Valia Calda is a London-based quintet performing music which draws influences from jazz and Greek folk and tangles between electronic music and free improvisation. It consists of Sam Warner, James Allsopp, Gaspar Sena, and Nikos & Thodoris Ziarkas.

For over a decade, Herd of Instinct - that Little Ole Obscure Prog Band from Texas - has quietly created a body of work that reflects the wild diversity that is Prog Rock. Their newly released fourth album, Drone Priest, on Djam Karet’s Firepool Records, takes the listener on a journey exploring mood, texture, and experimental song structures. The most dynamic and varied album the band has produced to-date, Drone Priest seamlessly layers elements of prog, post rock, ambient drones, jazz, and complex percussion, while showcasing the Warr guitar and analog synths to create a unique blend of genres. Composed by Mark Cook (Spoke of Shadows, Hands, Liquid Sound Company), Drone Priest features guests Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson), Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet), Marco Machera (EchoTest), and Bill Bachman (Spoke of Shadows, Michael Harris, Neil Morse).

Since Madama Butterfly has more stage time than other sopranos, it is imperative that the singing actress captures extensive dramatic variety in addition to singing with exquisite tone and an affinity to Puccini. Mirella Freni, one of the greatest recorded Butterfly's of all time, succeeds at these demands with vocal sensitivity and eloquence. She is assisted by Karajan's superb, symphonic conducting, crisply and poignantly realizing all of Puccini's vast moods; Ludwig's urgent, loving and tenderly sung Suzuki; and Pavarotti's endearing and almost likeable Pinkerton. In addition, the Pavarotti-Freni duets are nectars of the gods. Get out the tissues and indulge. - Barbara Eisner Bayer- Amazon -

Domingo, Sutherland, Bacquier and Tourangeau star in this lively and very French recording of "Hoffmann". Richard Bonynge, the conductor, follows what he considered at the time to be the most "Offenbach-ish" version of the opera, one in which a little new music is added, other music is cleaned up, other music left alone and the recitatives cut out all together. The cast is entirely French except for Domingo and Sutherland, so it is a delightful experience to hear Frenchies speak French in true Opera-Comique style.
- By "bellavoce"-