During the early 1990s Antonio Florio (together with Dinko Fabris) was making substantial discoveries in the field of Baroque repertory from Naples for performance and recording, and now that Florio and I Turchini are making new recordings for Glossa (Caresana’s Tenebrae and L’Adoratione de’ Maggi), we are delighted to be bringing back into circulation some of those earlier ground-breaking recordings, signed by Roberto Meo and Sigrid Lee, focusing here – with Il Canto della Sirena – on Neapolitan chamber cantatas from the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Eneide, a five-piece set from Padova, started off as Eneide Pop back in 1970. The boys, still in their teens, were signed by Trident after a successful supporting act for Van der Graaf Generator and an album was recorded and scheduled for release in 1972. For some reason, however, it never came out. The band kept the tapes and finally released it in LP format on their own label in '90 (in a very limited pressing, hence its current high price). The album consists of ten fairly short melodic pieces of typical 70's Italian prog, not overly complex but featuring a nice array of moods and some good interplay between the guitar, keyboard (mostly Hammond but also moog) and flute - although the highly dramatic vocals may require some getting used to.

Pietro Antonio Cesti, byname Marc’ Antonio, (1623-1669) composer who, with Francesco Cavalli, was one of the leading Italian composers of the 17th century. Cesti studied in Rome and then moved to Venice, where his first known opera, Orontea, was produced in 1649. In 1652 he became chapelmaster to Archduke Ferdinand of Austria at Innsbruck, a post he combined for a time with membership in the papal choir. From 1666 to 1669 he was vice chapelmaster to the imperial court in Vienna.

Premiata Forneria Marconi's Live History 1971-1981 (also known as 10 Anni Live 1971-1981) is a comprehensive 4-CD anthology capturing the evolution of Italy's premier prog band, showcasing high-energy performances from their symphonic peak through their late-70s jazz-fusion shift. It is praised for its historical breadth, though hindered by inconsistent bootleg-quality sound and repetitive tracks.