrations by Ken Reaume, all new packaging, and includes the original Gold-certified album, a second bonus disc of 14 demo versions, two previously unreleased songs from the BMYL studio sessions, and a beautifully, handwritten 28 panel booklet with behind-the-scenes photos captured by photographer Vanessa Heins. Only 5000 copies will be manufactured and available to fans in North America, with an additional 1000 available on Dine Alone/Shock in Australia and its territories.

This DVD would appeal mainly to a selected group of bel canto enthusiasts who lose sleep at night trying get rare recordings of rare operas from the bel canto repertoire. The audio from this performance circulated for a while (on the Philips label) and was difficult to find; this issue is therefore a treasure from that perspective. It represents one of the peaks of the bel canto revival movement of the past 20 years…

By Noam Eitan