Anticipating the 50th anniversary of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in 2022, we present their complete recordings on DG. The intriguing sound culture of Orpheus, especially of the string section, is often explained as a result of the cooperative mindset of the orchestra and its artistic process of rehearsing.

This album, the first in a series devoted to the 41 symphonies of Michael Haydn, leads off with perhaps the most historically famous one of all: the Sinfonia in G major, Perger 16, is none other than the missing Symphony No. 37 of Mozart, which was not removed from the Mozart canon until 1907. The reason for the error was that a copy of the work exists in Mozart's handwriting; he wrote a slow introduction to the first movement (not performed here), and apparently copied out the piece in preparation. It remains difficult to believe that listeners' suspicions weren't raised before that; the work's simple, squarish movements resemble those of the symphonies Mozart wrote in his mid-teens.

Philippe Herreweghe and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra explore the tormented world of Robert Schumann. Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 plunge us into the psychological tangles of the composer's mind, reflecting his relentless struggle with melancholy and depression. In these two seminal works, a slow and somber introduction unveils the main motifs that will unfold throughout, before culminating in an emphatic and optimistic finale. The director from Ghent (and former psychiatrist) pHilippe Herreweghe manages to grasp the full complexity of this cathartic process leading us from darkness into light. He delivers a lively and urgent interpretation of these romantic masterpieces, confirming his reputation as an unrivalled performer of the German repertoire.

This was the first real indication to the world that Keith Jarrett was an ambitious, multi-talented threat to be reckoned with, an explosion of polystylistic music that sprawled over two LPs (now squeezed onto a single CD). Using his classic quartet (Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian) as a base, Jarrett occasionally adds the biting rock-edged electric guitar of Sam Brown and always-intriguing percussionist Airto Moreira, and indulges in some pleasant string and brass arrangements of his own, along with some grinding organ smears and acceptable soprano sax. Jarrett again turns his early rampant eclecticism loose - from earthy gospel-tinged soul-jazz to the freewheeling atonal avant-garde - yet this time he does it with an exuberance and expansiveness that puts his previous solo work in the shade…

Máquina! is maybe the very first underground rock group to have recorded in Franco's Spain, their first single dating back to early 69, and the following year, their first LP was out with a striking artwork depicting a clock coming out from a croissant meaning that it was time to wake-up (and have breakfast) in Spain. The album was called Why? and it was clearly so rebellious under a dictature that fellow group Tapiman (and Barcelona crosstown rivals/friends) answered them with a track Don't Ask Why. The five-piece group developed a high-energy Hammond-driven psych/prog rock with two lead guitarists, with many extraordinary musical moments given the context of those years.

Gallery of Flavours was a mystical electronic concept work that combines classic Teutonic passages with spatial Eastern symphonic arrangements. Dharana proved once again that expensive high-end equipment for tens of thousands euros should not be the basis of spherical music. Rather, with more modest devices prove that everything you need, you can pull out of the available synthesizers and samplers. It can be expected everything, but nothing like great spherical sound escapades. Dharana skill needs to be indebted because of those Vangelis-like structures reminiscent of "Soil Festivities" by aforementioned Greek. The latter is one of the monumental works in the pre-1492 time - here you hear the second part by Dharana. But you can also guess that Jarre and Kraftwerk left their influence here and there. Guess because Dharana differs with their very changeable style from the beaten track…

This disc is an interesting pairing, combining the contents of two LPs from opposite ends of the efforts to tap into Buddy Holly's catalog. That'll Be the Day, released in April of 1958, was Decca Records' first attempt to give a boost to the available Buddy Holly material, assembling 11 of the songs that he'd cut for the label during his four unsuccessful Nashville sessions of 1956 into an LP, issued one month after the Buddy Holly album was issued; Remember, released in 1971, was the last posthumous compilation of Holly's work assembled by British MCA, gathering together the last of his officially released singles, B-sides, and more. Curiously, it is the first 11 songs here, from That'll Be the Day - which is usually dismissed by critics as not sufficiently representative of Holly's real sound - that make this CD an important release, very close to essential listening…

Following the extremely warm reception given his self-named band's well-deserving debut album, Holy Diver, Ronnie James Dio figured there was no point in messing with a winning formula, and decided to play it safe with 1984's sophomore effort, The Last in Line - with distinctly mixed results. Although technically cut from the same cloth as those first album nuggets, fist-pumping new songs like "We Rock," and "I Speed at Night" curiously went from good to tiresome after just a few spins (a sign that the songwriting clichés were starting to pile up…read on); and the otherwise awesome, seven-minute epic, "Egypt (The Chains Are On)," inexplicably lost it's strikingly sinister main riff halfway through, in what sounds like a mastering snafu of some kind. On the upside, more dramatic, mid-paced numbers such as the title track, "One Night in the City," and "Eat Your Heart Out" - as well as the driving "Evil Eyes" - delivered enough compelling riffs and melodies…

Songs for Distingué Lovers forms part of the last series of extensive small-group recordings that Lady Day would make in the studio. Although her voice was largely shot at this point, she puts so much feeling into the lyrics that it's easy to overlook her dark sound. The band is a major asset, and made up of all-stars: trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, pianist Jimmie Rowles, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Red Mitchell, and Alvin Stoller or Larry Bunker on drums. There are plenty of short solos for Edison, Webster, and Kessel. Holiday does her best on such numbers as "A Foggy Day," "One for My Baby," "Just One of Those Things," and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and there are plenty of haunting moments, even if one could tell (even at the time) that the end was probably drawing near for the singer.

Originally released in 2000, this collection offers 20 hard-to-find ’60s pop hits from the Atlantic, Atco and Warner Brothers vaults. This CD offers the original hit single versions of hard-to-find hits like “Al Di La” by Emilio Pericoli, “Angel on My Shoulder” by Shelby Flint and “Let’s Think About Living” by Bob Luman, as well as the iconic “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher. Collectors will want rare tracks like Rose Garden’s “Next Plane To London” and the doo wop classic “Looking For An Echo” by Kenny Vance. Every song has been lovingly remastered from the original master tapes for stunning clarity and rich sound. All but five tracks are in stereo.

Five long years after Eric Records unveiled the last numbered volume of our flagship series – detours through Music City and Soulsville notwithstanding – we proudly present Hard To Find 45s on CD Volume 9: 1957-1959. This jam-packed platter is a veritable potpourri of pop, reflecting the wide-open world of Top 40 radio before the days of niche marketing and narrow-casting. Within the span of these 23 tracks, you’ll hear rollicking New Orleans rhythm ’n’ blues (Huey “Piano” Smith), irrepressible rockabilly (Carl Mann), and spirited workouts on the Wurlitzer (Dave Cortez’s “Happy Organ”), steel guitar (Santo & Johnny’s “Tear Drop”), and a whole “String of Trumpets” (from, who else, the Trumpeteers).

Self-taught guitarist that played a few years on the local Quebec scene in various line-ups, sharing stages with Octobre, Maneige, etc. Jacques Blais became one of Quebec's best guitarists (along with Frank Marino) and his reputation grew to the point of playing prestigious shows without having recorded an album (yet). Late 74, despite having his own and upon hearing Contraction's second album La Bourse Ou La vie, he asked the group's bassist Yves Laferrière to produce his first album, and soon enough most of the band was backing Blais, not only in the studio, but in the next few months' following its release in 1975. Contraction's influence is all over the music. Nonetheless, all writing credits are given to Blais, who plays acoustic and electric guitar in addition to singing…