Channel Classics 24 Bit

This is the first recording on Channel Classics with the Italian based MIB Ensemble. Compromising the best players from the top orchestras of Italy, the ensemble felt the need to create their own ensemble to fill the gap in repertoire and concert possibilities for wind instruments.

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States.

Equipped with a variety of trumpets, a ridiculous array of percussion instruments, and far too many electronics, Wim Van Hasselt and Koen Plaetinck combine to create an entirely new musical space. Presenting brand-new commissions as well as arrangements, they stretch the boundaries of classical music into a unique world of sounds and visuals, infused with traditional music, electro-underground, improvisation and – above all – their own vivid personalities. What if dreaming became reality? The imaginary tangible? When living a fairy-tale the fantastic is the concrete…

In 2002 Florilegium became involved with Bolivian Baroque and since 2003 Ashley has been training vocalists and instrumentalists there. Initially solo singers, he formed Arakaen – dar Bolivia Choir in 2005. In 2008 Ashley was the first European to receive the prestigious Bolivian Hans Roth Prize, given to him in recognition of the enormous assistance he has given to the Bolivian indigenous people, their presence on the international stage and the promotion and preservation of this music.

For both classical musicians and classical musicians, it’s pretty hard to think of an upside to the past period of Covid-themed havoc. However if there is one positive thing that this terrible period will have bequeathed to us for posterity, it’s the number of superb recordings that would never have happened without all those sudden gaps in previously packed performance diaries, and with this harmonious pairing of Haydn and Stravinsky we have yet another.

Copenhagen-based early music ensemble Camerata Øresund takes a musical voyage throughout baroque Europe on their debut recording Pas de bourrée . Suites of dances by Campra, Roman and Purcell alternate with concertos by Bach and Vivaldi and a programme work by Telemann. A theme of travel and journeying unites these pieces. Camerata Øresund cannot keep their feet still even in the most virtuoso of concertos. They dance an energetic "pas de bourrée" to the Allegro of Bach's Harpsichord Concerto, whilst the slow movement from Vivaldi's L’estro armonico is transformed into a hypnotic Sarabande. Pas de bourrée is a colourful kaleidoscope of moods, emotions, characters and stories. Camerata Øresund remains true to their promise that everything they touch will turn into a dance.

The album Solitude features music of Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann. Dutch violinist Niek Baar and American pianist Ben Kim tell us: “Robert Schumann brought us together as duo partners and as friends. His writing, obsessively swinging between fiery turmoil and tender longing, gave us a common language to communicate with one another”. On this recording, Robert Schumann's Violin Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3 are paired with Clara Schumann's 3 Romances, Op. 22. Listening to her romances, we note that Clara quotes Robert's Violin Sonata No. 1. This romantic gesture underlines the artistic bond between Clara and Robert Schumann.

The recent Kozeluch revival, featuring recordings of his solo, chamber and orchestral music, has demonstrated his status as one of the most important figures in the whole of Viennese Classicism. This double album dedicated to Kozeluch’s works for fortepiano four-hands provides further confirmation of his compositional mastery, on a level bearing comparison with his contemporaries.

Brazilian Funk Soul Finest Record Collection. A tasty slice of '70s and '80s Brazilian Soul and Funk especially the one from the glorious ’70s.