Andre Lamote

With the death of Fabrizio De André from cancer on January 11, 1999, Italy lost one of its most modern singer/songwriters. Inspired by the songwriting of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, De Andre's songs encompassed Genoese folk songs, French protest/social commentary, beatnik "stream of consciousness" poetry, and the soundtracks of Italian film Westerns. In Italy and in the rest of world he is considered a poet because of the quality of his lyrics.

André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born 1 October 1949) is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Together they have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act, as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts.

André Rieu, the King of Waltz, and one of the most famous violinists of our time, will celebrate his 70th birthday in October this year. Universal is creating a unique and first-time catalogue release to tie in with the festive occasion. It will be 2CDs with all his greatest hits, waltzes, operas, musical and movie themes, 20th century defining songs and the song “Happy Birthday” (previously only released (physically) in Australia). A perfect collection and a rare Best Of for this occasion.

Two titans of the French repertoire, André Cluytens and Samson François, take the listener deep into the spellbinding world of Maurice Ravel. The dualities inherent in the composer’s exquisitely crafted music – and the contrasting, yet complementary characters of the masterly conductor and maverick pianist – are exemplified in their interpretations of the two piano concertos: the Concerto in G, charming, sparkling and gently melancholy, and the Concerto for the Left Hand, angular and defiant, with moments of both brutality and heroism.