Good Light! From Issue 36, 2017

This is the fourth instalment in Deutsche Grammophon’s new Mozart cycle. In the end this will encompass the seven great operas, from Idomeneo forwards. I haven’t heard the previous three, but from the reviews I have seen the reception has been rather mixed. Concerning this latest issue I am also in two minds. The problem, as I see it, is that Nézet-Séguin hasn’t quite decided what he is up to. He has the excellent Chamber Orchestra of Europe at his disposal.

For Steve Hackett, his 26th studio album (a remarkable statistic of itself) is far more than merely a collection of quality tracks. It goes a lot deeper than this. “I love experimenting with sounds and ethnic instruments, and thereby taking my ideas into other musical territories, to go where I have not artistically been before. This is essentially British music but it's being developed in foreign soil, as it were.” 'At The Edge Of Light' represents the master guitarist's commitment and passion for a global perspective on the music he writes and performs.

2005 and 2006 are going to be remembered as a golden era for fans of Three Dog Night – oh, not based on the then-current version of the group featuring Danny Hutton and Cory Wells (although they probably deserve credit for endurance if nothing else). Rather, it's the crop of audiophile-quality reissues of their original albums on the Gottdisc and Edsel labels that should excite admirers of their sound. This Edsel release is a case in point. Given the reputation of the two albums included, it should not be that good a CD.