Afterbach Matinee

(…) Les Chants de Nectaire is a perfect example of Koechlin's love of monody and of his comprehensive understanding of the possibilities of the flute. The range of the pieces is deceptively wide - from quiet, almost becalmed meditations to furious, abandoned dances in which the metre is ever changing and sometimes non-existent, while the melodies move from modality and diatonic purity to complex chromaticism, to create a flickering patchwork of moods. The technical demands on the player are enormous (not surprisingly this is the first ever recording of the complete cycle) but Pierre-Yves Artaud is one of the world's greatest flautists, and lavishes all his artistry on these haunting miniatures. - Andrew Clements, The Guardian

"Welcome to the Real World" was the second album by American pop rock band Mr. Mister. Released in 1985, it climbed to #1 on the Billboard album charts during early 1986. Two singles from the album, "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie" both went to #1 on the US singles chart. Another single from the album, "Is It Love," was another top 10 hit for the band, peaking at #8 on the Billboard chart.

"Go On…" was the third album by American pop band Mr. Mister. It was released in 1987, and featured a more serious tone than their previous album Welcome to the Real World, which was commercially successful. This album did not fare as well commercially and would become the last publicly released album by the band before they broke up in 1989.

There's a cool aggression to 1983's "Rebel Yell," Billy Idol's second album that is equal parts new-wave, metal, punk, and pop. Although his debut was a hit and remains a classic, it was "Rebel Yell" that is his masterpiece. The album reunited Billy with the hit-making team of producer, Keith Forsey and the atmospheric guitarwork of Stevie Stevens that can only be called rock & roll nirvana. The album reached #6 on Billboard's Top 200 propelled by four hit singles including, "Rebel Yell," the eloquently gorgeous "Eyes Without a Face" with the haunting female backup singing of Perri Lister, and "Flesh for Fantasy" all of which were hit music videos. With a permanently snarled upper lip and the perfect matinee-idol blond hair, Billy Idol made punk rock palatable for MTV and the masses.

Following their successful appearance here on the Golden Rose TV Festival in April 1969, the band was invited back to play the Montreux Jazz Festival in June to a more youthful audience. The hot sunny weather saw the boys play an impromptu afternoon matinee by the pool, which culminated in a topless Dick Heckstall-Smith diving in to cool down! During that time bootlegs were a big part of the scene. Repertoire Records has curated the best of the best and these albums are now 'officially' available for digital download for the first time.

The second Piano Classics Explorer 10-CD set offers a wide range of rarely heard French piano repertoire.
The Piano Classics Explorer series offers valuable and attractively themed collections from its catalogue. Piano Classics was the first label to exclusively devote itself to piano music. Since its founding in 2010 it has released countless extraordinary recordings, presenting many repertoire rarities and amazing young pianists. The press has always been enthusiastic about the label’s releases and has showered many 5-star and Editor’s Choices on them.